The Nalanda Copper-plate of Devapaladeva is an ancient

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

inscription located in Nalanda, within the present day

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

state of

Northeastern India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

. It has been dated to 860 CE. The inscription talks about king Devapaladeva of Bengala (Pala Empire) who had granted the request of Sri Maharaja of Suvarnadvipa,

Balaputra Balaputradewa was the maharaja of Srivijaya in the 9th century CE as well as the former head of the Sailendra dynasty. He was the youngest son of the preceding Sailendran maharaja, Samaratunga, through marriage with Dewi Tara who was in turn the ...

, to build a

Buddhist monastery Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

at Nalanda. Balaputra was mentioned as the son of

Samaragrawira Sri Maharaja Samaragrawira or also known as Rakai Warak was a ruler of the Mataram Kingdom of Central Java from approximately 800 to 819. This name is found in the list of kings of Mataram in the Mantyasih inscription. One theory put forward by hi ...

, grandson of ''Śailendravamsatilaka'' (the jewel of the

Śailendra The Shailendra dynasty (, derived from Sanskrit combined words ''Śaila'' and ''Indra'', meaning "King of the Mountain", also spelled Sailendra, Syailendra or Selendra) was the name of a notable Indianised dynasty that emerged in 8th-century ...

family) with stylized name ''Śrīviravairimathana'' (the slayer of enemy hero), king of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...

that married Tārā, daughter of

Dharmasetu Dharmasetu was an 8th-century maharaja of Srivijaya. Under his reign, he successfully incorporated Pan Pan, a kingdom located in the north of the Malay Peninsula, into the Srivijayan sphere of influence before 775 AD. At an old monastery of Nakhon ...

. It was found by Hirananda Shastri in 1921 in the antechamber of Monastery 1 at Nalanda.

Inscription's text

::"We being requested by the illustrious Maharaja Balaputradeva, the king of Suwarnadvipa through a messenger I have caused to be built a monastery at Nalanda granted by this edict toward the income for the blessed Lord Buddha, the abode of all the leading virtues like the

prajnaparamita A Tibetan painting with a Prajñāpāramitā sūtra at the center of the mandala Prajñāpāramitā ( sa, प्रज्ञापारमिता) means "the Perfection of Wisdom" or "Transcendental Knowledge" in Mahāyāna and Theravāda B ...

, for the offerings, oblations, shelter, garments, alms, beds, the requisites of the sick like medicines, etc. of the assembly of the venerable bhiksus of the four quarters (comprising) the Boddhisattvas well versed in the tantras, and the eight great holy personages (i.e. the aryapuggalas) for writing the dharma-ratnas of Buddhist texts and for the up-keep ad repair of the monastery (when) damaged. ::There was a king of Yavabhumi (Yava or

), who was the ornament of the Sailendra dynasty, whose lotus feet bloomed by lustre of the jewels in the row of trembling diadems on the heads of all the princes, and whose name was conformable to the illustrious tormentor of brave foes (vira-vairi-mathana). His fame, incarnate as it were by setting its foot on the regions of (white) palaces, in white water lilies, in lotus plants, conches, moon, jasmine and snow and being incessantly sung in all the quarters, pervaded the whole universe. At the time when the king frowned in anger, the fortunes of the enemies also broke down simultaneously with their hearts. ::Indeed, the crooked ones in the world have got ways of moving which are very ingenious in striking others. He had a son (named Samaragravira), who possesses prudence, prowess, and good conduct, whose two feet fordled too much with hundreds of diadems of mighty kings (bowing down). He has the foremost warrior in the battlefields and his fame was equal to that earned by Yudishtira, Paracara, Bhimasena, Karna and Arjuna. The multitude of dust of the earth, raised by the feet of his army, moving in the field of battle, was first blown up to the sky by the wind, produced by the moving on the earth (again) by the inchor, poured forth from the cheeks of the elephants. ::By continuous existence of whose fame the world was altogether without the dark fortnight, just like the family of the lord of the daityas (demons) was without the partisanship of Khrisna. As Paulomi was known to be (the wife of) the lord of the Suras (i.e. Indra), Rati the wife of the mind-born (Kama), the daughter of the mountain (Parvati) of the enemy of Kama (i.e. Shiva), and Lakshmi of the enemy of Mura (i.e. Vishnu), so Tara was the queen consort of that king, and was the daughter of the great ruler

of the lunar race and resembled Tara (the Buddhist goddess of this name) herself. As the son of Suddhodana (i.e. the Buddha) the conqueror of Kamadeva, was born of Maya, and Skanda, who delighted the heart of the host of gods, was born or Uma by Shiva, was born of her by that king the illustrious Balaputra, who was expert in cruising the pride of all the rulers of the world, and before whose footstool (the seat where his lotus feet rested) the group princes bowed. ::With the mind attracted by the manifold excellences of Nalanda and through devotion to the sun of Suddhodana (the Buddha) and having realized that riches was fickle like the waves of a mountain stream, he whose fame was like that of Sanghartamitra. ::This might possibly meant that his wealth befriended the cause of the Sangha. Built there (at Nalanda) a monastery which was the abode of the assembly of monks of various good qualities and was white the series of stuccoed and lofty dwellings. Having requested, King Devapaladeva who was the preceptor for initiating into widowhood the wives of all the enemies, through envoys, very respectfully and out of devotion and issuing a charter, (he) granted these five villages whose purpose had been motived above for the welfare of himself, his parents and the world. As long as there is continuance of the ocean, or the Ganges has her limbs (the currents of water) agitated by the extensive plaited hair of Hara (Shiva), as long as the immovable king of snakes (Shesa) lightly bears the heavy and extensive earth every day, and as long as the (Udaya) Eastern and (Asta) Western mountains have their crest jewels scratched by the hoofs of the horses of the Sun, so long may this meritorious act, setting up virtues over the world, endure."

References

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External links

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Southeastasianarchaeology.com: Nalanda and the Southeast Asian connection

Indian inscriptions Nalanda Pala Empire 860 9th century in India 9th-century Buddhism Buddhist sites in Bihar History of Bihar Shailendra dynasty Srivijaya