SII 2.73: original edition by Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch II. INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PALLAVA DYNASTY. No. 73. KASAKUDI PLATES OF NANDIVARMAN PALLAVAMALLA. author of digital edition Emmanuel Francis DHARMA Paris, CEIAS DHARMA_INSSIIv02p0i0073 DHARMAbase

On the 30th April 1891, Professor Julien Vinson, of Paris, was good enough to send me a reprintThe pages are numbered 433 to 469. of his paper Spécimen de Paléographie Tamoule, which contains an analysis of, and extracts from, the subjoined copper-plate inscription. The original plates had been discovered in 1879 at Kaśākūḍi, 4 kilometres from Kāraikkāl (Karikal),On copper coins which bear the name of this place in Tamil characters, see Ind. Ant., Vol. XXI, p. 327. See also p. 295 above, note 2. by M. Jules de la Fon, of Pondicherry. Professor Vinson's paper, which is based on a tracing prepared by M. de la Fon, convinced me of the importance of the inscription and induced me to apply through Government to His Excellency the Governor of the French Settlements in India for a loan of the original plates. This request was most graciously and promptly complied with. After I had transcribed the plates and prepared impressions of them, they were returned to their present owner.

The Kaśākūḍi copper-plates, eleven in number, are strung on a ring. On this is soldered the royal seal, with the figure of a bull which faces the left and is surmounted by a liṅga. The bull was the crest of the Pallavas,See verses 9 and 24 of this inscription, and Vol. I, p. 23, note 2. while their banner bore the figure of Śiva's club (khaṭvāṅga).See verse 24, and Vol. I, p. 146. The Grantha and Tamil characters of the inscription resemble those of the Kūram plates (Vol. I, No. 151). The major portion of the inscription is in the Sanskrit language (lines 1 to 104). The particulars of the grant are repeated, with considerable additions, in the Tamil language (ll. 104 to 133). The concluding portion of the inscription is again in Sanskrit (ll. 133 to 138), with a short parenthetical note in Tamil (l. 137).

The immediate object of the inscription is to record the grant of a village, made in the 22nd year of the reign (ll. 80 and 105) of the Pallava king Nandivarman (verses 27 and 30, and l. 79). As in other Pallava copper-plate inscriptions, the grant proper is preceded by a panegyrical account of the king's ancestors, which adds a large number of new details to our knowledge of the Pallava history. After nine benedictory verses, the author names the following mythical ancestors of the Pallava dynasty:—

Brahmā (v. 10). Aṅgiras (11). Bṛihaspati (12). Śaṁyu (13). Bharadvāja (14). Drōṇa (15). Aśvatthāman (16). Pallava (17). Aśōkavarman (19).

This last king can scarcely be considered a historical person, but appears to be a modification of the ancient Maurya king Aśōka. Then follows a passage in prose, which informs us that, after this Aśōkavarman, there ruled a number of other Pallava kings, viz., [S]kandavarman, Kal[i]ndavarman, Kāṇagōpa, Vishṇugōpa, Vīrakū[r]cha, Vīrasiṁha, Siṁhavarman, Vishṇusiṁha and others (l. 48 f.). Some of these names actually occur in the inscriptions of that ancient branch of the Pallavas, whose grants are dated from Palakkada, Daśanapura and Kāñchīpura, viz., Skandavarman, Siṁhavarman, Vishṇugōpavarman,Dr. Fleet's Kanarese Dynasties, p. 16. Vishṇugōpa of Kāñchī was a contemporary of Samudragupta (Gupta Inscriptions, p. 13). A Prākṛit grant of Śiva-Skandavarman, a Pallava king of Kāñchī, has been published by Dr. Bu7hler (Ep. Ind., Vol. I, p. 2 ff.). Another Prākṛit grant (Ind. Ant., Vol. IX, p. 100 ff.) belongs to the reign of Vijaya-Skandavarman. An archaic Chōḷa inscription at Tirukkaṛukkuṉṟam mentions Skandaśishya, who was probably a Pallava king (Ep. Ind., Vol. III, p. 277). and Vīrakōrchavarman.Ep. Ind., Vol. I, p. 397 f. The Amarāvatī pillar-inscription (Vol. I, No. 32) mentions two kings named Siṁhavarman. But the order in which these names are enumerated, is completely different in each of the three available sources for the history of the early Pallavas, viz., the Amarāvatī pillar, the early copper-inscriptions, and the prose introduction of the Kaśākūḍi plates. For this reason, and on account of the summary manner in which the early kings are referred to by the author of the Kaśākūḍi inscription, it is a mistake to derive a regular pedigree from the latter, as was done by Professor Vinson (l.c., p. 453); and it must be rather concluded that, at the time of Nandivarman, nothing was known of the predecessors of Siṁhavishṇu, but the names of some of them, and that the order of their succession, and their relation to each other and to the subsequent line of Siṁhavishṇu, were then entirely forgotten.

With verse 20 we enter on historical ground. The list of kings from Siṁhavishṇu to the immediate predecessor of Nandivarman agrees with the Udayēndiram plates of Nandivarman Pallavamalla (No. 74). Siṁhavishṇu appears to have borne the surname Avanisiṁha, and is stated to have defeated the Malaya, Kaḷabhra, Mālava, Chōḷa, Pāṇḍya, Siṁhaḷa and Kēraḷa kings.

His successor Mahēndravarman I. “annihilated his chief enemies at Puḷḷalūra” (v. 21). The ‘chief enemies’ were probably the Chalukyas, who, in their turn, considered the Pallavas their ‘natural enemies.’See Vol. I, p. 146, text line 38. As Puḷḷalūr is the name of a village in the Conjeeveram tālluqa,No. 182 on the Conjeeveram Taluk Map. it appears that the Chalukya army had made an inroad into the Pallava dominions, before it was repulsed by Mahēndravarman I.

His son Narasiṁhavarman I. is reported to have conquered Laṅkā, i.e., Ceylon, and to have captured Vātāpi,From a Tirukkaṛukkuṉṟam inscription we learn that he assumed after this conquest the surname Vātāpi-koṇḍa, ‘who took Vātāpi;’ see Ep. Ind., Vol. III, p. 277. the capital of the Western Chalukyas. The Kūram and Udayēndiram plates supply the name of the conquered Chalukya king, Pulakēśin or Vallabharāja, i.e., Pulikēśin II.See Vol. I, p. 145. The conquest of Ceylon to which the Kaśākūḍi plates refer, is confirmed from an unexpected source. From the 47th chapter of the MahāvaṁsaWijesinha's Translation of the Mahāvaṁsa, p. 41 ff. This reference was first noticed by Mr. Venkayya; see Ep. Ind., Vol. III, p. 277. we learn that the Singhalese prince Māṇavamma lived at the court of king Narasīha of India and helped him to crush his enemy, king Vallabha. The grateful Narasīha supplied Māṇavamma twice with an army to invade Ceylon. The second attack was successful. Māṇavamma occupied Ceylon, over which he is supposed to have ruled from A.D. 691 to 726. As both the Pallava inscriptions and the Mahāvaṁsa mention the war with Vallabha and the conquest of Ceylon, the identity of Narasīha and Narasiṁhavarman I. can hardly be doubted. As, however, the latest date of Pulikēśin II. is A.D. 642,Ep. Ind., Vol. III, p. 2, Table. the accession of Māṇavamma must have taken place about half a century before A.D. 691.In my Annual Report for 1891-92, p. 5, footnote, I have noted a similar error of about half a century in the Singhalese chronology for the period between Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. and Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa I.

No details are given about the reign of Narasiṁhavarman's son Mahēndravarman II. The latter was succeeded by his son Paramēśvarapōtavarman I. who, as we know from the Kūram and Udayēndiram plates, defeated the Western Chalukya king Vikramāditya I. at Peruvaḷanallūr. The Kaśākūḍi plates do not contain any historical information about him, nor about his son Narasiṁhavarman II. and his grandson Paramēśvarapōtavarman II.

