The 2 important copper plates issued by Badami Chalukyas which made Marathi a classical language.
“...सुखसंकथा विनोदी राज्य करित दक्षिणदिसावरे दिगुविजय यात्री विजयं करवुन...”
When one think of these 2 plates, they often think of them as one. However these 2 are completely different altogether. The confusion likely arises because they are issued by same dynasty. These are namely of Satara and Nerur copper plates.
Nerur Copper Plates-
These are dated to 601CE. Even though the script is an old Southern Brahmi variation and the primary language is Sanskrit & they do not contain written Marathi text, they provide the essential historical, cultural, and geographical foundation of Maharashtra. They are critically valuable to Maharashtrian historians. Before historians can trace a language, they must trace the geography of the people who spoke it. The Nerur plates are among the oldest surviving physical documents to explicitly name villages and regions in the coastal Konkan heartland of Maharashtra. The plates serve as one of the oldest legal geographic records of the Konkan region in Maharashtra. They explicitly mention regional villages and land layouts—such as Kundivataka (modern-day Kundi or Kudal) and Nerur itself in the Sindhudurg district. Tracking how these ancient names evolved into modern Maharashtrian town names is a crucial method linguists use to trace the geographical footprint of early Maharashtrian culture. Local administrative terms, measurement systems, and colloquial names used in the Sanskrit text show a subtle blending of dialects. This linguistic overlap heavily influenced the early phonetic structure of what would eventually crystallize into distinct regional langs (like Malvani and Konkani).
- Maharashtra Gazetteer, “Chapter 6: The Calukyas of Badami” — useful for historical framing of the Chalukya context and for placing the inscription within Konkan history.
- History of the Konkan (A. K. Nairne) — useful for background on Konkan geography and the historical importance of the region, though not a direct epigraphic edition of the Nerur plates
Satara Copper Plates-
These plates have become very crucial for understanding the evolution of the Marathi language. These have put officially put an end to the missing link which for years had existed between Maharashtri Prakrut and Older Marathi.
The EXACT year when the Arab invaders were repelled by Chalukyan forces in the Battle of Navsari. These plates are dated to 739CE (Shaka Samvat 661) which were issued under Chalukyan king Vijayaditya, these plates contain both Sanskrit verses and lines written in an early dialect of Marathi. While the charter is predominantly in Sanskrit—the formal royal language of the era—the prose includes explicit, recognizable Marathi words (such as in lines 13–17). This proves that the local tongue was already taking on distinct Marathi structures well before the 13th-century literary standard.
The inscription explicitly mentions Karahataka (the ancient name for modern-day Karad) and references historical lore surrounding Hastinapur and King Janamejaya. This anchors the early vernacular language to the culture and geography of the Satara region in Maharashtra.
- (Lines 1 to 12): Roughly 70% to 75% of the total text is in Sanskrit. Following standard imperial protocols of the Chalukyas, it opens with formal praises, religious invocations, and the official genealogy of the king. However, even within these first 12 lines, regional vocabulary and Marathi nouns begin to surface.
- Proto-Marathi / Early Vernacular (Lines 13 to 17): Roughly 25% to 30% of the text is written in an early dialect. This section is a localized record written in a prose format that directly maps onto modern Marathi grammar, syntax, and vocabulary.
The Sanskrut sentences-
The text details the ancestry of King Vijayaditya, praising his military victories, his devotion to the deities, and his governance over the "Three Maharashtras" (a geographic region referenced in Chalukyan records). It states the legal terms of a grant or administrative decree being enacted in the region.
"By the command of the illustrious Vijayaditya, the asylum of the universe, the favorite of fortune and the earth, the great king of kings... let it be known to all administrative heads..." It serves as a legal preface to prove that the decree holds royal, divine backing.
The Marathi Sentences & Meaning
The transition into early Marathi occurs precisely when the text shifts from abstract royal praise to local geographical realities, regional folklore, and religious boundaries-
"परिक्षीतानिकुसुतजनमेजय चक्रवर्ती हस्तिनापुरी सुखसंकथा विनोदी राज्य करित दक्षिणदिसावरे दिगुविजय यात्री विजयं करवुन करहाटकंबलेश्वरदेवा संनिधी कटमेलिकार करवुन पितृ सत्रु निमीती सर्पयाग करित अहेंद्रभक्षक स्वहा!"
Word-by-Word Translation & Grammatical Breakdown:
- परिक्षीतानिकुसुतजनमेजय चक्रवर्ती (Parikshita-nikusu-ta-Janamejaya Chakravarti): Emperor Janamejaya, the son of King Parikshit.
- हस्तिनापुरी (Hastinapuri): In the city of Hastinapur.
- सुखसंकथा विनोदी राज्य करित (Sukhasankatha vinodi rajya karit): Ruling happily and engaging in intellectual, joyful discourses (Note: "rajya karit" is an exact precursor to the modern Marathi phrase "राज्य करीत" meaning "while ruling").
- दक्षिणदिसावरे दिगुविजय यात्री विजयं करवुन (Dakshina-disavare diguvijaya yatri vijayam karavun): Launching a military campaign toward the southern direction and securing a grand victory (Note: "karavun" directly evolves into the modern Marathi suffix "करवून" or "करून").
- करहाटकंबलेश्वरदेवा संनिधी (Karahataka-mbaleshwaradeva sannidhi): In the presence of Lord Mahabaleshwar at Karahataka (the ancient name for modern-day Karad in Satara).
- कटमेलिकार करवुन (Katamelikar karavun): Having organized a military camp or gathering of elites.
- पितृ सत्रु निमीती सर्पयाग करित (Pitru satru nimiti sarpayaga karit): Performing the Sarpa Satra (snake sacrifice ritual) on account of his father’s enemies (Note: "karit" is the precursor to modern Marathi "करीत" or "करणे").
- अहेंद्रभक्षक स्वाहा! (Ahendrabhakshaka svaha!): Offering sacrifices to the consumer of the king of serpents!
The Exact Combined Meaning:
>"While Emperor Janamejaya, the son of Parikshit, was ruling happily in Hastinapur engaged in pleasant discourses, he set out on a campaign of conquest toward the southern direction. Having secured victory, he established his camp in the vicinity of the deity Mahabaleshwar at Karahataka (Karad). There, to avenge his father's enemies, he performed the snake sacrifice, declaring: Swaha to the consumer of the serpent king!"
- Rather than using the complex verb inflections of Sanskrit, these lines use auxiliary verbs like karit (doing) and karavun (having caused to do). This is the definitive foundational syntax unique to the Marathi language.
- The "Dative" Suffix: The phrase “दक्षिणदिसावरे” (Dakshina-disavare, meaning "upon/towards the southern direction") demonstrates an early version of the Marathi locative/dative suffix (-वर / -वरे). This feature is entirely absent in Sanskrit but central to modern Marathi.