Copper plate inscriptions

History glossary

Also called: Copperplate charters, Copper plate grants · Topic: Studying Indian History: Sources, Dating and Historiography · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 7 "The Gupta Era: An Age of Tireless Creativity"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Kings, Farmers and Towns"

Meaning

Copper plate inscriptions are records engraved on sheets of copper. Most of them record land grants, meaning gifts of land made by kings, often to Brahmanas or religious institutions. They were probably given to the people who received the land, so they could prove what they owned. Most are in Sanskrit. From about the seventh century, many are partly in Sanskrit and partly in local languages such as Tamil or Telugu. They tell historians about land, villages, rights and the links between rulers and rural society.

Example

Prabhavati Gupta was the daughter of the Gupta king Chandragupta II and the wife of a Vakataka ruler in the Deccan. In c. 5th century CE she granted the village of Danguna by a copper plate charter. The plate lists what the receiver would get and tells the villagers to obey him.

Don't confuse with

  • Stone edicts: these were public notices carved on rocks or pillars for passers-by to see, like Asoka's edicts. A copper plate worked more like a private title deed held by the person who got the land.

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