A Forged Agarva Copper-Plate Grant of Sahasrarjuna

Summary

This article analyses a pair of copper plates purported to record a land grant issued by the legendary king Sahasrarjuna (Kartavirya). Discovered near Dakor in Gujarat and now kept at the B. J. Institute, the plates are inscribed in Sanskrit using early Nāgarī script. The authors meticulously describe the dimensions, weight and fastening mechanism of the plates and transcribe their 40 lines of text. They note that the inscription begins with conventional benedictory verses and then narrates a grant. However, stylistic inconsistencies, linguistic anomalies and historical errors suggest the plates are forgeries. By comparing the script and genealogy with authentic inscriptions, the authors demonstrate that the plates were produced much later than they claim. They discuss how the burgeoning market for antiquities encourages the creation of fake artefacts and emphasise the need for rigorous epigraphic analysis. Exposing this forgery protects the integrity of historical research and prevents spurious documents from distorting the historical record.