According to the Udayēndiram plates, the next king, Nandivarman, was the son of Paramēśvaravarman II. The Kaśākūḍi plates contain an entirely different account of Nandivarman's parentage. In line 72, he professes to be “engaged in ruling the kingdom of Paramēśvarapōtarāja;” and in verse 27, he is said to be ruling, at the time of the inscription, the kingdom of Paramēśvarapōtavarman II., i.e., to have succeeded or supplanted the latter on the throne, and to have been “chosen by the subjects.” This plebiscite may have taken place after the death of the legitimate king; or, more probably, Nandivarman may have been an usurper who ousted and destroyed him and his family. At any rate, he was a remote kinsman of his predecessor. For, he was the son of Hiraṇya (verses 9 and 30) by Rōhiṇī and belonged to the branch (varga) of Bhīma (verse 30). According to verse 28, this branch of Bhīma took its origin from Bhīmavarman, who was the younger brother of Siṁhavishṇu. The names of three princes who intervened between Bhīmavarman and Hiraṇya, are recorded in the same verse. The name Hiraṇyavarma-Mahārāja occurs several times in a much obliterated inscription of the Vaikuṇṭha-Perumāḷ temple at Kānchīpuram. At the beginning of this inscription, Paramēśvarappōttaraiyar of the Pallava-vaṁśa is mentioned as deceased (svargastha). It is therefore not improbable that the inscription recorded the accession of Hiraṇyavarman or of his son Nandivarman after the death of Paramēśvarapōtavarman II. The latter may have been the founder of the Vaikuṇṭha-Perumāḷ temple, which is called Paramēśvara-Vishṇugṛiha, i.e., ‘the Vishṇu temple of Paramēśvara,’ in another inscription of the Vaikuṇṭha-Perumāḷ temple.This fragment contains the date . . . . . rmmamahārājarkku yāṇṭu patineḻāvatu, and refers immediately after to a golden vessel given to the temple by Danti[va]rma-Mahārāja. One of the Vaishṇava hymns of the Nālāyiraprabandham glorifies the temple of Paramēśvara-Viṇṇagaram at Kachchi (i.e., Kāñchī), by which the Vaikuṇṭha-Perumāḷ temple must be meant. With the addition of the new branch, the list of the later Pallavas stands as follows:—

Unnamed ancestor.[C1]1. Siṁhavishṇu. [C1]2. Mahēndravarman I. [C2]Bhīmavarman. [C1]3. Narasiṁhavarman I. [C2]Buddhavarman. [C1]4. Mahēndravarman II. [C2]Ādityavarman. [C1]5. Paramēśvarapōtavarman or Paramēśvaravarman I. [C2]Gōvindavarman. [C1]6. Narasiṁhavarman II. [C2]Hiraṇya. [C1]7. Paramēśvarapōtavarman or Paramēśvaravarman II. [C2]8. Nandivarman.

Other forms of the name Nandivarman are Nandipōtarāja (l. 90) and simply Nandin (l. 88). The form Nandipōtavarman occurs in the Vakkalēri plates,Vol. I, p. 145 f. which refer to the defeat of the Pallava king by the Western Chalukya king Vikramāditya II., and the form Nandippōttaraiyar in an inscription of his 18th year in the Ulagaḷanda-Perumāḷ temple at Kāñchīpuram.See p. 341, note 3. He bore the sovereign titles Mahārāja and Rājādhirāja-paramēśvara and the birudas Kshatriyamalla, Pallavamalla (l. 78), and Śrīdhara (verse 29). According to verse 30, he was a devotee of Vishṇu. At the request of his prime-minister (l. 89), Brahmaśrīrāja (l. 91) or Brahmayuvarāja (ll. 103 and 106), the king gave the village of Koḍukoḷḷi (ll. 99, 105 f.) to the Brāhmaṇa Jyēshṭhapāda-Sōmayājin (l. 93) or (in Tamil) Śēṭṭiṟeṅga-Sōmayājin (l. 108 f.), who belonged to the Bharadvāja (l. 94) or Bhāradvāja (l. 108) gōtra, followed the Chhandōgasūtra (ll. 94 and 108), and resided at Pūniya (l. 95) or Pūni (l. 108), a village in the Toṇḍāka-rāshṭra (l. 95). The village of Koḍukoḷḷi, on becoming a brahmadēya, received the new name Ēkadhīramaṅgalam (l. 100). It belonged to Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam (l. 105) or (in Sanskrit) Undivanakōshṭhaka (l. 98), a subdivision of Toṇḍāka-rāshṭra, and was bounded in the east and south by Pālaiyūr, in the west by Maṇaṟpākkam and Koḷḷipākkam, and in the north by Veḷimānallūr (ll. 98 f. and 111 ff.). Connected with the gift of the village was the right to dig channels from the Śēyāṟu or (in Sanskrit) Dūrasarit, the Veḥkā or Vēgavatī, and the tank of Tīraiyaṉ or Tīralaya (ll. 101 f. and 115 ff.).

Of these geographical names, the following can be identified. Toṇḍāka-rāshṭra is,—like Toṇḍīra-maṇḍala, Tuṇḍīra-maṇḍala and Tuṇḍāka-vishaya,See p. 312, note 6.—a Sanskritised form of the Tamil term Toṇḍai-maṇḍalam. One of the 24 ancient divisions (kōṭṭam) of the latter was Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam, which owed its name to Ūṟṟukkāḍu, a village in the present Conjeeveram tālluqa.No. 112 on the Conjeeveram Taluk Map. This kōṭṭam was divided into four subdivisions (nāḍu), one of which was Pālaiyūr-nāḍu.See Mr. Crole's Chingleput District Manual, p. 438. The head-village of this subdivision, Pālaiyūr, appears to be identical with the village of Pālaiyūr, which formed the south-eastern boundary of the granted village, and perhaps with the modern Pālūr at the north-western extremity of the Chingleput tālluqa.No. 71 on the Chingleput Taluk Map. The western boundary of the granted village, Maṇaṟpākkam, would then be represented by the modern Mēlamaṇappākkam.No. 72 on the same map. For the granted village, Koḍukoḷḷi, itself and for the two remaining villages which formed its boundaries, no equivalents are found on the maps at my disposal. The village at which the donee resided, Pūni, may be the modern Pūṇḍi, which belongs to the Conjeeveram tālluqa,No. 341 on the Conjeeveram Taluk Map. but is in close proximity of Pālūr and Mēlamaṇappākkam in the Chingleput tālluqa. The proposed identification of these three villages is made more probable by the reference, made in the Kaśākūḍi plates, to two rivers near which the granted village of Koḍukoḷḷi was situated. Of these, the Vēgavatī or Veḥkā passes Conjeeveram and falls into the Pālāṟu near Villivalam.No. 93 on the same map. The Śēyāṟu forms the southern boundary of the modern Conjeeveram tālluqa and joins the Pālāṟu opposite Mēlamaṇappākkam, which I have identified with Maṇaṟpākkam, the western boundary of Koḍukoḷḷi.

The executor (ājñapti) of the grant was Ghōraśarman (ll. 103 and 106), and the author of the Sanskrit portion, which, as in the Kūram plates (l. 89) and the Udayēndiram plates (ll. 101 and 105), is called a praśasti or eulogy, was a certain Trivikrama (verse 31). To the Sanskrit portion is affixed a Tamil endorsement (l. 104 f.), which directs the inhabitants of Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam to execute the order of the king. The subsequent Tamil passage (l. 105 ff.) records that, on receipt of the royal order, the representatives of Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam marked the boundaries of the granted village under the guidance of their headman, and formally assigned all rights to the donee. Another Tamil sentence (l. 132 f.) states that the grant was executed in the presence of the local authorities (?), the ministers and the secretaries.

Then follow, in Sanskrit, three imprecatory verses (l. 133 ff.) and the statement that the document was written by His Majesty's great treasurer (l. 136). The inscription ends with a docket in Tamil (l. 137) and a few auspicious Sanskrit words.

