ON the road from Conjeeveram to Wandiwash, at a distance of five miles south of
Māmaṇḍūr,
lies the village of Kūḻambandal. It contains a Śiva
temple, which is now deserted,
but in tolerably good preservation. The approximate time of the
foundation of this temple
is settled by an inscription on its north wall, which is dated in the
12th year of the reign of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. It records the grant of an allowance
of paddy and gold to twenty-
four dancing-girls, and states that the temple was
built by the priest Īśānaśiva-Paṇḍita,
whose name is also met with in a Tanjore
inscription of the 6th year of the same king (Vol.
II. No. 9). The same wall of the temple at
Kūḻambandal bears an inscription of the 22nd
year of Rājēndra-Chōḷa I., and the
south wall one of the 33rd year of Rājādhirāja.
The ancient name of the temple,
Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Chōḷēśvara, is derived from a surname
of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I.
The village of Ukkal is one mile distant to the east of Kūḻambandal.
It contains the
ruins of an ancient temple of Vishṇu, which I visited in 1893. Of the shrine
itself, only the
lower portions remain standing, and the maṇḍapa in front of the
shrine threatens to collapse
at any moment. The bases of the shrine and of the maṇḍapa
bear seventeen inscriptions.
Of these, fourteen were copied and are published below. The
remaining three were omitted,
as they are incomplete.
The subjoined list shows, in chronological order, the kings to whose reigns the
Ukkal
inscriptions belong.
According to the inscriptions, the ancient name of the temple was Puvaṉimāṇikka-
Vishṇugriham, i.e. ‘the Vishṇu temple of Bhuvanamāṇikya.’ This
word means ‘the
ruby of the world’ and may have been a biruda of the unknown founder of
the temple. In
an inscription of Rājarāja I. (No. 2, l. 2), the deity
of the temple is called Tiruvāy-
moḻidēvar, i.e. ‘the god of the
Tiruvāymoḻi.’ This is the name of that portion of the
Nālāyiraprabandham,
which was composed by Śaṭhagōpa, alias Nammāḻvār. The fact
that,
in the time of Rājarāja I., an idol was named after the Tiruvāymoḻi, implies that
this
work was considered holy already at that period, and hence that its author must have
lived
centuries before A.D. 1000.
The village in which the temple stands, bears the name of Ukkal in the
inscriptions
No. 4 and No. 10. In the two archaic inscriptions of Kampavarman (Nos. 5
and 8), we
find the more ancient forms Uṭkar and Uṭkal. Other names or
surnames of it were
Śivachūḷāmaṇimaṅgalam (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7,
11, 12 and 14), Vikramābharaṇa-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam (Nos. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7,
10, 11, 12, 13 and 14), and Aparājita-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam (No. 1). These
three surnames appear to be derived from birudas
of royal persons. In No. 1, Ukkal is
stated to have belonged to Pāgūr-nāḍu, a subdivision of
the district of
Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam, while, according to other inscriptions, it formed a
separate
subdivision of the same district, which was one of the ancient divisions of Toṇḍai-
maṇḍalam or, as it was also called from the time of Rājarāja I.,
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Chōḷa-
maṇḍalam (Nos. 4 and 10).
The village of Ukkal was governed by an assembly (sabhā or mahāsabhā), which
was
subdivided into several committees. These were ‘the great men elected for the year’
(Nos.
5, 7, 11, 12, 13 and 14), ‘the great men in charge of the tank’ (Nos. 6, 11, 12 and 13),
and
‘those in charge of gardens’ (No. 12). The transactions of the assembly were put
in
writing by an officer who had the title ‘arbitrator’ (madhyastha, Nos. 2, 3, 6, 10
and 12),
and who is once called ‘an accountant’ (karaṇattāṉ, No. 10).
This inscription is dated in the 23rd year of the reign of the ancient Chōḷa king
Rāja-
kēsarivarman. It records that a certain
Brahmādhirāja (ll. 4 and 11) deposited 200
kaḻañju of gold with the
villagers, and that the latter pledged themselves to apply the
interest of this sum to the
feeding of twelve learned Brāhmaṇas.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the twenty-third year (of the reign) of king
Rāja-
kēsarivarman. The writing of us, the assembly of
Śivachūḷāmaṇimaṅgalam, alias
Aparā[ji]ta-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,
(a village) in Pāgūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Kāli-
yūr-kōṭṭam.
(L. 3.) (We) have received two hundred kaḻañju) of gold from
Tiruvikrama-Bhaṭṭar,
alias Brahmādhirājar, of
Śedi[ṟū]r, (one) among the commissioners (gaṇattār) ruling
over
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its own
subdivision (kūṟu) of the
same kōṭṭam.
(L. 5.) From the interest of this gold, twelve Brāhmaṇas who know the Vēda, have to
be
fed daily, before the god (perumāṉ-aḍigaḷ) of the
Puvanimāṇikka-Vishṇugr̥ham in
our village receives offerings at noon-time.
(L. 7.) We have received these two hundred kaḻañju, in order to supply, as long as
the
moon and the stars exist, to each of these twelve (Brāhmaṇas), (one) āḻākku of
ghee, five
dishes of curry, five uḻakku of curds, two areca-nuts, and betel-leaves
until they are satisfied,
(and) in order to supply everything else to these twelve
Brāhmaṇas, to the cooks, and to
those who fetch firewood.
(L. 9.) Those who do not feed (them) thus and cause obstruction, shall incur all the
sins
committed between the Gaṅgā and Kumari.
(L. 10.) If (any persons) hinder this, the sacrifices and charitable deeds
(ishṭāpūrta)
which they have performed themselves before, shall devolve on
Brahmādhirājaṉ.
(L. 11.) Having agreed thus, we, the assembly, engraved (this) on stone. Hail ! Pros-
perity !
This inscription is dated in the 13th year of the reign of
Rājarāja-Kēsarivarman.
The king receives the epithet “who destroyed the ships at
Śālai,” and must be identified
accordingly with the great Chōḷa king
Rājarāja I., who ascended the throne in A.D.
984-85.
The inscription records that a certain Nārāyaṇa Rājasiṁha, a native of the
Chōḷa
country, purchased 550 kuḻi of land, and made them over to the
assembly of the village,
under the condition that their produce should be utilised for
supplying the god with 4 nāḻi of
rice daily.
In this inscription the virāma is expressed by a slightly curved dash,
which is placed
over the letter and resembles the superscribed r of
times, viz. over
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 13th year (of the reign) of king
Rājarāja-Kē-
sarivarman, who destroyed the ships (at)
Śālai. The writing of us, the great assembly
of
Śivachūḷāmaṇimaṅgalam, alias
Śrī-Vikramābharaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,
(a village) in its own subdivision
of Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam.
(L. 2.) Kaḍuvaṅg-uḍaiyāṉ Nārāyaṇaṉ Rājasiṁhaṉ of Kaḍuvaṅguḍi,
(a
village) in Tiruvindaḷūr-nāḍu, (a district) on the northern bank
(of the Kāvērī) in
Śōṇāḍu, had purchased from
Śaṭṭikumāra-Kramavittaṉ of Uṟuppuṭṭūr five
hundred and fifty kuḻi,——(measured) by a graduated rod, beginning (to measure) from the
land (of the temple) of
Śrī-Rāghavadēvar in the north,——of land to the west of the road
(vadi) to
(the temple of) Śaṁkaranārāyaṇa (and) to the north of the
Taṟudamba) channel, and
had assigned (it) for (providing) four
nāḻi (of rice) for the oblations to be offered at noon-time
to (the god)
Tiruvā[y]moḻidēvar in our village.
(L. 5.) Having received the revenue of this land, and having exempted (it) from
taxes
for as long as the moon and the sun exist, we, the assembly, engraved (this) on
stone.
(L. 6.) Having been present in the assembly and having heard (their) order, I,
the
arbitrator (madhyastha) Āyirattirunūṟṟuvaṉ, alias
Brahmaguṇākaravidyāsthāna-
Maṅgalāditya-Samañjasapriyaṉ, the son of
Nālāyiravaṉ, wrote (this). Pros-
perity !
This inscription is dated in the 14th year of the reign of
Rājarāja-Kēsarivarman.
Like No. 2, which is dated one year earlier, it refers to
the destruction of the ships at
Śālai, and mentions in addition the conquest of
Vēṅgaiññāḍu (or Vēṅgai-nāḍu), Gaṅ-
ga-pāḍi,
Taḍiya-vaḻi (instead of which most other inscriptions of Rājarāja I.
read
Taḍigai-pāḍi), and Nuḷamba-pāḍi.
The inscription records that a certain Peṟṟāṉ Adittaṉ, a native of the
Chōḷa
country, purchased two pieces of land, the first piece from a private person
and the second
from the assembly of the village, and that he made over both pieces of land to
the villagers
for maintaining a flower-garden for the temple.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 14th year (of the reign) of king
Rājarāja-Kēsa-
rivarman, who, having destroyed the ships (at)
Śālai, conquered Vēṅgaiññāḍu,
Gaṅga-pāḍi, Taḍiya-vaḻi and
Nuḷamba-pāḍi. The writing of us, the assembly
of
Śivachūḷāmaṇimaṅgalam, alias
Śrī-Vikramābharaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,
(a village) in its own subdivision
of Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam.
(L. 4.) Kaḻaṉivāyil-uḍaiyāṉ [P]eṟṟāṉ Ādittaṉ of Kaḻaṉivāyil,
(a village) in
Tiruvaḻundūr-nāḍu, (a district) on the southern bank
(of the Kāvērī) in Śōḻa-nāḍu,
had purchased from
Odimukki[bhrān]ta-Kramavittaṉ 538 kuḻi of cultivated land,
(measured)
by a graduated rod, to the north of the Taṟudamba channel, to the south
of
Pagaḍi, (and) to the west of the road to (the temple of) the god
(perumāṉ-aḍi), and had
assigned (this) land for the maintenance of a flower-garden (nandavāṉam) to the god
(paramasvāmin) of the
Puvaṉimāṇikka-Vishṇugr̥ham in our village.
(L. 7.) The same person had purchased from us, the assembly, for a flower-garden,
501
kuḻi of land, (measured) by a graduated rod, to the west of the irrigation
channel of
Muḍumbai Śandirāchcha-Kramar, to the north of the
river, to the east of the field of
Śrīnārāyaṇa-Agniśarma-Kramar with the
exception of a road (of the breadth) of one
rod, (and) to the south (of the
field) of Muḍumbai Śandirāchcha-Tambiyum-Uḷḷiṭṭār.
(L. 9.) Having received in full the purchase-money and the revenue of the land•
•••• and
having exempted this flower-garden and (the land assigned for) the
maintenance of the
flower-garden from taxes for as long as the moon and the sun exist, we,
the assembly, engraved
(this) on stone.
(L. 11.) Having been present in the assembly and having heard (their) order, I,
the
arbitrator Āyirattirunūṟṟuvaṉ, alias
Brahmaguṇākaravidyāsthāna-Maṅgalā-
ditya-Samañjasapriyaṉ, the son
of Nālāyiravaṉ, wrote (this). Prosperity !
This inscription is dated in the 29th year of the reign of Rājakēsarivarman,
alias
Rājarājadēva, and records that Kaṇṇaṉ Ārūraṉ, a native
of the Chōḷa country and a
servant of the king, founded near Ukkal a well,
which he named after the king, and
assigned an allowance of paddy to the men who
distributed water in a shed which was
erected near the well.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 29th year (of the reign) of the glorious
king
Rājakēsarivarman, alias Śrī-Rājarājadēva, who, in his life
of growing strength,
during which,——(in) the belief that, as well as the goddess of
fortune, the goddess of the
great earth had become his wife,——he was pleased to destroy the
ships (at) Kāndaḷūr-
Śālai, and conquered by (his) army,
which was victorious in great battles, Vēṅgai-nāḍu,
Gaṅga-pāḍi, Nuḷamba-pāḍi,
Taḍigai-pāḍi, Kuḍamalai-nāḍu, Kollam, Kaliṅ-
gam, Īḻa-maṇḍalam,
(which was the country) of the warlike Śiṅgaḷas, the seven and
a
half lakshas of Iraṭṭa-pāḍi, and twelve thousand ancient
islands of the sea,——deprived the
Śeḻiyas of (their) splendour at the very
moment when Udagai, which is worshipped every-
where, was
(most) resplendent;——Kaṇṇaṉ Ārūraṉ, a native of Āvūr, (a
village) in
Āvūr-kūṟṟam, (a subdivision) of
Nittaviṉōda-vaḷanāḍu, (a district) of the country on
the southern bank
(of the Kāvērī) in Śōḷa-maṇḍalam, (and) a servant
(paṇimagaṉ) of the
lord Śrī-Rājarājadēva, caused to be constructed, in
the royal name of Śrī-Rājarāja-
dēva, a well (kiṇaṟu) and a
cistern (toṭṭi) on the high-road to the west of Ukkal,
alias
Śrī-Vikramābharaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, a village forming its own
subdivision
of Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam, (a district) of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḷa-maṇḍalam.
(L. 6.) The same person assigned to those who draw water for the cistern from the well
of
Śrī-Rājarāja, 2 kuṟuṇi of paddy per day, (measured) by the
marakkāl (called after)
Arumoḻidēvaṉ, i.e. 30
kalam of paddy for 6 months; to those who distribute water (in
the name of)
Śrī-Rājarāja, 2 kuṟuṇi of paddy per day, i.e. 30 kalam for 6
months; to those
who supply earthen pots for this water-shed (pandal), 2 tūṇi)
of paddy per month, i.e.
4 kalam of paddy for 6 months; and for the repair of
cracks in the well of Śrī-Rājarāja
and in the cistern, 2 kalam and 2
tūṇi of paddy per year; altogether, 66 kalam and 2
tūṇi of paddy.
(L. 9.) In order to (supply) this paddy, we, the assembly of this village,
having
received from him the revenue and the purchase-money, having exempted (the land
granted)
from taxes•••••
This inscription is dated in the 15th year of the reign of Kampavarman. The
archaic
alphabet employed in this record and in No. 8 below, which is dated in the 10th
year of the
same king, proves that Kampavarman must be anterior to the Chōḷa occupation
of
Toṇḍai-maṇḍalam. A stone inscription of the 9th year of the same king is quoted in
the
unpublished Madras Museum plates of Parakēsarivarman, alias
Uttama-Chōḷadēva.
The temple of Vīṟṟirunda-Perumāḷ at Dūśi
near Māmaṇḍūr in the Arcot tāluka contains a
fragmentary inscription of a king named
kō vijaya-Kampa-Vikramavarman. The
fact that the two words
kō vijaya are prefixed to the name of this king, suggests that he
belonged to the same
family as kō vijaya-Narasiṁhavarman, Nr̥patuṅga-Vikramavarman
and
Nandi-Vikramavarman. A later Kampa was the second of the five sons
of Saṁgama I.,
the founder of the first Vijayanagara dynasty.
The inscription records that a certain Śaḍaiyaṉ made over 1,000 kāḍi of paddy to the
villagers of Uṭkar, who pledged themselves to supply in
return 500 kāḍi of paddy per year
for some unspecified purpose.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the fifteenth year (of the reign) of
Kampavarman.
The writing of us, the assembly of Uṭkar. We have received one
thousand kāḍi of paddy
from Śaḍaiyaṉ.
(L. 2.) We, the assembly, shall close (the sluice of) the tank (to collect water
for
irrigation), and shall cause five hundred kāḍi of paddy to be supplied every
year as interest
on these one thousand kāḍi of paddy.
(L. 3.) We declare that those who disobey this, shall incur (all) the sins
committed
between the Gaṅgā and Kumari. The great men
elected for the year shall cause (the
paddy) to be supplied.
This inscription is dated in the 1[7]th year of the reign of Rājarāja, (alias)
Rāja-
kēsarivarman, and carries the list of his conquests as far as
Kaliṅgam. It appears to
record that the village assembly assigned a daily supply of
rice and oil to the temple of
Mahāśāstā. Some words in lines 7, 9
and 10 cannot be read and explained satisfactorily.
A clause near the end of the inscription
imposes a fine on those who would sell betel else-
where but at the temple of
Piḍāri.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 1[7]th year (of the reign) of king
Rājarāja-
Rājakēsarivarman, who, in his long life of
growing strength, during which,——(in) the
belief that, as well as the goddess of
fortune, the goddess of the great earth had become his
wife,——he was pleased to destroy the
ships (at) Kāndaḷūr-Śālai, and conquered by (his)
army, which was
victorious in great battles, Vēṅgai-nāḍu, Gaṅga-pāḍi, Taḍigai-
pāḍi,
Nuḷamba-pāḍi, Kuḍamalai-nāḍu, Kollam and Kaliṅgam,——deprived
the
Śeḻiñas of (their) splendour at the very moment when Udagai,
which is worshipped
everywhere, was (most) resplendent;——(the subjoined) document
was drawn up by (the
following persons) who were present in the temple of
Mahāśāstā, in the hall (ambalam) to
the north (of it): We, the great
assembly of Śivachūḷāmaṇimaṅgalam, alias Śrī-
Vikramābharaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its own subdivision
of Kāli-
yūr-kōṭṭam, including the great men elected for (the
management of) charities (?) during
this year;••••• in our village; and the
commissioners (in charge
of the temple) of Śāttaṉ in our
village.
(L. 8.) To (the temple of) Mahāśāstā in our village, at each of the three
times of the
day two nāḻi (of rice), i.e. on each day six
nāḻi; at each of the three times of the day, 20
••• of oil, i.e. (one)
āḻākku and two śeviḍu and a half of oil••••
••
(L. 9.) Aruḷś[ar]man, alias Eḻunū[ṟṟuvaṉ], the son of
Śaḍai[na]kkaś[ar]-
ma[n], the headman of [Taṭṭū]r, who is
(also) the headman of our village,••
•••• having taken paddy (in his hand) and
having taken (one) uri of paddy (on)
a betel-leaf tray (vaṭṭil) and one
bundle (?) of betel-leaves on a betel-leaf plate (paḍa-
ligai),——it shall
thus be done without fail as long as the moon and the sun exist.
(L. 13.) The commissioners (of the temple) of Śāttaṉ shall protect this
charity.
Those who cause obstruction to this charity, shall incur (all) the sins
committed between the
Gaṅgā and Kumari.
(L. 15.) The great men elected for (the supervision of) the tank shall be entitled
to
levy a fine of (one) kaḻañju of gold in favour of the tank-fund from those
betel-leaf sellers
in this village, who sell (betel-leaves) elsewhere but at the temple
of Piḍāri.
(L. 21.) Thus we, the great assembly, have ordered. Having been present in the
assembly and
having heard (their) order, I, the arbitrator Dharmapriyaṉ, the son
of
[Veṟ]ṟikkuṟi Nālāyiravaṉ, wrote (this). Prosperity !
This inscription is dated in the 16th year of the reign of “Kaṇṇaradēva, the
conqueror
of Kachchi (i.e. Kāñchīpura) and Tañjai (i.e.
Tañjāvūr).” Mr. Venkayya has identified
this king with Kr̥shṇa III. of the
Rāshṭrakūṭa dynasty (A.D. 940 and 956).
At the end of each line, about fifteen syllables are built in. Hence the translation
remains
fragmentary. As far as it can be made out, the inscription appears to record that
the village
assembly ordered the land which had lapsed to it, to be sold, and imposed certain
conditions
and fines in connection with this arrangement.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the sixteenth year (of the reign) of the
glorious
Kaṇṇaradēva who conquered Kachchi and Tañjai,——we, the
assembly of Śivachū-
[ḷāmaṇimaṅgalam, alias
Śrī-Vikramā]bharaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village)
in its own
subdivision of Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam, being assembled in the front hall of
the Pu-
vaṉimāṇikka-Vishṇugr̥ham in our village, [ordered] as
follows:——
(L. 3.) The inhabitants of our village••••• the land and every-
thing else that
is not the object of deeds of gift, in the environs of our
village••
•••• the common property (madhyama) of the assembly.
(L. 4.) We shall sell the land which has thus become the common property (of
the
assembly), to those inhabitants who promise to pay taxes on each kuḻi. No
persons shall be
allowed to produce deeds of gift or deeds of sale (āvaṇam) in order
to show that the land
thus sold belongs to themselves. We, the assembly, shall levy a fine
of•••
[kaḻañju] of gold••••• from those inhabitants who produce
such
(deeds).
(L. 5.) Those inhabitants who do not submit to this, shall be liable to pay into
court
(dharmāsana) a fine of one hundred and eight kāṇam•••per day. To each of
the inhabitants who have to pay this fine, the great men
elected for that year•••
••• (one) kuṉṟi of gold per day.
(L. 6.) If, through indifference, though••• was thus given to those who pay
the fine and
though they themselves have fined (them), they are not able to remove the ob-
stacles to the possession (āṭchi), the great men elected for that year shall
be liable to pay an
additional fine of twenty-four kāṇam. Though they are fined thus,
[the great men] elected
for that year•••••
This archaic inscription belongs to the 10th year of the same Kampavarman
whose
name occurred in No. 5 above, and records that Śaḍaiyaṉ, who was also
mentioned in No.
5, made over 400 kāḍi of paddy to the villagers of Uṭakal,
who pledged themselves to feed
two Brāhmaṇas daily from the interest, which amounted to 100
kāḍi of paddy per year.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the tenth year (of the reign) of
Kampavarman,——
Śaḍaiyaṉ gave four hundred kāḍi of paddy to the assembly of
Uṭkal.
(L. 2.) From the interest on this paddy, which amounts to one hundred
kāḍi of paddy
per year, we, the assembly of Uṭkal, shall feed two
Brāhmaṇas daily, as long as the earth
and the sun exist.
(L. 4.) If we fail in this feeding of guests, we, the assembly, shall incur (all) the
sins
committed within the seven hundred kādam between the
Gaṅgā and Kumari.
This interesting record contains an order which Rājarāja I. issued at (his
capital)
Tañjāvūr on the 124th day of the 24th year of his reign, and which was
engrossed on the
143rd day of the same year. This order deals with defaulters of land revenue
in villages
held by Brāhmaṇas, Vaikhānasas and Jainas in the Chōḷa, Toṇḍai and
Pāṇḍya countries.
The villagers were authorized to confiscate and sell the land on
which no taxes had been
paid for two full years.
The royal order was written by the secretary Rājakēsarinallūr Kiḻavaṉ, or, as
he
is called in two of the Tañjāvūr inscriptions, Kāṟāyil Eḍuttapādam. It was signed by
the chief secretary Mummuḍi-Chōḷa-Brahmamahārāja,
and by Mummuḍi-Chōḷa-
Bhōja. These two officers are mentioned in the
large Leyden grant and in inscriptions
of the Tanjore temple.
Their original names were Kr̥shṇa Rāma and Īrāyiravaṉ
Pallavayaṉ.
During the reign of Rājarāja I. they bore the titles Mummuḍi-Chōḷa-
Brahmamahārāja and Mummuḍi-Chōḷa-Bhōja, which are derived from Mummuḍi-Chōḷa,
a sur-
name of Rājarāja I. After the accession of Rājēndra-Chōḷa I.
they received the additional
titles Rājēndra-Chōḷa-Brahmamahārāja and
Uttama-Chōḷa-Pallavaraiyaṉ.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! On the 124th day of the 24th year (of the reign) of the
glo-
rious king Rājarāja-Kēsarivarman, alias
Śrī-Rājarājadēva, who, (in) his life of growing
strength, during
which,——(in) the belief that, as well as the goddess of fortune, the goddess of
the
great earth had become his wife,——he was pleased to destroy the ships (at)
Kāndaḷūr-
Śālai, and conquered by (his) army, which was
victorious in great battles, Vēṅgai-nāḍu,
Gaṅga-pāḍi, Nuḷamba-pāḍi,
Taḍigai-pāḍi, Kuḍamalai-nāḍu, Kollam, Kaliṅ-
gam, Īḻa-maṇḍalam,
(the conquest of which) made (him) famous (in) the eight directions,
and
the seven and a half lakshas of Ilaṭṭa-pāḍi,——deprived the Śeḻinas
of (their) splendour
at the very moment when Udagai, which is worshipped
everywhere, was (most) resplen-
dent;——the lord
Śrī-Rājarājadēva, being graciously seated in the college (kallūri) on
the south of the painted hall (chitra-kūṭa) at the great hippodrome
gate (periya-śeṇḍu-vāyil)
in Tañjāvūr, was pleased to order as
follows:——
(L. 4.) “(The land of) those landholders in villages of Brāhmaṇas, in villages of
Vaikhā-
nasas, and in villages of Śramaṇas (i.e. Jainas) in
Śōṇāḍu, in the adjacent districts included in
Śōṇāḍu, in
Toṇḍai-nāḍu, and in Pānḍi-nāḍu, alias
Rājarāja-vaḷanāḍu, who have
not paid, on the land owned by them,
the taxes due from villages, along with the (other)
inhabitants of those villages, for
three years, (of which) two are completed, between the 16th
and the 23rd years (of my
reign), shall become the property of the village and shall be liable
to be sold by the
inhabitants of those villages to the exclusion of the (defaulting) landholders.
Also,
(the land of) those who have not paid the taxes due from villages for three years,
(of
which) two are completed, from the 24th year (of my reign), shall be liable
to be sold by the
inhabitants of those villages to the exclusion of the (defaulting)
landholders.”
(L. 8.) Accordingly, having been written by the royal secretary,
Rājakēsarinallūr
Kiḻavaṉ, and having been approved by the chief secretary,
Mummuḍi-Śōḻa-Brahma-
mārāyaṉ, and by
Mummuḍi-Śōḻa-Pōśaṉ, (this order) was engrossed from dictation on
the
143rd day of the 24th (year of the reign).
This inscription is dated in the 4th year of the reign of Parakēsarivarman,
alias
Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva, and records that the villagers of Ukkal
sold 3000 kuḻi of land and
five water-levers to a servant of the king,
who assigned this land for the maintenance of
two boats plying on the village tank.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year (of the reign) of king
Parakēsarivarman,
alias Śrī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva. The
hand-writing, (referring to) a deed of sale (vilaiy-
āvaṇam) of
land, of us, the great assembly of Ukkal, alias Vikramābharaṇa-chatur-
vēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its own subdivision of
Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam, (a district)
of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam.
(L. 2.) The following land was sold for the maintenance of two boats (ōḍam) which
had
been assigned to the tank in our village by Kōmuḻāṉ Arai[ya]ṉ Baladēvaṉ, a
servant of
the lord Śrī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva (and a native) of
Kuvaḷaikōḍu, alias Anavara[ta]-
sundaranallūr, (a
village) in Kuvaḷaikōḍu-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Veṇkuṉṟa-
kōṭṭam.
(L. 4.) We have sold, and executed a deed of sale for, (1) three thousand
kuḻi,——
(measured) by a rod of sixteen spans (śāṇ), beginning (to
measure) from the west,——of land,
which was the common property of the assembly, (which
belonged) to the field (kaḻaṉi) of
Śrīyārūr on the channel of the
‘Palmyra sluice’ (Paṉan-dūmbu), (and) which was situated
to the north of a heap of
sand, to the east of the land of the villagers, and to the south of
the land (paying)
taxes to the villagers and of the Subrahmaṇya channel, and (2) five
levers
(ēttam) to the east of this (land), excluding a lever on the open
side of the tank in the
west, which Kaḻumbar-uḍaiyār had
previously purchased and assigned for (the maintenance
of) a boat.
(L. 7.) Twice as follows, and three times as follows.
(L. 10.) Having received in full the purchase-money and the revenue of this land, we,
the
great assembly, sold (it) free of taxes and executed a deed of sale.
(L. 11.) Having been present in the assembly and having heard (their)
order, I, the
accountant (and) arbitrator of this village, Poṟṟikkuṟi
Kāḷidēvaḍi, alias Iraṇḍāyirat-
tunāṉūṟṟuvaṉ, wrote
(this). This is my writing.
This inscription is dated in the 16th year of the reign of the ancient Chōḷa
king
Parakēsarivarman, and records that the villagers granted
certain land to the temple, at
the request and with the approval of the temple manager,
Chakrapāṇi Nambi (ll. 3 and
10).
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 16th year (of the reign) of king
Parakēsarivar-
man, we, the great assembly, including the great men
elected for the year and the great
men elected for (the supervision of) the tank,
(being assembled) in the Puvaṉimāṇikka-
Vishṇugr̥ham at
Śivachūḷāmaṇimaṅgalam, alias Śrī-Vikramābharana-chatur-
vēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its own subdivision of
Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam, assigned, at the
request of Chakrapāṇi Nambi, the
manager of the temple, to the god of the Puvani-
māṇikka-Vishṇugr̥ham
in our village (the following) land, for burnt oblations (havana),
for festivals
(utsava), (for) expiations (prāyaśchitta) and the bathing of the idol
(tirumañ-
jana) at the winter solstice, at the solstice in Āḍi,
at the equinox in Śittirai, at the equinox
in Aippaśi, at eclipses of the sun, and at
eclipses of the moon, and for burning all kinds
of pots and all kinds of•••••
(L. 7.) Half (a measure) of land in the ‘Fresh clearing’ (Pudu-ttiruttu) on the
west of
the village of [Śō]diyambākkam, which is a village (belonging to)
this god; half (a
measure) on the south of the ‘Tamarind field’ (Puḷiyañ-jeṟuvu);
(and) one and a half (measure)
on the west of the inundation channel
(veḷḷakkāl) in the field (kollai) of [Svaba]la.
(L. 9.) At the festival, on seven days, to four persons•••••
and (for) the annual
worship, half a kaḻañju. I, Chakrapāṇi Nambi, approve of this
order of the
assembly.
This inscription is dated in the 37th year of the reign of “Parakēsarivarman,
the
conqueror of Madirai (Madhurā),” i.e. of the Chōḷa king Parāntaka
I., who reigned
from about A.D. 900 to 940. It records that
the villagers granted to the temple the
village of Śōdiyambākkam, which was
situated to the north of their own village.
Śōdiyambākkam still bears the
same name and lies 3(1/4) miles north of Ukkal.
In the preceding inscription (No. 11, l. 7), which belongs to the 16th year of Parakē-
sarivarman, Śōdiyambākkam is designated as ‘a village (belonging to) this god,’
i.e. to
the Vishṇu temple at Ukkal. At first sight it might be concluded from this that
No. 11 is
of later date than No. 12, and consequently, Parakēsarivarman one of the successors
of Parān-
taka I. On the other hand, it is but natural to assume that Parāntaka I.
prefixed the title
Madirai-koṇḍa to his name Parakēsarivarman, in order to
distinguish it from earlier Chōḷa kings
named Parakēsarivarman, and that any
Parakēsarivarman who succeeded Parāntaka I.
would have followed the example of
the latter and adopted a similar distinguishing epithet.
