Baudh Plates of Ranabhanjadeva—year 58

Summary

This article publishes and analyses a set of copper‑plate charters issued by King Ranabhanjadeva of the Bhanja dynasty in year 58 of an unspecified era. The plates, found in the Baudh region of Odisha, contain a seal depicting the royal emblem and Sanskrit text recording a grant of land to Brahmanas. The author provides a transliteration and translation of the inscription, which sets out the genealogy of the Bhanja kings, beginning with ancient ancestors like Kalgauja‑bhatta and Satrubhanja and culminating in Ranabhanjadeva. The charter describes the boundaries of the donated village, exempts it from taxes and forced labour and assigns rights over uncultivated land to the donees. By comparing the palaeography of the script with other Bhanja inscriptions, the author dates the document to the 12th or 13th century and situates the Bhanja dynasty within the regional politics of medieval Odisha. The article argues that such charters were instruments of statecraft: they legitimised royal authority, rewarded Brahmanical allies and recorded administrative details of land tenure. The translation reveals socio‑economic conditions, such as the remitting of various taxes and the delineation of cultivated and uncultivated land. By editing the Baudh plates, the article contributes new primary evidence for the chronology and genealogy of the Bhanja rulers and enhances our understanding of medieval Odisha’s political landscape.