This interesting record registers a gift of gold made by a military officer for strengthening the bund of a tank, by depositing on it the silt-removed from that tank. The gift, however, appears to have been utilized subsequently for feeding four Brāhmaṇas in the local temple, for the merit of the four heroes who fell in a battle on the occasion when the donor Tīraṉ Śeṉṉippēraraiyaṉ of Araiśūr made a frontal attack with his colleagues on the enemy, in a fierce battle (astikkaḍai) fought at Vēḷūr between Perumāṉaḍigaḷ (i.e., Parāntaka I.) and the allied Pāṇḍya and Ceylon kings. The result of the battle is not stated; but from the Udayēndiram plates published above, in Volume II, pages 375 ff., Parāntaka I. is known to have conquered Madura after defeating its ruler the Pāṇḍya king Rājasiṁha and to have repulsed an army of the king of Laṅkā (Ceylon), thereby earning for himself the surname Saṅgrāmarāghava. The Ceylon king who at this time must have sent his army in support of the Pāṇḍya could have been no other than Kassapa V. who, according to the traditional account given in the Mahāwamsa, would have reigned from A. D. 906 to 916 (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society for July 1913, page 525 f.). The commencement of the reign of Parāntaka I. has been fixed by Professor Kielhorn to lie between 15th January and 25th July A.D. 907.
svasti śrī saripatmaṟkku yāṇṭu paṉṉiraṇṭāvatu koṭṭanāḷ nūṟṟirupattoṉpatu paṭuvūrkkoṭṭattu kkāvatippākkamākiya Amaṉinārāyaṇarvvetimaṅkalattu
vārikapperumak=kaḷum bhaṭṭarkaḷum viśiṣṭarkaḷum Uḷḷiṭṭa mahāsabhaiyār paṇiyāl
ṉ kaḻañcuppoṉṉum Emmur periya Eri karai maṇṇaṭṭukiṉṟa Oṭanāyaṉmārk kiṭuvataṟku mutalāka koṇṭu Innūṟṟirupatiṉ kaḻañcu poṉṉālum van=ta vṛyāley pāṇṭiyaṉum Īḻattaraiyaṉum vantu perumāṉaṭikaḷoṭu veḷūr Astikaṭaiceyta nāṉṟu Icceṉṉipperaraiyar tām dam valla ApūrvvikaḷbrāhmaṇĀcantrakālamum muṭṭgram gram Uṇṭapoḻtu Ivargram Ūṭṭuvippatu Ibrahmaṇaraiyu
m Acandrakālamum kaṭaikkaṇṭu Ūṭṭuvippādhanmam rakṣitt ār· Aśvamedhañ ceyta phaladhanmattukku virodhañ ceytār geṃkaiyiṭaikkumariyiṭaic ceyta pāvattuhāsabhaiyom vvāṭṭai Erivārikapperumakkaḷ paṇikka Eḻutiṉeṉ madhyastaṉ civakkuṟi nūṟṟeṇmaṉeṉ
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 12th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman who took Madirai (Madura)—the day of the gift (koṭṭa-nāḷbeing) one hundred and twenty nine—at the command of the members of the great assembly which included (in it) the great men of the wards-committee, the great men of the garden-committee, the great men of the fields-committee, the great men of the north-fields (vaḍa-kaḻaṉi)-committeeBhaṭṭas and other distinguished men (viśishṭas) of this year. . . . . . . .Kāvadippākkam alias Amaṉinārāyaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in Paḍuvūrkōṭṭam, the great men of the tanks-committee, who do the ēri-vāriyam for this year, received from Araiśūruḍaiy[āṉ]. . . . . . . . Tīraṉ Śeṉṉi-Pēraraiyar of Araiśūr in Pāmbuṇi-kūṟṟam (a subdivision) of Śōḻa-nāḍu, one hundred and twenty kaḻañju weight of gold of nine and a half degrees of fineness
(L. 3.) Receiving this one hundred and twenty kaḻañju of gold as a fund for paying the ferry-men depositing mud on the bund of the big tank of our village, we shall, from the interest accruing on this one hundred and twenty kalañju of gold, for (the merit of) these four servants (viz.,) Kārimaṅgalam-Uḍaiyāṉ, Valikkuṭṭi, Perunāyagaṉ and Aḻiyānilai-Māḍambi who died when this (i.e., the above-mentioned) Śeṉṉi-Pēraraiyar himself made a frontal attack on the occasion when the Pāṇḍya (king) and the king of Ceylon marched (against) Perumāṉaḍigaḷ and fought with him a deadly battlestikkaṭai ceytanāṉṟuVēḷūr. in the manner described below, feed regularly at the time when offerings are made to the lord (perumāṉaḍigaḷ) of our village of Tirukkarapuram, on the bank of the Pāryāṟuśālai-maṇḍagam) constructed by him (i.e., Śeṉṉi Pēraraiyar), without any break as long as the moon (lasts), four apūrviapūrvi as applied to Vēdic Brāhmaṇas is also found in an inscription from the Vishṇu temple at Eṇṇāyiram (No. 333 of 1917). In describing a school for the students of the Vēdas, it mentions three students and teachers of the Ṛig, Yajus, etc., Vēdas who either studied apūrva or taught it. It is not improbable that the term was intended to convey a special method of studying the Vēdas and was an accepted synonym for Vēdic literature which included Rig, Yajus, Chhāndōgya-Sāma, Talavakāra-Sāma, Vājasanēya, Atharva, Bandhāyanīya-Gṛihya, Kalpa, Gaṇa and Kāṭhaka.Vēdas, with rich meals (agram)Agram is still used in Malabar in connexion with the term agra-śālā, ‘cooking houses in temples’ and with agraśāla-para a special measure used in these cooking houses. Agram also means excellent or chief. When applied to a meal it means perhaps the chief meal provided for in a temple.kaṟi), one āḻākku of ghee for each individual and one nāḻi of curd for each individual.
(L. 4.) After these are richly fed, two areca-nuts (kāy) and leaves shall be given to each of them. Thus shall the rich repast be given. The great men of the tank-committee who perform (the duties of) ēri-vāriyam year after year shall themselves supervise and feed the four Brāhmaṇas as long as the moon (lasts). Those who protect this charity shall obtain the merit of the performance of Aśvamēdha (sacrifice). Those who obstruct this, charity shall incur the sins committed (by sinners) between the Ganges and Cape Comorin. We, the members of the great assembly including the great men of the tankcommittee of this year, have ordered (in the aforesaid manner). I, the arbitrator (madhyastha) Śivakkuṟi Nūṟṟeṇmaṉ, wrote (this document) under the orders of the great men of the tank-committee of this year, being (myself) present in the assembly.
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