Hence I believe that the inscriptions
of Parakēsarivarman belong to an earlier king than
Parāntaka I. The
subjoined inscription would then record a mere renewal or confirmation of
the gift of the
village of Śōdiyambākkam, which had already belonged to the temple in the
time of
Parakēsarivarman.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the thirty-seventh year (of the reign) of king
Parakē-
sarivarman who conquered Madirai,——we, the assembly of
Śivachūḷāmaṇimaṅgalam,
alias
Śrī-Vikramābharaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its own
subdivision
of Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam, (ordered as follows):——
(L. 2.) To the god of the Puvaṉimāṇikka-Vishṇugr̥ham in our village
shall
belong, as a divine gift (dēva-bhōga), the village called
Śōdiyambākkam, a hamlet (piḍāgai)
to the north of our
village,——including the great flower-garden which belonged to this
(temple)
previously,——the site of the village, the tank, the wet land, the dry land,
and
everything within (its) limits, on which the iguana runs and the tortoise
crawls, for the
worshippers of the god of this
Puvaṉimāṇikka-Vishṇugr̥ham, for the requirements of
the worship, for oblations
(tiruvamr̥du) at the three times (of the day), for two
perpetual
lamps, for rows of lamps at twilight, for festivals, for the bathing (of the
idol) at solstices,
equinoxes and eclipses, for offerings (śrībali), (for)
supplies to the store-room of the temple,
and for all other
purposes.
(L. 7.) We shall not be entitled to levy any kind of tax from this village. We,
(the
great men) elected for the year, we, (the great men) elected for (the
supervision of) the tank,
and we, (the great men) elected for (the supervision
of) gardens, shall not be entitled to claim,
at the order of the assembly, forced labour
(veṭṭi), vēdi[ḷai] and vālakkāṇam from the inha-
bitants settled in this village.
(L. 9.) (If) a crime (or) sin becomes public, the god (i.e. the temple
authorities) alone
shall punish the inhabitants of this village (for it). Having agreed
(thus), we, the assembly,
engraved (this) on stone.
(L. 10.) If we utter the untruth that this is not (as stated above), in order to
injure
(the charity), we shall incur (all) the sins committed between the
Gaṅgā and Kumari. We,
the assembly, agree to pay a fine of one hundred and
eight kāṇam per day, if we fail in this
through indifference•••
(L. 11.) Having been present in this assembly, I, the arbitrator of this village, [Po]ṟ-
ṟikkuṟi Brahmapriyaṉ, wrote (this) at the order of the assembly.
This inscription is dated in the 17th year of the reign of the ancient Chōḷa king
Rāja-
kēsarivarman. It was meant to record some decision of the village
assembly, but was
left unfinished for unknown reasons.
Hail ! Prosperity ! On the 122nd day of the 17th year (of the reign) of king
Rājakē-
sarivarman,——we, the great assembly of
Śrī-Vikramābharaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅga-
lam,——including the great men
elected for this year, the great Bhaṭṭas elected for (the
supervision of) the
tank, and (all other) distinguished men,——being assembled on this day in
the
Puvaṉimāṇikka-Vishṇugr̥ham in our village,•••••
This inscription is dated in the 4th year of the reign of “Parakēsarivarman
who
deprived Vīra-Pāṇḍya of his head.” This king may be
identified with Āditya II.
surnamed Karikāla, the elder brother of
Rājarāja I., who, according to the large Leyden
grant (l. 58), “as a boy, played sportively
in battle with Vīra-Pāṇḍya.”
The inscription records that a cultivator named Śēṉai granted one paṭṭi of land, from
the proceeds of which water and fire-pans had to be
supplied to a maṇḍapa frequented
by Brāhmaṇas.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the fourth year (of the reign) of king
Parakēsari-
varman who deprived Vīra-Pāṇḍya of (his)
head,——Śēṉai, (who was) the son of the
cultivator (Veḷḷāḷaṉ)
Śi[kk]ār-uḍaiyāṉ Puliyaṉ (and) who resided at Śivachūḷāmaṇi-
maṅgalam, alias Śrī-Vikramābharaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,
(a village) in its own
subdivision of Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam, assigned (one)
paṭṭi of land in the neighbourhood, to last as
long as the moon and the
sun, for his own merit (and) for the meritorious purpose of sup-
plying to
the Brahmasthāna in this village water during six months and fire-pans
(agnishṭhā)
during six months and of constructing a water-lever in front of the
cistern at the maṇḍapa.
(L. 3.) The great men who manage the affairs of the village in each year, shall super-
vise this charity. Those who cause obstruction to this, shall incur (all) the
sins committed
between the Gaṅgā and Kanyā. Under these
conditions, I, Śēṉai, assigned (the land).
He who obstructs this, shall be
liable to pay a fine of twenty-five kaḻañju of gold.
Mēlpāḍi, which I visited in 1889, is a village six miles north of
Tiruvallam in the
North Arcot district. The antiquity of the place is established by the
Karhāḍ plates of the
Rāshṭrakūṭa king Kr̥shṇa III., who in
A.D. 959 was encamped at Mēlpāṭī. About a
mile west of Mēlpāḍi
is the hill of Vaḷḷimalai, an ancient site of Jaina worship.
Mēlpāḍi contains two temples of Śiva, the larger of which, Sōmanāthēśvara, is
still
used, while the other, Chōḷēśvara, is deserted. I publish below four
inscriptions of the
Chōḷēśvara temple (Nos. 15 to 18) and one of the Sōmanāthēśvara
temple (No. 19). Of
these, four belong to the reign of the Chōḷa king
Rājarāja I. (Nos. 15, 16, 17 and 19) and
one to the reign of his son
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. (No. 18). From three of them (Nos. 15, 16
and 17) we learn that
the Chōḷēśvara temple was built by Rājarāja I. himself. Hence it
is
contemporaneous with the great temple at Tañjāvūr. The ancient
name of the Chōḷēśvara
temple was Aṟiñjigai-Īśvara (Nos. 15 and 16) or
Aṟiñjīśvara (Nos. 17 and 18). The
first part of this compound is probably a
corruption of Ariṁjaya, the name of Rājarāja's
grandfather. Rājarāja is said to have built the temple “as a resting-place (?) for the
king
who fell asleep (i.e. died) at Āṟṟūr” (Nos. 15, 16 and 17). If I am
correct in deriving the
name of the temple from Ariṁjaya, it would follow that the same king
is meant by the
expression “the king who died at Āṟṟūr.” According to No. 19, the ancient
name of the
Sōmanāthēśvara temple was Chōḷēndrasiṁhēśvara.
Mēlpāḍi bore the two names Mēṟpāḍi (Nos. 15 to 18) and
Rājāśrayapuram (Nos. 15
to 19). The second designation has to be derived from one
of the surnames of Rājarāja
I. The same applies to the names of
two streets of Mēlpāḍi, viz. “the high-street of
Mummaḍi-Chōḷa” (No. 15) and “the high-street of Arumoḻidēva” (No.
19).
Mēlpāḍi belonged to Tūy-nāḍu (Nos. 18 and 19) or Tūñāḍu (Nos.
15, 16 and 17), a
subdivision of Perumbāṇa-pāḍi (Nos. 15 to 18),
a district of Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Chōḷa-
maṇḍalam. Three of
the inscriptions were put in writing by the accountant (karaṇattāṉ)
of the city (Nos.
15, 16 and 18).
This inscription is dated in the 29th year of the reign of the Chōḷa king
Rājarāja I.
and opens with the usual historical introduction, where, however, this
inscription and No. 16
read Taḍīga-pāḍi instead of Taḍigai-pāḍi or
Taḍiya-vaḻi.
The inscription records that the citizens of Mēṟpāḍi granted to the
Aṟiñjigai-
Īśvara temple 5, 136(1/2) kuḻi of land, which was
bounded in the east by the river Nugā, and in
the north by the Chōḷēndrasiṁhēśvara
temple. Nugā is evidently the original name of the
river Nīvā (or Poṉṉai), on the
western bank of which Mēlpāḍi is situated, and Chōḷēndra-
siṁhēśvara is the ancient designation of the Sōmanāthēśvara temple.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 29th year (of the reign) of the glorious king
Rāja-
rāja-Kēsarivarman, alias Śrī-Rājarājadēva,
who, (in) his life of growing strength,
during which,——(in) the belief that, as
well as the goddess of fortune, the goddess of the
great earth had become his
wife,——(he) was pleased to destroy the ships (at) Kāndaḷūr-
Śālai and conquered by (his) army, which was victorious in great battles,
Vēṅgai-nāḍu,
Gaṅga-pāḍi, Nuḷamba-pāḍi, Taḍīga-pāḍi, Kuḍamalai-nāḍu,
Kollam, Kaliṅ-
gam, Īḻa-maṇḍalam, (the conquest of which) made
(him) famous (in) the eight directions,
and the seven and a half lakshas
of Iraṭṭa-pāḍi,——deprived the Śeḻiyas of (their) splen-
dour at the very moment when Udag[ai], which is worshipped everywhere, was
(most)
resplendent;——we, the citizens of Mēṟpāḍi, alias
Rājāśrayapuram, in Tūñāḍu, (a sub-
division) of
Perumbāṇa-pāḍi in Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, gave land to the
god
Mahādēva (Śiva) of the holy Aṟiñjigai-Īśvara
(temple),——which the lord Śrī-Rāja-
rājadēva had been pleased
to build in our city as a resting-place (? paḷḷi-paḍai) for the
king who fell
asleep at Āṟṟūr,——for the sacred temple, for the temple
enclosure, for the
temple court, for the temple garden, and for the environs
of the temple.
(L. 2.) The (four) boundaries of (this land are) to the west of the river called
Nugā;
to the north of the limit, eighty-seven rods (in length), of the
high-road which, at a breadth
of two rods, leads westward from the Nugā river along
the northern extremity of the waste
land of the garden of the merchant (vyāpārin)
Āchcherumāṉ Vayiramēgaṉ, (who resides)
in the high-street of
Mummaḍi-Śōḻa in this village; to the east of the street which leads
up northward
from this limit to Mattavāṇachchēri, (the quarter) of the dancing-girls
of
the god of the Śōḷēndrasiṁhīśvara (temple); and to the south of the
high-road which, at
a breadth of four rods, leads eastward to the river called Nugā
along the southern extremity
of the temple garden on the south of the temple of the lord
Śōḷēndrasiṁhīśvara. The
land enclosed within these four great boundaries,
(which measures) five thousand one hundred
and thirty-six and a half kuḻi by the
rod of eighteen spans, by which our village is measured
and divided, we gave to this god as
tax-free temple land. The channel, a quarter rod in
breadth, (which flows) through this
land from the river called Nugā (and) supplies water to
this land and to the
iluppai field of this god, shall (continue to) supply water to this
land
and to the iluppai field of this god.
(L. 3.) Thus we, the citizens of Mēṟpāḍi, alias Rājāśrayapuram,
having engraved
(this) on stone, gave (this land) as tax-free temple land. At the
bidding of these citizens, I,
the accountant (karaṇattāṉ) of this city,
Nārāyaṇaṉ Aḍaikkalavaṉ, wrote (this). This
is my writing. This (gift
is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras.
The date of this inscription is the same as that of No. 15. The inscription records
that the
citizens of Mēṟpāḍi granted to the Aṟiñjigai-Īśvara temple the hamlet of
Pulikkuṉṟam on the west of the river Nugā,
on the north of Kukkaṉūr, on the east of
Teṉkoḷḷi, and on the south of
Pālainellūr. Pulikkuṉṟam itself is not found on the
map; but its southern
boundary, Kukkaṉūr, is situated on the road from Tiruvallam to
Mēlpāḍi,
and its western and northern boundaries, Teṉkoḷḷi and Pālainellūr, are probably the
modern
Tempalle and Śrīpādanellūr.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 29th year (of the reign) of the glorious king
Rāja-
rāja-Kēsarivarman, alias Śrī-Rājarājadēva,
who, etc.,——we, the citizens of
Mēṟpāḍi, alias
Rājāśrayapuram, in Tūñāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Perumbaṇa-pāḍi in
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, gave the following
land as temple land for the expenses
(nibandha) required by (the god)
Mahādēva of the Aṟiñjigai-Īśvara (temple), which the
lord
Śrī-Rājarājadēva had been pleased to build in our city as a resting-place for the
king
who fell asleep at Āṟṟūr. The eastern boundary of
Pulikkuṉṟam,——(which is one) among
the villages that were acquired and belong
to our village as hamlets (piḍāgai), which is not
divided into
house-sites (maṉai), and which is the common property of the
city,——(is) to the
west of the river called Nugā; the southern boundary
(is) to the north of the boundary of
Kukkaṉūr; the western boundary
(is) to the east of the boundary of Te[ṉ]koḷḷi; and
the northern boundary
(is) to the south of the boundary of Pālainellūr.
(L. 2.) (The village of) Pulikkuṉṟam, enclosed within these four great
boundaries,——
the whole land of this Pulikkuṉṟam, including wet land, dry land and
jungle, (and) not
excluding the cultivated land,——we, the citizens of
Mēṟpāḍi, alias Rājāśrayapuram,
gave for the expenses required
by this god, as tax-free temple land, having engraved (this) on
stone. At the bidding of
the citizens, I, the accountant of this city, Nārāyaṇaṉ Aḍaik-
kalavaṉ, wrote (this). This is my writing. This (gift is placed
under) the protection
of all Māhēśvaras.
This inscription is written in beautiful florid characters, resembling those of the
large
Leyden grant, but mixed with letters of the usual type, especially after line 12. It is
dated
in the same year as Nos. 15 and 16, and records the grant of a lamp to the
Aṟiñjīśvara
temple at Mēṟpāḍi.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 29th year (of the reign) of the glorious king
Rāja-
rāja-Rājakēsarivarman, alias
Śrī-Rājarājadēva, who, etc.,——I, the cultivator (Veḷ-
ḷāḷaṉ) Aruvā-[Kīḻāḷ] Muttigaṇḍaṉ of Marud[a-n]āḍu
in Veṇkuṉṟa-kōṭṭam, gave
one perpetual lamp to (the god)
Mahādēva of the holy Aṟiñjīśvara (temple),——which the
lord
Śrī-Rājarājadēva had been pleased to build as a resting-place for the king who
fell
asleep at Āṟṟūr, in Mēṟpāḍi, alias
Rājāśrayapuram, (a city) in Tūñāḍu, (a sub-
division) of Perumbāṇa-pāḍi in
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam,——(and) assigned to
(this lamp)
ninety-six full-grown ewes, which must neither die nor grow old.
(L. 14.) Having received (these ewes), I, the shepherd Ēṇi Gaṅgādharaṉ of
Rājā-
śrayapuram, shall pour out daily, as long as the moon and the sun
endure, (one) uḻakku
of ghee, (measured) by the Rājakēsari).
This inscription is dated in the 9th year of the reign of Parakēsarivarman,
alias
Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva. It records that certain shepherds of
Mēṟpāḍi pledged themselves
to supply ghee for a lamp in the
Aṟiñjīśvara temple. This declaration was made
before
Lakuḷīśvara-Paṇḍita, the head of a Maṭha connected with the
temple. The name
Lakuḷīśvara is interesting, because it suggests that the Maṭha at
Mēṟpāḍi was a branch
establishment of the Lakulīśa-Pāśupatas of
Kārōhaṇa in Gujarāt, who are referred
to in the Cintra praśasti. The inscription ends with the signature of a local merchant, who
may have been the
donor of the lamp.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 9th year (of the reign) of king
Parakēsarivarman,
alias Śrī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva, who,——in
(his) life of high prosperity, while Fortune,
having become constant, was increasing,
(and) while the goddess of the great earth, the
goddess of victory in battle, and the
matchless goddess of fame rejoiced to have become his
great queens,——conquered with
(his) very great army Iḍaituṟai-nāḍu; Vanavāśi, whose
warriors (were
protected by) walls of continuous forests; Koḷḷippākkai, whose walls
were
surrounded by śuḷḷi (trees); the camp of Maṇṇai,
whose fortifications were unapproach-
able; the crown of the king of
Īḻam, (who was as impetuous as) the sea in fighting; the
exceedingly
beautiful crowns of the queens of that (king); the crown of Sundara and
the
pearl necklace of Indra, which the king of the South (i.e. the
Pāṇḍya) had previously
given up to that (king of Īḻam); the whole
Īḻa-maṇḍalam on the transparent sea; the
crown praised by many and the garland of
the Sun, family-treasures which the arrow-shooting
(king of) Kēraḷa
rightfully wore; many ancient islands, whose old and great guard was the
sea which resounds
with conches; the crown of pure gold, worthy of Lakshmī, which Para-
śurāma, having considered the fortifications of Śāndimattīvu
impregnable, had deposited
(there), when, in anger, (he) bound the kings
twenty-one times in battle; the seven and a
half lakshas of Ilaṭṭa-pāḍi,
(through the conquest of whose) throne immeasurable fame arose,
(and
which he took from) Jayasiṁha, who, out of fear (and) full of vengeance,
turned his
back at Muśaṅgi and hid himself; and the principal great mountains
(which contained) the
nine treasures (of Kuvēra);——before the Pūjāri
(kaṉmigaḷ) Lakuḷīśvara-Paṇḍita, (the
head) of the Maṭha
of (the god) Mahādēva of the holy Aṟiñjīśvara (temple) in
Mēṟpāḍi,
alias Rājāśrayapuram, (a city) in
Tūy-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Perumbāṇa-pāḍi
in
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam,——we, all the following shepherds of this village:
Kalli
Kuṭṭēṟaṉ, Puṉṉai Śiṅgaṉ (i.e. Siṁha), Ēṇi
Gaṅgādharaṉ, Vāṇaṉ Śō[m]ā[da]ṉ (i.e.
Sōmanātha),
Taṇḍaṉ Āṉai, Nambi Śādēvaṉ (i.e. Sahadēva), Ayidi Kāḍāḍi,
Nambi
Tiṇaiyaṉ, Nambi Paṉṟi and Vāṇaṉ Puḷiyaṉ, agreed to become security
for Ēṟaṉ
Śāttaṉ, a shepherd of this village, (who) had received ninety
ewes of this temple, in order
to supply ghee for burning one perpetual lamp.
(L. 24.) (We) shall cause the shepherd Ēṟaṉ Śāttaṉ to supply daily to one
perpetual
lamp (one) uḻakku of ghee, (measured) by the Rājakēsari.
(L. 26.) If he dies, absconds, or gets into prison, fetters (or) chains, we, all
these
aforesaid persons, are bound to supply ghee for burning the holy lamp as long as
the
moon and the sun endure.
(L. 29.) At the desire of these persons, I, the accountant of this city,
Poṉṉāli
Aṟubattiruvaṉ, wrote (this). (This is) my writing.
(L. 30.) (The signature of) Am[mu]ri [I]ḷa[m]-Perundi, a merchant
(vyāpārin) of
Rājāśrayapuram.
This inscription is dated in the 14th year of the reign of the Chōḷa king Rājarāja
I.
and mentions the conquest of Kuḍamalai-nāḍu and of the Śeḻiyas (i.e.
Pāṇḍyas) in
addition to those recorded in No. 3 of this volume. Instead of
Taḍigai-pāḍi, Taḍīga-pāḍi or
Taḍiya-vaḻi it reads
Taḍiya-pāḍi. The king is designated by two different names,
viz.
Rājarāja-Rājakēsarivarman and Mummuḍi-Chōḷadēva. The
second name means
‘the Chōḷa king (who wears) three crowns,’ viz. those of the
Chōḷa, Pāṇḍya and Chēra
kingdoms.
The inscription records that Īrāyiravaṉ Pallavayaṉ, a well-known officer of
Rāja-
rāja I. and Rājēndra-Chōḷa I., made over 15
kaḻañju of gold to the assembly of Tiru-
vallam,
who, in return, assigned 1,000 kuḻi of land in the hamlet of Vāṇasamudram
near
Tiruvallam to the Chōḷēndrasiṁhēśvara (now Sōmanāthēśvara) temple at
Rājāśraya-
puram (i.e. Mēlpāḍi). This land was made over to an
inhabitant of Rājāśrayapuram, who
had to supply ghee for a lamp in the temple.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 14th year (of the reign) of
Śrī-Mummuḍi-Śōḻa-
dēva, (alias) king
Rājarāja-Rājakēsarivarman, who, (in his) tender youth,
during
which,——having formed the belief that, as well as the goddess of
fortune, the goddess of the
great earth had become his wife,——(he) was pleased to
destroy the ships (at) Kāndaḷūr-
Śālai and conquered by
(his) army Gaṅga-pāḍi, Nuḷamba-pāḍi, Taḍiya-pāḍi,
Vēṅgai-nāḍu and
Kuḍamalai-nāḍu,——deprived the Śeḻiyas, whose lustre had been
growing, of
(their) splendour;——we, the assembly of Tiruvallam in Mīyāṟu-nāḍu,
(a
subdivision) of Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam, have received fifteen kaḻañju
of gold, weighed by the
balance (used in the case) of charitable ediets
(dharma-kaṭṭaḷai), from Īrāyiravaṉ Palla-
vayaṉ, alias
Mummuḍi-Śōḻa-Pōśaṉ, the lord of Araiśūr (and a native of)
Araiśūr in
Pāmbuṇi-kūṟṟam, (a subdivision) on the southern bank
(of the Kāvērī) in Śōṇāḍu.
(L. 11.) For these 15 kaḻañju of gold, (we) assigned one thousand kuḻi,
(measured) by
the rod of Śiṟṟambalam, of land which formed the
eastern mañjikkam of Vā[ṇa]-
samu[dr]am, a
hamlet to the west of our (village), to (the god)
Mahādēva of the
Śōḻēndrasiṁha-Īśvara (temple) at
Rājāśrayapuram in Tūy-nāḍu, for burning one
perpetual lamp as long as
the moon and the sun endure.
(L. 16.) These one thousand kuḻi of land we, the assembly, made over (to)
Kaṇḍaṉ
Maṟavaṉ, alias Śōḻendrasiṁha-Mā[yi]laṭṭi, of
Śaṅkarappāḍi, (who resides) in the
high-street of Arumoḻidēva in
this Rājāśrayapuram, in order to supply to this
perpetual lamp (one) uḻakku
of ghee daily.
(L. 20.) This charity (is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras.
The town of Karuvūr, which I visited in 1890, is the head-quarters of a tāluka of
the
Coimbatore district and a station on the Railway line from Erode (Īrōḍu) to
Trichinopoly.
It contains a temple of Śiva, which is now called Paśupatīśvara.
This is a Sanskrit
rendering of the ancient name of the temple, Tiruvāṉilai,
i.e. ‘the holy cow-stable,’
which occurs already in the
Dēvāram and is exclusively used in the subjoined inscriptions.
The inscriptions of the Tiruvāṉilai or Paśupatīśvara temple belong to the time of
the
Chōḷa kings Vīrarājēndra I. (No. 20), Rājēndra (Nos. 21
and 22), Kulōttuṅga-
Chōḷa III. (Nos.23 and 24), and
Vīra-Chōḷa (No. 26). The two inscriptions of Kulōt-
tuṅga-Chōḷa III. attribute to Karuvūr the surname of
Muḍivaḻaṅgu-Śōḻapuram.
Karuvūr in the Coimbatore district has
been erroneously identified by European scholars
with another place of the same name, which is
said to have been the capital of the Chēra
kingdom and is mentioned as such by
Ptolemy. This other town of Karuvūr was also
called Vañji and is
perhaps identical with Magōdai or Tiruvañjaikkaḷam near Cranga-
nore in the Cochin State.
The ancient name of the tract of country, in which Karuvūr is situated, was
Koṅgu
(No. 23). In the inscriptions of Vīrarājēndra I. and Rājēndra (Nos. 20 to
22) we find,
instead of Koṅgu, the term Adhirājarāja-maṇḍalam, and in those of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa
III. (Nos. 23 and 24) Śōḻa-Kēraḷa-maṇḍalam. In an
inscription of Vikrama-Chōḷa at
Koḍumuḍi occurs the designation “Koṅgu,
alias Vīra-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam.” In the time
of Rājarāja I. and
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. it was included in Kēraḷāntaka-vaḷanāḍu.
Among
the districts of Koṅgu, the Karuvūr inscriptions mention Veṅgāla-nāḍu and
Taṭṭaiyūr-
nāḍu. To the former belonged Karuvūr (Nos. 20, 23
and 24), Pākkūr (No. 20),
Kaṇavadinallūr (No. 21),
Nelvāyppaḷḷi or Nelluvāyppaḷḷi (Nos. 22 and 26), Puṉṉam
(No.
24), Āndaṉūr (Nos. 22 and 26), Kāraittuṟai and Ādichchamaṅgalam
(No. 26).
In Taṭṭaiyūr-nāḍu were included Maṉṉaṟai and
Kēraḷapaḷḷi (No. 23), Tēvaṇappaḷḷi and
Nōmbalūr (No. 24).
Instead of Taṭṭaiyūr-nāḍu, the inscriptions at Tañjāvūr and Sōmūr
use the form Taṭṭaigaḷa-nāḍu. Another district of Koṅgu was
Naṟkāviri-nāḍu, in
which Koḍumuḍi was situated.
According to an inscription of the Hoysaḷa king Vīra-
Vallāḷadēva at
Pērūr near Coimbatore (No. 569 of 1893), Pērūr belonged to
Pērūr-nāḍu,
a district of Koṅga-maṇḍalam.
This inscription refers itself to the time of Rājakēsarivarman, alias
Vīrarājēndra-
dēva (I.) (line 11), and records a royal grant which was
to take effect “from the year which
followed after the third year,”
i.e. from the fourth year, of the king's reign. It opens with a
panegyrical account of
the donor, which resembles the introductions of four other inscrip-
tions of his,
viz.——
1. Tv. = an inscription of the second year in the Śvētāraṇyēśvara temple at
Tiruveṇ-
kāḍu in the Tanjore district (No. 113 of 1896).
2. Tk. = an incomplete and undated inscription in the Jalanāthēśvara temple
at
Takkōlam in the North Arcot district (No. 19 of 1897).
3. M. = an inscription of the fifth year in the Rājagōpāla-Perumāḷ temple
at
Maṇimaṅgalam in the Chingleput district (No. 2 of 1892).
4. G. = a much damaged inscription of the fifth year in the Br̥hadīśvara temple
at
Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Śōḻapuram in the Trichinopoly district (No. 82 of 1892).
The historical introductions of these four inscriptions have been compared with the
text of
the subjoined inscription, and a selection of their various readings is given in
the
footnotes.
The period of the reign of Rājakēsarivarman, alias Vīrarājēndradēva I., can be
approxi-
mately fixed in the following manner. According to his inscriptions, he
defeated Āhava-
malla and his two sons, Vikkalaṉ and
Śiṅgaṇaṉ, at Kūḍalśaṅgamam. This battle is
mentioned
in the Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi (viii. 29) and in the Vikkirama-Śōḻaṉ-Ulā. In these two
poems the victor at Kūḍalśaṅgamam is placed after the
Chōḷa kings Rājarāja I. (Kaliṅ-
gattu-Paraṇi, viii.
24, and Ind. Ant. Vol. XXII. page 142, note 3), Rājēndra-Chōḷa I.
(viii.
25, and l.c. note 4), Rājādhirāja (viii. 26, and l.c. note 5),
Parakēsarivarman,
alias Rājēndradēva (viii. 27, and l.c.
No. VII.), and a king who has not yet been identified
(viii. 28, and
l.c. No. VIII.). After the victor of Kūḍalśaṅgamam, the
Vikkirama-Śōḻaṉ-Ulā
places another king, of whom no particulars are given
(l.c. No. X.), Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa I.
(l.c. note 7), and
Vikrama-Chōḷa (l.c. note 8). Now, Professor Kielhorn's
astronomical
calculations have definitely established the two facts that
Rājādhirāja reigned from A.D.
1018 to about 1050, and that
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa I. was crowned in A.D. 1070. Conse-
quently, the victor at Koppam (Parakēsarivarman, alias
Rājēndradēva) and the victor over
the Kuntaḷas at
Kūḍalśaṅgamam (Rājakēsarivarman, alias Vīrarājēndradēva I.) must
have
reigned between A.D. 1050 and 1070. Further, as I have stated before,
Āhavamalla
and his two sons, Vikkalaṉ and Śiṅgaṇaṉ, who were the opponents of the three
Chōḷa kings
Rājēndra, Vīrarājēndra I. and Kulōttuṅga I., have to be identified with
the Western Chālukya
king Āhavamalla-Sōmēśvara I. (A.D. 1044 and 1068)
and two of his sons, Vikra-
māditya VI. (A.D. 1055-56 and 1076 to 1126)
and Jayasiṁha III. (A.D. 1064 and
1081-82).
Kūḍalśaṅgamam, the site of Vīrarājēndra's victory over the Chālukyas, has
been
located by Mr. V.Kanakasabhai Pillai at the junction of the Tuṅgabhadrā and
Kr̥shṇā.
But both kūḍal and saṁgama mean ‘junction’ and
might refer to the confluence of any two
rivers, e.g. to Kūḍali at the
junction of the Tuṅgā and Bhadrā. The battle of Kūḍal-
śaṅgamam was the third occasion on which Vīrarājēndra I.
professes to have defeated the
Chālukyas. He had already before driven Vikkalaṉ from
Gaṅga-pāḍi over the Tuṅga-
bhadrā (l. 3 f.), and on a second
occasion he had defeated an army which his enemy had sent
into Vēṅgai-nāḍu under
the Mahādaṇḍanāyaka Chāmuṇḍarāja. The latter was killed
and his
daughter Nāgalai, who was the queen of Irugayaṉ, mutilated (l. 4 f.).
Chāmuṇḍa-
rāja is probably identical with the Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara
Chāvuṇḍarāya of Banavāsi, who
is mentioned by Dr. Fleet as a feudatory of Sōmēśvara I. with the dates A.D. 1045-46
and
1062-63. Two other chiefs whose names occur in the account of the battle of Kūḍal-
śaṅgamam,——though the context does not show on which side they were
fighting,——Kēśava-
Daṇḍanāyaka and Mārayaṉ (l. 6), are
perhaps identical with two other feudatories
of the Chālukyas, the
Daṇḍanāyaka Kēśavādityadēva (l.c. p. 443) and
Mārasiṁha
(ibid. p. 439).
The whole Chālukya camp fell into the hands of Vīrarājēndra I., including the wives
of
the enemy, the boar-banner, and the female elephant Pushpaka (l. 8 f.). In the
concluding
portion of the introduction (l. 9 f.), the king claims to have killed the king of
Pottappi, the
Kēraḷa king, the younger brother of
Jananātha of Dhārā, the Pāṇḍya king, and others.
Towards the beginning of the introduction (ll. 1-3) we learn the names of a few of
the
king's near relatives. On his elder brother Āḷavandāṉ he conferred the title
Rājarāja;
on his son Madhurāntaka the Toṇḍai-maṇḍalam
(i.e. the Pallava country) and the title
Chōḷēndra; on his
son Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Chōḷa the Pāṇḍi-maṇḍalam (i.e. the
Pāṇḍya
country) and the title Chōḷa-Pāṇḍya; and on
Muḍikoṇḍa-Chōḷa the title Sundara-
Chōḷa.
