The Nālandā Plate of Devapāladeva: What the National Museum’s Ninth-Century Copper Charter Reveals About Pala Maritime Diplomacy

In the study of early medieval Indian history, copper-plate charters are frequently treated as strictly domestic instruments. They are administrative title-deeds that record the transfer of agrarian revenues from local sovereigns to domestic Brahmins (brahmadeya) or temples. However, a single large copper plate preserved in the National Museum of India in New Delhi under Accession Number 47.51 upends this local focus.

Unearthed in 1921 by archaeologist Hirananda Shastri during excavations in the antechamber of Monastery 1 at Nālandā, the Nālandā copper plate of Devapāladeva provides physical evidence of ninth-century maritime diplomacy. It documents a complex network of trade, political sovereignty, and religious patronage that linked the Pala Empire of Bengal directly to the Śailendra dynasty of Śrīvijaya in Sumatra.

Through its precise epigraphic details, this artifact serves as a ledger of globalized political economy across the Bay of Bengal.

The Material and Epigraphic Profile

The artifact is a single, substantial copper sheet measuring approximately 76.3 by 42.8 centimeters. It features an elaborate projection at the top containing the royal seal of the Pala dynasty. The seal depicts a dharmachakra (wheel of the law) flanked by two couchant deer, a direct reference to the Buddha's first sermon at Sarnath. Below this emblem, the name of the issuing king, Devapāladeva, is inscribed.

The main body of the charter contains sixty lines of Sanskrit text written in an early northern Indian script, frequently categorized by epigraphists as proto-Bengali or Siddhamatrika. Unlike many contemporary copper-plate grants that consist of multiple plates joined by a loose ring, this grant was fashioned as a single, monumental rectangular plate designed to be stored within the monastery archives rather than displayed publicly.

The text is divided into two distinct parts. The first forty-two lines on the obverse side present the formal genealogy of the Pala ruler Devapāladeva, who reigned from approximately 810 to 850 CE. The reverse side transitions into a detailed record of the diplomatic request and the specific administrative terms of the land grant.

The Request from Suvarṇadvīpa

The historical core of the Nālandā plate lies in its description of an embassy sent to the Pala court at Mudgagiri (modern Munger, Bihar). The text records that King Devapāladeva was approached by a formal envoy representing Bālaputradeva, the ruler of Suvarṇadvīpa (Sumatra, Indonesia).

The inscription reads:

"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..."

In addition to recording the construction of the monastery, the charter lists Bālaputradeva's lineage. It states that he belonged to the Śailendra dynasty, was the king of Yavabhūmi (Java), and was the grandson of a ruler described as Śrīviravairimathana (the slayer of enemy heroes).

The text notes that Bālaputradeva was "attracted by the manifold excellences of Nalanda" and constructed the monastery to house Buddhist monks and visiting pilgrims from his archipelago. However, maintaining a massive brick residential complex in southern Bihar required continuous local funding that could not be reliably provided via trans-oceanic shipments of gold or goods.

To solve this logistics problem, Bālaputradeva requested that Devapāladeva allocate the tax revenues of five local villages for the monastery's upkeep.

The Allocation of Five Villages

The administrative response of the Pala king is preserved on the reverse side of the copper plate. Devapāladeva granted the revenue of five villages—four located in the district of Rājagṛha (modern Rajgir) and one in the Gaya district.

The charter states that these revenues were specifically assigned for:

• The provisioning of offerings, oblations, shelter, garments, alms, and beds for the assembly of venerable monks (bhikṣus).
• Providing medical care and requisites for the sick.
• The copying of Buddhist manuscripts, referred to in the text as the writing of dharma-ratnas (jewels of the dharma).
• The structural upkeep and physical repair of the monastery when damaged.

This land grant provides clear evidence of how early medieval states managed foreign religious endowments. By diverting domestic agrarian taxes directly to the Sumatran-built monastery, the Pala administration created a self-sustaining foreign embassy under a spiritual banner.

Contextualizing Maritime Diplomacy

For historians, the Nālandā plate is an important record for reconstructing the geopolitical realities of the ninth-century Bay of Bengal. The Śailendra rulers of Śrīvijaya controlled the Melaka Straits, a major chokepoint for maritime trade between China, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean. Their wealth depended on maintaining secure trade routes and open lines of communication with intellectual and commercial partners in India.

By funding a monastery at Nālandā—the premier center of Buddhist scholarship in Asia—the Śailendra kings established a permanent presence in India. This patronage allowed Sumatran monks, scholars, and diplomats to reside at the heart of the Buddhist world.

The exchange of religious ideas went hand-in-hand with trade. Maritime merchants relied on monastic networks for credit, storage, translation, and diplomatic introductions.

The Nālandā plate, now housed in the National Museum of India, is more than a record of religious charity. It is a legal document showing how early medieval states used monastic endowments to build diplomatic relations and secure trade routes across the ocean.