The Nagajari-Khanikargaon rock inscription is a 5th-century land grant discovered in the Nagajari area of the

Golaghat district Golaghat district (Pron:ˌgəʊləˈgɑ:t) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. It attained district status in 1987. The district headquarters are located at Golaghat. The district occupies an and lies above sea level. ...

. The artifact is fragmentary, with inscriptions in Sanskrit written in the eastern variety of the

Brahmi script Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' o ...

. In style, language, and script, the inscription is very similar to the Umachal and Barganga rock inscriptions. Additionally, since it betrays no influence of a local Prakrit, this inscription is often placed earlier than the Umachal rock inscription. It also indicates that Indo-Aryan culture had spread to the Golaghat region by the 5th century. It is also speculated that it might belong to a different dynasty unrelated to the Varmans of

Kamarupa Kamarupa (; also called Pragjyotisha or Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa), an early state during the Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, was (along with Davaka) the first historical kingdom of Assam. Though Kamarupa prevailed from 350 to 11 ...

Text

The text is fragmentary, with no complete sentence available, though it is believed it was written in the

sloka meter Sanskrit prosody or Chandas refers to one of the six Vedangas, or limbs of Vedic studies.James Lochtefeld (2002), "Chandas" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A-M, Rosen Publishing, , page 140 It is the study of poetic metr ...

. Since the text is fragmentary, no English translation is available. Nevertheless, it is ascertained that the inscription is related to a grant of land, with the area bounded by "Dibrumukkhada" (a water body) in the east and a Banyan tree in the west.

Discovery

The rock inscription was collected by Luduram Saikia of Khanikargaon among some ruins in the Nagajari area prior to 1972. Around 1972, this stone fragment was noticed by M K Saikia at Saikia's residence, when it was reported.

Notes

References

* * {{refend Kamarupa (former kingdom) Sanskrit inscriptions in India Golaghat district 5th-century inscriptions