According to the Tañjāvūr inscription of Kulōttuṅga I. the name of
Vīrarājēndra's
wife was Arumoḻi-Naṅgai.
The immediate purpose of the subjoined inscription is to record that the king, residing
in
his palace at Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Śōḻapuram (l. 11 f.), granted to the
Karuvūr temple the
village of Pākkūr, which, like Karuvūr itself (l. 14), belonged
to Veṅgāla-nāḍu, a
district of Adhirājarāja-maṇḍalam (l. 12).
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While the goddess of fortune was prospering; while the
circle
of the great earth rested on (the king's) round arm (as lightly) as his bracelet of
jewels,
and while the shadow of (his) royal white parasol (set with) numerous
jewels protected the
living beings of the circle of the earth (more tenderly) than the
mother that bore (them);
while (all) other kings (wearing) sounding
ankle-rings took shelter at his feet; (and) while
the Kali (age), in despair,
retreated to (its) natural abode: the abyss,——(the king) duly
bestowed a splendid crown of jewels on (his) incomparable
elder brother, [Āḷa]vandāṉ,
(along with the title) ‘Rājarāja who is praised on the great earth.’
(L. 2.) (He) was pleased to grant the Pāṇḍi-maṇḍalam, whose crown of jewels
is
exalted in this world, to his royal son Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Śōḻaṉ, (along with
the title) ‘Śōḻa-
Pāṇḍiyaṉ, (the leader) of an army of
very tall elephants.’ (He) bestowed a brilliant crown
on
Muḍikoṇḍa-Śōḻaṉ, whose hand (held) the sword (and) whose spear had a
sharp point,
(along with the title) Sundara-Śōḻaṉ, and
conferred endless great distinctions (on him).
(Thus he) granted to each of his numerous
relations suitable great riches.
(L. 3.) (He) drove from the battle-field in Gaṅga-pāḍi into the
Tuṅgabhadrā the
Mahāsāmantas, whose strong hands (wielded) cruel
bows, along with Vikkalaṉ, who fought
under a banner that inspired strength.
(L. 4.) (He) attacked and destroyed the irresistible, great and powerful army which
he
(viz. Vikkalaṉ) had again despatched into Vēṅgai-nāḍu; cut off the head
of the corpse
of the Mahādaṇḍanāyaka Chāmuṇḍarāja; and
severed the nose from the face of his (viz.
Chāmuṇḍarāja's) only daughter, called
[Nā]galai, (who was) the queen of Irugayaṉ (and)
who
resembled a peacock in beauty.
(L. 5.) The enemy, full of hatred, met and fought against (him) yet a third
time,
hoping that (his former) defeats would be revenged. (The king) defeated
countless Sāman-
tas, together with these (two) sons of
Āhavamalla, who were called Vikkalaṉ and Śiṅ-
gaṇaṉ, at Kūḍalśaṅgamam on the turbid river. Having sent the brave
van-guard in
advance, and having himself remained close behind with the kings allied to him,
(he) agi-
tated by means of a single mast elephant that army (of
the enemy), which was arrayed (for
battle), (and which) resembled the northern
ocean. In front of the banner-troop, (he) cut to
pieces
Śiṅgaṉ, (the king) of warlike Kōśal[ai], along with the furious
elephants of (his)
van-guard. While Kēśava-Daṇḍanāyaka, Kēttaraśaṉ,
[Māraya]ṉ of great strength,
the strong Pōtta[ra]yaṉ (and)
[Irēchchayaṉ] were fighting, (he)
shouted:——“(Follow)
Mūvēndi, (who wears) a garland of
gold !” and cut to pieces many Sāmantas, who were
deprived of weapons of war. Then
Maduvaṇaṉ, who was in command, fled; Vikkalaṉ
fled with dishevelled hair;
Śiṅgaṇaṉ fled, (his) pride (and) courage forsaking
(him);
Aṇṇalaṉ and all others descended from the male elephants on which
they were fighting in
battle, and fled; Āhavamalla too, to whom (they were)
allied, fled before them. (The king)
stopped his fast furious elephant, put on the
garland of victory, seized his (viz. Āhavamalla's)
wives, his family treasures,
conches, parasols, trumpets, drums, canopies, white chāmaras,
the
boar-banner, the ornamental arch (makara-tōraṇa), the female elephant (called)
Pushpaka,
and a herd of war elephants, along with a troop of prancing horses, and,
amidst (general)
applause, put on the crown of victory, (set with) jewels of red
splendour.
(L. 9.) (He) despatched (the banner of) the ferocious tiger into all directions
and cut off
the beautiful heads, surrounded by garlands (won) on battle-fields, of the
king of Pottappi,
whose horses chafed under the bridle, of Vāraṉ, of the
[Kēraḷa], (who wore) large
ankle-rings, (and) of the younger brother
of Ja[na]nātha of Dhārā. (He caused to be)
trampled down by a
furious mast elephant the king of the South (i.e. the Pāṇḍya),
(who
wore) golden ankle-rings, the young son of Śrīvallabha, (and)
Vīrakēsarin, whose
crown of jewels glittered as the lightning, and
captured Madakōḍu (?).
(L. 10.) (He) wielded the sceptre beyond (all) limits and illustrated the laws
of
the Vēdas (by his conduct).
(L. 11.) (During the reign) of (this) king Rājakēsarivarman,
alias the lord Śrī-
Vīrarājēndradēva, who illustrated (by
his conduct) the laws of Manu, which are hard to
follow, and was seated on the royal
(throne), (which he) had acquired by right of warlike
deeds, while the matchless banner
of heroism, along with the banner of liberality, was raised
on high (as if) to
say:——“Let (all) supplicants come !”
Being graciously seated in the royal bathing-hall within the palace at Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-
Śōḻapuram, (the king) granted, with a libation of water, (the village
of) Pākkūr in
Veṅgāla-nāḍu, (a district) of
Adhirājarāja-maṇḍalam, (and) was pleased to order that
this
village,——excluding the tax-paying land in the portion of the ryots,——should
become
tax-free temple land from (the year) which was opposite to the
3rd year (of his reign),——
(including) revenue, taxes, small tolls, ēlavai, ugavai, (the three fines called) maṉṟupāḍu,;
daṇḍa and kuṟṟam, (every place) where the iguana runs, the
tortoise crawls, an ant-hill rises
(and) sprouts grow, the grass for the calves, and
(the land) enjoyed in full by the great
village; that (this
village) should pay to (the god) Mahādēva of the Tiruvānilai
(temple)
at Karuvūr in the same nāḍu the revenue
(hitherto) paid by this village,——(viz.) three
hundred and three and a half
kaḻañju and (one) and one twentieth mañjāḍi) of gold,
and
three thousand five hundred and thirty-one kalam and (one) tūṇi of
paddy;——(and) that (this
village) should be entered in the revenue register (?
vari) as tax-free temple land from (this)
year forward.
(L. 15.) Accordingly, the royal secretary, Vāṉavaṉ-Pallavaraiyaṉ, the lord of
Tāḻi-
Tiruppaṉaṅgāḍu (and) the lord of Nērvāyil in
Paṉaiyūr-nāḍu, (a district) of Ksha-
triyaśikhāmaṇi-vaḷanāḍu, having written that (the king) had been
pleased to order
(thus), (and) the chief secretary, Achchudaṉ (i.e.
Achyuta) Rājarājaṉ, alias Toṇḍaimāṉ,
the citizen
Uttama-Śōḻaṉ, alias Rājarāja-Brahmādhirāyaṉ, Araiyaṉ
Rājarājaṉ,
alias Vīrarājēndra-Jayamurināḍāḻvāṉ, and
Vīrarājēndra-Maṅgalappēraraiyaṉ
having unanimously approved (of this
document), Vīrapattiraṉ (i.e. Vīrabhadra) Tillai-
Viḍaṅgaṉ, alias Villava-Rājarājaṉ, ordered: “Let it be
entered in our revenue
register in accordance with intimation received.”
(L. 17.) In accordance with his order, Udayadivākaraṉ Kūttāḍuvāṉ, alias
Vīra-
rājēndra-Maḻavarāyar, (one of) the heads of the assembly
(and) the lord of Jayaṅ-
koṇḍa-Śōḻanallūr in
Paṉaiyūr-nāḍu, (a district) of Kshatriyaśikhāmaṇi-vaḷa-
nāḍu, Vīrarājē[ndra]-Brahmādhirāyar, [A]raṅgaṉ Tiruchchiṟṟambalam-uḍai-
yāṉ, alias Vāṉavaṉ-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, of
[P]eriya[ku]ḍaiyū[r] in Neṉmali-nāḍu,
(a district) of
Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu, [Kāḍa]ṉ Vīdi-Viḍaṅgaṉ, alias
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-
Śōḻa-Viḻupparaiyar, the lord of
[Pa]ṉai[kku]ḍi in T[ēvūr-nā]ḍu, (a district)
of
A[dhirāja]rā[ja-va]ḷanāḍu, [Attā]ṇi-[Śīyārūra]ṉ
[Mu]ḍi-Viḻupparaiyaṉ, the
lord of [Pūṇ]ḍi in
[Pu]liyūr-nāḍu, (a district) of Vijayarā[jēndra]-vaḷanāḍu,•
••
[Rājēndra]-bhaṭṭar, Viṇ[ṇava]nārāyaṇa-bhaṭṭaṉ of Kōchch[ā]kk[ā]ṟ-
pu[ṟa]m (near) Madimaṅgalam in
[Ni]garili-Śōḻa-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Mu[ḷ]ḷi-
nāḍu in Uttama-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu, (a
district) of Rājarāja-Pāṇḍikula-vaḷanāḍu,
and
Uyyakkoṇḍāṉ, (one of) the dispatching clerks,•••••
(L. 21.) “Our revenue officers having entered (this) in the revenue register in
accord-
ance with the royal order, let it be engraved on copper and on stone
(that this village was
given) as tax-free temple land to (the god)
Mahādēva of the Tiruvānilai (temple) for the
expenses of burnt
offerings, oblations and worship.”
(L. 22.) This (is) the writing of Aṟchudaṉ (i.e. Achyuta)
Rājanārāyaṇaṉ Toṇḍai-
māṉ. The writing of the citizen
Uttama-Śōḻaṉ, alias Rājarāja-Brahmādhirāyaṉ.
This (is)
the writing of Araiyaṉ Vīrarājēndra-Jayamurināḍāḻvāṉ. This (is)
the
writing of Vīrarājēndra-Maṅgalappēraraiyaṉ. This (is) the writing of
the super-
intendent Udayadivākaraṉ Kūttāḍuvāṉ
Vīrarājēndra-Maḻavarāyaṉ, the lord of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻanallūr in
Paṉaiyūr-nāḍu, (a district) of Kshatriyaśikhāmaṇi-
vaḷanāḍu. This (is) the writing of
Vāṉavaṉ-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ. This (is) the writing
of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-Viḻupparaiyaṉ. This (is) the writing of
[Attāṇi-Śīyārūraṉ
Muḍi]-Viḻupparaiyaṉ. This (is) the writing of the
royal secretary, Vāṉavaṉ-Palla-
varaiyaṉ. This (is) the writing
of Uyyakkoṇḍāṉ, the dispatching clerk.
(L. 25.) “This (charity is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras. The
blessed
feet of him who will protect this charity (shall be) on my head.”
This inscription is dated in the 9th year of the reign of Parakēsarivarman,
alias
Rājēndradēva, the successor of Rājādhirāja. An
unpublished inscription of the same
year in the Vaidyanātha temple at Tirumalavāḍi
(No. 87 of 1895) states that Rājādhi-
rāja was Rājēndra's elder
brother, and that he fell in the battle of Koppam. The subjoined
inscription and
others mention Rājēndra's elder brother,’ but do not give his name.
The inscription records that the king granted the village of Kaṇavadinallūr
in
Veṅgāla-nāḍu, a district of Adhirājarāja-maṇḍalam, to the
Tiruvānilai temple. It is
signed by five officers, whose names appear also in the Karuvūr
inscription of Vīrarājēn-
dra I. (No. 20, l. 15 ff. and l. 22 ff.). This
fact corroborates the conclusion drawn above
(p. 32), that Vīrarājēndra I. succeeded
Rājēndra within a single generation.
One of the five officers whose names occur in Nos. 20 and 21, is Araiyaṉ
Rājarājaṉ,
alias Vīrarājēndra-Jayamurināḍāḻvāṉ. This person is
very probably identical with
the Sēnāpati Jayamurināḍāḻvār, who is
mentioned in an inscription of Rājēndradēva
at Sangili-Kanadarāva in
Ceylon. This inscription proves that the island of Ceylon,
or at
least a portion of it, was in Rājēndra's possession.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While the army of his elder brother——the king
(who
wielded) the sceptre (and) was embraced by the goddess of fortune,——was at
(his) back, (he)
went in front (of his army) against (the enemy)
and conquered the seven and a half lakshas of
Iraṭṭai-pāḍi. (He) did
not meet with opposition in battle; and (his) drums were sounding
in the eight
directions of the earth. (He) fought until the whole great army of
Āhavamalla,
who had proceeded to Koppam on the bank of the great river to
oppose (him), perished,
and converted (it) into reeking corpses (that)
covered the earth. Then he (viz. Āhavamalla)
became afraid, incurred
disgrace, and ran away. (The king) seized his elephants and horses,
women and treasures,
together with the camels, and performed the anointment of heroes,
(the news of which)
spread in (all) directions. In the 9th year (of the reign) of (this)
king
Para[kēsarivarman], alias the lord Śrī-Rājēndradēva, who
was graciously seated on
the throne of heroes.
(L. 6.) “The eastern boundary of Ka[ṇa]vadinal[lūr] in Veṅgāla-nāḍu,
(a
district) of Adhirājarāja-maṇḍalam, (is) to the west of the
‘Bull-tank;’ the northern
boundary (is) to the south of the high-road of the district;
the southern boundary (is) to the
north of the river; and the western boundary
(is) to the east of the road of Rājamahēndra.
(L. 8.) “Let our written order (ōlai) be issued that the wet land and the dry
land
enclosed within these four boundaries (shall be given) as temple land to (the
god) Mahādēva
of the Tiruvānilai (temple) for necessary
expenses,——(including every) place where the
iguana runs, the tortoise crawls and an
ant-hill rises, the grass for the calves, and (the land)
enjoyed in full by the great
village,——(and) shall pay taxes (to the temple).”
(L. 10.) (Thus) the king was pleased to order. The writing of the royal
secretary,
Vāṉavaṉ-Pallavadaraiyaṉ, the lord of Tāḻi-Tiruppaṉaṅgāḍu
(and) the lord of
Nērvāyil in Paṉaiyūr-nāḍu, (a district)
of Kshatriyaśikhāmaṇi-vaḷanāḍu. The
writing of the chief secretary,
Rājarājaṉ, alias Toṇḍaimāṉ. The writing of the
citizen
Uttama-Śōḻaṉ, alias Rājarāja-Brahm[ādhirāyaṉ]. The
writing of Araiyaṉ Rāja-
rājaṉ, alias
Vīrarājēndra-Jayamurināḍāḻvāṉ. The writing of
Udayadivākaraṉ
Kūttāḍiyār, alias Vīrarājēndra-Maḻavarāyaṉ,
(one) of the heads of the assembly (and)
the lord of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻanallūr in Paṉaiyūr-nāḍu, (a district) of
Kshatriya-
śikhāmaṇi-vaḷanāḍu.
(L. 15.) “This (charity is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras.”
This inscription bears the same date as No. 21, but the king is here named Rājēndra-
Chōḷadēva instead of Rājēndradēva. The historical introduction is identical
with that of
No. 21 and proves that Rājēndradēva, the victor at Koppam,
and not his ancestor
Rājēndra-Chōḷa, the son of the great Rājarāja, is meant here.
The inscription records that the king granted to the Tiruvānilai temple the village
of
Nelvāyppaḷḷi, which belonged to Veṅgāla-nāḍu, a district of
Adhirājarāja-maṇḍa-
lam, and was bounded in the east by the village of
Āndaṉūr. The grant is signed by the
same five officers as No. 21.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While the army of his elder brother was at (his)
back,
etc.——In the 9th year (of the reign) of (this) king
Parakēsarivarman, alias the lord Śrī-
Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva, who was graciously seated on the throne of heroes.
(L. 4.) “The eastern boundary of Nelvāyppaḷḷi in Veṅgāla-nāḍu, (a
district)
of Adhirājarāja-maṇḍalam, (is) to the west of the boundary of
Āndaṉūr; the southern
boundary (is) to the north of a rough block of black
stone; the western boundary (is) to the
east of the Pāypaḍuttāṉ stone; and
the northern boundary (is) to the south of the river.
(L. 5.) “Let our written order be issued that the wet land and the dry land enclosed
within
these four boundaries (shall be given) as temple land to (the god)
Mahādēva of the
Tiruvānilai (temple for) necessary expenses, for
the worship, for repairs, and for the
aforesaid expenses,——(including every) place where
the iguana runs, the tortoise crawls and
an ant-hill rises, the trees overground and the wells
underground, the grass for the calves,
and (the land) enjoyed in full by
the great village,——(and) shall pay revenue, taxes, small
tolls, ēlavai, ugavai,
(the three fines called) maṉṟupāḍal, daṇḍa and kuṟṟam, and
everything
else (to the temple).”
(L. 8.) (Thus) the king was pleased to order. The writing of the royal
secretary,
Vāṉavaṉ-Pallavaraiyaṉ, the lord of Arumoḻi-Tiruppaṉaṅgāḍu
(and) the lord
of Nērvāyil in Paṉaiyūr-nāḍu, (a district)
of Kshatriyaśikhāmaṇi-vaḷanāḍu.
This (is) the writing of the chief
secretary, Toṇḍaimāṉ. The writing of the citizen
Uttama-Śōḻaṉ,
alias Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-Brahmārāyaṉ. The writing of
Rājarājaṉ,
alias
Vīrarājēndra-Kulōttuṅga-Jayamurināḍāḻvāṉ. The writing of Udayadivā-
karaṉ Kulōttuṅga-Maḻavarāyaṉ, (one) of the heads of the assembly
(and) the lord of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻanallūr in Paṉaiyūr-nāḍu,
(a district) of Kshatriyaśikhāmaṇi-
vaḷanāḍu.
(L. 11.) “This (charity is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras.”
This inscription is dated in the 23rd year of the reign of Tribhuvanachakravartin
Kulōt-
tuṅga-Chōḷadēva, who claims to have conquered Īḻam
(Ceylon), Madurai (Madhurā)
and Karuvūr and to have cut off the head of the
Pāṇḍya king. The time of this Kulōt-
tuṅga-Chōḷa is settled
by an inscription in the Raṅganāyaka temple at Nellūr (Nellore),
which couples
Śaka-Saṁvat 1119 with the 19th year of his reign. On the basis of
this
inscription and of some others which contain elements for astronomical calculation,
Professor
Kielhorn has shown that the king's reign commenced between the 5th June and 8th
July,
A.D. 1178. Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva I. ascended the throne in A.D.
1070, and Kulōttuṅga-
Chōḷadēva II. issued the Chellūr plates
in A.D. 1132. Consequently, the king, to whose
reign the present inscription
belongs, has to be designated Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva
III. In other inscriptions he
bears the names Parakēsarivarman, Vīrarājēndradēva
(II.) and
Tribhuvanavīradēva. His latest date is the 39th year in an unpublished
inscription
at Chidambaram. Accordingly, he must have been the immediate predecessor
of
Tribhuvanachakravartin Rājarājadēva, who ascended the throne about A.D.
1216.
The immediate purpose of the subjoined inscription is to record that the king granted
to the
Karuvūr temple the village of Maṉṉaṟai and a portion of Kēraḷapaḷḷi in
Taṭṭaiyūr-nāḍu.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the twenty-third year (of the reign) of the
emperor
of the three worlds, Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who was pleased to take
Īḻam,
Madurai, the crowned head of the Pāṇḍya, and
Karuvūr,——the emperor of the three
worlds, Kōnēri[ṉmai] koṇḍāṉ, (addresses the following order) to the Pūjāri (dēvar-
kaṉmi), to the overseers of the Śrī-Māhēśvaras, and to the manager of
the temple of Tiru-
vānilai-Mahādēva at Karuvūr, alias
Muḍivaḻaṅgu-Śōḻapuram, (a city) in Veṅgāla-
nāḍu,
(a district) of Koṅgu, alias Śōḻa-Kēraḷa-maṇḍalam.
(L. 3.) “We have given as temple land to (the god) Mahādēva of the
Tiruvā-
nilai (temple) for the expenses required by this god
(the village of) Maṉṉaṟai, containing
fifty vēli of land in
Kēra[ḷa]paḷḷi and in Maṉṉaṟai in Taṭṭaiyūr-nāḍu, (a
district) of
the same nāḍu.
(L. 4.) “Having declared that the land enclosed within the four great boundaries of
this
village, (including) the grass for the calves, and (the land) enjoyed in full by the
great
village, should be given to this god as tax-free temple land from the twenty-third
(year of our
reign), we have ordered (our) revenue officers to
enter (it) as such in the account (book).”
(L. 6.) “If this land is (actually) taken possession of, you shall permit (the
temple
authorities) to take possession (of it) as tax-free temple land and to defray
the expenses (of
the temple) from (the produce of) these villages from the
twenty-third (year of our reign), as
determined by Kēraḷaṉ.”
(L. 7.) Written by the royal secretary, Mīṉavaṉ-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ. This (is)
the
writing of Toṇḍaimāṉ. This (is) the writing of
Viḻiñattarayaṉ. This (is) the writing of
Varaguṇarājaṉ. This
(is) the writing of Paṅgaḷattarayaṉ. This (is) the writing
of
Vāḷuvarājaṉ.
This inscription is dated in the 25th year of the reign of Tribhuvanachakravartin
Kulōt-
tuṅga-Chōḷadēva (III.), who receives here the same attributes
as in No. 23. It records
that the villagers of Tēvaṇappaḷḷi sold some land to the
temple for three kaḻañju of gold,
which a hunter had paid into the temple treasury.
This person was a native of Pūvāṇiyam
near Puṉṉam in
Veṅgāla-nāḍu, a district of Śōḻa-Kēraḷa-maṇḍalam.
Tēvaṇappaḷḷi
belonged to Taṭṭaiyūr-nāḍu, another district of the same
maṇḍalam. The land granted
was bounded in the east by the village of
Nōmbalūr.
Puṉṉam is found on the map of the Coimbatore district, about 6 miles
west-north-west
from Karuvūr. From inscriptions of Rājarāja I. and Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. on
the walls of the
small deserted temple of Sōmēśvara at Sōmūr near the junction of
the Kāvērī and Amarā-
vatī rivers, 7 miles east of Karuvūr, it appears that
Tēvaṇappaḷḷi was the ancient
name of Sōmūr, and that the Sōmēśvara temple
belonged to Tirunōmbalūr, a quarter or
hamlet of Tēvaṇappaḷḷi.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the twenty-fifth year (of the reign) of the emperor
of
the three worlds, Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who was pleased to take
Īḻam, Madurai,
the crowned head of the Pāṇḍya, and
Karuvūr,——three kaḻañju of pure gold, weighed by
the gold weight
(kāśu-kal), were paid into the treasury of the god of the
Tiruvānilai
(temple), (who is) the lord of Karuvūr, alias
Muḍivaḻaṅgu-Śōḻapuram, (a city) in
Veṅgāla-nāḍu, (a
district) of Śōḻa-Kēraḷa-maṇḍalam, by Vēḷāṉ Kariyāṉ,
alias
Marudaṅga-Vēḷāṉ, (one) of the hunters (Vēṭṭuvar) of
Pūvāṇiyam (near) Puṉṉam,
(a village) in the same
maṇḍalam) (and) in the same nāḍu).
(L. 3.) We, the villagers of Tēvaṇappaḷḷi in Taṭṭaiyūr-nāḍu, (a
district) of the
same maṇḍalam, have received these three kaḻañju of gold
for the use of the village.
(L. 4.) Having received these three kaḻañju of gold from the sacred hand of the
holy
Chaṇḍēśvaradēva, who is the first servant (of Śiva), (we) sold as temple land one fortieth
(vēli), roughly, of land,
which bears the name Pāḍikāppāṉañjey (and) which is watered
by
the Ālōḍupōyi[l] (channel) of the western fields.
(L. 5.) The boundaries of this (land are):——The eastern boundary (is) to the west
of
the site of Nōmbalūr; the northern boundary (is) to the south of the
Vr̥tti; the western
boundary (is) to the east of the branch
(channel) which flows towards the south; and the
southern boundary (is) to the
north of the field of Aṇu[kka]-Nambi.
(L. 6.) This one fortieth (vēli) of land, enclosed within these four great boundaries,
shall
belong to this god as temple land, free of taxes (and) to be enjoyed in full.
(L. 7.) We, the villagers, having fixed (?) and received all revenue, taxes, small tolls
•••
(and) pounded rice due from this land, and having given this one
fortieth
(vēli) of land as tax-free temple land, shall not be permitted to waste the
good water, but
shall use the dirty water for irrigation.
(L. 8.) Having agreed thus, we, the villagers of Tēvaṇappaḷḷi, engraved (it)
on stone
as tax-free temple land. This god•••••
This inscription contains an order of a king who bore the titles
Tribhuvanachakravartin
Kōnēriṉmaikoṇḍāṉ. He granted
certain privileges to the artizans (Kaṇmāḷar) of the
district of
Veṅgāla-nāḍu,——to take effect from the month of Āḍi of the 15th year of
his
reign.
An almost identical duplicate of this inscription (No. 562 of 1893) is engraved on
the
central shrine of the Gōshṭhīśvara temple at Pērūr near Coimbatore. It
differs chiefly in
being addressed to the Kaṇmāḷar of Southern
Koṅgu (Teṉ-Koṅgu) and in the king's
bearing the title
Kōṉērimēlkoṇḍāṉ instead of Kōnēriṉmaikoṇḍāṉ.
(Line 1.) Hail ! The emperor of the three worlds, the glorious
Kōnēriṉmaikoṇḍāṉ
(addresses the following order) to the
Kaṇmāḷar of Veṅgāla-nāḍu.
“We have ordered that, from the month of Āḍi of the 15th (year of our reign), at
your
marriages and funerals, double conches may be blown and drums, etc., beaten, that
sandals
may be worn (on the way) to places which you have to visit, and that your houses
may be
covered with plaster. On the authority of this written order (ōlai), this may be
engraved
on stone and on copper in (all) places desired by you, so as to last as long as
the moon and
the sun.”
(L. 5.) This (is) the writing of Viḻuppādarāyaṉ.
This inscription contains an order of a king who bore the title
Kōṉērimēlkoṇḍāṉ.
The date of the order was the 438th (!) day of the 23rd year
of his reign (l. 4). The king
granted the village of Āndaṉūr, surnamed
Vīra-Śōḻa-nallūr, for the maintenance of the
temple servants, whom he had settled
in a quarter which was called Vīra-Śōḻaṉ-Tiru-
maḍaiviḷāgam after
his own name. From this designation and from the surname of the
village granted, it follows
that his actual name was Vīra-Chōḷa.
The village of Āndaṉūr was bounded in the west by Nelluvāyppaḷḷi, which is
the
object of the grant recorded in No. 22 above.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! Kōṉērimēlkoṇḍāṉ (addresses the following
order) to the
Pūjāris of the temple of the god of Tiruvāṉilai at
Karuvūr.
“(We) have given (the village of) Āndaṉūr, alias
Vīra-Śōḻa-nallūr, on the south-
ern bank (of the river) for the
maintenance of the ascetics (tapasvin),
Śiva-Brāhmaṇas,
dancing-girls (dēvar-aḍiyār), drummers (uvachchar) and
servants (nimandakkāṟar) (perform-
ing) various duties,
who reside in the Vīra-Śōḻaṉ-Tirumaḍaiviḷāgam which
(we)
have founded in our name for the temple of this god. (We) have granted that
we shall not
levy the taxes, ēlavai and ugavai, due from this
village. We have given our written
order to the effect that (the donees) shall thus
enjoy this village as long as the moon and
the sun endure, doing all kinds of service to the
temple of this god. Let this be engraved
on copper and on stone.”
(L. 4.) This (is) the writing of Vilāḍattaraiyaṉ. On the
four-hundred-and-thirty-
eighth day of the twenty-third year (of the
reign).
“The four great boundaries of this village (are), to the west of the high-road of
[K]ārait-
tu[ṟ]ai; the southern boundary (is) to the north of the
boundary of Ādichchamaṅgalam;
the western boundary (is) to the east of the
boundary of Ne[lluv]āyppaḷḷi; and the
northern boundary (is) to the south of
the river. The land enclosed within the proper four
great boundaries we have given for the
maintenance of the residents of this Maḍaviḷāgam.
(L. 6.) “This (charity is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras.”
Maṇimaṅgalam, which I visited in 1892, is a village at the eastern
extremity of the
Conjeeveram tāluka of the Chingleput district, about 6 miles west of
Vaṇḍalūr, a station on
the South-Indian Railway. It is mentioned already in
the Kūram plates and in the
Udayēndiram plates of Pallavamalla as the site
of one of the battles in which the Pallava
king Narasiṁhavarman I. defeated the Western
Chalukya king Pulikēśin II.
Maṇimaṅgalam contains three temples of Vishṇu and two temples of Śiva.
The
three former now bear the names Rājagōpāla-Perumāḷ, Vaikuṇṭha-Perumāḷ and Kr̥shṇa-
svāmin, and the two latter are now called Dharmēśvara
and Kailāsanāthasvāmin. I am
publishing below fourteen inscriptions of the
Rājagōpāla-Perumāḷ temple (Nos. 27 to
40) and one of the Dharmēśvara
temple (No. 41). These records belong to the time of
the Chōḷa kings
Rājakēsarivarman (No. 27), Rājādhirāja (No. 28),
Rājēndra
(No. 29), Vīrarājēndra I. (No. 30),
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa I. (Nos. 31 and 32),
Vikrama-Chōḷa (No. 33),
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa II. (No. 34), Rājarāja II. (No.
35),
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III. (Nos. 36 and 37) and Rājarāja III. (Nos. 38
to 41).
In the Chōḷa inscriptions the name of the village is Maṇimaṅgalam (Nos. 27, 28,
30
to 41) and, in Sanskrit verses, Ratnāgrahāra (Nos. 27 and 40) or
Ratnagrāma (No. 27).
In the time of Rājakēsarivarman it was surnamed
Lōkamahādēvi-chaturvēdimaṅga-
lam (No. 27), in that of Rājādhirāja,
Rājēndra and Vīrarājēndra I. Rājachūḷāmaṇi-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam
(Nos. 28 to 30), and in that of the remaining kings Pāṇḍiyaṉai-
irumaḍi-veṉ-kaṇḍa-Śōḻa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam (Nos.31 to 36
and 38). In three
inscriptions of the 18th year of Rājarāja III. we find the fresh surname
Grāmaśikhāmaṇi-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam (Nos. 39 to 41). The village was
included in Jayaṅkoṇḍa-
Chōḷa-maṇḍalam (Nos. 28 to
30, 32 to 39, and 41). Down to the time of Vīrarājēndra I.
it belonged to
Māgaṇūr-nāḍu (Nos. 28 to 30), a subdivision of the district of
Śēṅgāṭṭu-
kōṭṭam (Nos. 27 to 30). The later
Chōḷa inscriptions assign it to Kuṉṟattūr-nāḍu
(Nos.
