SII 3.42: original edition by Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch No. 42.—ON A BOULDER NEAR TIRUVALLAM. author of digital edition Emmanuel Francis DHARMA Paris, CEIAS DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0042 DHARMAbase

This inscription is engraved on the slightly sloping surface of a large boulder in the bed of the Nīvā river, one mile north-east of Tiruvallam. The alphabet is Tamil and Grantha of an archaic type. It resembles the alphabet of the inscriptions of the Western Gaṅga king Kampavarman (Nos. 5 and 8 above) and lies between the two Kīḻ-Muṭṭugūr inscriptions of Vijaya-NarasiṁhavarmanEp. Ind. Vol. IV. p. 177 f. and p. 360. as the upper limit and the two Āmbūr inscriptions of Vijaya-Nṛipatuṅga-VikramavarmanIbid. p. 182 f. as the lower one. As in other archaic Tamil inscriptions,See above, p. 4, note 2, and p. 50. the virāma is expressed by a vertical dash over the letter in a number of cases, though not throughout. In the word Maṉṟāḍi (l. 8) the syllable ṟā is expressed by two separate symbols.Compare above, p. 45, note 3. The letter ṉ has generally its archaic form, but in two casesaritīraṉ, l. 10, and paṭuvāṉ, l. 13. its central loop is fully developed. The language of the inscription is Tamil; but line 1 contains some invocations in Sanskrit prose, and line 15 f. a Sanskrit verse.

The record is dated in the 62nd year of the reign of Vijaya-Nandivikramavarman (l. 2 f.). Three other inscriptions of the same king are noticed in Vol. I. (Nos. 108, 124 and 125). As I have shown before,Ep. Ind. Vol. IV. p. 181 f. he is probably identical with Nandivarman, the father of Vijaya-Nṛipatuṅgavarman and the son-in-law of the Rāshṭrakūṭa king Amōghavarsha I. If this identification is correct, the inscription would have to be placed before the end of the 9th century A.D.

Vijaya-Nandivikramavarman appears to have been the sovereign of Mahāvalivāṇarāya (l. 11) or Māvalivāṇarāya (l. 5), who was a descendant of the family of Mahābali (l. 5) and ruled the twelve thousand (villages) of Vaḍugavaḻi (l. 6), i.e. ‘the Telugu road.’ This province is mentioned in the Muḍyanūr plates of the Bāṇa king Malladēva as ‘the twelve thousand villages in Āndhra-maṇḍala,’Ind. Ant. Vol. XV. p. 175, text line 21 f. and in the Udayēndiram plates of the Bāṇa king Vikramāditya II. as ‘the land to the west of the Āndhra road.’Ep. Ind. Vol. III. p. 76, text line 21. The attributes which are prefixed to the name of Mahāvalivāṇarāya in the subjoined inscription (l. 3 ff.) are also found in an undated inscription of Mahāvalibāṇarasa at Gūlgānpode.Ind. Ant. Vol. X. p. 39, No. I. As I have stated before,Ep. Ind. Vol. V. p. 50. Mahābalibāṇarāja seems to have been the hereditary designation of the Bāṇa chiefs. Hence it is impossible to say which individual chief is meant in the present inscription.

The inscription records that a goldsmith granted some land to a temple at Vāṇapuram (ll. 6 and 14), and that Mahāvalivāṇarāya confirmed this grant (l. 10 f.). Vāṇapuram, ‘the town of the Bāṇas,’ seems to have been the residence of the Bāṇa chief and to have been situated close to Tiruvallam.

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Om namaśśivāyam svasti śrī . ko vicaiyanantivikkiramaparumaṟku yā ṇṭaṟupattiraṇṭāvatu sakalajagattra yābhivanditasurāsurādhīśaparameśvaraprati hārīkṛitamahāvbalikulotdbhavaśrīmāvalivāṇarāyar vaṭukavaḻi paṉṉīrrāyiramum Āḷa vāṇapurattu vaṭacikarakoyil putukkuvittu Itaṟku Iḷaṅ kiḻavar makaṉ maṉaṟāṭiṭai Aḻiñciṟkaḷam paṭṭi vilaikku koṇṭu kuṭutteṉ Ūṟṟukkāṭṭukoṭṭattu Aḷiṅkaṇapākkattu kīḻakattu taṭṭāṉ mātan makan Aritīraṉ . kuṭutta tevar pokam mahāvalivāṇarāyar piṭākai valañceytu koṭuttār . Itu kāt tār Aṭiyeṉ muṭi melaṉa . Itu Aḻittāṉ kaṭikai Eḻā Iruvaraiyum koṉṟa pāvattu paṭuvāṉ . Itu Aḻittāṉ Ippāvattukku Añcāṉāyil Aṉ koyilukku Āyiram kāṇam taṇṭappaṭuvom vāṇapurattom .

vbahubhir vasudhā dattā rājabhiḥ sakgarādibhiḥ | yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalam .
Aṉ Read aṉṟāḷ.

(Line 1.) Ōm. Obeisance to Śiva ! Hail ! Prosperity !

(L. 2.) In the sixty-second year (of the reign) of king Vijaya-Nandivikramavarman, while the glorious Māvalivāṇarāya,—born from the family of Mahābali, who had been made door-keeper by the lord of gods and demons, Paramēśvara (Śiva), who is worshipped in all the three worlds,—was ruling the Vaḍu[gava]ḻi twelve-thousand,—I, [A]ridhīraṉ, the son of Mā[da]ṉ, a goldsmith (and resident) of a house in the east of [A]ḷiṅgaṇapā[kka]m in (the district of) Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam,See above, Vol. II. p. 345 and note 4. caused to be renewed the Vaḍa-[śi]gara-kōyilI.e. -the temple with the tower in the north.- at Vāṇapuram and gave to it the paṭṭiOn this term see above, Vol. II. p. 359, note 12. (called) Aḻiñjiṟka[ḷam], (which I had) bought from Maṉṟāḍi, the son of Iḷaṅgiḻavar.

(L. 10.) Mahāvalivāṇarāya circumambulated the hamlet (piḍāgai) towards the right and granted (the land) enjoyed by the god, which (Aridhīraṉ) had given.

(L. 11.) “The feet of him who protects this (charity), (shall be) on my head.See above, p. 39, note 4. He who destroys this (charity), shall incur the sin of one who kills the great men who are permanent (members)Literally, ‘who do not rise.’ of the assembly.The two Tamil words iruvar and kaḍigai correspond to mahājana and ghaṭige in a Chalukya inscription; Ep. Ind. Vol. III. p. 360. If the destroyer of this (charity) does not fear this sin, we, (the inhabitants) of Vāṇapuram, shall pay a fine of one thousand kāṇam) to the palace of the king who is then ruling.With aṉṟāḷ koyil compare aṉṟāḷ ko, above, Vol. I. pp. 113 and 115.

(L. 15.) “Land has been granted by many kings, commencing with Sagara. Whosever (is) the earth at any time, his (is) then the reward (of gifts of land).”

Digital edition of SII 3.42 by converted to DHARMA conventions by Emmanuel Francis.

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