A Copper-plate Charter of the Haihaya King Maharanaka Ratnadeva II of the Cedi year 878

Summary

This epigraphical article publishes and analyses a copper‑plate charter issued by Mahāranaka Ratnadeva II of the Haihaya dynasty. The plates were discovered near the medieval town of Śeorīnarāyaṇa in Chhattisgarh and bear an unusual seal without the figure of Ga j a Lakṣmī; instead, the seal is inscribed with the term ‘Mahāranaka’ and a garuda emblemfile:///home/oai/share/splits/copper_plate_charter_of_the_haihaya_king_ratnadeva_ii.pdf#:~:text=There%20are%20two%20inscriptions%20in,king%20%E0%AA%AD%E0%AA%BE%20the%20seal%20and. The charter records a land grant to Brahmins and provides a genealogy of Ratnadeva’s ancestors tracing the line back to the mythical Haihayas. The document offers insight into the political titles used by the Kalachuri rulers—‘Mahāranaka’ implying a sovereign below the rank of emperor. By examining the language and palaeography, the author dates the charter to the early 12th century CE. The plates mention Ratnadeva’s military exploits and his devotion to Vishnu, underscoring the religious legitimacy of the grant. The article compares this charter with other Kalachuri inscriptions and notes its unique omission of conventional royal eulogies. It concludes that the document fills a gap in our knowledge of Haihaya genealogy and demonstrates how regional kings expressed sovereignty through distinctive seals and titles.