31 to 39 and 41), a subdivision of the district of Puliyūr-kōṭṭam
(Nos. 39 and 41),
which was surnamed Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa-vaḷanāḍu (Nos. 31 to 36,
38, 39 and 41)
after Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa I.
The ancient name of the Rājagōpāla-Perumāḷ temple was Śrīmad-Dvārāpati (Nos.
28
to 30) or Śrīmad-Dvārāpuridēva (No. 27), i.e. ‘the lord of the
prosperous city of Dvārā,’
the residence of Kr̥shṇa in Gujarāt. The Tamil equivalent of
Śrīmad-Dvārāpati is
Vaṇḍuvarāpati (Nos. 31 and 33 to 39). Other names of the
temple were Śrī-Kāmak-
kōḍi-Viṇṇagar (Nos. 28 to
30), Puravuvari-Viṇṇagar (No. 32) and Tiruvāyk-
kulam (Nos. 33
and 36).
This inscription is dated in the 6th year of the reign of the Chōḷa king
Rājakēsari-
varman (l. 2). It opens with two Sanskrit
verses, which state that a person whose name
is not given made a grant to the Vishṇu temple at
Ratnāgrahāra or Ratnagrāma, i.e.
Maṇimaṅgalam. From the following
Tamil passage it appears that the donor had purchased
the land from the inhabitants of
Maṇimaṅgalam. The grant consisted of 4,000 kuḻi of
land, of which 2,000 were
situated on the west of Maṇimaṅgalam and south of Kuḷattūr, the
modern
Koḷattūr. The remaining 2,000 kuḻi were situated on the south of
Maṇimaṅgalam
and east of Amaṇpākkam——the modern Ammaṇambākkam.
In this archaic inscription the virāma is marked above several letters by a dot
(puḷḷi),
just as in the modern Tamil print. The Grantha ṇā of
praṇāśa (l. 1) is expressed by a
compound letter which differs from the Tamil
ṇā.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity !
(Verse 1.) Resplendent is (the village) whose famous name is Ratnāgrahāra
(and
which is) an embodiment of the union of the two goddesses of learning and
prosperity, able
to remove distress, of lovely fame (and) an ocean of all gems——noble
qualities.
(V. 2.) (He) founded, for as long as the moon and the stars endure, a
perpetual enjoyment
(bhōga) of the god who resides in (the temple of)
Śrīmad-Dvārā in the agrahāra of Ratna-
grāma.
(Line 2.) In the 6th year (of the reign) of king Rājakēsarivarman, we, the
great
assembly of Maṇimaṅgalam, alias
Lōkamahādēvi-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (in the
district) of
Śēṅgāṭṭu-kōṭṭam, sold (the following) land to (the temple of)
Śrīmad-Dvārā-
puridēva in our village.
(L. 3.) Two thousand kuḻi, enclosed within the following four
boundaries:——(The
eastern boundary is) to the west of the boundary of
Māgaṇūr, a hamlet on the west (of
our village); (the southern boundary is)
to the north of the bank of the Periyaputtēri (tank);
the western boundary (is)
to the east of the Kalichchaṅgāl (channel); and the northern
boundary
(is) to the south of the boundary of Kuḷattūr.
(L. 4.) Two thousand kuḻi of land below the Puttēri (tank) at (?)
Pēṟūr, a hamlet on
the south (of our village), enclosed within the following
four boundaries:——The eastern bound-
ary (is) to the west of
Kuḍumbiḍupāḍagam; the southern boundary (is) to the north
of the
Maṇṇikkāl (channel); the western boundary (is) to the east of the boundary
of
Amaṇpā[kka]m; and the northern boundary (is) to the south of the bank of
the tank.
(L. 7.) Altogether four thousand kuḻi were given, for as long as the moon and the
sun
exist (and) free of taxes, by us, the great assembly.
(L. 8.) On this land we shall not be entitled to claim any taxes,••• forced
labour
(veṭṭi, vēdi) and kāṇam.
(L. 9.) We, the great assembly, agree that each of those who claim (them) shall pay
a
fine of twenty-five kaḻañju of gold.
(L. 10.) (This charity is placed under) the protection of the Śrī-Vaishṇavas).
This inscription is dated in the 29th year of Rājakēsarivarman, alias
Rājādhi-
rājadēva, surnamed Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Chōḷa (l. 7). It opens with a panegyrical account
of the king's deeds. The text of this passage
has been settled by comparison with the
corresponding introductions of three other
inscriptions, viz.——
1. Tk. = an inscription of the 29th year in the Śvētāraṇyēśvara temple at Tiruveṇ-
kāḍu in the Tanjore district (No. 114 of 1896).
2. Tr. = an inscription of the 31st year in the Ādhipurīśvara temple at
Tiruvoṟṟiyūr
near Madras (No. 107 of 1892).
3. Tai. = an inscription of the 32nd year in the Pañchanadēśvara temple at Tiruvai-
yāṟu near Tanjore (No. 221 of 1894).
Among the achievements of Rājādhirāja the subjoined inscription mentions that
he
“destroyed the palace of the Chalukya king in the city of Kampili” (l. 6).
As I have
said before, this statement enables us to identify Rājādhirāja
with the king who, according
to the Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi (viii. 26), “planted a pillar of
victory at Kampili,” and to place
his reign immediately after that of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. and before that of Parakēsari-
varman,
alias Rājēndradēva. Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. ascended the throne in A.D.
1001-2
and reigned until at least A.D. 1032. An inscription at
Miṇḍigal proves that Rājādhi-
rāja's anointment to the throne
took place in A.D. 1018. This would be about the 17th
year of the reign of his
predecessor Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. Consequently, Rājādhirāja appears
to have been the
co-regent of the latter and cannot have exercised independent royal functions
before the death
of the other. It is in perfect accordance with this conclusion that his
inscription which have
been discovered so far are all dated in the later years of his reign, viz.
between the
26th and 32nd years.
The introduction of the subjoined inscription states that Rājādhirāja appointed seven
of
his relatives to be governors over the Chēra, Chalukya, Pāṇḍya and
Gaṅga countries,
the island of Ceylon, the Pallava country, and
Kanyakubja (l. 1). This statement is
evidently exaggerated, at least as far as it
refers to the Chalukya dominions and Kanyakubja.
Next are mentioned three
Pāṇḍya kings (l. 1f.). The first of them, Mānābharaṇa, was
decapitated;
the second, Vīra-Kēraḷa, was trampled down by an elephant; and the
third,
Sundara-Pāṇḍya, was expelled to Mullaiyūr. Further, Rājādhirāja
killed an unnamed
king of Vēṇāḍu, i.e. Travancore, and three princes of
Irāmaguḍam (?). Having routed
the Chēra king, he followed the example of
his ancestor Rājarāja I. in destroying the ships
at Kāndaḷūr-Śālai (l. 2f.).
Then followed a victorious war against Āhavamalla, Vikki, Vijayāditya
and
Śāṅgamayaṉ, which was led by a general named Kēvudaṉ, and in the
course of which
two of Āhavamalla's officers, named Gaṇḍappayaṉ and
Gaṅgādhara, were killed and the
city of Koḷḷippākkai
was set on fire (l. 3 f.). Koḷḷippākkai or, in Kanarese, Koḷḷipāke was
included in the
territory of the Western Chālukyas, and Āhavamalla, Vikki and
Vijayā-
ditya are identical with the Western Chālukya king
Āhavamalla-Sōmēśvara I. (A.D.
1044 and 1068) and two of his sons,
Vikramāditya VI. (A.D. 1055-56 and 1076 to
1126) and
Vishṇuvardhana-Vijayāditya (A.D. 1064 to 1074).
The next of Rājādhirāja's expeditions cost their crowns to four kings of Ceylon,
viz.
Vikramabāhu, Vikrama-Pāṇḍya, Vīra-Śalāmēgaṉ, and
Śrīvallabha Madana-
rāja (l. 4 f.). The second of these is said to have
ruled over the southern Tamiḻ country
before taking possession of Ceylon, the third to have
originally ruled over Kanyakubja,
and the fourth to have taken refuge
with a certain Kr̥shṇa. Worst of all fared Vīra-
Śalāmēgaṉ. The
Chōḷa king seized his elder sister and his daughter (or wife) and cut
off
the nose of his mother, and the Ceylon king himself fell in battle. An independent
and
somewhat different account of these struggles is given in the 56th chapter of the
Mahāvaṁsa,
which mentions successively the reigns of
Vikramabāhu, who is supposed to have reigned
from A.D. 1037 to 1049,
Vikrama-Pāṇḍu (A.D. 1052 to 1053), Jagatipāla (A.D.
1053 to 1057), and
Parākrama-Pāṇḍu (A.D. 1057 to 1059). Of Jagatipāla it is said that
he came from
the city of Ayōdhyā, that the Chōḷas slew him in battle, and that
they
carried his queen and his daughter to the Chōḷa country. As the two first
names, Vikrama-
bāhu and Vikrama-Pāṇḍya, are the same in Rājādhirāja's
inscriptions and in the Mahāvaṁsa,
we may identify Jagatipāla with
Vīra-Śalāmēgaṉ, who came from Kanyakubja, who was killed
by the Chōḷas, and whose elder
sister and daughter were carried away by them. It remains
uncertain whether he was a native of
Kanyakubja (Kanauj) or Ayōdhyā, as stated respect-
ively in Rājādhirāja's
inscriptions and in the Mahāvaṁsa. The fourth king, Śrīvallabha
Madanarāja, is perhaps the same as the Parākrama-Pāṇḍu of the
Mahāvaṁsa, who is said to
have been killed by the Chōḷas.
On a second raid to the north Rājādhirāja defeated four chiefs, whose names are
given,
but whom I cannot identify, and destroyed the palace of the Chalukya king at
Kampili
(l. 5 f.), a place in the Hosapēṭe tāluka of the Bellary district, which is
also mentioned in a
Western Chālukya inscription.
As I have stated before (p. 39 above), Rājādhirāja was the elder brother of his
successor
Parakēsarivarman, alias Rājēndradēva, and met with his
death in the battle of
Koppam. Hence I suspect that it is Rājādhirāja who is meant
in a Western Chālukya
inscription of A.D. 1071 at Aṇṇīgere in the Dhārwār
district, which states that “the
wicked Chōḷa, who had abandoned the religious
observances of his family, penetrated
into the Beḷvola country and burned the Jaina temples
which Gaṅga-Permāḍi, the lord of the
Gaṅga-maṇḍala, while governing the Beḷvola
province, had built in the Aṇṇīgere-nāḍu,”
and that “the Chōḷa eventually yielded his
head to Sōmēśvara I. in battle, and thus,
losing his life, broke the succession of
his family.” “The record adds that the temples
were subsequently restored by
the Maṇḍalika Lakshmadēva.”
According to Professor Kielhorn's calculation, the date of this inscription (l.
7 f.)
corresponds to Wednesday, the 3rd December A.D. 1046. On this day the villagers
made
over to the temple 2,200 kuḻi of land and received in exchange 100 kāśu
from the temple
treasury.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While the goddess of the earth was beaming under his
fringed
white parasol, which resembled the moon in beauty, (the king) wedded the goddess
of
fortune, wielded the sceptre, and destroyed the dark Kali (age).
(He) bestowed crowns of brilliant jewels, adorned with gold, on his father's
younger
brother, (his) glorious elder brother, his distinguished younger brothers, and his royal sons
who knew the (right) path, (along with the
titles) ‘Vāṉavaṉ of great beauty,’ ‘Valla-
vaṉ,’ ‘Mīṉavaṉ,’ ‘Gaṅgaṉ,’ ‘the king of
the people of Laṅkā,’ ‘Pallavaṉ (who
wears) golden
ankle-rings,’ (and) ‘the protector of the people of Kaṉṉakuchchi (Kanya-
kubja),’ and granted to these (relatives) of great renown the dominions of
those (hostile
kings).
Among the three allied kings of the South (i.e. Pāṇḍyas),——(he) cut
off on a battle-
field the beautiful head of Mānābharaṇaṉ, (which
was adorned with) large jewels (and)
which was inseparable from the golden
crown; seized in a battle Vīra-Kēraḷaṉ whose
ankle-rings were
wide, and was pleased to get him trampled down by his furious
elephant
Attivāraṇa; and drove to the ancient Mullaiyūr
Sundara-Pāṇḍiyaṉ of endless great
fame, who lost in a hot battle the royal white
parasol, the bunches (of hairs) of the white yak,
and the throne, and who ran away,——his
crown dropping down, (his) hair being dishevelled,
and (his) feet getting
tired.
(L. 2.) (He) sent the undaunted king of Vēṇāḍu to the country of heaven and
destroyed
in anger the three (princes) of the famous Irāmaguḍam.
While the strong Villavaṉ (i.e. Chēra) was attacked by pains in the bowels,
fled from
his country and hid himself in the jungle, (the Chōḷa king) destroyed
(his) ships (at) Kānda-
ḷūr-Śālai on the never
decreasing ocean as (easily as he) would have put on a beautiful fresh
flower of the
vañji (tree).
(L. 3.) When even Āhavamallaṉ became afraid; when Gaṇḍappayaṉ and
Gaṅgā-
dharaṉ, (who belonged) to his army, fell along with
(their) elephants (whose temples) swarmed
with bees, (in a battle) with
the irresistible army of Kēvudaṉ; (and) when the (two) war-
riors of great courage——Vikki and Vijayādityaṉ, Śāṅgamayaṉ of
great strength, and
others retreated like cowards,——(the Chōḷa king) seized
(them) along with gold of great splen-
dour and with horses, elephants and
steeds, achieved victory in his garment, and caused the
centre of
Koḷḷippākkai, (a city) of the enemies, to be consumed by fire.
(L. 4.) With a single unequalled army (he) took the crown of Vikramabāhu,
the
king of the people of Laṅkā on the tempestuous ocean; the crown-of large jewels,
(belonging
to) the lord of Laṅkā, Vikrama-Pāṇḍiyaṉ, who, having lost the
whole of the southern
Tamil country which had previously belonged to him, had entered
Īḻam (surrounded by) the
seven oceans; the beautiful golden crown of the king
of Siṁhala, Vīra-Śalāmēgaṉ,
who, believing that Īḻam (surrounded
by) the ocean was superior to the beautiful Kaṉṉa-
kuchchi
(Kanyakubja) which belonged to him, had entered (the island) with his
relatives
and (those of) his countrymen who were willing (to go with him), and
had put on the brilliant
crown; who, having been defeated on the battle-field and having lost
his black elephant, had
fled ignominiously; and who, when (the Chōḷa king)
seized his elder sister along with (his)
daughter and cut off the nose
of (his) mother, had returned in order to remove the disgrace
(caused) thereby,
and, having fought hard with the sword, had perished in a hot battle; and
the extremely
brilliant crown of large jewels, (belonging to) the king of Īḻam,
Śrīvallavaṉ
(Śrīvallabha) Madanarājaṉ, who had come to Kaṉṉaraṉ
(Kr̥shṇa) and taken up (his)
abode (with him).
(L. 5.) Having led for the second time a warlike army into the northern region,
(the
Chōḷa king) defeated in battle Gaṇḍar-Dinakaraṉ, Nāraṇaṉ (Nārāyaṇa), Kaṇavadi
(Gaṇapati), Madiśūdaṉaṉ
(Madhusūdana), (who wore) a garland of flowers (surrounded by)
bees,
and many other kings, and caused to be destroyed the palace of the Śaḷukkiyar in
the city of Kampili, whose gardens diffuse fragrance.
(L. 6.) The tribute paid without remissions by the Villavar (Chēra), Mīṉavar
(Pāṇ-
ḍya), Vēḻakular, Śaḷukkiyar (Chalukya),
Vallavar, Kauśalar (Kōsala), Vaṅgaṇar,
Koṅgaṇar (Koṅkaṇa), Śindurar, Aiyaṇar, Śiṅgaḷar
(Siṁhala), Paṅgaḷar, Andirar
(Andhra) and other kings,
and the riches collected (as) the sixth share (of the produce) of
the earth
(he) had measured out, and gladly gave away, to those (versed in) the four
Vēdas
(i.e. to the Brāhmaṇas). In order to be famed in the whole world, (he)
followed the path of
Manu and performed the horse-sacrifice.
(L. 7.) In the 29th year (of the reign) of (this) king
Rājakēsarivarman, alias the lord
Śrī-Rājādhirājadēva, who was
seated on the royal (throne and who had obtained) very
great fame (under the
name) Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻaṉ,——we, the great assembly of Maṇimaṅga-
lam, alias Rājaśūlāmaṇi-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, in
Māgaṇūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision)
of Śēṅgāṭṭu-kōṭṭam, (a
district) of Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, being assembled,
without a vacancy
in the assembly, in the Brahmasthāna in our village on
the day of
Śravaṇa, which corresponded to a Wednesday and to the second tithi
of the first fortnight of
the month of Dhanus, ordered (as follows).
(L. 8.) Having received on interest one hundred kāśu from the treasury (of the
temple)
of Śrīmad-Dvārāpati, alias
Śrī-Kāmakkōḍi-Viṇṇagar-Āḻvār in this village, (we) gave,
against the
interest accruing from these one hundred kāśu, for (providing) the offerings and
the
expenses of the worship of this god, the following land as temple land, with the
enjoyment
of revenue and taxes, (and) having exempted (it) from
taxes. Three hundred kuḻi of culti-
vated land to the north of (the road
called) Perunalvadi (and) to the east of the channel
above the ‘Bignonia field’
(Pādiri-kaḻaṉi); two hundred kuḻi of cultivated land to the
west of the
channel in the middle of the ‘Bignonia field;’ one hundred and eighty kuḻi
of
cultivated land to the south of the Perunalvadi (road) (and) to the east of
the Maṉaiy-aṟudi
channel at (the hill called) Ālaimēḍu; four hundred
kuḻi of cultivated land to the west of the
channel of the temple garden at the
Ālaimēḍu (hill); two hundred kuḻi of cultivated land
to the east of this
channel; three hundred kuḻi of cultivated land to the west of the channel
on the west
of the tendi tree (Croton tiglium); four hundred kuḻi of cultivated land to
the
east of the road to (the tank called) Śuṇḍilēri;
and two hundred kuḻi, equal to two taḍi, to
the north of the
Pāvaituṟai channel (and) to the east of the two hundred and fifty kuḻi
of
land (of the temple) of Tiruvaiyōttidēvar; altogether we
gave, having engraved (this)
on stone, two thousand and two hundred kuḻi of land (to) the god, with the enjoyment of
revenue and taxes, to last as
long as the moon and the sun, for (providing) the offerings and
the expenses of the
worship, having exempted (it) from taxes.
Above, Vol. II. p. 303, I noticed two inscriptions of the 4th year of the reign
of
Parakēsarivarman, alias Rājēndradēva. One of these is the
subjoined inscription.
It is dated on a week-day (l. 14 f.) which will probably admit of
astronomical calculation
as soon as a second, similarly dated record of the same reign may be
discovered. The text
of the historical introduction has been settled with the
help of two other inscriptions, viz.——
1. Tv. = an inscription of the 4th year in the Bilvanāthēśvara temple at
Tiruvallam
in the North Arcot district (No. 190 of 1894).
2. Tm. = an inscription of the 8th year in the Vaidyanātha temple at
Tirumalavāḍi
in the Trichinopoly district (No. 84 of 1895).
Like the inscriptions of his predecessor Rājādhirāja (p. 55 f. above) and those of
his
successor Vīrarājēndra I. (p. 33 above), this inscription of Rājēndra opens with a
list of rela-
tives on whom the king conferred certain titles (ll. 1 to 6). The
recipients of these honours
were a paternal uncle of the king, four younger brothers of his,
six sons (?) and two grand-
sons (?). The fifth of
the sons——Muḍikoṇḍa-Chōḷa with the title Sundara-Chōḷa
——is perhaps identical with a prince of the same name and title, who is mentioned
in the
inscriptions of Rājēndra's successor, Vīrarājēndra I.
Lines 6 to 12 give a detailed account of the battle of Koppam, which is only
briefly
noticed in the hitherto published inscriptions of Rājēndra. His
enemy Āhavamalla
(-Sōmēśvara I.) is here expressly called Śaḷukki,
i.e. the Chalukya king (ll. 7, 9 and
10). The Chōḷa king invaded
Raṭṭa-maṇḍalam and was met by Āhavamalla at Koppam.
At first the advantage seems
to have been on the side of the Chalukya king. Rājēndra him-
self and his elephant
were wounded by arrows, and the men who had mounted the elephant
along with him were killed.
But fresh troops were advanced and turned the fortune of the
battle. Āhavamalla fled, and
several of his officers fell. Among these the inscription mentions
a younger brother of the
Chalukya king——Jayasiṁha, Pulikēśin,
Daśapaṉmaṉ,
Aśōkaiyaṉ, Āraiyaṉ,
Moṭṭaiyaṉ and Naṉṉi-Nuḷambaṉ, and among those who
took
part in the flight, Vaṉṉiya-Rēvaṉ, Tuttaṉ and Kuṇḍamayaṉ. The
first of these three
chiefs is perhaps identical with the Haihaya
Mahāmaṇḍalēśvara Rēvarasa, who is mentioned
as a vassal of Sōmēśvara
I. in an inscription of A.D. 1054-55. Among the spoil of the
battle were many
elephants, three of which are mentioned by name (l. 11), the banner of the
boar, and two queens
by name Śattiyavvai and Śāṅgappai (l. 12).
Finally, Rājēndra despatched an army to Ceylon, where the Kaliṅga king
Vīra-
Śalāmēgaṉ was decapitated and the two sons of the Ceylon king
Mānābharaṇaṉ were
taken prisoners. Another Vīra-Śalāmēgaṉ, who is stated to
have migrated to Ceylon from
Kanyakubja, had been killed by Rājēndra's predecessor
Rājādhirāja. The same Chōḷa king
had decapitated another Mānābharaṇa,
who was, however, a Pāṇḍya king and not a king of
Ceylon. The
Mahāvaṁsa mentions two princes of the name Māṇābharaṇa, and two others
of the name
Kittisirimēgha. Māṇābharaṇa I. and Kittisirimēgha I. were nephews
and
sons-in-law of the Ceylon king Vijayabāhu I. (chapter lix. verses 42 and 44). His
queen
Tilōkasundari was a princess of Kaliṅga (ibid. verse 29 f.).
Mānābharaṇaṉ and Vīra-Śalā-
mēgaṉ in the subjoined inscription might
correspond to Māṇābharaṇa and Kittisirimēgha in
the Mahāvaṁsa, and the reason why
Vīra-Śalāmēgaṉ is styled a Kaliṅga king in the inscrip-
tion might be the fact
that his mother-in-law was a Kaliṅga princess according to the Mahā-
vaṁsa. On the other hand king Vijayabāhu I. is supposed to have reigned from A.D.
1065
to 1120, and Vikkamabāhu I., in whose time Māṇābharaṇa I. and Kittisirimēgha I.
usurped
the government of Ceylon, from A.D. 1121 to 1142, while Rājēndra and Vīrarājēndra
I.
have to be accommodated between A.D. 1050 and 1070. Consequently,
Mānābharaṇaṉ and
Vīra-Śalāmēgaṉ in the inscription must be distinct from, and prior
to, Māṇābharaṇa I. and
Kittisirimēgha I. in the Mahāvaṁsa. But, as I have
previously stated (p. 39 above), the
conquest of Ceylon by Rājēndra is established by the
existence of an inscription of his in
that island.
The subjoined inscription records that the villagers received an unspecified sum
from
Kāmakkavvaiyaḷ, the mother of the Sēnāpati
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Chōḷa-Brahmādhirāja,
and granted in return a piece of land at
Amaṇpākkam——the modern Ammaṇambākkam——on
the south of Maṇimaṅgalam to the temple. This land was situated “to the south of the
land that has been
formerly granted to this god by a stone inscription.” The reference is to
an inscription of
Rājakēsarivarman (No. 27 above), which registers a grant of land on
the south of
Maṇimaṅgalam and east of Amaṇpākkam.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While the goddess of fortune and the great goddess
of the
earth became his great queens, (the king) raised on high (his) brilliant white
parasol
and uprooted the powerful Kali (age).
(He) bestowed high crowns, resplendent with large jewels, on
Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Śōḻaṉ,
who was the younger brother of his father (and who
was) powerful in defeating (his enemies),
(with the title)
‘Irumaḍi-Śōḻaṉ of exuberant valour;’ among his royal younger brothers
of warlike
strength, on the victorious Mummaḍi-Śōḻaṉ, (with the title)
‘Śōḻa-Pāṇḍiyaṉ
whose valour conquers (enemies) on the battle-field;’ on
Vīra-Śōḻaṉ, the lord of Kōḻi (i.e.
Uṟaiyūr),
who wore ankle-rings, (with the title) ‘Karikāla-Śōḻaṉ
(who is) praised on
earth;’ on Madhurāntakaṉ, whose strong
and broad hand (wielded) the sword in
warfare, (with the title)
‘Śōḻa-Gaṅgaṉ;’ on Parāntakadēvaṉ, whose
valour was
combined with strength of shoulders, (with the title)
Śōḷa-Ayōttiyarājaṉ;’ among
(his) sons,
who regarded with kindness (their enemies ?) in distress, on
Rājēndra-Śōḻaṉ,
(who was) praised on this earth, (with the title)
‘Uttama-Śōḻaṉ;’ on Muḍikoṇḍa-
Śōḻaṉ,
(who wore) a garland of opening buds (as) an ancient (i.e. hereditary)
ornament,
(with the title) ‘the brave Vijayālayaṉ;’ on
Śōḻa-Kēraḷaṉ, (who possessed) very tall
elephants with
spotted foreheads, (with the title) ‘Śōḻa-Kēraḷaṉ (who holds) a long
bow;’
on Kaḍāraṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻaṉ of great valour, (with the
title) ‘Śōḷa-Janakarājaṉ in
whom the eminence of the race
of the Sun rests;’ on Muḍikoṇḍa-Śōḻaṉ, who conquered
the earth (surrounded
by) the roaring ocean (and who was) praised by many, (with the
title)
‘Sundara-Śōḻaṉ;’ on Iraṭṭapāḍikoṇḍa-Śōḻaṉ, (who was) the rock of support to pure
Tamiḻ, (with the title)
‘Śōḻa-Kaṉṉakuchchiyarājaṉ, the lord of the ancient
earth;’
then, among the sons of his sons, on Madhurāntakaṉ, who was (i.e. resembled) the great
sun (and who wore) sounding
ankle-rings, (with the title) ‘Śōḻa-Vallabhaṉ (who
leads) a
victorious army;’ and on the matchless Āṉaichchēvagaṉ, whose hand (held) a strong
bow, (with the title)
‘Nr̥pēndra-Śōḻaṉ.’
(L. 6.) While (the Chōḷa king) was resplendent on earth, the proud and
furious
Śaḷukki (i.e. Chalukya king) Āhavamallaṉ,——having heard
the substance of the report
that the Vaḷavaṉ (i.e. the Chōḷa king),
desirous of war, had started (from his country), had
reached
Iraṭṭa-maṇḍalam, (whose inhabitants are) very brave, and had destroyed
many
rivers (!), districts and towns,——exclaimed: “This (is) a disgrace to me !,” sprang
up,
(his) eyes burning (with rage), went into Koppam, the strength
(of whose position is) hard
to describe, (and) commenced to attack the enemy.
(L. 8.) At that time, when the shower of his (viz. Āhavamalla's) straight arrows
pierced
the forehead of his (i.e. the Chōḷa king's) elephant, his royal thigh, and
(his) shoulders
which resembled hillocks, and when the warriors wearing ankle-rings, who
had mounted the
elephant along with him, fell, (the Chōḷa king) distributed
(on the battle-field) many match-
less warlike regiments (which had)
not (yet been) detached, and transported to heaven
Jayaśiṅgaṉ, (who
was) the younger brother of that strong Śaḷukki, the
warlike
Pulikēśi, and Daśapaṉmaṉ, (who wore) a garland; among
proud princes: the chief
(Maṇḍalin) Aśōkaiyaṉ, Āraiyaṉ, who ruled
(with) great fame which was well deserved,
Moṭṭaiyaṉ, (who wore) a
garland of half-open (buds) full of honey, Naṉṉi-Nuḷambaṉ
of great valour,
and other princes without number.
(L. 10.) The Śaḷukki was defeated,——with Vaṉṉiya-Rēvaṉ, Tuttaṉ, (who
had) a
powerful army, Kuṇḍamayaṉ, whose army spoke (i.e. threatened)
death, and other princes,
——fled, trembling vehemently, with dishevelled hair, turning
(his) back, looking round, and
tiring (his) legs, and was forced to plunge into
the western ocean.
(L. 11.) At that time (the Chōḷa king) captured in battle Śatrubhayaṁkara,
Karabhadra,
Mūlabhadra and many (other) excellent elephants of noble breed, horses
of lofty gait, herds
of camels, the victorious banner of the boar and the other insignia of
royalty, the peerless
Śattiyavvai, Śāṅgappai and all the other queens, a crowd of
women, and other (booty)
which he (viz. Āhavamalla) had abandoned on that
battle-field, and performed the anoint-
ment of victory.
(L. 12.) (The king) despatched a warlike army into the southern region, captured
in
Laṅkā, (surrounded by) the black ocean, Vīra-Śalāmēgaṉ, the
king of the Kaliṅgas,
(who had) a powerful army, with (his) elephants
(which resembled) the ocean, caused to be
cut off (his head which wore) a
brilliant crown, and seized on the battle-field the two sons of
Mānābharaṇaṉ, the
king of the people of Laṅkā.
(L. 13.) On the 8[2]nd day of the fourth year (of the reign) of (this) king
Parakēsari-
varman, alias the lord Śrī-Rājēndradēva,
who (continually) increased very much (his)
very great fame,——we, the great
assembly of Rājaśūḷāmaṇi-chaturvēdimaṅgalam
in Māgaṇūr-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Śēṅgāṭṭu-kōṭṭam, (a district) of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-
Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, being assembled, without a vacancy in
the assembly, in the Brahma-
sthāna-maṇḍapa in our
village on the day of Rōhiṇī, which corresponded to a Thursday
and to the eighth
tithi of the second fortnight of the month of Siṁha in this year, gave
the
following land to (the temple of) Śrīmad-Dvārāpati, alias
Śrī-Kāmakkōḍi-Viṇṇagar-
Āḻvār, in our village.
(L. 15.) Land at Amaṇpākkam, a southern hamlet of our village. The
eastern
boundary (of this land is) to the west of the Maṇṇikkāl (channel); the southern boundary
(is) to the north of the Maṇṇikkāl
(channel); the western boundary (is) to the east of the
Araiśaṅguṭṭam (pond) and of the field named Naṅgāśi; and the
northern boundary (is) to
the south of the bank of the Nakkapputtēri (tank) at
Paḻuvūr and to the south of the
land that has been formerly granted to this god by a
stone inscription.