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svasti . jayati jagattrayajanmasthitisaṁhṛtikāraṇamparabrahma . satyamanantamanādi jñānā tmakamekamamṛtapadam· . 1 māyāvinā yena padatrayārtthinā sadyaḥ pravṛddhena punarba lermmakhe . vicakrame trirjjagatassvasātkṛtoau sa vostu bhūtyai bhagavān·ṁstrivikramaḥ . 2 maulāvi ndudharaḥ phaṇāadharadharaḥ skandhe bhavānīdharo vāme kāmadharaḥ praṇāmanirate gaṁgādharo mūrddhani . mūrttoau dhūḷidharo gaḷe garadharaḥ keśeṣu veṇīdharaḥ pāṇoau śūladharo haraḥ puraharaḥ puṣṇātu vo maṅgalam· . 3 kaṇṭhe kaustubhakāḷikābharaṇeayośchāyāmparāmbibhra tau daityaddhvaṁsanacakrapaṭṭasadharau śyāmāvadātau rucā . śrīgaurīvilasatkaṭākṣaviśikha vyāyāmaromāñcitoau pāyāstāmbhavatastrivikramaharoau sampṛktadehāntarau . 4 patdmā patdmā sīnā patdmojjvalapāṇipatdmayugaḷlā vaḥ . prītyā paśyatu kariṇā kīkaradhṛtakanakaghaṭasusnānā . 5 dṛṣṭvā lalaaāṭe nayanambhriṁ bhiyeva kāmo nāa yāmīśvara Ityupāste . viṣṇoḥ svasā sā bhagava tyalakṣmīmāryyā kadāryyāṁ kṣiṇutāt· kṣaṇena . 6 kailāsagauraḥ pṛḍthunāgakakṣyaḥ prodvṛttakarṇṇo bṛhadekadantaḥ . mātaṅgavaktro madanigghnanenetro bhūyādavigvnāya vināa yako vaḥ . 7 ye devā divi dānayāgatapasāṁ kāle phalantanvate ye devā bhuvi ṣaṭ·su karmmasu ratāssatyāśiṣassaṁyanāstetāḥ te devā dvitaye kulakramabhuvā bhaktyā samārādhitāḥ pā yāsuḥ parameśvarāścirataraṁ śrīpallavānāṁ kulam . 8 hiraṇyagarbho jayati prajāpatiḥ śriyaḥ patiśśākvaraketanaḥ kṣitim . sahelakallolasamudravāraṇābāṁ balandvipā yasya sapannatnavā raṇāḥ . 9 svasti . namaḥ śriyai . prathamamajani vedhāḥ brahmayoniḥ svayambhūrnnaḷinanayananābherulla satpuṇḍarīkānt . Akṛtakavacanānāntṁ tattvato draṛṣṭavartmā sakalabhuvanasarggavyāpṛti vyagrakarmmā . 10 tasmātsaṁgaritāntagāmicarito yajñeṁgirā jajñivāndīptāgirahunāśanādadu ritoaḥ prāṇāśanaḥ pāpmanāṁ . saptarṣitvamavāptavānṛṣivṛṣaḥ kāṅkṣvātapaḥ prāptavān putro mānasa hāpaEva tāmaptatarucchedārtthaṭaṁkottamaḥ . 11 tasmādaṁgiraso girāṁ . rasanidhirnnītiprajā nāmpatiścakre yaṁ gurumātmasātsukṛtināmbharttā tridhāmāgrajaḥ . yatprajñābalasaṁśrayeṇa suratakrīḍāṁ surastrījano cdhatte svairamasaṁsmarandinakṛtassampadvipadvyāṣṭatim· . 12 śaṁyuśśubhaṁyu ranahaṁyurajāyatāsmādaṁhovighātakṛdaharppatitulyatejāḥ . Antarhite śikhini dai vatahavyavāho bhūtvā vyadhatta śikhikṛtyamapi svavīryyān·t· . 13 gotrasya karttā guṇagaura veṇa śrīpallavānāmmunirasya sūnuḥ . jāto bharadvāja Iti trivedīṁ yāaḥ paśyati smādrinibhāntṁ tavpo bhiḥ . 14 droṇobhavaddruhiṇa hāEva tataḥ kurūṇāndroṇābhidhānakalaśāmbujalabdhajanmā . Eṇā jinopahitajitvaravediketurbāṇāstravedacaturarṇṇavapāradṛśvā . 15 tasmādyasminkruddhyanti kṛṣṇā rjunabhīmāśśastratyāgañcakruravighnambhayanighnāaḥ viśvastthānādṁ viśvasanīyo munirāsīdaśvatthāmā manmathaśatroravatāraḥ . 16 jātastataḥ svapadaśaṁkitamānasena śakreṇa tamprati visarjji tamenakāyāmām Āpallavairanabhimṛṣṭasamudranemiḥ śrīpallavassapadi pallavasaṁstareṣu . 17 tejaḥ parambrāhmamanūrtthitopi sa kṣātramucceairabhajatsvabhāvi . Ambhodharādapyupalabdhaja nmā dāhātmako nanvaśaniḥ prakṛtyā . 18 Aśokayannānamataḥ kṣitīśātnsaśokayansaṁyati sa mmukhīnān· . yaśoo 'kalaṁkandṁ dadhasdindudbhāsoo 'pyaśokavarmmā tata Āvirāsīn·t· . 19 tataḥ prabhṛtyakha ṇḍakalabhuvanamaṇḍalāntmasātkaraṇākhaṇḍitavikramaparaḥ paripālitasakalavarṇṇāśramavyavasthā viśeṣaḥ prababhaviṣṇuḥrviṣṇoraṁśāvatāra hāiva vaṁśāvatāraḥ pallavānānnikhilabhuvanapāva natayā gaṁgāvatāra Iva ca nirmmalassamavarttata . yatrodbhūtāḥ sarvvepi sarvvatrāvihataśaktayo mahāsenāḥ pāvakajanmānaḥ pandmodbhavāssubrahmaṇyāḥ kumārā Iva ye gbhujabalavipulapra tāpānalaśoṣitāśeṣadviṣadavāryyāavīyyryāṇṇrṇavārṇṇasaḥ prakīrṇṇanirmmalakīrtticandri kāniṣkālsitasakalakalikālakalaṅkakāluṣyāḥ samunnatacaritātiśayācaloda yasaṁvarddhitamitramaṇḍalānurāgā yuvatijanahṛdayahariṇavāgurāyamāṇapuvapuḥ saundaryyāścandanatarava Iva dakṣiṇāśāvivarddhamānasaurabhāssuratarava Ivānanyatejovilaṁ ṁ ghitāntmacchāyāḥ pūṣaṇa Iva parahitakarā bhāsvantaśca śabdāgamā Iva prakṛtipratyayāgamopetā nirapavāndavrirṛddhiguṇeāśca nandanā Avpyapārijātā ghanāgamā Avpyajaḷāścakravāḷaparvvataparyyantāṁ ṁ saptadvīpasaptasāgarālaṁkṛtāṁ sakalāndivamiva divaspeatiḥr gbhuvamṁ bhuvaspatayo gbhuñjate . ye ṣāñca samastaśāastraśaāstranirjjitorjjitasamitayaḥ Aā 'mitavikramāḥ kramārjjitadharmmaka rmmāṇāaḥ khaṇḍitakalayaḥ paṇḍitamatayaḥo lakṣitamūrttayo rakṣitakīttrtayassḥ samastavasundharo dvahanadhurandharaskandhāḥ skandavarmmakalaindavarmmakāṇagopaviṣṇugopavīrakūccrcavīrasiṁhasiṁha varmmaviṣṇusiṁhaprabhṛtayaśśatrudhūmakemaketavo mitramānahetavaḥ sarvvamaryyādāsentavaḥ ketage vyantīyuravanipatayaḥ . tadanu kadanakarmmavyāvpṛtaśḥ śātravāṇām . Abhavadavanisiṁ haḥ siṁhaviṣṇurvvijiṣṇuḥ . māaḷavyamatha kaḷabhṛrmraṁ māḷavañṁ coḷapāṇḍyau nijagbhujabalatdṛptanṁ siṁhaḷaṁ keraḷāṁśca . 20 tato mahīmanvaśiṣanmahīndro mahendravarmmeti mahendrakīrttiḥ Aśeṣayāmā sa viśeṣitājño yāaḥ puḷḷalūre dviṣatāṁ viśeṣān . 21 laṁkājayādharitarāmaparāa kramaśrīrudvṛttaśratrukulasaṁkṣayadhūmaketuḥ . vātāpinirjjayaviḷḍambitakumbhajanmā vīrastato jani jayiī narasiṁhavarmmā . 22 tasmādajāyata nijāyatabāhudaṇḍaśścañcṇḍāśanī ripukulasya ma hendravarmmā . yasmātprabhraṛtyalamavarddhatadharmmakarmma devadvijanmaviṣayaṁ ghaṭikañā ca dātuḥ . 23 Icchā vidheyasakalāvanipālalokaḥ paścādbabhūva parameśvarapotavarmmā . bhūtiṁ parāṁ vahati bhūtapatirvvṛṣāṃṅkoaḥ khaṭvāṅgaketuracalasthitiradbhuto yaḥ . 24 devabrāhmaṇasātkṛtātmavibhāavo yaḥ kṣatracūḷāmaṇiścaturvvaidyamavīvīidhanśatsvasaṭikām bhūdevatāmbhaktitaḥ . samprāpteo narasiṁ hatāṁ svavapuṣā nāmnā ca digvyāpinā jātaḥ śrīparameśvarasya sakalasyāṁgāvatārastataḥ . 25 Etā dhanāni daiayitāni yaśodhanāni jetā kalervvilasitāni babhūva tasmāt . netā nayaśsya dhai ṣaṇādhikṛtasya mārggaṁ pātā jagatnti parameśvarapotavarmmā . 26 tasya praśāsti padamṛddhimadā samudraaā dājñābalena jitaśatru vṛtaḥ prajābhiḥ . mānyo nayena mnanu taṁ saṁprati nandivarmmā vistīrṇṇapallavaku lārṇṇavapūrṇṇacandraḥ . 27 ṣaṣṭhaḥ śrīsiṁhaviṣṇoranu patiranujaḥ prābhavadbhīmavarmmā devaḥ śrībuddhava rmmā budhajanamahitaḥ pañcamaḥ pallavendraḥ . turyyaścādityavarmmā tulitakuliśabhṛdyasya govinda varmmā tārttiīyīko dvitīyaḥ kṣitibhṛdasubhṛtāṁ śrīhiraṇyaśśaraṇyaḥ . 28 saṁgrāme vijayaḥ kalāpa ricaye karṇṇīsutaḥ kārmmuke rāmo vāraṇatantravādyaviṣaye vatseśvaraḥ śrīdharaḥ . kāmo vāmavilocanāsu kavitābadndhe sa Ādyaḥ kavistantrāvlāpavidhau svayannayabharo dharmmaḥ prajā rañjane . 29 svāmī naḥ pallavānāṁ kulabharaṇapaṭussātvikassārvvabhaumo drbhavyo vyāyāmavidyā vinayaguṇagururvvarddhate sārddhamraṛddhyā . hairaṇyo bhīmavarggyo haricaraṇaparaśḥ śurddhamātranvavā yo lakṣaṇyo rohiṇījaḥ svalasulabhasucarito nandivarmmā narendraḥ . 30 tena rājādhirājaparame śvareṇa parameśvarapotarājapadapraśāsanapareṇa paramapadaviṣaktavyāpṛtonnidrace tasā parameṣṭhipadapaṁkaruhayugaḷavigaḷitadhūḷidhūsaraśirasā vpuvaraskṛtadevabrā hmaṇapūjanāsanena tiraskṛtakalikālakalikāpiḷanāvyasanena vivarddhamānapratā pānalapariśoṣitāmitramaṇḍalena vivarddhamānānurāgarasaparitoṣitamitramaṇḍale na sakalabhuvanasāmrājyadīkṣādakṣadakṣiṇakareṇa sarvvorvvībhraṛnmakuṭamāṇikkyakoṇaśāṇa masṛṇitacaraṇayugaḷena pallavakulanandanavanalakṣmīlatālaḷitaveṣṭanakalpavṛkṣe ṇa kṣatriyamallena pallavamallena bappabhaṭṭārakapādānuddhyānavarddhamānamahimnā nandivarmmanāmnā mahāguṇasalilanidhisalilasamṁvarddhanasomarājena mahārājena sā mrājyasaṁvatsare dvāviṁśe varttamāne chandaḥpārāvārapāragāya svarasamadhurasāmagāya chandaḥkalpa vyākaraṇajyotiṣaniruktaśikṣācchandovicaitiṣaḍaṁgasaṁśitasvāddhyāyāddhyaya nāyapadadharmavākyadharmmavastaudharmmavittāyade śrutismṛtirasāyanapānāya karmmakāṇḍajñā nakāṇḍapaṇḍitāya lokayuktikalārakoauśalāpeśalāya kāvyanāṭakākhyāyaike tihāsapurāṇapariṇatāya kimbahunā sarvvajñānavijñānatniṣṇātāyva sarvvakarmmānuṣṭhānaniṣṭhi tāya suvṛttāya bhuvanabhavanadīpāya mānābhijanāasujanāya nirākṛtasamapstatamastayāma ddhyamalokaikamitrāya lokamitreṇa sarvvaguṇasārasandohasāgaragambhīreṇa śrīma tā hrīmatā vapuṣmatāyuṣmatā paruṣetarabhāṣeṇa puruṣaviśeṣeṇa braṛhaspati neva divaspaterbbhuvaspaterjjananayanahṛdayanandino nandinaḥ pallavapatennrnisa rśśganītivinītena vidvanmukhyena mukhyamantriṇaā dhīreṇa vīreṇa brahmakṣatramayiīṁ śrīyamavi kalāmavicalāñca śrīnandipotaraājanabhaktisamamācandramastārakambibhrāṇena bibhrā ṇena kulaṁ kulajyeṣṭhena jyeṣṭhaputreṇa brahmaśrīrājena śīlatassākṣātsoma rājena tadthaiva sarvvaguṇajyoeṣṭhena jyeṣṭhena poātreṇa putriṇāmṁ poautriṇāñṁ ca dhuramā ropitāya sujanmapuṇyāya dvijanmaāgraṇyāya brahmavedine jyeṣṭhapādasomayājine cha ndaśchandānuvarttanāya chandogasūtrāya bharadvājapeyādikratugotrāya bharadvājagotrāya toṇḍākarāṣṭrabrahmalokāyamānapūniyavāstavyāya doṣadaridrāya veṣaviśiṣṭā yaikapuruṣāya dvilokacintanoāya trivargśasādhakāya caturvvedāya pañcamahābhūtaparā rtthāya ṣaḍaṁgāya saptasaptipratimāya suguṇāya subrāhmaṇāya svayameva prasādā dundivanakoṣṭhake tasminneva rāṣṭre . prāmṅ palaaiyūr . dakṣiṇaśca sa Eva . pratyaṅ maṇatpākkaḥ ko ḷḷipākkaśca . Udaṅ veḷimānallūr . Etadavadhicatuṣṭayāntabbhrbhūtaḥ koṭḍukoḷḷiriti prathamanāmā brahmade yiībhāva Ead ekadhīramaṁgalamiti caramanāmnā grāmassāmānyanivarttanadvayamaryyādayā nirastapurā tanadevadānabrahmadeyannirastakuṭumbi sarvvaparihārābhyantarīkaraṇena dūrasarito vegavatyāśca tiīra layataṭākācca yathopapādaṁ ruddhvā ca Uodakabhogo graṛhaṁ kṣetramārāmo niṣkuṭañcaṁ ce tyetadabhyantaraṁ sarvvo brahmadeyandatta Iti vijñaptirbrahmayuvarājasya . Ājñaptiggrghoraśarmmā . svasti siddhirastuḥ . Akṛtrimastrayiīvidhikramakratupravarttiakaḥ . samastaśāstratatvavitpraśastikṛt trivikramaḥ . 31

