Om· namaś śivāyam· svasti śrī

kō-vicaiya-nanti-vikkirama-parumaṟku yā ṇṭ’ aṟu-patt-iraṇṭ-āvatu

sakala-jagattra yābhivandita-surāsurādhīśa-parameśvara-prati hārikṛta-mahāvali-kulotd·bhava-śrī-māvalivāṇarāyar vaṭukavaḻi paṉṉīrrrāyiramum Āḻa vāṇapurattu vaṭa-cikara-kōyil putukkuvittu Itaṟku Iḷaṅ kiḻavar makaṉ maṉṟāṭiṭai Aḻiñciṟkaḷam paṭṭi vilaikku koṇṭu kuṭuttēṉ

Uṟṟukkāṭṭu kōṭṭattu Aḷiṅkaṇa-pākkattu kīḻakattu taṭṭāṉ mātanṉ makanṉ Aritīraṉ kuṭutta tēvar pōkam mahāvalivāṇarāyar piṭākai valañ-ceytu koṭuttār

Itu kāt tār Aṭi y-eṉ muṭi mēlaṉa

Itu Aḻittāṉ kaṭikai Eḻā Iruvaraiyum koṉṟa pāvattu paṭuvāṉ

Itu Aḻittāṉ Ip-pāvattukku Añcāṉāyil Aṉ kōyilukku Āyiram kāṇam taṇṭa-p-paṭuvōm vāṇapurattōm

vabahubhir· vasudhā dattā rājabhiḥ sakaradibhiḥ yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalam·

°nanti-vikkirama° There is a blank space between °nanti° and °vikkirama°, as the final character of line 1 (śrī) interrupts this word. °jagatrayā° That, is jagat+trayā° Itaṟku Itaṟku Uṟṟukkāṭṭu Uṟṟukkāṭṭu Iruvaraiyum Iruravaraiyum koṉṟa pāvattu paṭuvāṉ koṉṟa pāvattu paṭuvāṉ Aṉ see SII fn3. kāṇam kāṇam vabahubhir· vabahubhir· The reading bahubhir· seems also possible rājabhiḥ rājabhiḥ sakaradibhiḥ That is, sagaradibhiḥ.

Text standardised according to DHARMA transliteration scheme.

Ōm. Obeisance to Śiva! Hail! Prosperity!

In the sixty-second year of the reign of king Vijaya-Nandivikrama-varman, while the glorious Māvalivāṇarāya,— born from the family of Mahābali, who had been made door-keeper by the lord of gods and demons, Parameśvara Śiva, who is worshipped in all the three worlds,— was ruling the Vaṭukavaḻi twelve-thousand,— I, Aridhiraṉ, the son of Mātaṉ, a goldsmith and resident of a house in the east of Aḷiṅganāpākkam in the district of Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam,7 See above, Vol. II. p. 345 and note 4. caused to be renewed the Vaṭa-cikara-kōyil8 I.e. ‘the temple with the tower in the north.’ at Vāṇapuram and gave to it the paṭṭi9 On this term see above, Vol. II. p. 359, note 12. called Aḻiñciṟkaḷam, which I had bought from Maṉṟāṭi, the son of Iḷaṅkiḻavar.

Mahāvalivāṇarāya circumambulated the hamlet piṭākai towards the right and granted the land enjoyed by the god, which Aridhīraṉ had given.

The feet of him who protects this charity, shall be on my head.1 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 members2 Literally, ‘who do not rise.’ of the assembly.3 The two Tamil words iruvar and kaṭikai correspond to mahājana and ghaṭige in Cāḷukya 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.4 With அன்றாள் கொயில் compare அன்றார் கொ, above, Vol. I. pp. 113 and 115.

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.

Om. Homage to Śiva. Prosperity! Fortune!

Sixty-second year of the victorious king Nantivikkiramaparumaṉ.Sanskrit Nandivikramavarman.

I have given ...

The king MahāvalivāṇaSanskrit Mahābalibāṇa has given ...

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Several orthographic peculiarities indicate that the composer/scribe is from South India: kulotbhava- instead of kulodbhava-, sakara- instead of sagara-.

Note on Iruvar/Iravar. See SII p. 92, fn. 2.

Reported in (ARIE/1889-1890/A/1889/76).

Edited in with visual documentation and English translation (SII 3.42). Text and summary in (IP 91).

This revised edition by Emmanuel Francis, based on the visual documentation published in .

42 90-92 V 91 321-322 5 A/1899 76