(L. 18.) Having received funds (svam) from Kāmakkavvaiyaḷ, the mother of
the
Sēnāpati Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-Brahmādhirājar, we, the great assembly,
are bound to
pay the taxes on this land for as long as the moon and the sun exist, and to give
the whole
land enclosed within these four boundaries, the water-courses, the breaches (in
the) bands of
tanks), the trees overground and the wells
underground.
(L. 21.) Having been present in the assembly and having heard the order of Kā-
rāmbiśeṭṭu Nārāyaṇa-Kramavittaṉ,
Chandradēva-[A]ttāḻi-Kramavittaṉ of
Irāyūr, and Sahaṇai
Mādhava-Kramavittaṉ, who had distributed the blocks (karai)
and
inspected the blocks, I, Alaṅkāraṉ Śrīrāmaṉ, the village-accountant of this
village,
wrote (the above). This (is) my writing.
This inscription is dated in the 5th year of the reign of Rājakēsarivarman,
alias
Vīrarājēndradēva (I.), and on a week-day (l. 37) which will probably
admit of astro-
nomical calculation if a second, similarly dated record of the same
reign should be discovered.
It opens with a long and interesting historical passage, the first
portion of which agrees on
the whole with the introduction of the Karuvūr inscription
of the same king (No. 20
above). But the statement that the king conferred certain titles on
some relatives of his
(No. 20, ll. 1 to 3) is omitted here. For the reconstruction of the text
of the fresh portion
of the introduction no materials are available besides the incomplete
introduction of the
Takkōlam inscription and some stray fragments of the
Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Śōḻapuram
inscription.
Vīrarājēndra I. is said to have defeated the Kēraḷas at Ulagai, which
seems to have
been a place on the western coast, and to have tied in his stables the elephants
of the Chā-
lukyas and Pāṇḍyas (l. 16 f.). In a battle on the
bank of an unspecified river he cut
off the heads of a number of chiefs, some of whom are
mentioned by name, but cannot be
identified (l. 17 ff.). As the Gaṅga and
Nuḷamba chiefs figure among them, they were
probably feudatories of the Western
Chālukya king. Vīrarājēndra I. was going to exhibit
the heads of his victims at
Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Śōḻapuram, when his old enemy, the Chalu-
kya
king (Āhavamalla-Sōmēśvara I.), prepared to take revenge for his former defeat
at
Kūḍal (or Kūḍalśaṅgamam) and despatched an autograph letter,
in which he challenged
the Chōḷa king to meet him once more at Kūḍal (l. 20 ff.).
Vīrarājēndra I. proceeded to
Kāndai (or Karandai ?), which seems to have been a
place near Kūḍal, on the appointed
day. Though he waited there for a full month, his enemy
did not put in his appearance,
but took to flight (l. 24 f.). The Chōḷa king occupied and
burnt Raṭṭa-pāḍi and planted
an inscribed pillar of victory on the
Tuṅgabhadrā river (l. 25 f.).
Then follows a passage which states that Vīrarājēndra I. appointed “the liar who came
on
a subsequent day” to be Chalukya king or heir-apparent, and that, in derision,
he
placed round the neck of the candidate a board on which was written that the bearer
had
escaped execution by an elephant and had run away in public (l. 26 ff.). The Maṇimaṅga-
lam inscription does not name the person who was the object of this mockery. But
an
inscription of the 7th year of Vīrarājēndra I. at Tirukkaḻukkuṉṟam (No. 175
of 1894)
says that the king “tied (round the neck) of the Śaḷukki Vikramāditya, who
had
taken refuge at his feet, a necklace (kaṇṭhikā), (which) illumined the eight
directions, and was
pleased to conquer and to bestow (on him) the seven and a half
lakshas) of Raṭṭa-pāḍi.”
Thus it appears that the Chalukya
king or heir-apparent appointed by Vīrarājēndra I. was
Vikramāditya VI., the son
of his enemy Āhavamalla-Sōmēśvara I., and that Vikramāditya's
coronation was not a mere
sham act, as which it is represented in the subjoined inscrip-
tion. As it is now an
established fact that, after the wars between Sōmēśvara I. and
Vīrarājēndra I., the
latter entered into friendly relations with Vikramāditya VI., it cannot
be doubted any more
that the Chōḷa king whose daughter, according to the Vikramāṅka-
dēvacharita, became the wife of Vikramāditya VI., is identical with
Vīrarājēndra I.
The king next undertook an expedition into Vēṅgai-nāḍu, i.e. the country
of
Vēṅgī, which he had already conquered on a former occasion (l. 28). His
army defeated
the enemy “on the great river close to Viśaiyavāḍai,” i.e. at
Bezvāḍa on the Kr̥shṇā,
proceeded to the Gōdāvarī, and
passed Kaliṅga and Chakra-kōṭṭa (l. 29 f.). The
king bestowed the country
of Vēṅgī on Vijayāditya (l. 30 f.). Formerly I identified
this prince with the
Eastern Chalukya viceroy Vijayāditya VII. But Mr. Venkayya aptly
suggests
that he may be the same as Vishṇuvardhana-Vijayāditya, a younger brother
of
Vikramāditya VI., who bore the title ‘lord of the province of Vēṅgī.’
On his return to Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Śōḻapuram the king assumed the
surname
Rājādhirājarāja and exhibited the booty which he had brought from the
country of
Vēṅgī (l. 31 ff.).
In lines 36 ff. the inscription records that 4,450 kuḻi of land near the village
were
granted to the temple by the Sēnāpati
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Chōḷa-Brahmādhirāja, whose
mother had made the grant described in
the preceding inscription of Rājēndra (No. 29).
The land had been purchased from the
villagers by Mañjippayaṉār, alias Jayasiṁha-
kulāntaka-Brahmamārāyar, the father of the Sēnāpati.
[The first 15 lines agree with ll. 1——10 of No. 20 above.]
(Line 16.) When at Ulagai the Kēraḷas were uprooted along
with the infants of
their family, ran away and plunged into the western ocean, (the
Chōḷa king) despatched
(his) elephants for a rare bath (in the ocean).
(He) tied in the stables the Iraṭṭas (i.e.
the Chalukyas) whose elephants
were numberless, along with the elephants of the
Kaṉṉiyas, which (he) had seized. (He) took the tribute which they paid, along
with
female elephants (which had) trappings, and returned.
(L. 17.) Having occupied (an island) surrounded by water, (he) cut off in a
hot
battle, which had been appointed near the river, the great heads of the following
Daṇḍanā-
yakas:——Malliyaṇaṉ of great valour,
Mañjippayaṉ, Piramadēvaṉ (i.e. Brahmadēva),
whose elephants
dripped with rut, Aśōkaiyaṉ, (who wore) a fresh garland,
Śattiyaṇaṉ
of brilliant valour, Pattiyaṇaṉ, (the minister for)
peace and war, Vīmayaṉ, (who wore) a
fragrant, excellent garland (and who
resembled) a rutting elephant, and Vaṅgāraṉ of
great wisdom, (and the
heads) of the Gaṅga (king), (who carried) a dreadful lance, of
the
Nuḷamba (king), of the king of the Kāḍavas, and of the Vaidumba king, the
rut of whose elephants
was diminishing (through fear).
(L. 20.) Before (the Chōḷa king) had nailed up (the heads of these princes
in) the great
city (called after) the great river Gaṅgā, the Śaḷukki, who came from the race of the
Moon, reproached himself, saying:——“It is much better to die than to live in
disgrace,”
became troubled in mind, and declared that the same Kūḍal, where,
previously, (his) sons
and himself turned their backs and were routed, (should be the
next) battle-field.
(L. 21.) In order that all might know (it), (he) wrote as preamble of a letter, which
was
hard to be despatched, the words:——“He who does not come to the appointed
Kūḍal
through fear, shall be no king, (but) a liar (who incurs) great
disgrace in war,” (and) gave
(this letter) along with the order for despatch (?)
to the liars of Iraṭṭa-pāḍi, who
ordered
Gaṅgā[k]ēttaṉ (to deliver it).
(L. 23.) He came, prostrated himself at the two feet (of the Chōḷa king), and
declared
(the contents of) the letter. The mind, the face and the two royal shoulders
(of the king)
became doubly brilliant with surpassing beauty and joy.
(L. 24.) (He) started and entered that battle-field. Not having seen the king of
the
Vallabhas (i.e. the Chalukyas) arrive at Kāndai,
(he) waited one month after the
appointed day. Then the liar ran away
until his legs became sore, and hid himself in the
western ocean, and each of the three:
Dēvanāthaṉ, Śitti and Kēśi, turned their backs.
(L. 25.) (The Chōḷa king) subdued (in) war the seven and a half
lakshas of the famous
Iraṭṭa-pāḍi, and kindled crackling
fires. In order that the four quarters might praise
(him), (he) planted (on) the
bank of the Tuṅgabhadrā a pillar (bearing) a description of
(his)
victory, while the male tiger, (the crest of the race) of the Sun, sported
joyfully.
(L. 26.) (The king) appointed the liar, who came on a subsequent day, as
Vallabha
(i.e. Chalukya king), and tied (round his neck) a beautiful
necklace (kaṇṭhikā). (He) wrote
unmistakably on a board how (the
Chālukya) had escaped the trunk of an elephant (which
had) a cord (round its
neck), and had run away with the knowledge (of all the people) of this
earth. Then, on the auspicious day on which (the latter) attained to the dignity
of
Śaḷukki, (the Chōḷa king) tied on (his) breast (that
board) and a quiver (of arrows) which
was closed (and hence useless).
(L. 28.) Having moved (his camp), he declared:——“(We) shall not return
without
regaining the good country of Vēṅgai, which (we had formerly)
subdued. You, (who are)
strong, come and defend (it) if
(you) are able !” That army which was chosen (for this
expedition) drove into the
jungle that big army, which resisted (its enemies) on the great river
close to
Viśaiyavāḍai (and) which had for its chiefs Jananāthaṉ, the Daṇḍanāyaka
Rājamayaṉ, whose mast elephants
trumpeted in herds, and Mupparaśaṉ.
(L. 29.) His elephants drank the water of the Gōdāvarī. (He) crossed even
Kaliṅ-
gam and, beyond (it), despatched (for) battle
(his) invincible army as far as the further
end of Śakkara-kōṭṭam
(Chakra-kōṭṭa).
(L. 30.) (He) re-conquered the good country of Vēṅgai and bestowed (it)
on Vija-
yādityaṉ, whose broad hand (held) weapons of war,
(and) who had taken refuge at his
lotus-feet.
(L. 31.) Having been pleased to return speedily, (the Chōḷa king) entered
Gaṅgāpurī
with the goddess of victory, who had shown hostility in
the interval, and there made (him-
self) the lord of the
earth, (with the title) Rājādhirājarājaṉ, in accordance with
the
observances of his (family).
(L. 32.) While (all) the kings on earth worshipped (his) feet and praised
(him), (he)
was seated on a throne of bright jewels and exhibited in order the heap of
the great treasures
which (he) had seized in the good country of Vēṅgai.
(He) unlocked the rings and chains
(of prisoners) and altered (his previously
made) vow, according to which they ought to have
lived (in confinement). (He)
wielded a sceptre which ruled (as far as) the limits of (the
mountain) surrounded
by snow (i.e. the Himālaya) and of Sētu (i.e. Rāmēśvaram),
and
illumined the earth.
(L. 34.) In the fifth year (of the reign) of (this) king
Rājakēsarivarman, alias the
lord Śrī-Vīrarājēndradēva, who
illustrated (by his conduct) the laws of Manu, which are
hard to follow, and was seated
on the royal (throne), (which he) had acquired by right of
warlike deeds, while the
matchless banner of heroism, along with the banner of liberality,
was raised on high (as
if) to say:——“Let (all) supplicants come !”
(L. 36.) We, the great assembly of Maṇimaṅgalam, alias
Rājaśūḷāmaṇi-chatur-
vēdimaṅgalam, in Māgaṇūr-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Śēṅgāṭṭu-kōṭṭam, (a district)
of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, having given alms (?) and being assembled, without
a
vacancy in the assembly, in the large maṇḍapa (of) the Brahmasthāna in our village, on the
day of Uttara(-Phalgunī), which corresponded to a
Monday and to the fourteenth tithi of
the second fortnight of the month of Kanyā
in this year, (gave to the temple) the following
land, which we had formerly given on
payment, free of taxes, to Mañjippayaṉār,
alias
Jayasiṁhakulāntaka-Brahmamārāyar, the father of the Sēnāpati
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-
Śōḻa-Brahmādhirājar, the owner of a living
(jīvita) in this village, and which he was
enjoying as his property.
(L. 40.) An areca garden of two hundred and fifty kuḻi, which he had purchased, to
the
east of the large channel which flows from the large sluice of this village, (and)
to the north
of the Bhārata channel, and four thousand and two hundred kuḻi to
the east of the bank of
the large tank, to the north of the channel (which flows from)
the sluice of Paṉaiyandañ-
jēri, to the south of the garden of
Kōrañ[ji Rudra-Kra]mavittaṉ, and to the west of a
large road, excluding other
Dēvadānas,——altogether four thousand four hundred and fifty
kuḻi by the rod
(kōl) of this village were given to (the temple of)
Śrīmad-Dvārāpati,
(alias) Śrī-Kāmakkōḍi-Viṇṇagar-Āḻvār
in this village, for the expenses of the worship,
by the Sēnāpati
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-Brahmādhirājar, the son of that Mañjippayaṉār.
(L. 44.) We, the great assembly, are bound to pay the taxes and to give these four
thousand
four hundred and fifty kuḻi of land to this Āḻvār for as long as the moon and the
sun
exist.
(L. 45.) Having been present in the assembly and having heard the order of Bhava-
nandi-Sahasraṉ of Piṟāndūr, Tiṇḍakūḷa-Mādhava-Kramavittaṉ of
Araṇaip-
puṟam, and Mādhava-Kramavittaṉ of Īvuṇi,
who had distributed the blocks and
inspected the blocks, I, Vaḍugaṉ
Pākkaraṉ (i.e. Bhāskara), the accountant of the
village, wrote (the
above). This (is) my writing.
This inscription belongs to the 48th year of the reign of Rājakēsarivarman,
alias
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva (I.), and opens with the same introduction as
two inscriptions at
Kāñchī, which I have published in Vol. II. (Nos. 77 and 78). It is dated
on a week-day
(l. 8) which, according to Professor Kielhorn's calculation,
corresponds to Friday, the 25th
January A.D. 1118. On this day a private person purchased from
several other persons 1,050
kuḻi of land near the village and granted them to the
temple, with the condition that the
produce of the land might be used for defraying the cost of
processions on new-moon days.
(L. 4.) The writing of us, the great assembly of Maṇimaṅgalam, alias
Pāṇḍiyaṉai-
irumaḍi-veṉ-koṇḍa-Śōḻa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, in
Kuṉṟattūr-nāḍu, (a subdivi-
sion) of
Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu.
(L. 6.) With the knowledge of Kēśuvapaṭṭaṉ (i.e. Kēśava-Bhaṭṭa) of
Aḷḷūr and
Tiruvāykkula-Pittaṉ of Araṇaipuṟam, the managers of
the temple of Vaṇḍuvarā-
pati-Emberumāṉ in our village,——in the [48]th
year (of the king's reign), on the day of
Śatabhishaj, which corresponded to a
Friday and to the second tithi of the first fortnight of
the month of Kumbha.
(L. 8.) In order that (the god) might be carried in procession at new-moon from
this
year forward as long as the moon and the sun exist, Nuḷappiyāṟu-[Kiḻ]āṉ
Vēḷāṉ
[Pē]rāyiram-uḍaiyāṉ, alias Taṇḍaganāḍ-uḍaiyāṉ, of
Nuḷappiyāṟu in Ambattūr-
nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of Rājēndra-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu, purchased from
Dōṇaya-Krama-
vittaṉ of Kuṇḍūr one hundred and twenty-five
kuḻi at the Ālaimēḍu (hill). In the same
place (he)
purchased from the arbitrator (madhyastha) Uṟappōndāṉ and (his)
younger
brothers one hundred and fifteen kuḻi. From Tiruppori-Kramavittaṉ of
Irāyūr (he)
purchased one hundred and twenty-three kuḻi to the east
of the channel above the ‘Bignonia
field.’ In the same place (he)
purchased from Vishṇu Tiruvēṅgaḍa-Kramavittaṉ of
Irāyūr one hundred
and seventeen kuḻi. In the same place (he) purchased from
Aiyakki
Vaṇḍuvarāpati-Pichchar one hundred and ten kuḻi. In the same place
(he) purchased
from Ya[jña]nārāyaṇa-Kramavittaṉ of Irāyūr one
hundred and twenty-seven kuḻi.
In the second Kaṇṇāṟu to the
north of the Ālavadi (road) (he) purchased from
Vīravali
Tiruvaraṅgam-uḍaiyāṉ Sahasraṉ one hundred and twenty kuḻi. In
the third Kaṇṇāṟu
at the same place (he) purchased from
Nandi-Kramavittaṉ of Irāyūr one hundred and
eight kuḻi on the
northern side. In the first Kaṇṇāṟu to the east of the Arivāḷvadi
(road)
(he) purchased from••• Karāmbichcheṭṭu
Nāṇamālai-Kramavittaṉ one
hundred and fifteen kuḻi.
(L. 18.) In order that these one thousand and fifty kuḻi might continue
as long as the
moon and the sun, for providing (the processions) at
new-moon,——having received from him
as purchaser the gold necessary for making (the
land) tax-free, we, the assembly, gave (it)
free of taxes, agreeing that we, the
assembly, shall have to pay the taxes due on this land.
(L. 21.) Having engraved this on stone and copper, we, the great assembly, gave
(it)
free of taxes, to continue as long as the moon and the sun.
(L. 22.) Having been present in the assembly, I, the arbitrator of this village, Maṇi-
maṅgalam-uḍaiyāṉ Vēḷāṉ Pērāṉ, wrote (the above) at the order of
Aiyyakki Vaṇḍu-
varāpati-Pichchar. This (is) my writing.
This inscription is mutilated at the end. It records the purchase of some land near
the
village, the produce of which was assigned to the temple for providing offerings. The
name of
the purchaser and donor was Vīravali Tiruvaraṅgam-uḍaiyāṉ Sahasraṉ,
and the two
temple managers at the time of the purchase were Kēśava-Bhaṭṭaṉ of
Aḷḷūr
and Tiruvāykkula-Pittaṉ of Araṇaippuṟam. As the same
three persons are men-
tioned in the preceding inscription (No. 31), which belongs
to the reign of Kulōttuṅga I.,
it follows that the subjoined inscription, which is dated in
the 48th year of Tribhuvanachakra-
vartin Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva,
has to be assigned also to Kulōttuṅga I.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 48th year (of the reign) of the emperor of the
three
worlds, Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, on the day of Śatabhishaj,
which corresponded to
a Friday and to the twelfth tithi of the first
fortnight of the month of Kumbha.
(L. 2.) The writing of the great assembly of Maṇimaṅgalam, alias
Pāṇḍiyaṉai-
irumaḍi-veṉ-kaṇḍa-Śōḻa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, in
Kuṉṟattūr-nāḍu, (a subdivi-
sion) of
Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu, (a district) of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam.
(L. 3.) With the knowledge of Kēśava-Bhaṭṭaṉ of [Aḷḷū]r and
Tiruvāykkula-
Pittaṉ of Araṇaippuṟam, the managers of the
temple of Puravuvari-Viṇṇagar-
Āḻvār, which is the temple in the
middle of our village.
(L. 4.) Vīravali Tiruvaraṅgam-uḍaiyāṉ Sahasraṉ of this village purchased,
for
providing offerings to this Āḻvār, from Dāmōdara-Kramavittaṉ of
Irāyūr and
Chandradēva-Anna[t]ti-Kramavittaṉ of
Kuṇḍūr, (two residents) of this village,
[2]6[6] kuḻi of cultivated
land in the second Kaṇṇāṟu to the east of the
Maṉai-aṟudi
channel at the Ālaimēḍu (hill)
in this village, enclosed within the following four bound-
aries:——The eastern
boundary of the land (is) to the west of the third Kaṇṇāṟu; the
southern
boundary (is) to the north of a channel which flows towards the east; the
western
boundary (is) to the east of this second Kaṇṇāṟu; (and) the northern
boundary (is) to the
south of the Perunalvadi (road)•••••
This inscription is dated in the 4th year of the reign of Parakēsarivarman,
alias
Vikrama-Chōḷadēva (1. 17), and opens with an introduction which
resembles that of the
Tañjāvūr inscription of this king, but is only partially preserved. It
records that certain
land was purchased from the villagers and granted to the temple. The land
was situated in
Pulvāyppāppāṉ-Kuḷattūr——evidently a portion of the village of
Kuḷattūr which is
referred to in No. 27 above.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year (of the reign) of king
Parakēsarivar-
man, alias the emperor of the three worlds,
Śrī-Vikrama-Śōḻadēva, who, etc.
(L. 18.) The hand-writing, (referring to) a deed of sale (vilaiy-āvaṇam) of
land, of us,
the great assembly of Maṇimaṅgalam, alias
Pāṇḍiyaṉai-irumaḍi-mēṉ-koṇḍa-Śōḻa-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam, in
Kuṉṟattūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-
vaḷanāḍu, (a district) of Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam.
(L. 19.) We have sold the following land to Kēśavaṉ Pērāyiram-uḍaiyāṉ,
alias
Taṇḍaganāḍ-uḍaiyāṉ, the headman of Nuḷappiyāṟu in Ambattūr-nāḍu, (a sub-
division) of Puḻaṟ-kōṭṭam, alias
Rājēndra-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu.
(L. 20.) Land in [Pulvā]yppāppā[ṉ-Kuḷattūr], a hamlet on the west of this
village.
(The northern boundary is) to the south of the pond of
I[ḍaiyaṉkāḍu]; (the southern bound-
ary is) to the north of the
boundary of Māgaṇūr; the eastern boundary (is) to the
west
of Kaḷaruṅ[ga]ḻi; and the western boundary (is) to the east of the pond.
(L. 22.) We, the great assembly, sold (1) the field of one-quarter (vēli), enclosed
within
these four boundaries, (which measures) from old times 1,500——one thousand and
five hundred
(kuḻi), including the large field of Nambi-naṅgai, and (2) half
(a vēli) of land (called)
Naḍuvu-[ti]ruttichchey, to (the temple of)
Vaṇḍuvarāpati-Tiruvāykkulatt-Āḻvār in this
village, in order that (the
god) might receive offerings after having bathed on the day on
which (he) is carried
out for the Tiruvurōśaṇi (festival), (which takes place) every month on
(the
day of) Rōhiṇī, the nakshatra of the birth (of the god) of our village.
(L. 25.) This was written under order by Maṇimaṅgalam-uḍaiyāṉ
Ilakkuvaṇaṉ
(i.e. Lakshmaṇa) Rāmadēvaṉ.
This inscription is dated in the 8th year of the reign of Tribhuvanachakravartin
Kulōt-
tuṅga-Chōḷadēva. It records that the villagers gave to the
temple two pieces of land
near the village, the first of which had been purchased from
Sāhaṇai Mādhava-Bhaṭṭaṉ.
The second piece of land had been purchased in the 13th
year of the reign of Vikrama-
Chōḷadēva.
As it is improbable that a very long time could have passed between the purchase of the
land
in the 13th year of Vikrama-Chōḷadēva and its grant to the temple in the 8th year
of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva, it may be assumed that Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva was the
immediate
successor of Vikrama-Chōḷadēva. According to the Chellūr plates of
Kulōttuṅga II.,
Vikrama-Chōḍa reigned for 15 year (A.D.
1112-1127) and was succeeded by his son
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḍa II.
Hence the former may be identified with Vikrama-Chōḷadēva
who is mentioned in the subjoined
inscription, and the latter with Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva to
whose reign the inscription
belongs.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 8th year (of the reign) of the emperor of
the
three worlds, Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva. The writing of us, the great
assembly of
Maṇimaṅgalam, alias
Pāṇḍiyaṉai-irumaḍi-veṉ-kaṇḍa-Śōḻa-chaturvēdimaṅga-
lam, in
Kuṉṟattūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu,
(a district)
of Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam.
(L. 3.) With the knowledge of the manager of the temple of Vaṇḍuvarāpati-Em-
berumāṉ in our village, and of the overseer of the Śrī-Vaishṇavas, we,
the great assembly,
have given (the following land), free of taxes, to continue as long
as the moon and the sun.
(L. 4.) 210 kuḻi——two hundred and ten kuḻi——in the second Kaṇṇāṟu to the east
of the Maṉaiy-aṟudi channel at the
Ālaimēḍu (hill) in this village——which had
been purchased for gold
as a Tiruviḍaiyāṭṭam to this Emberumāṉ from
[S]āha[ṇ]ai
Mādhava-Bhaṭṭaṉ.
(L. 5.) And a garden of 169+(3/4)+(2/20)+(1/80) kuḻi——one hundred and sixty-nine,
three
quarters, two twentieths and one eightieth kuḻi,——to the east of the large
channel which
flows to the north from the large sluice of this village; to the west of the
Ālavadi (road);
to the north of the Tiruviḍaiyāṭṭam of this
Emberumāṉ in the second Kaṇṇāṟu; to the east
of the large
channel; (and) to the south of the Kaṇṇāṟu,——which had been purchased
for
gold in the 13th year (of the reign) of Śrī-Vikrama-Śōḻadēva as a
Tiruviḍaiyāṭṭam to
this Emberumāṉ from the partners
(Uḷḷiṭṭār) of Vīravali [Uyya]kkoṇḍāṉ Bhaṭṭaṉ.
(L. 9.) Having heard the order, I, the accountant of this village,
Ilakkuvaṇaṉ
Pañchanedi. Āḷumbirāṉ, alias Mahājanapriyaṉ,
wrote (the above). This (is) my
writing.
This inscription is dated in the 8th year of the reign of Parakēsarivarman,
alias
Tribhuvanachakravartin Rājarājadēva (l. 5), and opens with a
panegyrical passage, from
which we learn nothing of any importance but that his queen bore the
name or title
Mukkōkkiḻāṉaḍigaḷ. It records that some land near
the village was purchased from
Sāhaṇai Mādhava-Bhaṭṭaṉ and assigned to the
temple, with the condition that the
produce of the land should be applied for providing
offerings of boiled rice to the god.
At the time of the inscription the overseer of the Śrī-Vaishṇavas was
Araṭṭamukki-
dāsaṉ. As the same officer is referred to in two
inscriptions of the 12th and 28th years of
the reign of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III.
(Nos. 36 and 37 below), it may be assumed either
that Parakēsarivarman, alias
Rājarājadēva, was identical with that Rājarājadēva who suc-
ceeded
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III. or that he was the predecessor of the latter. I am inclined to
adopt
the second alternative, because the present inscription mentions as the person from
whom the
granted land was purchased a certain Sāhaṇai Mādhava-Bhaṭṭaṉ, whose name
occurs
in a similar connection in the inscription of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa II. (No. 34
above).
Hence the king to whose reign the subjoined inscription belongs has to be
styled
Rājarāja II., and the successor of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III. will be
Rājarāja III. The reign
of Rājarāja II. would fall between A.D. 1132, the latest date of
Kulōttuṅga II., and A.D.
1178, the date of the accession of Kulōttuṅga
III.
I have impressions of two other inscriptions of Rājarāja II. which open with the
same
panegyrical introduction. The first of them, in the Śvētāraṇyēśvara temple at
Kaḍappēri
near Madurāntakam in the Chingleput district (No. 132 of 1896), is dated
in the 9th year;
and the second, in the Ēkāmranātha temple at Conjeeveram (No. 9 of
1893), is dated in
the 15th year of the reign, “on the day of Punarvasu, which was a
Thursday and the four-
teenth tithi of the first fortnight of the month of
Tai.”
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While the goddess of prosperity, who carries a
(lotus)
flower, the goddess of the earth, the goddess of victory, the goddess of
learning, who resided
on (his) tongue, and the goddess of fame lovingly embraced
(him), and while all the rules
prescribed in the sacred Vēdas and the elegant Tamiḻ
flourished exceedingly, (the king) put
on the jewelled crown by right of royal
descent.
(L. 2.) The moon of (his) white parasol was glittering as if it were a matchless
hall
in which the eight elephants of the quarters abided; (his) sceptre
drove away, (like) a pros-
titute, the dark Kali (age); and
(his) discus, powerful in battle, accompanied (his sceptre),
extending (his
conquests on) the earth.
(L. 3.) Having won the heart (of the goddess) of the earth for countless ages,
(he) was
pleased to be seated on the throne of heroes, (made) of pure gold, with
(his queen) Mukkō-
kkiḻāṉaḍigaḷ, the mistress of the world,
while the Villavar (Chēras), Teluṅgar, Mīṉavar
(Pāṇḍyas), Śiṅgaḷar,
Pallavar and other kings prostrated themselves (before him).
(L. 5.) In the 8th year (of the reign) of (this) king Parakēsarivarman,
alias the
emperor of the three worlds, Śrī-Rājarājadēva.
(L. 6.) The writing of us, the great assembly of Maṇimaṅgalam, alias
Pāṇḍiya-
ṉai-irumaḍi-mēṉ-koṇḍa-Śōḻa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, in
Kuṉṟattūr-nāḍu, (a subdivi-
sion) of
Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu, (a district) of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam.
(L. 7.) With the knowledge of Vishṇu-Bhaṭṭaṉ of Irāyūr, the manager of
the
temple of Vaṇḍuvarāpati-Emberumāṉ in our village, and of
Araṭṭamukkidāsaṉ,
the overseer of the Śrī-Vaishṇavas.
(L. 9.) In order that (the god) Vaṇḍuvarāpati-Emberumāṉ in our village
might
receive (every day) an offering of four nāḻi of boiled rice before early
dawn, the Maṅgalaṅgiḻāṉ
Vēḷāṉ Malaigiṉiyaniṉṟāṉ of
Ūṟṟukkāḍu, alias Aḻagiya-Śōḻa-nallūr, in
Ūṟṟuk-
kāḍu-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam, (a district) of the same
maṇḍalam,
purchased for money from [S]āgaṇai
Mādhava-Bhaṭṭaṉ of our village (the following)
land.
(L. 11.) Two hundred and five and a half kuḻi of Kākkambirāl
Śrīrāma-Śīriḷaṅgō
in the second Kaṇṇāṟu to the east of
the large channel which flows to the north from the
large sluice of this village, and to the north of the Ālavadi (road), which that
Mādhava-
Bhaṭṭaṉ had purchased from Kākkambilāl
Karuṇākara-Bhaṭṭaṉ of this village; two
hundred and seventeen kuḻi of
Kākkambirāl Śrīrāma-Śīriḷaṅgō in the fourth Kaṇṇāṟu
to the north
of this road; to the east of this, one hundred and nine kuḻi, equal to one taḍi
(and) bearing the same name; and to the north of this, eighty kuḻi,••• in
the
field of Sāhaṇai Bhaṭṭaraiyaṉ, which that Mādhava-Bhaṭṭaṉ had
received as a
present from Tiruvēṅgaḍa-Bhaṭṭaṉ of this village,——altogether, six hundred and
twelve and a half kuḻi according to the land-register.