ko ṉoleai yāṇṭirupattiraṇṭāvatu . Ūṟṟukkāṭṭukkoṭṭattu nāṭṭāruṅkāṇka . tannāṭṭukko ṭukoḷḷi muṉpeṟṟārai māṟṟi brahmatyuvarācaṉ viṇṇappattāl koraśarmmaṉṉā ṇattiyāka tevatāṉappiramateyam nīkkikkuṭi nīkkiccāmāniyaIraṇṭupaṭṭippa ṭiyāl bhāradvājagotrāya chandogasūtrāya pūnivāstavyāya ceṭṭiṟeṅkasomayaā jikkuppiramateyamaākappaṇittaruḷi viṭuttattirumukam kaṇṭu nāṭṭom nā ṭṭu viyavaṉ colliya Elleai poyi paṭākai valañceyitu kalluṅkaṇṇḷḷiyu nnāṭṭikkoṭuttataṟkelleai . kīḻpālelleai pāleaiyūrelleIaiyiṉ meṟkum . teṉpālelleai pāleaiyūrelleaiyiṉ vaṭakkum . melpālelleai maṇaṟpākkattel leaiyiṉṉum koḷḷipākkattelleaiyiṉum kiḻakkum . vaṭapālelleai veḷimāṉa laṉllūrelleaiyiṉṟeṟkkum . Innāṟperelleaiyuḷḷum Akappaṭṭa nīrnila ṉum puṉceyiyum Uṭumpoṭi Āmai tavaḻvatellām ceyāṟṟālum veḵkā viṉālum tīraiyaṉeriyālunnīrīyinta vaḻi Āṟṟukkālum veḷḷakkā lum toṇṭikkoṇṭuṇṇappeṟuvārākavum . Ikkālkaḷukku kolkalamum puḻutipāṭum peṟuvatākavum . Ikkālkaḷil kūṭeai Iṟeaittuṅkuṟaṅkaṟuttum kuṟṟe ttam paṇṇiyum koṇṭuṇṭār kokkoḷḷum taṇṭappaṭuvākavum . maṉeaiyum maṉaippaṭappum piṟavum Ivarum Ivar vaḻikkaṇṇārum māṭamum māḷikaiyum cūṭṭo l Eṭutetukkoṇṭirukkappeṟuvārākavum . Ivvuḷḷiṭṭa sarvvaparicāramuḷḷākap paṇittem . Ivvūr peṟṟa paricāram cekkum taṟiyum Ulliyakkūliyum pirāmaṇarā cakkāṇamum ceṅkoṭiykkāṇamum kallālkkāṇamum kaṇṇiṭṭukkāṇa mum katirkkāṇamum vicakkāṇamum kucakkāṇamum Arikoḻiyum neyiyvileaiyum puṭṭakavileaiyum paṭṭikaikkāṇamum Iṟāmayiaiyum nāyāṭikaḷum tūtuvarum kaṇikāra ttikaḷum paṇṇuppāleṭuppārum putukkutiraikkuṟṟatuveyiyum pullum I Iṟāmeaiyum nallāvum nallerutum Iṟāmayiaiyum nāṭṭuvakai Iṟāmayiaiyum paṭāṅkaḻiyum kaiyā ḷum neṭumpuṟeaiyum paṉampākkum Iṟāmayiaiyum karaṇattaṇṭamum Atikaraṇatta ṇṭamum pattūrccāṟṟum Uḻaiyavayappaḷḷivattuvum Iṟāmaiyum kuvaḷeainaṭuva riyuṅkuvaḷeaikkāṇamum kamukum teṅkum Uḷḷiṭṭa palluruvil palḻayamaramu m Iṭṭaṉa kālkoṭṭiṟāmayiaiyum koyiḷumutalpaṭiyāl Iṟātu Ivar tāme Uṇ ṇappeṟuvārākavum . nileaikkaḷattārum Atikārarum vāyikkeṭppārum Uḷḷi runtu paratatti ceṉṟatu .

