New Plates of King Bhoja in the Indore Museum [Vikrama] Samvat 1079

Summary

The discovery of new copper‑plate grants attributed to King Bhoja, the celebrated eleventh‑century ruler of the Paramāra dynasty, has added valuable data to the history of medieval Malwa. This article describes a set of plates now housed in the Indore Museum. The plates are inscribed in Sanskrit using a variety of the Nāgarī script and record land grants made by Bhoja to Brahmins and temples. The author first provides a detailed physical description of the plates: the number of sheets, their dimensions, the presence of a ring and seal, and the palaeographic features of the script. He then transliterates and translates the inscriptions. The grants refer to Bhoja’s titles, genealogy and conquests, offering clues to the political context of his reign. Place names mentioned in the plates are identified with modern sites, shedding light on the geography of the Paramāra kingdom and its administrative divisions. By comparing these plates with previously known grants, the author discusses chronological issues, such as whether the regnal years stated correspond to Bhoja or his successors. The plates also contain references to religious endowments that illustrate the king’s patronage of Brahmanical institutions. This study underscores the importance of epigraphic discoveries for reconstructing regional histories. The new plates enrich our understanding of Bhoja’s administrative practices and the extent of his domain and highlight the vitality of Sanskrit epigraphy in central India during the eleventh century.