(L. 15.) Having received the gold required for making this land free of taxes from
that
Maṅgalaṅgiḻāṉ Vēḷāṉ Malaigiṉiyaniṉṟāṉ, we, the great assembly, gave
it free of
taxes, for as long as the moon and the sun exist.
(L. 16.) The designation which he desires for this land shall be engraved on stone
and on
copper, and the better half of the leavings of these offerings shall be given to travellers
who
are Śrī-Vaishṇavas (and) have not (received it) before.
(L. 17.) Having been present in the assembly, which met without a vacancy in the
temple
court in the middle of this village, and having heard the order of Purushōttama-
Bhaṭṭaṉ of Araṇaippuṟam, I, Maṇimaṅgalam-uḍaiyāṉ
[Ā]na[nda]bō[dha]ṉ
Vēḷāṉ Śrīrāmadēvaṉ, wrote (the above). This
(is) my writing.
(L. 18.) To this (witness) I, the carpenter Vaḍuganādaṉ
Tiruvāykkulamāṉ
Toṇḍaināṭṭ-āchāryaṉ, who possesses the better half of the land
of the carpenters (tach-
cha-kāṇi) in the village. This (is) my
writing.
(L. 19.) This charity (is placed under) the protection of the Śrī-Vaishṇavas. Hari !
This inscription is dated in the 12th year of the reign of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva
III. on a week-day which, according to
Professor Kielhorn's calculation, corresponds to
Monday, the 4th December A.D.
1189. It records that a military officer purchased 600
kuḻi of land near the village
and assigned them to the temple, with the condition that
the produce of the land should be
applied for providing offerings of boiled rice to the god.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 12th year (of the reign) of the emperor of the
three
worlds, Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who was pleased to take Madurai,
Īḻam, and the
crowned head of the Pāṇḍya,——on the day of Chitrā,
which corresponded to a Monday and
to the ninth tithi of the second fortnight of the
month of Dhanus.
(L. 2.) The writing of us, the great assembly of Maṇimaṅgalam, alias
Pāṇḍiyaṉai-
irumaḍi-veṉ-kaṇḍa-Śōḻa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, in
Kuṉṟattūr-nāḍu, (a sub-
division) of
Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu, (a district) of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍa-
lam.
(L. 4.) With the knowledge of Kārāmbichcheṭṭu Kēśava-Bhaṭṭaṉ, the
manager
of the temple of Vaṇḍuvarāpati-Emberumāṉ in our village, and of
Araṭṭamukki-
dāsaṉ, the overseer of the Śrī-Vaishṇavas.
(L. 5.) In order that (the god) Tiruvāykkulattu Emberumāṉ of this temple
might
receive (every day) an offering of four nāḻi of boiled rice,
Kaṇṇappaṉ Tūśi-Ādi-
nāyagaṉ [Nī]la[ga]ṅgaraiyaṉ
Vaṉṉiyanāyaṉ, alias Uttamanidi-Kaṇṇappaṉ, of
Tiruchchuram
in Kīḻ-Māṅgāṭṭu-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of the same district and
the
same maṇḍalam, purchased for money from the arbitrator
Maṇimaṅgalam-uḍaiyāṉ
Vāṉavāriśaṉ, Mahājanapriyaṉ and
Maṇimaṅgalam-uḍaiyāṉ Śrīrāmadēvaṉ 600
kuḻi of land, (called)
Uṟappōndāṉ, alias Alaṅkārapaṭṭi, to the east of the
Maṉaiy-aṟudi
channel at the Ā[laimēḍu] (hill) in this
village, to the south of the first Kaṇṇāṟu, to the
north-east of
the Kaṇṇikkāl (channel), to the north-west of the Tiruviḍaiyāṭṭam of this
Āḻvār, (and) to the south of the large channel.
(L. 9.) Having received the gold required from that Vaṉṉiyanāyaṉ, alias
Uttama-
nidi-Kaṇṇappar, we, the great assembly, gave these six hundred
kuḻi, free of taxes, to
continue as long as the moon and the sun.
(L. 10.) Having been present in the assembly and having heard the order
of
Dōṇaiya-Bhaṭṭaṉ of Araṇaippuṟam, I, the accountant of this village,
Āḍavallāṉ
Śivavākyadēvaṉ, alias Uttamapriyaṉ, wrote (the
above). This (is) my writing.
This inscription is dated in the 28th year of the reign of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva
III. and records that the same military officer who is
mentioned in the preceding inscription
(or a relation of his) deposited with the temple
authorities a sum of money, from the interest
of which four lamps had to be supplied with
fuel.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 28th year (of the reign) of the emperor of
the
three worlds, Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who was pleased to take Madurai and
the
crowned head of the Pāṇḍya,——we two, Araṭṭamikkidāsaṉ, the overseer of the Śrī-
Vaishṇavas in (the temple of)
Vaṇḍuvarāpati at Maṇimaṅgalam in Kuṉṟattūr-nāḍu,
(a
subdivision) of Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, and Śrīdhara-Bhaṭṭaṉ,
who holds
the feet of the god of the central shrine, received from
Kaṇṇappaṉ Pañchanedi
Nīlagaṅgaraiyar of Tiruchchuram seven and seven
twentieths old kāśu, to bear
interest from the month of Kārttigai of this
year.
(L. 10.) In return for (this sum), we, the authorities of the temple, agreed to burn,
as
long as the moon and the sun exist, four lamps, (viz.) two twilight lamps in
the
Vaṇḍuvarāpati (temple), one twilight lamp in the central shrine, and one
twilight lamp
which (the two temples of) Tiruvaiyōtti and
Tiruvāyappāḍi have to burn in the
Vanduvarāpati
(temple).
This inscription is dated in the 13th year of the reign of Rājarājadēva (III. ?).
It
registers several payments of money into the temple treasury for feeding lamps in
the
temple.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the thirteenth year (of the reign) of
Rājarājadēva,——under
the supervision of both Aruḷāḷa-Bhaṭṭaṉ of
Irāyūr, the manager of the temple of
Vaṇḍuvarāpati-Emberumāṉ at
Maṇimaṅgalam, alias Pāṇḍiyaṉai-irumaḍi-
veṉ-koṇḍa-Śōḻa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, in Kuṉṟattūr-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of
Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu, (a district) of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, and of
Vaṇḍuvarāpati••• , the overseer
of the Śrī-Vaishṇavas in this temple,——(the
following sums) were paid on
interest into the treasury of the temple of Vaṇḍuvarāpati-
Emberumāṉ,
as a fund for burning lamps at evening dawn before this Emberumāṉ:——one
kāśu
by Aruḷāḷa-Bhaṭṭaṉ of Irāyūr; one kāśu by Mattu[va]li
Śīriḷaṅgō-Bhaṭṭaṉ;
one kāśu by Emberumāṉ-Aḍiyāḷ
[Vi]ḷaṅgavand[ā]r of Miñjūr; and one and a half
kāśu, for burning a
lamp at evening dawn, by Kaṇṇandai Kuppaṉ of Poruṅguṉṟam.
The subjoined inscription belongs to the 18th year of the reign of
Tribhuvanachakravartin
Rājarājadēva. This king is probably identical with
Rājarāja III., who is known to
have ascended the throne about A.D. 1216 and seems to
have been the immediate successor
of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III. In
this case the week-day on which the inscription is dated
will admit of astronomical
calculation. The inscription records that a flight of stone steps
leading to a maṇḍapa
was built at the expense of two brothers.
Hail ! Prosperity ! With the approval of the god,——in the 18th year (of the
reign)
of the emperor of the three worlds, Śrī-Rājarājadēva, on the day of
Dhanishṭhā, which
corresponded to a Wednesday and to the fifth tithi of the
first fortnight of the month of
Dhanus,——Brahmapriyaṉ, the eldest son of
Maṇimaṅgalam-uḍaiyāṉ Pañchanedi
Lakshmaṇaṉ Malaigiṉiyaniṉṟāṉ, and his younger brother Āhavamalladēvaṉ paid
the gold required for,
and caused to be made the stone work of, a flight of steps, with tiger's
heads at the bottom,
for the Abhishēka-maṇḍapa in the temple of Vaṇḍuvarāpati-Emberu-
māṉ at Maṇimaṅgalam, alias
Grāmaśikhāmaṇi-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, in Kuṉ-
ṟattūr-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Puliyūr-kōṭṭam, alias
Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu,
(a district) of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam. (It is) their charitable gift.
This inscription consists of a single Sanskrit verse in the Indravajrā metre and of
a
passage in Tamil prose. It is dated on a week-day (l. 3) which will probably admit of
calcu-
lation, in the 18th year of the reign of Tribhuvanachakravartin
Rājarājadēva, and records
the gift of two lamps to the image of Vishṇu,
and to an image of Narasiṁha which was
set up in the same temple.
Hail ! Prosperity ! (Verse 1.) Śrīkr̥shṇa-Sūri, a treasury of the scriptures
(Āgama),
the full-moon of the ocean (which is) the Vādhūla-gōtra, gave
a pair of lamps to the highest
primal being (Vishṇu) who resides at
Ratnāgrahāra.
(Line 2.) In the 18th year (of the reign) of the emperor of the three worlds, the
glorious
Rājarājadēva, on the day of Śravaṇa, which corresponded to a
Monday and to the first
tithi of the first fortnight of the month of Makara,——we
two, Śrīrāma-Bhaṭṭaṉ, who per-
forms the worship in the temple of
Maṉṉaṉār (Vishṇu) at Maṇimaṅgalam, alias Grāma-
śikhāmaṇi-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, and his younger brother Vīṟṟirundāṉ
Bhaṭṭaṉ,
received two kaḻañju of pure gold from
Śrīkr̥shṇa-Bhaṭṭa••• of Kuṇḍūr,
(a resident)
of this village.
(L. 6.) We two have caused to be engraved on stone that, (in return) for these
two
kaḻañju of pure gold, we shall have to burn, as long as the moon and the sun
exist, one
sacred lamp in the morning before the god Maṉṉaṉār, and one sacred lamp
in the evening
before the god Śiṅga-Perumāḷ who is pleased to reside in the same
temple.
Like No. 40, this inscription is dated on a week-day which will probably admit of calcu-
lation, in the 18th year of the reign of Tribhuvanachakravartin
Rājarājadēva. It records
that the same two brothers, who are mentioned in No. 39
above, paid to the authorities of
the Dharmēśvara temple two kaḻañju of
gold, from the interest of which the cost of
feeding two lamps had to be defrayed.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! With the approval of the god,——in the 18th year (of
the
reign) of the emperor of the three worlds, Śrī-Rājarājadēva, on the day
of Rēvatī, which
corresponded to a Tuesday and to the second tithi of the
second fortnight of the month of
Siṁha,——we, all the holders of the land
(kāṇi) of the Śiva-Brāhmaṇas of the temple of the
lord
Taṉmīśvara at Maṇimaṅgalam, alias
Grāmaśikhāmaṇi-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,
in Kuṉṟattūr-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of Puliyūr-kōṭṭam, alias Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-
vaḷanāḍu, (a district) of Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam,
(viz.) Gautamaṉ Ambalak-
kūtta-Bhaṭṭaṉ, Kāśyapaṉ
Gaṅgādhara-Bhaṭṭaṉ, and the partners of
Kāśyapaṉ
Tiruchchiṟṟambala-Bhaṭṭaṉ, received on interest from
Brahmapriyaṉ, the eldest
son of Pañchanadi Lakshmaṇaṉ
Malaigiṉiyaniṉṟāṉ, the accountant of this village,
and his younger brother
Āhavamalladēvaṉ 2 kaḻañju of pure gold (under the condition)
that
we should burn at early dawn from this day two sacred lamps which (those two
persons)
had given (to the temple).
(L. 8.) We, all these persons, caused to be engraved on stone that, having received
these
two kaḻañju of gold, we shall be bound to burn (those two lamps) as long as the
moon
and the sun exist.
(L. 9.) This was written under order by Maṇimaṅgalam-uḍaiyāṉ Āḷumbirāṉ.
Tiruvallam, which I visited in 1889-90, is a village on the western
bank of the
Nīvā river, a tributary of the Pālāṟu. Of the
subjoined inscriptions, the first (No. 42)
is found on a boulder in the bed of the Nīvā
river, and the remainder at the Śiva temple of
Bilvanāthēśvara. Two of the
inscriptions (Nos. 42 and 43) belong to the reign of the
Gaṅga-Pallava king
Vijaya-Nandivikramavarman. His vassal was the Bāṇa
king
Vikramāditya I. (No. 43), whose queen Kundavvai was the
daughter of the
Western Gaṅga king Pr̥thivīpati I. (Nos. 47 and 48). An
unnamed Bāṇa king is
mentioned in one of the two inscriptions of
Vijaya-Nandivikramavarman (No. 42) and in
two other inscriptions (Nos. 44 and 45), the first of
which is dated in the Śaka year 810.
The remaining inscriptions belong to the reigns
of the Chōḷa kings Rājarāja I. (Nos.
49 to 52),
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. (Nos. 53 and 54), Rājēndra (No. 55),
Rājamahēndra
(No. 56), A[dhi]rājēndra (No. 57),
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa I. (Nos. 58 and 59), Kulōt-
tuṅga-Chōḷa
III. (Nos. 60 to 62), Vijaya-Gaṇḍagōpāla (No. 63), and Vīra-
Champa. Vīra-Chōḷa, the son of Kulōttuṅga I., is
incidentally referred to in No. 59.
Several Western Gaṅga chiefs are mentioned as
vassals of Chōḷa kings, viz. Śaṁkara-
dēva, the son of
Tiruvaiyaṉ, in an inscription of Rājarāja I. (No. 51); his son Sōma-
nātha in one of Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. (No. 53); Nīlagaṅga in one of
Kulōttuṅga I. (No. 59);
and Amarābharaṇa-Śīyagaṅga in one of Kulōttuṅga III.
(No. 62). One of these
chiefs, Śaṁkaradēva, seems to have been connected with the
Vaidumba family (No. 53),
a member of which was a vassal of Rājarāja I. (No. 52).
Three of the latest inscriptions
(Nos. 60, 61 and 63) furnish the names of three chiefs of the
Śeṅgēṇi family.
Tiruvallam (Nos. 46, 51, 52, 55, 56, 58 to 60) appears to have been the capital
of
the Bāṇa dynasty, as one of its names was Vāṇapuram (Nos. 42, 51, 53), and as
it
belonged to the district of Perumbāṇappāḍi, i.e. ‘the great Bāṇa
country.’ A hamlet
in its neighbourhood was called Vāṇasamudram.
Another survival from the time of the
Bāṇas is the name of the village of Bāṇvaram
near the Sholinghur Railway Station. In
some of the inscriptions Tiruvallam
bears the name Tīkkāli-Vallam (Nos. 43 to 45, 47 to
49, 54 and 61). It belonged to
the province of Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Chōḷa-maṇḍalam (Nos.
53 to 56, 58 and 59) and the
district of Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam (Nos. 43, 44, 49, 51 to 54) or, as
it is once called,
Tyāgābharaṇa-vaḷanāḍu (No. 55). According to the earlier inscriptions
it was
situated in the subdivision Mīyāṟu-nāḍu (Nos. 43 to 45, 49 and 54)
or Mīyaṟai-
nāḍu (No. 52), and according to others in
Karaivaḻi, a subdivision of Perumbāṇap-
pāḍi (Nos. 53, 55, 56, 58 and 59). Other
subdivisions of Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam were Kārai-
nāḍu (Nos. 44 and 50),
Paṅgaḷa-nāḍu, Perun-Timiri-nāḍu, Mēl-Aḍaiyāṟu-
nāḍu and Karaivaḻi-Āndi-nāḍu.
The inscriptions call the Bilvanāthēśvara temple ‘the god of Tīkkāli (Nos. 45 to
47),
Tiruttīkkāli (Nos. 44, 48 to 51), Tirutīkkāli (Nos. 51 and 52) or
Tiruvallam (Nos.
53 to 57, 60 to 62).’ Once it is designated ‘the
dancing god’ (No. 50) and once ‘the
southern temple’ (No. 46), perhaps to distinguish it from
‘the temple with the tower in
the north,’ which is mentioned in No. 42, but has now ceased to
exist. It contained
shrines of Kalyāṇasundara and Karumāṇikka, and of
their goddesses (No. 57).
The only two inscriptions at Tiruvallam which were engraved before the time of Rāja-
rāja I. are the rock inscription (No. 42) and an inscription on a stone which is built
into the
floor of the temple (No. 46), while the remaining pre-Chōḷa ones (Nos. 43,
44, 45, 47 and
48) are copies, made when the central shrine and the maṇḍapa were
pulled down and
rebuilt. The rebuilding of the temple must have taken place
before the 7th year of the
reign of Rājarāja I. For, in that year the temple was
visited by Gaṇḍarāditya, the son
of Madhurāntaka, who “caused one
thousand jars of water to be poured over the god”
(No. 49). This statement suggests that he
performed the ceremony of Kumbhābhishēka,
which has to be gone through when a temple
is consecrated or re-consecrated. In the same
year of Rājarāja I. an image of the goddess was
set up by a Brāhmaṇa (No. 50). Before
the 4th year of Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. an
officer of his built the shrine of Rājarājēśvara
(No. 54), which is now called
Nakulēśvara. Two other inscriptions (Nos. 51 and 53) refer
to the temple of
Tiruvaiya-Īśvara, which had been built by a Western Gaṅga chief on
the
south of the Bilvanāthēśvara temple, but which cannot be traced at present.
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 inscrip-
tions of Vijaya-Narasiṁhavarman as the upper limit and the two Āmbūr inscriptions
of
Vijaya-Nr̥patuṅga-Vikramavarman as the lower one. As in other archaic
Tamil
inscriptions, 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. The letter
ṉ has generally its archaic form, but in two cases 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, he is probably identical with Nandivarman,
the
father of Vijaya-Nr̥patuṅgavarman 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 Mahāvalivāṇa-
rāya (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,’ and in the Udayēndiram plates of the Bāṇa
king
Vikramāditya II. as ‘the land to the west of the Āndhra road.’ 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. As I have
stated before, 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.
(Line 1.) Ōm. Obeisance to Śiva ! Hail ! Prosperity !
(L. 2.) 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, 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, caused to be renewed
the
Vaḍa-[śi]gara-kōyil at Vāṇapuram and gave to it the
paṭṭi (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. He
who destroys this (charity), shall incur the sin of one who kills the
great men who are
permanent (members) of the assembly.
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.
(L. 15.) “Land has been granted by many kings, commencing with Sagara. Whos-
ever
(is) the earth at any time, his (is) then the reward (of gifts of land).”
This inscription and No. 44 are written continuously, the first two words of No.
44
occupying the end of line 46 of No. 43. The two first lines of No. 43 state that
both
inscriptions are copies of earlier stone inscriptions, and that these copies were made
when
the maṇḍapa of the temple was pulled down and rebuilt. Consequently the alphabet
of
Nos. 43 and 44 exhibits more recent forms than No. 42, though the date of No. 43
is
anterior to No. 42.
One of the three villages granted was Aimbūṇi (l. 6), apparently the modern
Am-
muṇḍi near Tiruvallam. The three villages were
clubbed together into one village, which
received the new name
Viḍēlviḍugu-Vikkiramāditta-chaturvēdimaṅgalam (l. 9 ff.
and 1. 20 ff.). The
executor of the grant was Kāḍupaṭṭi-Tamiḻa-Pērarayaṉ (l. 15).
The same title
was borne by the executor of the Bāhūr plates of Vijaya-Nr̥patuṅga-
varman. In the transcript of these plates, which is in my hands,
he is called
kkakāṭupaṭṭittamiḻappērarayaṉ
Kāḍupaṭṭi-Tamiḻa-Pērarayaṉ. This title and the surname of the village granted
by the
present inscription suggest that Viḍēlviḍugu, i.e.
‘the crashing thunderbolt,’ may have
been a surname of Vijaya-Nandivikramavarman and of his son
Vijaya-Nr̥patuṅgavarman.
Of great interest is the mention of persons who had to sing the Tiruppadiyam, i.e.
the
Dēvāram, in the temple (l. 32 f.). Hitherto the earliest known mention of the
Dēvāram was
in an inscription of Rājarāja I. The subjoined
inscription proves that it was considered a
holy book already in the 9th century A.D.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! (The following is) a copy of a stone inscription which
existed
before the maṇḍapa of the temple had been pulled down and re-erected.
(L. 3.) In the 17th year (of the reign) of king Vijaya-Nandivikramavarman.
(L. 4.) Māvalivāṇarāya, alias Vikkiramādittavāṇarāya, (had
made) the request
that to (the temple of) Paramēśvara (Śiva) at
Tīkkāli-Vallam in Mīyāṟu-nāḍu, (a sub-
division) of
Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam, (should be given three villages) in the same nāḍu,
(viz.) Aim-
[bū]ṇi, Viḷattūr and Amaruṉṟimaṅgalam, a
dēvadāna of this god, (and that they should
be clubbed together into) one
village, named Viḍēlviḍugu-Vikkiramāditta-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam.
(L. 14.) In conformity with (this request), and
Kāḍupaṭṭi-Tamiḻa-Pēra[ra]yaṉ
being the executor, (the three
villages) were made into one village.
(L. 16.) The members of the assembly of this Viḍēlviḍugu-Vikkiramāditta-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam shall have to pay two thousand kāḍi of paddy and
twenty kaḻañju
of gold, which were being paid before by this
Amaruṉṟimaṅgalam to this (temple of)
Paramēśvara at
Tīkkāli-Vallam.
(L. 23.) Of this paddy, six hundred kāḍi of paddy (are allotted) for offerings;
five
hundred kāḍi of paddy to the Śiva-Brāhmaṇas who desire to be fed,
beginning with those in
charge of the store-room of the temple; five hundred
kāḍi of paddy to those who beat (drums
before) oblations; four hundred
kāḍi of paddy to those who pick (flowers for) temple garlands,
and to those who
perform various (other) services, including the singers of the Tiruppadiyam;
and
twenty kaḻañju of gold for the perpetual lamps, for anointing the idol, for bark, and for
repairing breaks and cracks, etc.
(L. 40.) (The members of the assembly) shall have to pay this paddy and this gold to
this
god as long as the moon and the sun exist.
(L. 43.) In this manner we have given (the village) for (providing) the necessaries.
(L. 45.) This charity (is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras.
As stated in the introductory remarks to No. 43, the subjoined inscription was copied
from
an earlier stone inscription when the maṇḍapa of the temple was pulled down
and
re-erected. It is dated in the Śaka year 810 (in words, l. 4 f.) and in the time
of a Bāṇa
chief who is not mentioned by name, but only by his title
Mahāvalivāṇarāja (l. 3 f.).
The inscription records that a Brāhmaṇa of Eṭṭukkūr near
Kāvirippākkam
(ll. 10 to 12) paid 25 kaḻañju of gold to the villagers of
Vaṉṉipēḍu (ll. 5 and 19), who, in
return, pledged themselves to supply oil to a
lamp in the temple. Kāvirippākkam is the
modern Kāvēripākkam,
and Vaṉṉipēḍu is the modern Vaṉṉivēḍu, about a mile south
of
Wālājāpēṭ. At the time of the inscription Vaṉṉipēḍu belonged to Kārai-nāḍu, a
sub-
division of the district of Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam (l. 5). Kārai-nāḍu
owes its name to
Kārai, a village on the north of Rāṇipēṭ.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! (During the reign of) Mahāvalivāṇarāja,——[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,——in the
Śaka year eight hun-
dred and ten,——we, the assembly of
Vaṉṉipēḍu, alias Raṇavikrama-chaturvēdimaṅ-
galam,
in Kārai-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam, received
twenty-five
kaḻañju of gold, weighed by the balance (used in the case) of
charitable edicts, from Mā-
dhava-Kramavittaṉ of
Eṭṭukkūr, a hamlet on the north-east of Kāvirippākkam,
alias
A[va]ninārāyaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, in the same kōṭṭam, in order to
supply
(one) uḻakku (and one) āḻākku of oil per day for burning one sacred
perpetual lamp, as long
as the moon and the sun exist, before (the god)
Tiruttīkkāli-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ of
Tīkkāli-Vallam in
Mīyāṟu-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of the same kōṭṭam.
(L. 13.) We, the assembly, shall have to continue this charity without fail, so as to
burn
(the lamp) as long as the moon and the sun exist.
(L. 15.) If (they) fail in this charity, all the Māhēśvaras shall be liable to
pay into
court a fine of five kaḻañju of gold per
day.
(L. 17.) Though paying this fine, we, the assembly of Vaṉṉipēḍu, alias
Raṇa-
vikrama-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, shall have to continue this sacred
perpetual lamp with-
out fail.
(L. 20.) Those who obstruct this (charity), shall incur (all) the sins committed
between
the Gaṅgā and Kumari.
(L. 22.) This (charity is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras.
Like the preceding inscription, this one is dated in the time of some Mahāvalivāṇa-
rāya. As the alphabet looks decidedly more modern than that of Nos. 42 and 46
and
resembles that of Nos. 47 and 48, it must be assumed that, like the two
last-mentioned
inscriptions, this one is a copy, which was prepared when the central shrine was
pulled down
and rebuilt.
The inscription records that an inhabitant of Poṉpaḍukuṭṭam near
Kachchippēḍu,
i.e. Kāñchīpuram, purchased some
land from the inhabitants of Tiruvallam. The
produce of the land had to be used for
providing offerings and for feeding a lamp in the
temple.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While the glorious Mahāvalivāṇarāya,——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
earth, we,
the assembly of Tīkkāli-Vallam in Mīyāṟu-nāḍu, received
from Śōḻiyavaraiyaṉ,
alias Mānābharaṇaṉ, of
Poṉpaḍukuṭṭam, a tax-paying village (near) Kachchip-
pēḍu, twenty kaḻañju of gold, in order to supply without fail, as long
as the moon and the
sun exist, two nāḻi of pounded rice and (one)
āḻākku of fresh ghee for fixed daily offerings
which he had granted to (the
god) Tīkkāli-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ, and twenty kaḻañju) of
gold in order to
supply (one) uḻakku (and one) āḻākku of oil per day for burning a
perpetual
lamp before the same god. Having received altogether forty kaḻañju of gold,
we, the
assembly, shall have to continue the offerings and the perpetual lamp as long as the
moon
and the sun exist.
(L. 3.) Those who say that this charity is not (existing), shall incur (all) sins
committed
between the Gaṅgā and Kumari. This charity (is placed
under) the protection of all
Māhēśvaras. The feet of those who protect this
charity (shall be) on my head.
(L. 4.) We, the assembly, gave 500 kuḻi of land (called) Vāgaikkuṇḍil and 800
kuḻi
(called) Puṟavaḍukollai in the environs of the village,
which (he) had granted, free of taxes,
for (supplying) these daily offerings and
for (maintaining) the perpetual lamp.
(L. 5.) We, the assembly, gave 2 nilam and 400 kuḻi of land
(called) Ku[ra]ṅgāḍi,
which (he) had granted for the worshipping
Śiva-Brāhmaṇa.
The alphabet of this inscription is Tamil and Grantha of an archaic type and resembles
that
of the rock inscription No. 42. It records a gift of gold for maintaining a lamp by the
queen
of Vāṇavidyādhara-Vāṇarāya. As will be shown below (p. 99), this king may
be
identified with Vikramāditya I., the sixth of the Bāṇa chiefs whose names are
given
in the Udayēndiram plates. Nos. 47 and 48, which
record grants by a queen of the same
king, as well as Nos. 43 and 44, are copies of lost
originals and hence exhibit comparatively
modern characters. The archaic
alphabet of the subjoined inscription and the fact that it is
engraved on a single stone, which
does not form part of the temple itself, prove that it is an
original record of the time of
Vāṇavidyādhara. Evidently it owes its preservation to the
accident that, when the central
shrine and the maṇḍapa were rebuilt, the stone which bears
it was utilised for the new
pavement of the temple.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! The great queen of
Vāṇavidyādhara-Vāṇarāya,——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,——gave to the members
of the assembly of Tiruvallam twenty
kaḻañju of pure gold for (maintaining) a perpetual
lamp before
Tīkkāli-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ, (the god of) the southern temple
(Teṉṟaḷi).
(L. 5.) (As) interest on this, we, the assembly, shall have to supply (one) uri of
ghee per
day. Whenever (we) fail (to supply) this ghee, we shall have to pay a
fine of five kaḻañju of
gold. Though fined thus, we, the assembly, shall
(continue) to supply the ghee without fail.
This inscription and No. 48 are written continuously, the first few words of No.
48
occupying the end of line 4 of No. 47. At the beginning of No. 47 it is stated that
both
inscriptions are copies of earlier stone inscriptions, and that these copies were made
when
the central shrine of the temple was pulled down. This is the reason why the alphabets
of
Nos. 47 and 48 are more developed than that of No. 46, though No. 46 records a grant by
a
queen of the same king as Nos. 47 and 48. In No. 47 she bears the title Vāṇamahā-
dēvī, i.e. ‘the great queen of the Bāṇa (king).’ As the queen
mentioned in No. 46,
she is stated to have been the consort of the Bāṇa king
Vāṇavidyādhara. She was the
daughter of Pratipati-Araiyar, the son of
Śivamahārāja-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ, who
had the surnames Śrīnātha and
Kokuṉi. This word is a variant or a corruption of
Koṅguṇi, the title of the Western Gaṅga kings,
and the name Pratipati is a corruption
or, more probably, a misreading of the copyist for
Pr̥thvīpati. Hence I would identify
Pratipati, the son of Śivamahārāja, with the
Western Gaṅga king Pr̥thivīpati I., who was
the son of Śivamāra and the contemporary of the Rāshṭrakūṭa king
Amōghavarsha
I. and of the Gaṅga-Pallava king
Vijaya-Nr̥patuṅgavikramavarman. The name
of the residence of
Śivamahārāja was Kuṇilapura according to No. 47, and Nipuṇilapura
according to No. 48.
Both forms of the word are clearly misreadings of the engraver for
Kuvaḷālapura, the
modern Kōlār, which was the traditional capital of the Gaṅga
family.
The Udayēndiram plates of Vikramāditya II. mention a Bāṇa chief named
Bāṇa-
vidyādhara. This person must be distinct from the
Vāṇavidyādhara of the subjoined
inscription, because he stood two generations before
Vikramāditya I., the contemporary of
Vijaya-Nandivikramavarman and
consequently of Amōghavarsha I., while Vāṇavidyādhara
was the son-in-law
of Pr̥thivīpati I., another contemporary of Amōghavarsha I. An inscription
at
Gūlgānpode opens with a Sanskrit verse which attributes to the Bāṇa king
Vikramā-
ditya-Jayamēru the surname of Bāṇavidyādhara. Dr. Fleet proposes to identify
this Vikramāditya with the
Vikramāditya I. of the Udayēndiram plates and with the
Vāṇavidyādhara of the
subjoined inscription. This identification would suit the fact that
Vāṇavidyādhara's queen
was the daughter of Pr̥thivīpati I.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! (The following is) a copy of a stone inscription
which
existed before the sacred vimāna (i.e. the central shrine) had been pulled
down.