bhūmidānātparandānanna bhūtanna bhaviṣyati . tasyaiva haraṇātpā panna bhūtanna bhaviṣyati . 32 bahubhirvvasuddhā dattā bahubhiścānupālitā . yasya yasya yathā bhūmistasya tasya tathā phalam· . 33 svatdattāmpṁ paradattāṁ vā yo haretua vasundharām· . ṣaṣṭhṭiṁ varṣa sahasrāṇi viṣṭhāyāñjāyate krimiḥ . 34 svasti śrīparameśvaramahākāoṣṭhakgāriṇā likhita m· .

Ivaṉ peṟumaṉeaiyum maṉeaippaṭappum Iraṇṭu paṭṭi nilaṉum .

svasti siddhirastu namaḥ . . ..

kṣiṇutāt· The kṣa of kṣiṇutā is the only instance in the whole inscription, in which that group looks like kṣa. In all other cases it resembles tṣa. °nayana° The word nayana is entered below the line, and the place at which it has to be inserted, is marked by a cross (haṁsapāda) above the line. dīptāgirahunāśa° Read dīptāgniḥ sa hutāśaº. brāhmamanūrtthitopi Read brāhmakulotthitopi ? sarvvatrāvihataśaktayo The ta of vihata is entered below the line, and the place at which it has to be inserted, is marked by a cross above the line. °vīyyryāṇṇrṇavārṇṇasaḥ The ṇṇa of vīyyāṇṇa is entered below the line, and the place at which it has to be inserted, is marked by a cross above the line; read ºvīryārṇavārṇasaḥ. °puvapuḥ The va of vapuḥ is corrected from pu. Iva The va of Iva is entered below the line, and the place at which it has to be inserted, is marked by a cross above the line. śabdā° The two syllables śabdā are entered below the line, and the place at which they have to be inserted, is marked by a cross above the line. sakalān The ka of sakalā is entered below the line, and the place at which it has to be inserted, is marked by a cross above the line. kema The two syllables kema are already cancelled in the original by two horizontal strokes placed above them. ketage Read kāle gate (?) °vidheya° The e of dheya appears to be corrected from vi; read vidheya. ṣaāṁko The engraver appears to have altered ṣāṁko into ṣāṁkaḥ; read ºṣāṅkaḥ khaṭvāṅgaº. svasaṭikām Read svavaśagāṁ ? digvyāpinā The syllable di is entered below the line, and the place at which it has to be inserted, is marked by a cross above the line. parameśvarapotarājapada° rāja is corrected from varmma by the engraver. °kālakalikāpiḷanāvyasanena Read ºkalikālakālikapīḍanavyasanena ? saṁvatsare The word saṁvatsare is entered below the line, and the place at which it has to be inserted, is marked by a cross above the line. śrīnandipotaraājana The letter na has been already cancelled in the original by placing a horizontal stroke above it. °yiībhāva Ead eka° Read ºyībhāvādekaº. The E of Eka is entered below the line, and the place at which it has to be inserted, is marked by a cross above the line. °tanadevadāna° The na of dāna is entered below the line, and the place at which it has to be inserted, is marked by a cross above the line. cūṭṭo l The large Leyden grant (l. 313) reads cuṭṭoṭṭāl. Iṟāmeaiyum This word is entered below the line, and the place at which it has to be inserted, is marked by a cross above the line.

Hail ! (Verse 1.) Victorious is the supreme Brahman, which is the cause of the production, stability and destruction of the three worlds; which is true, without end (and) without beginning; which consists of knowledge (alone); which is one; (and) which is the abode of immortality!

(2.) May that blessed Trivikrama (Vishṇu) grant you prosperity, who, at the sacrifice of Bali, deceitfully asked (only) for three steps (of land), but suddenly expanded (and) strode thrice, (thereby) appropriating the world!

(3.) May Hara (Śiva), the destroyer of Pura, increase your happiness, who bears the moon on his crest, who wears a serpent on his shoulder, who holds Bhavānī on his left, who bears affection to his worshipper, who bears Gaṅgā on his head, who wears ashesDhūli seems to be used in the sense of bhūti. on his body, who bears poison on his neck, who wears a braid in his hair, (and) who holds a spear in his hand!

(4.) May Trivikrama and Hara protect you, whose distinct (but) united bodies (respectively) bear on the neck the supreme splendour of two ornaments,—the kaustubha (jewel) and the black (poison),The word kālikā, ‘blackness,’ refers to the kālakūṭa poison. hold a discus and a spearAccording to Dr. Gundert's Malayāḷam Dictionary, paṭṭasa is another form of the Sanskrit paṭṭiśa, the Tamil forms of which are paṭṭayam or paṭṭaiyam. for the destruction of the Daityas, are of black and white colour, (and) thrill with joy at the expansion (of the eyes) of Śrī and Gaurī, (which emit) coquettish glances (resembling) arrows !

(5.) May Padmā (Lakshmī) regard you with fondness, who is seated on a lotus; whose pair of lotus hands is resplendent with a lotus; (and) whose excellent bath (is poured from) golden jars which are held by the trunks of (two) female elephants!

(6.) May that blessed Āryā (Pārvatī), the sister of Vishṇu, instantly remove dire adversity,—whom Cupid does not approach, out of fear, it seems, because he has observed the (third) eye on (her) forehead (and therefore takes her) for Īśvara!

(7.) May Vināyaka (Gaṇēśa) grant you freedom from obstacles, who is as white as the Kailāsa (mountain), whose girdle consists of a huge serpent, who has the face of an elephant, whose ears are large, who has a single big tusk, (and) whose eyes are (half closed as if he were) under the influence of rut!

(8.) May the race of the glorious Pallavas be protected for a long time by the supreme lords, those twofoldThe plural dvitayē is used in the same sense in the Raghuvaṁśa, viii. 89, as quoted in Böhtlingk and Roth's Sanskrit-Wörterbuch, s.v. dvitaya:— drumasānumatāṁ kimantaraṁ yadi vāyau dvitayepi te calāḥ. Mallinātha explains dvitayepi by dviprakārā api. gods whom (they, viz., the Pallavas) have worshipped with traditional devotion,—(viz.) the gods in heaven who timely reward gifts, sacrifices and austerities, (and) the gods on earthI.e., the Brāhmaṇas (bhūdēva). who are engaged in the six duties, whose blessings are true, (and) who practise self-control!

(9.) The earth, surrounded by the rolling ocean, is conquered by the lord of men, who is the son of Hiraṇya (and) the lord of prosperity, whose crest is the bull, (and) the elephants of whose army ward off enemies.This verse refers, without mentioning the name itself, to king Nandivarman, whose father was Hiraṇya; see verses 28 and 30. The epithets which the king receives in the first half of the verse, are at the same time surnames of Brahmā, Vishṇu and Śiva, and thus hint a comparison of the king to each of these three gods. As the Sāhityadarpaṇa (pp. 103 and 107 of the Calcutta edition) expresses it, ‘the ornament of simile is suggested’ (upamālaṁkāro vyaṁgyaḥ); in another place (p. 109) the term upamā-dhvani, ‘suggestion of a simile,’ is used for this figure.

