In early medieval India, the land grants made by kings to Brahmanas and religious institutions were usually recorded on:

In early medieval India, the land grants made by kings to Brahmanas, temples and other religious institutions were usually recorded on copper plates.

About copper plate grants:

• The grant was engraved on one or more copper plates, which were often held together by a ring bearing the royal seal.
• The plates were given to the person or institution that received the land, as a legal title.
• Because copper is durable, many of these plates have survived for more than a thousand years.

What they contain:

• The name and genealogy of the king who made the grant, often with a prashasti (praise) of the dynasty.
• The name of the person or institution receiving the grant.
• The details of the land or village granted, its boundaries, and the rights and exemptions given.
• The date of the grant.
• The names of the officials and witnesses.
• A warning (curse) against anyone who might take away the land, and a blessing for those who protect it.

NCERT on land grants:

• NCERT notes that land grants recorded on copper plates provide insights into the relationship between cultivators and the state.
• It mentions that some of these grants were made to Brahmanas, and that the land was often given with rights to collect revenue.
• It discusses the Chola land grants (such as the Tiruvalangadu and Anbil plates) and their contents.

Importance:

• Copper plates are a very important source for the history of early medieval India.
• They tell historians about the political history of dynasties, administration, land revenue, agriculture, village life and society.
• They show the spread of agriculture into new areas, as Brahmanas settled on granted land.

Famous examples:

• The Khalimpur copper plate of the Pala king Dharmapala.
• The Tiruvalangadu copper plates of the Chola king Rajendra I.
• The Sohgaura copper plate (an early example, with a Brahmi inscription).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Palm leaves were used for manuscripts.
• ✗Clay tablets were used in Mesopotamia.
• ✗Gold coins were not used to record grants.