Vāṇamahādēvī,——the daughter of Pratipati-Araiyar, the son of
Ko[ṅg]u[ṇ]i,
the righteous Mahārāja, the supreme lord of
Kuṇilapura, alias Śrīnātha, the
glorious
Śivamahārāja-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ, (and) the great queen of
Vāṇavidyādha[ra]rāya,
alias Vāṇarāya, 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,——
gave to the members of the assembly of
this Tīkkāli-Vallam twenty kaḻañju of pure gold
for (maintaining)
one perpetual lamp before (the god) Tīkkāli-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ.
(L. 3.) (As) interest on this gold, we, the assembly, shall have to supply (one)
uri of
ghee per day for one lamp. This ghee we shall have to supply without fail as long
as the
moon and the sun exist. If (we) fail (to do so), we agree that all the
Māhēśvaras (among
us) shall pay as fine five kaḻañju of gold per day. Though
fined thus, we, the assembly,
shall (continue) to supply the ghee without fail. Those of
us, who say that this is not (so),
shall incur (all) the sins committed between
the Gaṅgā and Kumari.
(L. 4.) “This charity (is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras. The
feet of
those who protect this charity, (shall be) on my head.”
As stated in the introductory remarks to No. 47, the subjoined inscription was copied
from
an earlier stone inscription when the central shrine of the temple was pulled down. It
records
the gift of a lamp by the same queen as No. 47, who was the consort of the Bāṇa
king
Vāṇavidyādhara and the daughter of Pratipati-Araiyar (i.e. the Western
Gaṅga
king Pr̥thivīpati I.), the son of Śivamahārāja. From the
subjoined inscription
we learn that her actual name was Kundavvai.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! We, the assembly of Tīkkāli-Vallam, have
received
forty kaḻañju of pure gold from Kundavv[ai]yār, alias
Vāṇamahādēvī,——the daughter
of Pratipati-Araiyar, the son of
[K]o[ṅ]gu[ṇ]i[va]rman, the very righteous
Mahārāja, the supreme lord of
Nipuṇilapura, alias Śrīnātha, the glorious
Śivamahā-
rāja-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ, (and the queen of)
Vāṇavidyādha[ra]rāja, alias Vāṇarāya,
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.
(L. 3.) (In return), we, the assembly, shall have to burn, as long as the moon and
the
sun exist, one perpetual lamp before (the god)
Tiruttīkkāli-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ, sup-
plying daily (one) uri of
fresh ghee and a quarter of camphor.
(L. 4.) We, the assembly, have agreed that, whenever (they) fail in this charity, all
the
Māhēśvaras (among us) shall pay into court a fine of five kaḻañju of
gold per day. Though
fined thus, we shall have to burn this sacred lamp without fail. Those
among us, who say
that this (charity) is not (existing), shall incur (all)
the sins committed between the Gaṅgā
and Kumari.
(L. 5.) “This charity (is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras. The
feet of
those who protect this charity, (shall be) on my head.”
We, the assembly, gave (the following) land in the environs of the
village, which (the
queen) had granted, free of taxes, for this camphor lamp and the
perpetual lamp:——(one)
nilam and 400 kuḻi
(called) Pāṟkuṭṭai, 720 kuḻi below the old tank (Paḻavēri), and 2
nilam
(called) Noṇiḍukoḷḷi.
(L. 6.) As the land granted for these two lamps had become torn up by the weather,
we, the assembly, assigned only an oil lamp for burning.
This inscription belongs to the 7th year of the reign of
Rājarāja-Kēsarivarman,
i.e. of the Chōḷa king Rājarāja
I. It contains a date which admits of astronomical
calculation, and which has
been repeatedly discussed since its discovery in 1890. Professor
Kielhorn has
shown that it corresponds to the 26th September A.D. 991.
The inscription records a visit to the temple by a certain Madurāntakaṉ-Kaṇḍa-
rādittaṉār, who caused one thousand jars of water to be poured over the god.
When he
had finished his worship, he observed that the offerings in the temple had been reduced
to a
minimum and that the temple lamps were only feebly burning. He called for the author-
ities of the temple and of the village and asked them for a detailed statement of the
temple
revenue and expenditure.
Here unfortunately the inscription is built in. But from the preserved portion it is
evident
that Madurāntakaṉ-Kaṇḍarādittaṉār, i.e. Gaṇḍarāditya, the son of
Madhurān-
taka, must have been a person of high standing and influence. He
cannot be identical
with the Chōḷa king Gaṇḍarādityavarman, because the latter had died
before the reign of
Ariṁjaya, the grandfather of Rājarāja I. Perhaps he
was an (otherwise unknown) son of
Madhurāntaka, the son of Gaṇḍarādityavarman and immediate
predecessor of Rājarāja I.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 7th year (of the reign) of king
Rājarāja-Kēsari-
varman,——on the day of an eclipse of the moon at the
equinox which corresponded to (the
day of) Rēvatī and to the full-moon tithi of
the month of Aippaśi in this very year,——
Madurāntakaṉ-Kaṇḍarādittaṉār
came in order to have one thousand jars of water
poured over (the god)
Tiruttīkkāli-Āḻvār at Tīkkāli-Vallam in
Mīyāṟu-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam, and
worshipped the holy feet (of the god).
(L. 3.) While (he) stood (in the temple), (he) observed that the offerings
presented
to the Āḻvār were reduced to two nāḻi of rice, that the
offerings of vegetables, the offerings
of ghee and the offerings of curds had ceased, and that
the perpetual lamps were neglected.
(L. 7.) (He) called for the Śiva-Brāhmaṇas of this sacred temple and the
members
of the assembly of Tīkkāli-Vallam and asked:——“State the revenue and
expenditure of
this temple, in accordance with the royal order and the royal letter.”
(L. 11.) The [Śiva-]Brāhmaṇas and the members of the assembly of Tīkkāli-
Vallam•••••
This inscription is dated in the same year of the reign of Rājarāja I. as No. 49.
It
records that a Brāhmaṇa set up an image of the goddess and granted a lamp to the
temple.
He also purchased 1,700 kuḻi of land from the inhabitants of the village of
Mandiram in
Tūñāḍu and made it over to the temple authorities, who had to
feed the lamp and to supply
offerings from the produce of the land.
Tūñāḍu, to which Mandiram belonged, was the name of the country round
Mēlpāḍi.
Mandiram had the surname
Jayamēru-Śrīkaraṇamaṅgalam (ll. 2 and 15 f.), which
seems to be derived from
Jayamēru, one of the surnames of the Bāṇa king Vikramā-
ditya I.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the seventh year (of the reign) of king
Rājarāja-
Kēsarivarman. (The writing of) us, the assembly of
Mandiram, alias Jayamēru-
Śrīkaraṇamaṅgalam, in
Tūñāḍu.
(L. 2.) Vikramādittaṉ, alias Kīrtimārtāṇḍa-Brahmādhirājar, a
Śiva-
Brāhmaṇa of Naratuṅga-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in
Kārai-nāḍu, (a subdivision)
of
Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam, set up (an image of) Umā-Bhaṭṭārakī and
gave one perpetual lamp
to Kūtta-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ, the god
(Āḻvār) of Tiruttīkkāli.
(L. 6.) For (maintaining this lamp) and for (supplying) offerings once a day,
(he) gave
the following land:——
(L. 7.) (The eastern boundary is) to the west of a channel which flows close to the
bank
from the sluice below the Karuṅgāli tank in our village. The southern boundary
(is) to the
north of a channel which flows to the west from the sluice (and)
irrigates the Kuśavaṉ-
paṭṭi. The western boundary
(is) to the east of the land of those who sold (the land to the
donor). The
northern boundary (is) to the south of the land of the same persons.
(L. 11.) Having received from Kīrtimārtāṇḍa-Brahmādhirājar the
whole
purchase-money and tax-money due for the land enclosed within these four boundaries,
which,
not excluding the cultivated land, (measures) one thousand and
seven hundred kuḻi, and
having remitted all kinds of taxes,——we, the assembly of the
above-mentioned Mandiram,
alias Jayamēru-Śrīkaraṇamaṅgalam, sold
(this land) free of taxes.
(L. 16.) While enjoying this land, we, the Śiva-Brāhmaṇas in charge of the
store-room
of the temple, shall have to supply this perpetual lamp and the
offerings as long as the
moon and the sun exist.
This inscription is dated in the 16th year of the reign of the Chōḷa king
Rājarāja I.
(l. 2) and records that the citizens of Vāṇapuram (ll. 2 and
6), i.e. Tiruvallam, sold 700
kuḻi of land to
Śaṁkaradēva, the son of Tiruvaiyaṉ (ll. 5 and 6), who granted it
to the
temple of Tiruvaiya-Īśvara (l. 6). This temple was situated on the south of
the
Bilvanāthēśvara temple and was evidently named after Tiruvaiyaṉ, the father of the
donor.
Tiruvaiyaṉ seems to have claimed descent from the Western Gaṅga kings. For,
to his
name are prefixed the name and the epithets of Śivamahārāja (l. 4 f.), as we
have found
them in Nos. 47 and 48. As these epithets are spelt with almost exactly the same
mistakes
as in No. 48, I believe that the donor copied them from that very
inscription, which he
found engraved on the temple.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 16th year (of the reign) of king
Rājarāja-Rāja-
kēsarivarman, who, (in his) tender youth, during
which,——(in) the belief that, as well
as the goddess of fortune, the goddess of the
great earth had become his wife,——(he) was
pleased to destroy the ships (at)
Kāndaḷūr-Śālai and conquered by (his) army, which
was victorious in great
battles, Vēṅgai-nāḍu, Gaṅga-pāḍi, Taḍi-vaḻi, Nuḷamba-
pāḍi,
Kuḍamalai-nāḍu, Kollam and Kaliṅgam,——deprived the Śeḻiyas,
whose
lustre had been growing, of (their) splendour,——we, the citizens of
Vāṇapuram, (a city) in
its own subdivision of
Karaivaḻi, (a division) of Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam, sold and gave by
a
deed of sale the following land in the environs of our
city to Śaṁkaradēva, (the son of)
[K]o[ṅ]guṇi[va]rman, the very
righteous Mahārāja, the supreme lord of Nipuṇila-
pura, Śrīnātha, the glorious Śivamahārāja-Tiruvaiyaṉ:——The upper
field of Poḷik-
kāvadi and two pieces above this. The eastern boundary of
this (land is) to the west of the
lower field of Poḷikkāvadi
and of (the field called) Araikkālmukkāl, (the produce of) which
is
used for the offerings of (the god) Tirutīkkāli-Perumāṉ. The southern boundary
(is)
to the north of pieces of the Araikkālmukkāl (field) and of pieces (of
the field) of the blacksmith
(Karumāṉ). Its western boundary (is) to the
east of the Śrībali-paṭṭi in the west.
The northern boundary
(is) to the south of the Mukkāl field enjoyed by (the temple
of)
Mahādēva in this city, and of the field below the pond. The land enclosed
within these
four boundaries is estimated at seven hundred kuḻi by the rod of sixteen
spans.
(L. 5.) Having received from him the whole of the purchase-money and tax-money
due for this
land, we sold (it) free of taxes and gave a deed of sale. We, the above-men-
tioned citizens of Vāṇapuram, sold and gave by a deed of sale that land to
Śaṁkara-
dēva, the son of Tiruvaiyaṉ, for (providing)
the expenses of the worship to (the temple
of) Tiruvaiya-Īśvara on the south
of the temple of Tiruttīkkāli-Perumāṉ at
Tiruvallam.
This inscription is dated in the 20th year of the reign of the Chōḷa king
Rājarāja I.
and records the gift of a lamp by Naṉṉamaraiyar or
Naṉṉamaṉ, the son of Tukkarai.
The donor belonged to the
Vaidumba family and ruled over Iṅgallūr-nāḍu, a
district
of Mahārājapāḍi.
The seven thousand (villages) of Mārājavāḍi, the chief town of which seems to
have
been Vallūru, are mentioned in an inscription of Rājādhirāja at
Miṇḍigal in the
Kōlār district (No. 279 of 1895); Mārāyapāḍi occurs in an
inscription of Pārthi-
vēndravarman at Takkōlam in the North
Arcot district (No. 14 of 1897); and
a copper-plate inscription of Kr̥shṇarāya of
Vijayanagara mentions some villages of the
Mārjavāḍa-rājya, which are in the
modern Cuddapah district. Consequently, Vallūru
has to be identified with
the present village of Vallūru in the same district.
The
Vaidumba king was defeated by the Chōḷa kings Parāntaka I.
and Vīrarājēndra I.;
and Vinayamahādēvī, the mother of the
Eastern Gaṅga king Vajrahasta III., belonged to
the Vaidumba family.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 20th year (of the reign) of the glorious king
Rājarāja-
Rājakēsarivarman, alias
Śrī-Rājarājadēva, who, in his life of growing strength,
during
which,——(in) the belief that, as well as the goddess of fortune, the goddess of
the
great earth had become his wife,——(he) was pleased to destroy the ships (at)
Kāndaḷūr-
Śālai and conquered by (his) army, which was
victorious in great battles, Vēṅgai-nāḍu,
Gaṅga-pāḍi, Nuḷamba-pāḍi,
Taḍigai-pāḍi, Kuḍamalai-nāḍu, Kollam, Kaliṅ-
gam, and
Īḻa-maṇḍalam, (the conquest of which) made (him) famous (in) the
eight
directions,——deprived the Śeḻiñas of (their) splendour at the very
moment when [Udagai],
which is worshipped everywhere, was (most)
resplendent;——Naṉṉamaraiyar, the son of
Tukkarai, the Vaidumba,
who possessed Iṅgallūr-nāḍu, (a district) of Mahārāja-
pāḍi, gave one perpetual lamp, (which) was to burn as long as the moon
and the sun exist, to
(the temple of) Tirutīkkāli-Āḻvār at
Tiruvallam in Mīyaṟai-nāḍu, (a subdivision)
of
Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam. For (maintaining this lamp he) gave 90 full-grown ewes,
which
must neither die nor grow old. These ninety ewes•••••••
This inscription consists of 21 lines and is dated in the 3rd year of the reign
of
Parakēsarivarman, alias Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva (I.). It records
that the inhabitants of
Vāṇapuram (ll. 9, 16 and 18), i.e. Tiruvallam, sold 1,000 kuḻi of land to Sōma-
nātha (ll. 6, 16,
18 and 20), (the son of) Śaṁkaradēva (l. 5 f.), whose name has been
already met
with in an inscription of Rājarāja I. (No. 51). The same epithets, which
precede the
name of Śaṁkaradēva's father Tiruvaiyaṉ in No. 51, are here prefixed to the
name
of Śaṁkaradēva (ll. 2 to 5), with nearly the same mistakes in spelling. A
further
allusion to Sōmanātha's descent from the Western Gaṅgas is contained in
Gaṅgādēvi-
maṇali (l. 11), the name which he bestwed on the land
purchased by him. Besides,
Śaṁkaradēva and Sōmanātha claim to be connected with the
Vaidumba family (l. 5).
I do not consider it worth while to publish the text of the second half of line 17 and
of
lines 18 to 21, which record that Sōmanātha assigned the land “to the Mahādēva
temple
of Tiru[vai]ya-Īśvara, which the members of our family have caused to be
built on
the southern side of the temple of Tiruvallam-uḍaiyār” (l. 18 f.), i.e. of the Bilvanā-
thēśvara temple, and that
he granted 96 sheep for the maintenance of a lamp in the same
temple (l. 20 f.). The temple of
Tiruvaiya-Īśvara has been already mentioned in No. 51.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year (of the reign) of king
Parakēsarivar-
man, alias
Śrī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva,——I, Sōmanātha, (the son of)
Ko[ṅg]uṇi-
[varman], the very righteous Mahārāja, the supreme
lord of Nipuṇilapura, Śrīnātha,
the glorious
Śivamahārāja, the Vaidumba Śaṁkaradēva, purchased from the citizens
of
Vāṇapuram in Karaivaḻi, (a subdivision) of Perumbāṇappāḍi,
(a division) of
Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam, (a district) of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, the cultivated land
(called)
Gaṅgādēvimaṇali, which I possess free of taxes.
(L. 11.) The eastern boundary of (this land is) to the west of the Maṇalikkāl
(channel),
which flows to the south; the southern boundary (is) to the north of the
Kaṇṇakkāl (channel),
which flows to the piece (of land) of the carpenter; the
western boundary (is) to the east of
the Koḻukkuttu (?) in the piece (of
land) of the carpenters; and the northern boundary (is)
to the south
of a channel which flows to the Śrībalipaṭṭi of (the god)
Tiruvallam-
uḍaiyār.
(L. 16.) We, the citizens of Vāṇapuram, sold and gave by a deed of sale, with
all
exemptions, the land enclosed within these four boundaries, (which measures), not
excluding
the cultivated land, one thousand kuḻi by the rod of
sixteen spans, having received
from Sōmanātha the whole of the purchase-money and
the tax-money, (due) for these one
thousand kuḻi, at the very place of the
sale•••••
This inscription is dated in the 4th year of the reign of Rājēndra-Chōḷa
I.
Īrāyiravaṉ Pallavayaṉ (l. 4 f.), an officer of his who is known from several
other
inscriptions, had built a shrine which he called
Rājarājēśvara (l. 11 f. and l. 16 f.),
and which is apparently
identical with the shrine on which the inscription is engraved.
For maintaining two lamps in
this shrine, he purchased for 50 kāśu from the inhabitants of
Tiruvallam a piece of
land which measured 2,000 kuḻi, and which received the
name
Araiśūr-vāḍagai (l. 15 f.) with an allusion to his native village of
Araiśūr (l. 3 f.).
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year (of the reign) of king
Parakēsarivar-
man, alias Śrī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva.
The hand-writing of us, the assembly of Tīkkāli-
Vallam in
Mīyāṟu-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam, (a
district) of Jayaṅ-
koṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam.
(L.2.) We have received 50 kāśu, (which were) good (i.e. of full weight)
(and)
current at the time, from the hand of Īrāyiravaṉ Pallavayaṉ,
alias Uttama-Śōḻa-Palla-
var[ai]yaṉ, a
Perundaram of the lord Śrī-Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva (and)
the lord of
Ar[ai]śūr in Pāmbuṇi-kūṟṟam, (a district) of
Nittavinōda-vaḷanāḍu.
(L. 9.) For these fifty kāśu we sold the following land by a deed of sale to (the
god)
Chaṇḍēśvaradēva (of the shrine) of
Rājarājēśvaram-uḍaiyār, which he had caused
to be built in the temple of
Tiruvallam-uḍaiyār in our city.
(L. 14.) The eastern boundary of the land, which we
assigned for two sacred per-
petual lamps to (the shrine of)
Rājarājēśvaram-uḍaiyār in Araiśūr-vāḍagai, a
hamlet
(belonging) to us in the west of this city, (is) to the west of the high-road of
Jananā-
tha; the southern boundary (is) to the north of the land of
Kuṭṭēṟa-Bhaṭṭa-Sōmayāji-
yār of Aṅgārai; the western
boundary (is) to the east of the land of Kuṭṭēṟa-Bhaṭṭa-
Sōmayājiyār of Aṅgārai and of Śaṁkara-Kramavittaṉ of
Kuṇḍūr, including a
cocoanut garden; and the northern boundary (is) to the
south of the land of Āditta-
Perumāṉ Śōmāśi (i.e.
Sōmayājin) of Ālikkoṉṟai and of (the channel called) Kayakkāl,
alias
Pallavaiya-peruvāykkāl.
(L. 37.) We sold and gave by a deed of sale——including (eventual) excess or
deficiency
in measurement——the whole land within these four boundaries, (which
measures), together
with the cocoanut garden, two thousand kuḻi by the rod of
Śiṟṟambalam.
(L. 45.) This very (sum) being the purchase-money and the tax-money
(due) for this
(land), we thus sold (it) and gave (it) free of
taxes.
(L. 48.) We shall not be entitled to claim the high-level water, the wells, the price
paid
for water, the gold of ugappār, and any other tax paid by the city
(and) previously (due)
from this land.
(L. 50.) Thus we, the assembly of Tīkkāli-Vallam, sold (it) free of taxes and
gave
(it) by a deed of sale. Those who obstruct this charity, shall incur (all)
the sins committed
between the Gaṅgā and Kanyā. This (charity is placed
under) the protection of all Māhēś-
varas.
This inscription is dated in the 3rd year of the reign of the Chōḷa king
Rājēndra
(l. 4) and refers to the conquest of Raṭṭa-pāḍi (l. 1), the
setting-up of a pillar of victory at
Kollāpuram (l. 2), and the defeat of
Āhavamalla at Koppam (l. 3). It records that
the temple
authorities received 25 kaḻañju of gold from an inhabitant of Aimbūṇi, under
the condition that the interest should be applied for the feeding of a
learned Brāhmaṇa and
other purposes. The end of the inscription is lost.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While the army of (his) elder brother——the king (who held)
the sceptre (and) was embraced by the goddess
of fortune——was at (his) back, (he) conquered
the seven and a half lakshas
of Iraṭṭa-pāḍi. When the first elephant (of the enemy) went at
his
elephant, (his) elder brother stopped (it). (He) set up a pillar of victory at
Kollā-
puram and did not meet with opposition in battle, (but his)
drums were sounding through
the eight directions. Having heard this (report),
Āhavamalla proceeded to Koppam on
the bank of the great river and fought
against (him), (but) became afraid, incurred disgrace
and ran away. (The king)
seized his elephants and horses, (his) women and treasures, together
with the camels,
and performed the anointment of victory. In the 3rd year (of the
reign) of (this)
king Parakēsarivarman, alias the lord Śrī-Rājēndradēva, who
was
graciously seated on the throne of heroes.
(L. 4.) We, Kauśika-Nagama-Bhaṭṭaṉ, a Śiva-Brāhmaṇa in charge of the
shrine
(sthāna) of the temple of Tiruvallam-uḍaiyār at Tiruvallam,
a brahmadēya in Karai-
vaḻi, (a subdivision) of
Perumbāṇappāḍi, (a division) of Tyāgābharaṇa-vaḷanāḍu,
(a
district) of Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, Gaṅgādhara-Bhaṭṭaṉ, Akkā[ḷa]-
Bhaṭṭaṉ, Śivakkoḻundu-Bhaṭṭaṉ, [Śi]kkā[li]-Bhaṭṭaṉ,
Rudra-Bhaṭṭaṉ, Vikki-
ramādittaṉ, [Ti]rumāppēṟaṉ and the other
(persons) in charge of the store-room of the
temple, have received
twenty-five, kaḻañju of gold from Kāṭṭukkuṟi Mādhava-Krama-
vittaṉ, (one) among the commissioners who rule
Aim[būṇi] in Karaivaḻi, (a division)
of the same nāḍu.
(L. 6.) These 25 (kaḻañju) of gold (we) have received under the following
conditions:——
The interest on (20 kaḻañju of) this gold being (one) padakku of
paddy per day, (measured)
by the marakkāl (called after)
Arumoḻidēvaṉ, viz. three uḻākku and two
śeviḍu of paddy
per day from every kaḻañju, we shall give this paddy to a
Brāhmaṇa who has become a Dīk-
shita (and) who knows (?) the Vēda
and the sacred Āgama, and shall cause (the god) to be
worshipped by him. The
interest on three kaḻañju of gold being half a kaḻañju of gold per
year, we
shall have to give every second year (one) kaḻañju of gold to him who performs
the
worship in the temple. The interest on two kaḻañju of gold [being] two śeviḍu and
a half
of ghee per day,•••••••
This inscription is incomplete. Of the five lines which are preserved I am publishing
only
the two first ones. It is dated in the 2nd year of the reign of
Rājakēsarivarman,
alias Rājamahēndradēva, and records that a
military officer purchased 800 kuḻi (l. 4) of
land from the inhabitants of
Tiruvallam and granted them to the temple.
On page 32 above it has been stated that the Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi and
Vikkirama-Śōḻaṉ-
Ulā mention two Chōḷa kings who have not yet
been identified. The first of them reigned
between Rājēndra and Vīrarājēndra I., and the
second between Vīrarājēndra I. and Kulōt-
tuṅga-Chōḷa I. In the introductory
remarks to No. 57 it will be shown that the second
king is identical with Parakēsarivarman,
alias Adhirājēndradēva. Hence the only king who
remains to be identified is the
successor of Rājēndra and predecessor of Vīrarājēndra I.
He may be
identified provisionally with Rājakēsarivarman, alias Rājamahēndradēva, to
whose
2nd year the subjoined inscription belongs. In favour of this identification it may be
men-
tioned that the subjoined inscription praises him for guiding the goddess of
the earth on the
path of Manu, while the Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi (viii. 28) speaks
of “the Chōḷa who dispensed
justice three or four times better than the ancient
Manu,” and that an inscription of the 9th
year of
Rājēndra mentions among the boundaries of a village “the road of Rājamahēn-
dra.” Perhaps Rājamahēndra was the co-regent of
Rājēndra.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 2nd year (of the reign) of king
Rājakēsarivar-
man, alias the lord
Śrī-Rājamahēndradēva, who, while the goddess of fortune was
resplendent, wedded
the great goddess of the earth, in order that (she) might abide joyfully
under the shade
of a single parasol, and who caused (her) to walk (in) the path of Manu,
in
order that (she) might abide (in) the way of righteousness. The hand-writing,
(referring to)
a deed of sale of land, of us, the assembly of Tiruvallam in
Karaivaḻi, (a subdivision) of
Perumbāṇappāḍi, (a district)
of Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam. We have received
sixty-four kāśu, (which
were) good (i.e. of full weight) (and) current at the time, from Śaṁ-
karaṉ Kaṇḍarādittaṉār, alias the Sēnāpati
Rājarāja-Śōḻiyavaraiyar, the lord of
Iṅga[ṇūr] in
Iṅgaṇāḍu, (a district) of Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu. At the rate of
seven
mañjāḍi of pure gold, weighed by the true standard of the city, for each kāśu, (this amount) is
equal to twenty-two kaḻañju and
eight mañjāḍi of gold. Having received these twenty-two
kaḻañju and eight
mañjāḍi of gold from Chaṇḍēśvaradēva, the first servant of (the
god)
Mahādēva (of the temple) of Tiruvallam in our city, we sold
(the following) land.
(L. 2.) (The field called) Kōḍachcheṟuvu below the large tank of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa.
The eastern boundary of (this field is) etc.
This inscription is dated on the 200th day of the 3rd year of the reign of Parakēsari-
varman, alias A[dhi]rājēndradēva (l. 4 f.). Two royal officers
met at Kāñchipuram
(l. 7) and called for the accounts of the villages which belonged
to the Tiruvallam temple.
One of the two decided that the revenue from the villages of
Kukkaṉūr in Tūy-nāḍu
(l. 12) and
Mandiram in the same nāḍu (l. 13) should be assigned to the
temple for
expenses not previously provided for. A larger committee then assembled and made
allot-
ments from this revenue for various heads of the temple expenditure.
In line 11 it is stated that, before the time of this inscription, the income of the
temple
had been regulated in the 8th year of the reign of “the emperor Vīrarājēndra-
dēva.” Consequently Adhirājēndra must have reigned later than Vīrarājēndra
I. Among
the kings who are mentioned in the Vikkirama-Śōḻaṉ-Ulā after
Vīrarājēndra I., the only one
who has not yet been traced in inscriptions is the immediate
successor of Vīrarājēndra I.
and predecessor of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa I. This king may be identified provisionally
with
Parakēsarivarman, alias Adhirājēndradēva. If the account in the
Vikramāṅkadēvacharita
can be trusted, he would have been the son of Vīrarājēndra
I. and the brother-in-law of
Vikramāditya VI.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While (the king's) white parasol was raised,
expanding
like the moon, diffusing sweet mercy on all the creatures that abide on the globe,
and afford-
ing royal protection; while (his) sceptre rightfully swayed all
the quarters; (and) while
the matchless wheel (of his authority) rolled about, in
order to remove and wipe away the
force (?) of the sun, the progenitor of his
race; (he) took in marriage the goddess of the
beautiful (lotus) flower
(i.e. Lakshmī), whose austerities (thus) bore fruit, the goddess of the
great
earth, the (goddess of) fame, (who resembles) a parrot in beauty, and the
matchless
goddess of (victory in) war, and adorned (them) with crowns of
brilliant jewels as his right-
ful queens.
(L. 3.) While the princes of the vast earth worshipped his feet by turns, (he)
decked
himself, as with garlands, with valour and liberality and was pleased to be seated on
the
throne of heroes together with (his queen) Ulagamuḻuduḍaiyār.
(L. 4.) On the two-hundredth day of the third year (of the reign) of (this) king
Para-
kēsarivarman, alias the lord
Śrī-A[dhi]rājē[nd]radēva, who (continually) increased
(his) great
fame by following (the laws of) Manu,——the magistrate (adhikārin)
[Pū]raṉ
[Ādi]tta[dēva]ṉār, alias
Rājarājēndra-Mūvēndavēḷār, of Pulāṅ[gu]ḍai in Puṟak-
ki[ḷi]yūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Pāṇḍikulāśani-vaḷanāḍu, (a district) of Śōḻa-maṇḍa-
lam, and the Sēnāpati Rājarājaṉ Paranr̥parākshasaṉ,
alias Vīraśōḻa-Iḷaṅ[gō] .
•••, the headman of [Na]ḍā[r] in
Tiraimūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Uyyak-
koṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu, having met in the Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Śōḻaṉ, a
maṇḍapa on the east (of the
temple) of Tirumayānam-uḍaiyār at Kāñchipuram in Eyil-nāḍu, (a subdivision)
of
Eyiṟ-kōṭṭam, called for the accounts of the villages which
are dēvadānas (of the temple)
of Tiruvallam-uḍaiyār.
(L. 8.) The magistrate Rājarājēndra-Mūvēndavēḷār ordered as
follows:——“(The
income) from the villages which are dēvadānas of this temple,
(viz.) ūr-kaḻañju, kumara-
kachchāṇam, the
fishing-rent, the rent of the goldsmiths, and the other minor
taxes and
rents, the cloth on the loom, vēlikkāśu, the tax on
collecting rents (taṇḍal), the sonship (?)
of the right hand and
left hand, and the other internal revenue, which was being collected
at the
rate of twenty-five kāśu per thousand kalam (of paddy), had been entered in
the
register and made over to this temple exclusively from the year which was opposite to
(i.e.
which followed after) the seventh year (of the reign) of
the emperor Śrī-Vīrarājēndra-
dēva. Accordingly, Kukkaṉūr,
a dēvadāna of this god in Tūy-nāḍu, (a subdivision)
of
Perumbāṇappāḍi, (has to pay) thirty-eight and a quarter kāśu
or, at the rate of four kalam
of paddy, (measured) by the rājakēsari,
per kāśu, one hundred and fifty-three kalam of paddy;
and Mandiram in
the same nāḍu (has to pay) twenty-six and three quarter kāśu or one
hundred
and seven kalam of paddy. Altogether sixty-five kāśu or two hundred and
sixty
kalam of paddy were allotted to this temple for expenses not previously provided
for, and
should be given from the third year (of the king's reign).”