Hail! Adoration to Śrī! (10.) First, from the lotus which rose from the navel of Vishṇu, was born the creator, whose origin is the (supreme) Brahman; who is self-existent; who fully knows the meaning of the sacred texts; (and) who has performed the creation of the whole world.

(11.) From him was born at the sacrifice a son of the mind alone,Compare Vol. I, No. 24, verse 2, where Aṅgiras is called the son of the mind of Brahmā. Aṅgiras, who fully carried out his promises; who was more brilliant than fire; who, being sinless, put an end to sin; who, being the chief of seers, obtained a place among the Seven Seers; who reached (the highest degree of) austerities that can be desired; (and) who was the best axe for cutting the tree of ignorance.

(12.) From this Aṅgiras (came Bṛihaspati), who was an ocean of speeches (and) the father of politics; whom (Indra) the lord of the godsSukṛitin appears to be used for sumanas, ‘a god.’ (and) elder brother of Tridhāman (Vishṇu), made his preceptor (guru); (and) relying on the power of whose intellect, the celestial women enjoy at ease amorous pleasures, without thinking of the rising and setting of the sun.

(13.) From him was born the fortunate (and) modest Śaṁyu, who destroyed sin (and) resembled the sun in brilliancy. When Fire had disappeared, (he) became the fire of the gods and performed even the action of fire through his own power.

(14.) His son was a sage called Bharadvāja, who became the founder of the race (gōtra) of the glorious Pallavas by the power of (his) virtues, (and) who mastered the three Vēdas, which resemble mountains, by (his) austerities.

(15.) From him came Drōṇa, the preceptorThis meaning of druhiṇa is not found in the dictionaries. In Vol. I, No. 24, verse 3, the corresponding word is guru. of the Kurus, who was produced from the semenThe dictionaries do not contain this meaning of ambuja. (of Bharadvāja) in a pitcher called drōṇa The whose victorious banner was an altar painted on the skin of a black-buck; (and) who completely mastered (the four branches of) the science of archery,Bāṇāstra-vēda is synonymous with dhanur-vēda. which resemble the four oceans.

(16.) From him came the sage Aśvatthāman, who was an incarnation of (Śiva) the enemy of Cupid; who deserved the confidence of the inhabitants of the world; (and) at the rising of whose anger, Kṛishṇa, Arjuna and Bhīma became terrified (and) threw down (their) weapons without any opposition.

(17.) The glorious Pallava, (during whose rule) the earth was untouched (even) by the smallest calamity,The same play on Pallava and āpal-lava occurs in the Kūram plates (line 11). The Udayēndiram plates (ll. 7 and 11) have vipal-lava instead of āpal-lava. was suddenly born to him on a litter of sprouts (pallava)The same popular etymology of the name Pallava is alluded to in Vol. I, No. 32, verse 8. by (the nymph) Mēnakā,According to Vol. I, No. 32, verse 5, the mother of Pallava was the nymph Madanī. that had been sent to him by Śakra (Indra), who was afraid of (losing) his position (on account of the sage's austerities).

(18.) Though born from a race of Brāhmaṇas, he possessed in the highest degree the valour of the Kshatṟiyas, which was inherent in him. Does not the thunderbolt possess by nature the quality of burning, though it springs from the cloud ?

(19.) From him was produced Aśōkavarman, who removed the distress of suppliant kings, (but) who distressed those who faced (him) in battle, (and) who, though bright as the moon, possessed a spotless fame (while the moon has a spot).

(Line 34.) From him descended the powerful, spotless race of the Pallavas, which resembled a partial incarnation of Vishṇu, as it displayed unbroken courage in conquering the circle of the world with all its parts, (and) as it enforced the special rules of all castes and orders, and which resembled the descent of the Gaṅgā (on earth), as it purified the whole world.

(Line 37.) All (the kings) sprung from this (race) possessed power that was everywhere irresistible, large armies, pure descent, birth from a lotus,See verse 10. (and) great piety, (and therefore) resembled Kumāra, whose spear is everywhere irresistible, (who is also called) Mahāsēna, who is the son of Fire, who invented (the array of the army in the form of) a lotus, (and who is also called) Subrahmaṇya. The great fierceness,—that resembled fire,—of the power of their arms dried up,—like the water of the ocean,—the irresistible valour of all enemies. The spreading moonshine of their spotless fame removed the impurity of all the sins of the Kali age. Their extremely noble conduct and constant prosperity increased the affection of the crowd of their friends.This sentence has a second meaning, which refers to the sun (mitra), but which it is useless to reproduce in the translation. The beauty of their forms became the snare, in which,—like deer,—the hearts of young women (were caught). Their fame, like the fragrance of sandal trees, was pervading the southern region. The shadow of their (royal parasol) could not be crossed by the power of other (kings), just as the beauty of the celestial trees cannot be surpassed by the splendour of other (trees). They were full of splendour and kind to others, (and therefore) resembled the sun whose rays are beneficial to men. They experienced an increase (āgama) of the affection (pratyaya) of (their) subjects (prakṛiti), and possessed blameless riches (vṛiddhi) and virtues (guṇa), (and therefore) resembled the science of grammar, in which crude forms (prakṛiti), affixes (pratyaya) and augments (āgama) are treated, (but) in which (the rules on) guṇa and vṛiddhi are (not) without exceptions (apavāda).A similar ślēsha occurs in the description of the Valabhī king Dhruvasēna II.; Ep. Ind., Vol. I, p. 91, note 28. See also Śiśupālavadha, xix. 75; Sāhityadarpaṇa, paragraph 586; and Mr. S.P.Pandit's Preface to his edition of the Raghuvaṁśa, p. 45, note 1. They gave delight (nandana), but were without enemies (apa-ari-jāta); while the Nandana (garden) contains the pārijāta (tree). Though full of learning (ghanāgama), they were not dull (jaḍa); while the rainy season (ghanāgama) brings water (jala). As Indra the heaven, (these) lords of the earth enjoyed the whole earth, which is bounded by the Chakravāla mountain (and) adorned by the seven continents and seven oceans.

(Line 45.) Among these have passed away in bygone times [S]kandavarman, Kal[i]ndavarman, Kāṇagōpa, Vishṇugōpa, Vīrakū[r]cha, Vīrasiṁha, Siṁhavarman, Vishṇusiṁha and other kings, who won great battles by (a knowledge of) the science of all weapons, whose valour was immeasurable, who had received by inheritance (the practice of) meritorious acts, who destroyed (the sins of) the Kali (age), whose minds were learned, whose bodies bore auspicious marks, who preserved (their) fame (free from blemishes), whose shoulders were fit to bear the whole earth, who were (evil) comets to (their) enemies, who conferred honours on (their) friends, (and) who were the barriers of all good conduct.

(Verse 20.) Thereafter came Siṁha[vishṇu], the lion of the earth (Avanisiṁha), who was engaged in the destruction of enemies, (and) who vanquished the Malaya, Kaḷabhra, Mālava, Chōḷa and Pāṇdya (kings), the Siṁhaḷa (king) who was proud of the strength of his arms, and the Kēraḷas.

(21.) Then the earth was ruled by a king called Mahēndravarman, whose glory resembled that of Mahēndra, whose commands were respected (by all), (and) who annihilated (his) chief enemies at Puḷḷalūra.

(22.) From him was born the victorious hero Narasiṁhavarman, who surpassed the glory of the valour of Rāma by (his) conquest of Laṅkā, who was a comet (that foreboded) destruction to the crowd of proud enemies, (and) who imitated the pitcher-born (Agastya) by (his) conquest of Vātāpi.The same comparison occurs in the description of the reign of Narasiṁhavarman I. in the Kūram plates (line 17) and in the Udayēndiram plates (l. 14).

(23.) From him was born Mahēndravarman, whose long arms were fierce thunderbolts to the crowd of enemies, (and) beginning with whom, meritorious acts for the benefit of temples and Brāhmaṇas and (the use of) the vessel of the donorI.e., the vessel from which libations of water are poured out at donations. Compare the frontispiece of General Sir A. Cunningham's Coins of Ancient India, where such a vessel is figured in the hand of Anāthapiṇḍika. have highly prospered.

(24.) Then came Paramēśvarapōtavarman, to whose desires the crowd of all kings was subject. This wonderful (king) possessed high prosperity (bhūti), was the lord of men (bhūta), had a bull for (his) crest (and) a club on (his) banner, (and) possessed immovable firmness, [thus resembling Śiva, who wears sacred ashes (bhūti), is the lord of goblins (Bhūta), has a bull for his emblem and a club on his banner, and resides on the mountain].This is another case of upamā-dhvani; see p. 354, note 5. The comparison with Śiva is based on the name of the king, Paramēśvara, which is at the same time one of the names of Śiva.

