Astaka‑Navaka‑Nāla

Summary

This short note clarifies the meaning of the obscure expression astaka‑navaka‑nāla found in several copper‑plate inscriptions from Bengal. Responding to comments by Dr. B. C. Bhattasali, the author admits that earlier attempts to identify the figure Hari with Harivarman of Vaṅga were tentative and stresses the uncertainty of the historical context. The term astaka‑navaka‑nāla occurs in dated and undated Faridpur plates attributed to Dharmaditya or Gopacandra, in the grant of Gopacandra dated year 19 and in the Damodarpur grant. After quoting the relevant passages, the author argues that earlier scholars misinterpreted the term as a name and proposes that it should be read together with the preceding word basta to mean ‘a reed of eight to nine cubits’. This interpretation is supported by parallels in other epigraphs and by the practical need to describe fields in units of length rather than area. The note cautions that when primary evidence is fragmentary, any new theory deserves consideration but must be treated with caution. It concludes that the expression probably refers to a standard linear measure used in land grants and that more inscriptions are required to confirm its exact value.