CONTAINING SANSCRIT INSCRIPTIONS. 4'15 



and consequently supposed it to be tlie date of the 

 reign of De'va'pala the prince who made the grant. 

 The date of the A'tngdch hi plate, which must be re- 

 ferred to the reign of the grantor Vigrahbpa'la, seems 

 strongly to corroborate this opiriion. 



The present inscription, though yet imperfectly de- 

 cyphered, appears to be useful towards ascertaining the 

 age of the Mongir grant. The names of Dhermapa'- 

 LA and De'vapa'la occur in both inscriptions ; as 

 that of Ra'japa'la^^ocs, on the pillar at Buddl, as 

 well as on the yl'mgucJihi plate. Some of these names 

 are also found in the list of princes enumerated in the 

 Ayin dcberi^ as having reigned in Bengal before Bal- 

 lalase'na. The authority of Abu'lpazl, on Hindu 

 history, is indeed not great : but the inscription on the 

 statue of Budd'ha, which was found at Sdrandfha, 

 near Benares '\-, proves, that a family of princes, whose 

 names terminated in Pa/a, did reign over Gaud'a in 

 Bengal, near eight hundred years ago : and this is 

 consistent with the period to which that dynasty is 

 brought down by Abu'lfazl ; namely the middle of 

 the eleventh century of the christian era. It appears 

 also, from the same inscription found at Surandt^ha, 

 that these princes were worshippers of Budd'ha, a 

 circumstance which agrees with the indications of that 

 faith in the Mongir grant, as translated by Mr. Wil- 

 KiNS. The name of AIahipa^la, mentioned as kincr 

 of Gaud' a in the Sdrandt'ha inscription, occurs like- 

 \\'ise in the A'mgdclih'i plate ; and if it be reason- 

 able to believe, that the same person is intended 

 in both instances, it will be right to infer, th,at 

 the grant contained on the plate found at AmgacKh't 

 13 nearly eight hundred years old ; and that the plate 



* Vol. 2. p. 25. 



+ As. Res. vul, 5. p. 133. 