(25.) From him was born a complete incarnation of the blessed Paramēśvara, who equalled Narasiṁha both by (the strength of) his body and by (his) name (Narasiṁhavarman) that spread over the world. This crest-jewel of the Kshatriyas bestowed his wealth on temples and Brāhmaṇas (and) devoutly caused the goddess of the earth, who was in his possession, to be enjoyed by those familiar with the four Vēdas.I.e., he made grants of land to learned Brāhmaṇas.

(26.) From him came Paramēśvarapōtavarman, who obtained desired treasures, (viz.) treasures of fame; who conquered the coquettish ways of the Kali (age); who led the way of policy, which had been prescribed by Dhishaṇa (Bṛihaspati); (and) who protected the worlds.

(27.) At present his prosperous kingdom, in which enemies are subdued by the power of (mere) commands, is ruled as far as the ocean by Nandivarman, who was chosen by the subjects, who is worthy of honour on account of (his) wisdom, (and) who is the full-moon of the race of the Pallavas, which is as extensive as the ocean.

(28.) His sixth (ancestor) was the lord Bhīmavarman, who was the younger brother of, (and reigned) after, the glorious Siṁhavishṇu; the fifth Pallava ruler (was) the glorious king Buddhavarman, praised by wise men; the fourth (was) Ādityavarman, who resembled (Indra) the bearer of the thunderbolt; the third (was) Gōvindavarman; (and) the second lord of the earth (was) the glorious Hiraṇya, the refuge of men.

(29.) This ŚrīdharaThis was evidently a biruda of Nandivarman. resembles Vijaya (Arjuna) in battle, KarṇīsutaAccording to a quotation of the commentator on the Kādambarī (Bombay edition of 1890, p. 40), Karṇī- suta or Karaṭaka was the author of a treatise on the art of thieving, and was, along with his two friends Vipula and Achala and his minister Śaśa, mentioned in the Bṛihatkathā. He is also referred to in the Daśa- kumāracharita (Bombay edition of 1883, p. 48). in acquaintance with the arts, Rāma in archery, the king of VatsaCompare Vol. I, No. 25, paragraph 29. with respect to the science of elephants and to music, Kāma in (the opinion of) women, the first poet (Vālmīki) in the composition of poetry, the master of policy (Bṛihaspati) himself in suggesting expedients, (and) Dharma (Yudhishṭhira) in delighting the subjects.

(30.) Increasing in prosperity is our lord, king Nandivarman, who is able to support the race of the Pallavas; who is a born emperor; who is handsome; who is a master both in the art of gymnastics and in the virtue of modesty; who is the son of Hiraṇya; who belongs to the branch (varga) of Bhīma; who worships the feet of Hari (Vishṇu); who is descended from a pure mother; who bears auspicious marks; who is the son of Rōhiṇī; (and) whose good deeds are numerous.

(Line 71.) While the twenty-second year of (his) reign was current, this Rājādhirājaparamēśvara, the Mahārāja called Nandivarman, who is engaged in ruling the kingdom of Paramēśvarapōtarāja; whose mind is clinging to, engaged in, and restless in (the desire for) supreme bliss; whose head is covered with dust that has dropped from the pair of lotus feet of the Lord (Paramēshṭhin);This expression seems to refer to Vishṇu, whose devotee Nandivarman was according to verse 30. who worships the gods, the Brāhmaṇas, and (others) who are worthy of respect; who avoids the passions that oppress the people of the Kali age; who dries up (his) enemies by the fire of (his) growing valour; who refreshes (his) friends by the water of (his) growing affection; whose right hand is able (to fulfil) the vow of ruling the whole world; whose pair of feet is rubbed smooth (as it serves as) whetstones to the edges of the rubies in the diadems of all kings; who is gracefully embraced by the fortune of the Pallava race, (and who therefore resembles) the celestial tree, which is gracefully entwined by the creeper of the Nandana garden; the wrestler of warriors (Kshatriyamalla); the wrestler of the Pallavas (Pallavamalla); whose might is increasing in consequence of (his) meditations on the feet of the lord, (his) father;With bappa-bhaṭṭāraka-pād-ānudhyāna compare the similar expressions which Dr. Fleet quotes from three other Pallava inscriptions; Ind. Ant., Vol. XV, p. 274, 2nd column. In the Prākṛit grant of Śivaskanda- varman occurs the instrumental plural mahārāja-bappa-sāmīhi; Ep. Ind., Vol. I, p. 6, text line 11. The nominative plural bappa-bhaṭṭārakar occurs in line 88 of the Kūram plates. (and) who is a moon that causes to rise the water of the ocean of great virtues,—was himself pleased to give as a brahmadēya,The words svayameva prasādāt are found in line 97, and the words brahmadeyaṁ dattaḥ in line 103.—[as requested] by Brahmaśrīrāja,The occurrence of the words vijñapti and viṇṇappam in lines 103 and 106 and the analogy of the Kūram and Udayēndiram plates make it probable that the word vijñaptēna has to be supplied in connection with the instrumental Brahmaśrīrājēna in line 91. who is a friend of men; who is filled with all virtues, as the ocean with a heap of gems; who is famous (but) modest, handsome (and) long-lived, of soft speech (and) the best of men; who, just as Bṛihaspati (is the minister) of (Indra) the lord of heaven, is the chief minister of the handsome Nandin, the lord of the earth (and) chief of the Pallavas; who is refined both by nature and through education;With nisarga-nīti-vinīta compare nisarga-saṁskāra-vinīta, Raghuvaṁśa, iii. 35; and ibid., x. 79. who is the first of the wise, firm (and) brave; who possesses the full splendour of the Brāhmaṇa and Kshatriya castes, and a loyalty to the glorious Nandipōtarāja, which does not cease as long as the moon and the stars endure; who supports (his) family; who is the chief of (his) family; who is an eldest son; who resembles the moon in beauty; who excels in all virtues; (and) who is an eldest grandson,—to Jyēshṭhapāda-Sōmayājin, who has mastered the ocean-like Vēdas; who chants the Sāman (hymns) which are pleasant on account of their melodies (rasa); who has completed the rehearsal and the study of the six auxiliary works, (viz.) the ritual of the Vēda, grammar, astronomy, etymology, phonetics and metrics;This enumeration of the six Aṅgas of the Vēda agrees literally with Āpastamba's Dharmasūtra, ii. 4, 8, 11. who knows the properties of words, sentences and subjects; who has drunk the elixir of the Śruti and Smṛiti; who is learned in the portion referring to rites (karma-kāṇḍa) and the portion referring to knowledge (jñānakāṇḍa); who is skilled in the ways of the world and in the knowledge of the arts; who is versed in poems, dramas, stories, epics and legends; in short, who is skilled in all (branches of) holy and profane knowledge; who is expert in the performance of all rites; who is of good conduct; (who illumines) the world, as a lamp (does) a house; who is courteous (in spite of) the honour (paid to him) and of noble birth; who is the only sun of the middle world (i.e., the earth), because he has dispelled all ignorance (or darkness);In the original, the description of the donee is here (l. 86) interrupted by that of the minister, and is continued in line 92. who is considered the best of fathers and grand-fathers; whose good deeds (in former births are the reason of his present) noble birth; who ranks first among the twice-born; who knows the Vēdas; who conforms to the precepts of the Vēda; who follows the Chhandōgasūtra; who has performed the Vājapēya and a number of other sacrifices; who belongs to the Bharadvāja gōtra; who resides at Pūniya, an excellent settlement of BrāhmaṇasThe literal meaning of brahmalōka is ‘the world or heaven of Brahman.’ in the Toṇḍāka-rāshṭra; who is poor in sins; who is distinguished by (his) dress (?);In the Sanskrit original, the next seven epithets begin successively with the numbers one, two, three, four, five, six and seven. who is a unique person; who cares for both worlds;I.e., for heavenly as well as earthly prosperity. who accomplishes the three objects of human life (trivarga); who knows the four Vēdas; whose chief objects are the five primary elements (pañcha-mahābhūta);This appears to mean that he studied philosophy. who knows the six auxiliary works;This accomplishment of the donee was already stated in full in line 80 f. who resembles the sun; who possesses good qualities; (and) who is an excellent Brāhmaṇa,—a whole village, the original name of which was Koḍukoḷḷi, (but) which, on becoming a brahmadēya, (received) the new name Ēkadhīramaṅgalam,The word Ēkadhīra, from which the new name of the village is derived, must be taken as a biruda either of the king or of his minister. Thus the village of Paramēśvaramaṅgalam, which is the object of the Kūram grant, received its name from king Paramēśvaravarman I.; and in the Udayēndiram plates, the village granted was named after Udayachandra, the king's general. in Undivana-kōshṭhaka,This is a Sanskrit rendering of the Tamil name ūṟṟukkāṭṭukkōṭṭam, which occurs in line 105. Kōshṭhaka corresponds to kōṭṭam; vana is the Sanskrit equivalent of kāḍu; and undi, which appears to be formed from the root und, ‘to spring,’ is intended for an equivalent of ūṟṟu, ‘a spring.’ (a subdivision) of the same rāshṭra,This refers to the Toṇḍāka-rāshṭra in line 95. enclosed by the following four boundaries:—in the east, Pālaiyūr; in the south, the same; in the west, MaṇatpākkaIn this word, the letter t represents the letter ṟ, which is unknown to Sanskrit, of the Tamil name Maṇaṟpākkam, line 112. and Koḷḷipākka; (and) in the north, Veḷimānallūr,In the Tamil portion (line 113), this name is spelt with the Tamil ṉa instead of the na.—to the extent of altogether two nivartanas;sāmānyanivartanadvayamaryādayā is a literal translation of cāmāniya iraṇṭupaṭṭippaṭiyāl in line 107 f. Accor- dingly, the Sanskrit nivartana (= 40,000 square hastas) and the Tamil paṭṭi (‘a measure of land sufficient for a sheep-fold’) are synonymous. Nivartana occurs in line 38 of the grant of Śivaskandavarman, and paṭṭi in the Kūram plates. excluding previous grants to temples and grants to Brāhmaṇas; excluding (the houses of) the ryots;nirastakuṭumbi corresponds to kuṭi nīkki in line 107. with all exemptions (parihāra); (and) including The substantives from udakabhogaḥ to niṣkuṭaṁ ca depend on ityetadabhyantaram. the use of the water by digging channels at convenience from the Dūrasarit, the Vēgavatī, and the tank of Tīralaya,These three topographical names are again mentioned in line 115 f. dūrasarit is a Sanskrit translation of cēyāṟu, the name of the river which forms the southern boundary of the Conjeeveram tālluqa. vegavatā is the Sanskrit name of the river veḵkā or kampai, which passes Conjeeveram on the south. The tank of Tīralaya is identical with the tank of Tīraiyaṉ in line 116. houses, fields, gardens and groves.

(Line 103.) This (grant was made at) the request (vijñapti) of Brahmayuvarāja. The executor of the grant (ājñapti) (was) Ghōraśarman. Hail! Let there be success!

(Verse 31.) The author of the (above) praśasti (was) the honest Trivikrama, who knew the truth of all sciences (and) performed sacrifices according to the rules of the three Vēdas.

(Line 104.) (The above is) an order of the king (kōṉ-ōlai), (dated in) the twenty-second year (of his reign). Let the inhabitants of Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam see (it) !

(L. 105.) Having seen the order (tirumugam), which was issued after (the king) had been pleased to give Koḍukoḷḷi, (a village) of our country,—having expropriated the former owners, at the request of Brahmayuvarāja, (having appointed) Ghōraśarman as ājñapti (āṇatti), having excluded (previous) grants to temples and grants to Brāhmaṇas, having excluded the houses (of the ryots), to the extent of altogether two paṭṭi,—as a brahmadēya to Śēṭṭiṟeṅga-Sōmayājin, who belongs to the Bhāradvāja gōtra, follows the Chhandōgasūtra and resides at Pūni,—we, the inhabitants, went to the boundaries which the headman (viyavaṉ) of the district (nāḍu) pointed out, circumambulated the village (paḍāgai) from right to left, and planted stones and milk-bush (round it).

(L. 111.) The boundaries of (this village are):—The eastern boundary (is) to the west of the boundary of Pālaiyūr; the southern boundary (is) to the north of the boundary of Pālaiyūr; the western boundary (is) to the east of the boundary of Maṇaṟpākkam and of the boundary of Koḷḷipākkam; and the northern boundary (is) to the south of the boundary of Veḷimāṉallūr.

(L. 114.) (The donee) shall enjoy the wet land and the dry land included within these four boundaries, wherever the iguana runs and the tortoise crawls,A similar phrase is used in line 305 of the large Leyden grant. (and shall be permitted) to dig river channels and inundation channels for conducting water from the Śēyāṟu, the Veḥkā, and the tank of Tīraiyaṉ. (He) shall obtain . . . . . . . . . .Here two technical terms are omitted. One of them, puḻutipāṭu, occurs in line 79 of the Kūram plates. for these channels. Those who take and use (the water) in these channels by pouring out baskets, by cutting branch channels (?),kuṟaṅkaṟuttu occurs in No. 5, paragraph 14. or by employing small levers,The same implement is mentioned in line 81 of the Kūram plates. Each of the three terms kuṟaṅku, kuṟṟēttam and kūṭai occurs in line 310 f. of the large Leyden grant. On the irrigation basket and lever see Dr. Grierson's Bihār Peasant Life, paragraph 949, and Dr. Buchanan's Journey through Mysore, Madras reprint, Vol. I, p. 183. shall pay a fine to be taken by the king. He and his descendants shall enjoy the houses, house gardens and so forth (and shall have the right) to build houses and halls of burnt tiles. (The land) included within these (boundaries) we have endowed with all exemptions.Here and in the next sentence, paricāram appears to be used for parikāram (parihāra). Compare sarvaparihārābhyantarīkaraṇena in line 101. He himself shall enjoy the exemptions obtaining in this village without paying for the oil-mills and looms, the hire of the well-diggers (ulliyar), the share (kāṇam) of the Brāhmaṇas and of the king, the share of śeṅgoḍi,According to Winslow, ceṅkoṭivēli is ‘a running plant whose root is a powerful caustic, rose coloured lead-wort, Plumbago Zeylanica, L.’ the share of kallāl,According to the Dictionnaire Tamoul-Français, this is the tree Ficus Mysorensis. the share of kaṇṇiṭṭu (?), the share of corn ears (kadir), the share of the headman, the share of the potter,vicakkāṇam and kucakkāṇam are derived from vicavaṉ, another form of viyavaṉ (Vol. I, p. 116, note 7), and kucavaṉ. the sifting of paddy, the price of ghee, the price of cloth (puṭṭagam), the share of the cloth (paṭṭigai), the hunters (?), messengers, dancing-girls, . . . . . . . . . .The two obscure terms which are here omitted, contain the words paṇṇu (which may be connected with paṇṇuvar, ‘riders on horses or on elephants,’) and kutirai, ‘a horse,’ and may therefore correspond to the terms āṉaikkūṭam (‘elephant-stalls’) and kutiraippanti (‘horse-stables’) on page 115, text line 11. the grass, the best cow and the best bull, the share of the district (nāṭṭuvagai), cotton threads (paḍāṅ-gaṛi), servants, neḍumbuṟai, palmyra molasses, the fine to the accountant (karaṇam) and the fine to the minister,atikaraṇam appears to be used for adhikārin, as atikārar in line 132 and atikāram in Vol. I, p. 94. Compare pradhāni-jōḍi, Vol. II, p. 119. pattūr-śāṟṟu, . . . . . . . . . .The obscure term uḻaiyavayappaḷḷivattu contains the words uḻaiyaṉ, ‘a servant,’ and paḷḷi, ‘a temple.’ the tax (vari) on planting water-lilies, the share of the water-lilies, the fourth part of the trunks, which is given of old trees of various kinds,Compare palluruvil paḻamaraṅkaḷ, ‘old trees of various kinds,’ in Vol. I, No. 40, text line 38. including areca palms and cocoanut trees . . . . . . . . . .

(L. 132.) The grant (para-datti) was made in the presence of the local authorities (?), of the ministers,See note 2. and of the secretaries.Literally, ‘those who hear (the words of) the mouth (of the king).’ The term kīṛ-vāy-kkēḷppāṉ, ‘an under-secretary,’ occurs at the end of the Cochin plates of Bhāskara Ravivarman; Ep. Ind., Vol. III, p. 69.

(L. 133.) [Three of the usual imprecatory verses.]

(L. 136.) Hail! Written by His Majesty's great treasurer (Śrī-Paramēśvara-mahākōshṭhāgārin).

(L. 137.) He (viz., the donee) shall obtain the houses, the house-gardens, and two paṭṭi of land.Compare line 107.

Hail! Let there be success! Adoration!

Digital edition of SII 2.73 by converted to DHARMA conventions by Emmanuel Francis.

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