(L. 17.) The Puravaritiṇaikkaḷattu-kūṟu Vīdi[yaṉ]
Tirumāli[ruñ]jōlai, alias
Kuvalayadivākara-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, of
Iḷaiyāṉkuḍai in Paṉaiyūr-nāḍu, (a sub-
division) of
Kshatriyaśikhāmaṇi-vaḷanāḍu, (a district) of Śōḻa-maṇḍalam;
the
Puravaritiṇaikkaḷam Kaṇḍa[nī]ṟaṇindāṉ, alias
Śembiyaṉ-Pallavaraiyaṉ, the head-
man of A[ya]ṇḍambā[kkam]
in [Ā]guḍi-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Puḻaṟ-kōṭṭam,
(a district) of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam; Tiruchchiṟṟambalam-uḍaiyāṉ,
alias
Nr̥paśikhāmaṇi-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, (a native) of
Taḻuvupōsaṉ[śē]ri (near) Rāja-
kēsarinallūr
(and) a resident of K[ōḷū]r in Paiyyūr-kōṭṭam;
Kaṇavadi Pichchaṉ,
alias Villayaṉ-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, the
Maṅgalaṅgiḻāṉ of••• in Kuṉṟa-
nāḍu, (a subdivision)
of Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam; Ēṟa[ṉ Ī]ś[v]araṉ
Giriśēkharaṉ,
alias Jayatuṅga-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, a
Kuḷamuḻāṉ of Poygaippākkam in Rājēndra-
Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu; the Mugaveṭṭi
Nāganārāyaṇaṉ, alias Rājanārāyaṇa-Mūvēnda-
vēḷāṉ, the headman of Iḷaiyūṟu (near)
Mummuḍi-Śōḻa-nallūr (and) a resident of
Āraṇi
in Paiyyūr-kōṭṭam; Nārāyaṇaṉ Muḍikoṇḍa-Śōḻa-Pallavaraiyaṉ, the
headman
of Śemmarambā[kkam] in Māṅgāḍu-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of [Puliyū]r-
kōṭṭam; Pichchaṉ
Ambalakkūttaṉ, alias Ādirājēndra-Tamiḻadaraiyaṉ,
the
Ādimaṅgalaṅgiḻāṉ of [Ti]ttanai[da]nallūr in
Māgaṇūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision)
of
Śēṅgāṭṭu-kōṭṭam; and Karumāṇikkaṉ Śōmaṉ, alias
Śōḻarāja-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ,
the lord of Kāñchipuram in
Eyil-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Eyiṟ-kōṭṭam, having met
together,
allotted (the above-mentioned revenue) as follows:——
(L. 27.) To Kalyāṇasundaradēva (one) kuṟuṇi and four nāḻi of rice
for three daily
offerings, viz. four nāḻi of rice for each; to the consort of
this god, six nāḻi of rice for three
daily offerings, viz. two nāḻi of
rice for each; to Karumāṇikkadēva, two nāḻi of rice for
each daily
offering; and to the consort of this god, two nāḻi of rice for each daily
offering,
altogether (one) padakku and six nāḻi of rice or, at the rate of two
to five, 1 tūṇi, 1 padakku
and 7 nāḻi of paddy; for
vegetables, three nāḻi of paddy; for (one) āḻakku and two śeviḍu
and
a half of ghee, six nāḻi of paddy; for (one) nāḻi and (one) uri of curds,
three nāḻi of paddy;
for twelve areca-nuts without shells and sixty betel-leaves, two
nāḻi and three uḻakku of
paddy,——altogether two tūṇi, five
nāḻi and three uḻakku of paddy per day, or two hundred
and sixty-one
kalam and three kuṟuṇi of paddy (per year).
(L. 33.) (This is) the writing of the Mugaveṭṭi Rājanārāyaṇa-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ.
This inscription is dated in the 26th year of the reign of Rājakēsarivarman,
alias
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva (I.), and mentions, in addition to the
conquests recorded in
Nos. 77 and 78 of Vol. II., the defeat of Vikkalaṉ and
Śiṅgaṇaṉ, i.e. the two Western
Chālukya kings
Vikramāditya VI. and Jayasiṁha III. It states that a lamp
was
granted to the temple by a native of Kalavai in Śeṅguṉṟa-nāḍu, a
subdivision of
Palakuṉṟa-kōṭṭam. Kalavai is a village in the Arcot
tāluka, and Śeṅguṉṟa-nāḍu
seems to be named after Śeṅguṇam
in the Pōlūr tāluka of the North Arcot district.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the twenty-sixth year (of the reign) of king
Rāja-
kēsarivarman, alias the emperor
Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who,——while the goddess
of fame became renowned
(through him), while the goddess of victory was coveting (him),
while the goddess
of the earth became brilliant (with joy), (and) while the goddess with
the
(lotus) flower (i.e. Lakshmī) wedded (him),——had put on by right of
inheritance the excellent
crown of jewels; who had caused the wheel of his (authority)
to roll over all regions, so that
the Mī[navar] (Pāndyas) lost (their)
firmness, the Villavar (Chēras) trembled, (and)
Vikkalan (and)
Śinganaṉ plunged into the western ocean; and who, having performed
the anointment of
victory, was graciously seated on the throne of heroes together with (his
queen)
Puvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ.
(L. 2.) I, Maṉ[ṟāḍi] A[rai]yarāmaṉ Ma[ṇḍaga]vaṉ, alias
A[ra]śara-
[ṇāla]yakkōṉ, of Kalavai, alias
Ulagaḷanda-Śōḻa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, in
Śeṅguṉṟa-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of Palakuṉṟa-kōttam, gave one sacred perpetual
lamp to (the
temple of) Mahādēva at Tiruvallam in Karaivaḻi, (a
subdivision) of
Perumbāṇappāḍi, (a district) of
Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam. For (maintaining
this lamp, I) gave
ninety-six full-grown ewes, which must neither die nor grow old.
(L. 3.) Having received these (ewes), we, Kauśikaṉ
Aṅgāḍi-Bhaṭṭaṉ, who is in
charge of the store-room of this temple,
Muppattiruva-Bhaṭṭaṉ of (this) city, and
the other Śiva-Brāhmaṇas, shall have to burn this sacred lamp as long as
the moon and the
sun exist.
(L. 4.) This (charity is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras.
This inscription is dated in the 23rd year of the reign of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva
and records the gift of a lamp by a Gaṅga chief
whose name is not quite distinct, for the
benefit of his daughter who was the consort of prince
Vīra-Chōḷadēva. The sheep, which
were, as usual, given along with the lamp, were
made over to two persons (l. 7) whose
names occur also in the preceding inscription of
Kulōttuṅga I. (No. 58, l. 4). This circum-
stance enables us to identify
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva (l. 1) with Kulōttuṅga I. and prince
Vīra-Chōḷadēva
(l. 4) with Vīra-Chōḍa, the son of Kulōttuṅga I. and viceroy of
Vēṅgī.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the twenty-third year (of the reign) of
Kulōttuṅga-
Śōḻadēva,——(I), Nīlaga[ṅga]ṉ
Ach[chalavīma]ṉ Araiśar-[Ta]lai[va]ṉ, gave
one sacred perpetual lamp
and gave for (it) ninety-six full-grown ewes, which must neither
die nor grow old, to (the temple of) Mahādēva at Tiruvallam in
Karaivaḻi, (a subdivision)
of Perumbāṇappāḍi, (a district)
of Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, for (the spiritual
merit of) my daughter
Villavaṉ-Mādēviyār, the consort of prince
Vīra-Śōḻadēva.
(L. 6.) Having taken charge of these sheep, Kauśikaṉ Aṅgāḍi-Bhaṭṭaṉ, the
Śiva-
Brāhmaṇa who is in charge of the store-room of this temple,
Muppattiruva-Bhaṭṭaṉ of
this city, and the other Śiva-Brāhmaṇas [shall
have to burn] this lamp as long as the moon
and the sun exist.
This inscription records that certain income was assigned to the temple by
Śeṅgēṇi
Miṇḍaṉ Attimallaṉ Śambuvarāyaṉ in the 8th year of the reign of
Kulōttuṅga-
Chōḷadēva. As another member of the
Śeṅgēṇi family is mentioned in inscriptions of
Rājarāja III.,
it may be assumed that the king referred to in Vol. I. No. 132, and Vol. III.
Nos. 60 and 61,
is Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III., the predecessor of Rājarāja III.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 8th year (of the reign) of
Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-
dēva, from the month of Māśi,——I,
Śeṅgēṇi Miṇḍaṉ Attimallaṉ Śambuvarāyaṉ,
gave for the repairs of the temple
the money accruing from the internal revenue of the
temple of the lord
Tiruvallam-uḍaiyār, the triśūla-kāśu and (the fines called) kuṟṟam
and
daṇḍa.
(L. 5.) As long as the family of the Śeṅgēṇis exists, those who obstruct (this
charity)
shall incur the sin of one who kills a tawny cow between the Gaṅgā and
Kumari.
(L. 7.) Vēḷaivāṅgi, a Vairāgin (who was) the chief of Tiruvallam,
caused this
charitable gift to be made.
This inscription is dated in the 11th year of the reign of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa-
dēva (III.) and records that certain income was assigned to the
temple by the same
Śeṅgēṇi chief who is mentioned in No. 132 of Vol. I.
(Line 1.) In the 11th year (of the reign) of the emperor of the three worlds,
Śrī-
Kōnērimēlkoṇḍa-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva,——I,
Śeṅgēṇi Ammaiappaṉ Kaṇṇu-
ḍaipperumāṉ,
alias Vikrama-Śōḻa-Śambuvarāyaṉ, gave to the god the internal
revenue of
the temple of the lord Tiruvallam-uḍaiyār, the taxes in paddy and the taxes
in money
accruing from the external revenue due from (the fields called) Vaḍakaṇḍam
and
Kamugaḍi, the tax on looms, the tax on Ājīvikas, all the revenue of Tīkkāli-Vallam, the
minor taxes
and (the fines called) kuṟṟam and daṇḍa, including the share of the
village
accountant and the share and tax of the temple accountant.
(L. 8.) He who obstructs this charity, shall incur the sin of killing a tawny cow
between
the Gaṅgā and Kumari.
(L. 10.) The feet of him who protects this charity, (shall be) on my head.
This inscription is dated in the [3]4th year of the reign of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva
and records the gift of two lamps by
Ariyapiḷḷai, the queen of Amarābharaṇa-Śīya-
gaṅga. An inscription in the Ēkāmranātha temple at Kāñchipuram (No.
10 of 1893)
mentions the same chief as “the supreme lord of Kuvaḷālapura
(i.e. Kōlār), he who was
born from the Gaṅga family, Śīyagaṅgaṉ
Amarābharaṇaṉ, alias Tiruvēgambam-
uḍaiyāṉ,” and is dated in the 27th year of the reign of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III.
According to its preface, the famous Tamil Grammar Naṉṉūl was composed by Pava-
ṇandi (i.e. Bhavanandin) at the order of Śīyagaṅgaṉ
Amarābharaṇaṉ. The Ēkāmra-
nātha inscription proves that Bhavanandin's
patron was a vassal of Kulōttuṅga III.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the [3]4th year (of the reign) of
Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva,
Ariyapiḷḷai, who was the consort of
Amarābharaṇa-Śīyagaṅga, gave to the god of
Tiruvallam one twilight lamp
and gave to the goddess one (other) twilight lamp. To
these two lamps•••••
The subjoined inscription records a remission of taxes by Aḻagiya-Pallavaṉ.
This
chief bore the same surname as Aḻagiya-Śōḻaṉ, a feudatory of Rājarāja III., and accordingly
seems to have been a member of the Śeṅgēṇi
family. The inscription refers to the 3rd
year of the reign of
Vijaya-Gaṇḍagōpāladēva. Three inscriptions at Kāñchipuram
are dated in
the Śaka year 1187 and in the 15th and 16th years of
Tribhuvanachakravartin
Vijaya-Gaṇḍagōpāladēva, who is perhaps
identical with the former king.
Hail ! Prosperity ! We, Aḻagiya-Pallavaṉ Edirili-Śōḻa-Śambuvarāyaṉ,
have
ordered that, from the third year (of the reign) of
Vijaya-Gaṇḍagōpāladēva, if taxes
and revenue due to us are levied, (these)
taxes and revenue have to be levied after remission
of one sixteenth and one fifth, to the
extent of the full amount which had not been (levied)
in former times.
The chief source for the history of Kulōttuṅga I. are of course his own inscriptions.
I
subjoin a list of those which have been discovered so far, grouping them under eight
heads for
the sake of convenience.
I. Sanskrit and Telugu inscriptions in the Telugu country.
The parents of the king's father were the Eastern Chālukya king
Vimalāditya,
who ascended the throne on the 10th May A.D. 1011, and
Kundavā or Kūndavā, the
daughter of the
Chōḷa king Rājarāja I. (whose reign commenced between the 25th June
and
the 25th July A.D. 985) and the younger sister of his successor
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I.
(whose reign commenced between
the 26th November A.D. 1011 and the 7th July 1012).
The parents of the king
were the Eastern Chālukya king Rājarāja I., who ascended the
throne on the
16th August A.D. 1022, and Ammaṅgadēvī or
Ammaṅgayambā, the
daughter of the Chōḷa king
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. Thus he was a descendant of the
lunar race on
his father's side and of the solar race on that of his mother and grandmother.
A younger sister of his, named Kundavai after her grandmother, is known
from an
inscription at Chidambaram. The Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi, which
unfortunately is very averse
to montioning proper names, records at least the name of
Kulōttuṅga's maternal grand-
father, Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Chōḷa, i.e. Rājēndra-Chōḷa I., and that of his father, the
Eastern
Chālukya king Rājarāja I. The verse (x. 3) which contains the
second reference has
been hitherto misunderstood and ‘Rājarāja’ has been considered a mistake
for the Chōḷa
king Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. Now Mr. Venkayya has found that
Mr. Kanakasabhai's translation
of the verse may be modified as follows:——“Vishṇu appeared
again in the royal womb of
the queen of him of the race of the Moon which dispels all
darkness,——Rājarāja's gracious
Lakshmī (who was) of the rival race of the Sun.” Here both
‘the queen’ and ‘Lakshmī’
refer to Ammaṅgadēvī, and her husband is the Eastern Chālukya
king Rājarāja I.
The copper-plate grants allot to the Eastern Chālukya king Rājarāja I. a
reign of
41 years, while the Piṭhāpuram inscription of Mallapadēva gives
him 40 years. Accord-
ingly, his death and the accession of his
son Kulōttuṅga I. would primā facie fall in A.D.
1061-62 or 1062-63. This
date is not borne out by the Telugu inscriptions of Kulōttuṅga I.
which contain both a Śaka
date and a regnal year, and according to which the accession
took place in Śaka-Saṁvat
991-92=A.D. 1069-71. And Professor Kielhorn's calcula-
tions of
the dates of Tamil and Kanarese inscriptions prove that his reign commenced between
the 14th
March and the 8th October A.D. 1070.
The original name of the king was Rājēndra-Chōḍa, and in the
Tamil inscriptions of
his 2nd, 3rd and 4th years (Nos. 64 to 67 and 77 below) he is actually
called Rājakēsari-
varman, alias Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva
(II.). The account of Kulōttuṅga's birth and youth
in the Kaliṅgattu-Puraṇi seems to imply that he was adopted by Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Chōḷa
(i.e.
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I.), who apparently had no son of his own, and that he was
nominated the
heir-apparent of his grandfather. If the Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi (xiii. verse
62) calls Kulōttuṅga's
father Paṇḍita-Chōḷa, this can hardly refer to his real
father, the Eastern Chālukya king,
but must mean his adoptive father,
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. That the latter had the surname
Paṇḍita-Chōḷa may be
concluded from two of his Tanjore inscriptions, which mention a
regiment
entitled Paṇḍita-Śōḻa-terinda-villigaḷ, i.e. ‘the chosen archers of
Paṇḍita-Chōḷa.’
While still heir-apparent, Kulōttuṅga I.
dis
Vayirāgaram and by defeating the
king of Dhārā at Śakkarakōṭṭam.
According to the copper-plate grants his first charge was the country of Vēṅgī, which
had been ruled over by his father and paternal grandfather. Instead of ‘the
Vēṅgī country,’
Kulōttuṅga's Tamil inscriptions use the expression ‘the region of the
rising of the sun,’ and
the Piṭhāpuram pillar inscriptions employ the term
Andhra-maṇḍala or Andhra-vishaya,
i.e. the Telugu country.
Kulōttuṅga is stated to have entrusted this province to viceroys,
first to his uncle
Vijayāditya VII., then to his second son Rājarāja II., next to his
third
son Vīra-Chōḍa, who assumed office on the 23rd August A.D.
1078, and finally to
Chōḍa of Velanāṇḍu. Vijayāditya VII. is said to have governed Vēṅgī for 15 years
and Rājarāja
II. for 1 year. If we deduct the sum of these two reigns from A.D. 1078, the
year of
Vīra-Chōḍa's appointment, the result is A.D. 1062 as the date of Vijayāditya's
accession.
This year coincides with the end of the reign of the Eastern Chālukya
king
Rājarāja I., but is 8 years prior to Kulōttuṅga's coronation. This
discrepancy may be
explained in the following manner. The Chōḷa king
Vīrarājēndra I. claims to have
conquered the country of Vēṅgī and to
have bestowed it on Vijayāditya. This expedition
may have taken
place just after the death of Rājarāja I. who was succeeded in A.D. 1062 by
his brother
Vijayāditya VII. It looks as if the rightful heir Kulōttuṅga I. had been ousted
by the
latter with the assistance of Vīrarājēndra I. This would explain the fact
noted before,
that Kulōttuṅga came to the throne 8 years after his father's death. As noted
by Dr. Fleet,
Vijayāditya VII. had later on to apply to Rājarāja
of Kaliṅganagara (A.D. 1071 to
1078) for assistance against the Chōḷa who
threatened to absorb his dominions. This Chōḷa
enemy was no doubt Kulōttuṅga I. who, after
Vijayāditya's death, replaced him by Rājarāja II.
and soon after by Vīra-Chōḍa.
The localities in which the inscriptions of Kulōttuṅga's 2nd year (A.D.
1071-72) are
found show that he was then in possession of Tiruvoṟṟiyūr,
Tiruvālaṅgāḍu and
Kōlār. An inscription of his 3rd year (No. 67 below) is
found at Sōmaṅgalam (near
Maṇimaṅgalam), and one of his 4th year (No. 77 below) at
Kāvāntaṇḍalam (between
Conjeeveram and Uttaramallūr).
The Chellūr plates of Vīra-Chōḍa state that Kulōttuṅga I. conquered the
Kērala,
Pāṇḍya and Kuntala countries and was anointed to the
Chōḍa kingdom under the name
Kulōttuṅgadēva. Instead
of ‘the Chōḍa kingdom’ the Piṭhāpuram inscription of Malla-
padēva uses the
expression ‘the five Draviḍas.’ The first inscription in which he
is
called Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva is one of the 5th year of his reign, i.e.
A.D. 1074-75, at
Conjeeveram (No. 68 below). It states that he defeated the king of
Kuntala, that he
crowned himself as king of the Chōḷa country, and that he
decapitated an unnamed Pāṇḍya
king. In speaking of ‘the prostitution of the
Lakshmī of the Southern region,’ and ‘the
loneliness of the goddess of the country on the
banks of the Kāvērī,’ the inscription suggests
that, before Kulōttuṅga's arrival in the
South, the Chōḷa country had lapsed into a state
of anarchy and lost its ruler. A similar
account of the condition of the Chōḷa country is
given in the Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi,
which states besides that Kulōttuṅga defeated Virudarāja
and that
‘the king of kings’ had met with his death. A third account of the
same
events is furnished by Bilhaṇa in his Vikramāṅkadēvacharita.
During the reign of his
elder brother Sōmēśvara II. (A.D. 1069 to 1076),
Vikramāditya VI. married the
daughter of the Chōḷa king. Shortly after
“the news reached him that his father-in-law
was dead and that the Chōḷa kingdom was in a
state of anarchy.” He immediately started
for Kāñchī and
Gāṅgakuṇḍapura and put his wife's brother on the Chōḷa throne.
A
few days after his return from this expedition, “he learnt that his brother-in-law had lost
his
life in a fresh rebellion and that Rājiga, the lord of Vēṅgī, had
taken possession of the
throne of Kāñchī.” Rājiga found an ally in Sōmēśvara II., but
Vikramāditya VI. put
Rājiga to flight, took Sōmēśvara II. prisoner and ascended the throne
himself in A.D. 1076.
Dr. Fleet was the first to recognise that Rājiga is a familiar form of
Rājēndra-Chōḍa,
the original name of Kulōttuṅga I. The Chōḷa
king whose daughter became the wife of
Vikramāditya VI. is identical with
Vīrarājēndra I., one of whose inscriptions proves that
he entered into friendly
relations with Vikramāditya VI. The son and successor of Vīra-
rājēndra I. and the brother-in-law of Vikramāditya VI. was
Parakēsarivarman, alias
Adhirājēndra. He is
probably the ‘king of kings,’ whose death, according to the
Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi,
preceded Kulōttuṅga's arrival in the Chōḷa country. Finally, the Viruda-
rāja
of the Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi, and the king of Kuntala whom Kulōttuṅga claims to
have
defeated, is Vikramāditya VI. The war between these two kings must fall
before
A.D. 1074-75, the date of No. 68 below.
An inscription of the 11th year = A.D. 1080-81 (No. 78 below) adds that Kulōttuṅga
I.
drove Vikkalaṉ (i.e. Vikramāditya VI.) from Naṅgili (in the
Kōlār district) by way of
Maṇalūr to the Tuṅgabhadrā river, and that he
conquered the Gaṅga-maṇḍalam and
Śiṅgaṇam. A later inscription (No. 73
below) substitutes Aḷatti for Maṇalūr and ‘the
country of Koṇkaṇa’ for Śiṅgaṇam. Neither Maṇalūr nor Aḷatti can be identified.
Śiṅgaṇam seems to refer to the dominions of Jayasiṁha III.,
Vikramāditya's younger
brother. to whom he had given the office of viceroy of Banavāsi. Other inscriptions assert
that Vikkalaṉ and Śiṅgaṇaṉ had
to take refuge before Kulōttuṅga in the western ocean.
It may have been in
the course of the war against the two brothers that Kulōttuṅga “cap-
tured a
thousand elephants at Navilai which was guarded by the Gaṇḍanāyakas”
(read
Daṇḍanāyakas ?). For, Navilai is probably the capital of
Navale-nāḍu, a district of
Mysore, which is mentioned in inscriptions at
Kaṭṭemanuganahaḷḷi and Beḷatūru. In the
Vikramāṅkadēvacharita
we of course look in vain for an account of reverses experienced by
Vikramāditya VI., but are
told that he “had once more to extinguish the Chōḷa” before
entering his capital of
Kalyāṇa, and that after a long period of peace he again put
the
Chōḷa to flight and took Kāñchī.
Before the 26th year of his reign (No. 72 below), i.e. A.D. 1095-96,
Kulōttuṅga
conquered the country of Kaliṅga. This expedition is described in detail
in the
Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi. It would fall into the reign of Anantavarman,
alias Chōḍagaṅga,
of Kaliṅganagara (A.D. 1078 to about 1142).
Rājakēsarivarman, alias Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva II. or
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa-
dēva I., had various other names. The Chellūr and
Piṭhāpuram plates mention his surname
Rājanārāyaṇa, from
which the designation of a temple at Bhīmavaram was derived.
Hence certain
coins with the legend Chōlanārāyaṇa have perhaps to be assigned to him.
The Kaliṅgattu-Parani calls him Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa, Karikāla-Chōḷa,
Virudarājabhayaṁkara,
Abhaya and Jayadhara. The last name is applied to him in two inscriptions at Chidam-
baram
and Tiruvoṟṟiyūr. An inscription at Pallāvaram belongs to
the 39th year of Śuṅgan-
davirtta-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, i.e.
‘Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva who abolished tolls,’ and three later
inscriptions
mention the name of the same king. As the Vikkirama-Śōḻaṉ-ulā states
that
Kulōttuṅga I. abolished tolls, it has to be assumed that
Śuṅgandavirtta was another
of his surnames. A list of those which appear in his
inscriptions in the Telugu country
I have given elsewhere. From his Chōḷa
predecessors he inherited the title Uḍaiyār,
‘the lord.’ Later on he assumed the
titles Chakravartin, ‘the emperor,’ and Tribhuvana-
chakravartin, ‘the
emperor of the three worlds,’ which occur first in inscriptions of the
14th and 20th years
(Nos. 69 and 71 below), respectively.
Kulōttuṅga's capital was Gaṅgāpurī or Gāṅgakuṇḍapura, i.e. Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-
chōḷapuram, which had been
founded by his grandfather Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. alias
Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Chōḷa, and which had been the residence of the latter and of
Vīrarājēndra I.
The city second in importance was Kāñchī. An inscription of the 30th year of
Kulōttuṅga's reign (No. 73 below) is dated
from his palace at Kāñchipuram.
The copper-plate grants state that Kulōttuṅga I. married Madhurāntakī,
the
daughter of Rājēndradēva of the solar race, and had by her
seven sons. The eldest,
Vikrama-Chōḍa, was
crowned (most probably) on the 18th July A.D. 1108. The
second,
Rājarāja II., was viceroy of Vēṅgī from 1077 to 1078 and was succeeded by
the
third brother, Vīra-Chōda.
Kulōttuṅga's queen Madhurāntakī is not mentioned by name in his inscriptions. But
she is
probably intended by ‘the mistress of the whole world’ or ‘the mistress of the whole
earth,’ to
whom many of his inscriptions refer. An inscription of the 26th year (No. 72
below) gives the
names of three additional queens:——Dīnachintāṁaṇi, Ēḻiśai-Vallabhī
and
Tyāgavallī. In the 30th year (No. 73 below) Dīnachintāmaṇi seems to have
been
dead and Tyāgavallī to have taken her place. The Kaliṅgattu-Parani (x. verse 55)
states
that Tyāgavallī exercised equal authority with the king himself.
Kulōttuṅga I. is stated to have reigned for 49 years in the Chellūr plates of his grand-
son, and for 50 years in the Piṭhāpuram inscription of
Mallapadēva. This would carry
us to A.D. 1118-19 or 1119-20. Hence he must
have appointed his son Vikrama-
Chōḷa co-regent during his life-time (in
A.D. 1108). The latest epigraphical date of Kulōt-
tuṅga I. is the 49th year of
his reign in two inscriptions at Gaṅgaikoṇḍachōḷapuram (No. 80
of 1892) and
Achcharapākkam (No. 256 of 1901).
This inscription (No. 106 of 1892) is engraved on the west and south walls of the
first
prākāra of the Ādhipurīśvara temple at Tiruvoṟṟiyūr in the
Saidāpēṭ tāluka of the
Chingleput district. The name of the temple is
derived from Ādhipura, i.e. ‘the mortgage-
village,’ which
is the Sanskrit equivalent of Oṟṟiy-ūr. That this Śiva temple is a very
ancient one,
follows from the fact that Oṟṟiyūr is mentioned by each of the three authors of
the
Dēvāram.
Like the two next following inscriptions (Nos. 65 and 66), this one is dated in the
2nd year
of the reign of Rājakēsarivarman, alias Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva (II.).
From
the Chellūr plates of Vīra-Chōḍa we know that Rājēndra-Chōḍa was
the original name of
Kulōttuṅga I., who is distinguished from his maternal
grandfather Parakēsarivarman,
alias Rājēndra-Chōḷa I., by the surname
Rājakēsarivarman. That the Rājēndra-Chōḷa of this
inscription is identical with
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa I. follows from its historical introduction,
which mentions the capture of
elephants at Vayirāgaram and the conquest of the king of
Dhārā at
Śakkarakōṭṭam. The first of these two deeds is also referred to in the
later
inscriptions of Kulōttuṅga I. And both these and the
Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi report that he
conquered Śakkarakōṭṭam when still a
Yuvarāja. Further the subjoined inscription says
that he took
possession of the eastern country, by which his original dominion, the country
of
Vēṅgī, may be meant. Perhaps he took Vēṅgī from his uncle
Vijayāditya VII.,
who appears to have received it from the Chōḷa king
Vīrarājēndra I. The southern limit
of the dominions of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa II. in the second year of his reign is perhaps roughly
indicated by a line
connecting Tiruvoṟṟiyūr, Tiruvālaṅgāḍu and Kōlār, the localities
of
the inscriptions Nos. 64 to 66. The subjoined inscription implies that he felt himself
already
at that time as a member of the Chōḷa family to which his mother and
grandmother
belonged, and not as an Eastern Chālukya, because it mentions as
his crest the tiger, and
not the boar. But he cannot yet have taken possession of the Chōḷa
country on the banks of
the Kāvērī. For, his victory over the Kuntala king (Vikramāditya
VI.) and his accession to
the Chōḷa throne are referred to only in later inscriptions of his,
and in these he bears the
new name Kulōttuṅga, which, to judge from verse 11 of the Chellūr
plates, he assumed on
the very occasion of his coronation as Chōḷa king
and after his victory over Vikramāditya
VI.
The purpose of this inscription is to record that a general, whose name we know already
from
an inscription of Adhirājēndra, granted 240 kāśu, which the
temple authorities
employed for purchasing certain land from five villages. Three of these
belonged, like
Tiruvoṟṟiyūr itself, to Puḻal-nāḍu, a subdivision of
Puḻaṟkōṭṭam; one to a sub-
division of
Puliyūr-kōṭṭam; and the last to Eḻumūr-nāḍu. Both Puḻal and Puliyūr
now belong to the Saidāpēṭ tāluka.
Puḻal-nāḍu must have comprised the north-eastern
portion of that tāluka, where we find
Tiruvoṟṟiyūr and two of the three other villages
which the inscription locates in
Puḻal-nāḍu, viz. Maṇali and Āmbilavāyil. Eḻumūr-nāḍu
owes its name to Eḻumbūr (Egmore), now a portion of
the city of Madras.
Hail ! Prosperity ! With his arms which resembled two mountains, (and between)
which
the goddess of prosperity permanently rested and shone, and with (his) sword as
(only)
helps, (the king) overcame the treachery of (his) enemies; carried
off many herds of
elephants at Vayirāgaram (Vajrākara); and was
pleased to levy tribute (which) illumin-
ated (all) directions from
the king of Dhārā at the rich Śakkarakōṭṭam
(Chakrakōṭṭa).
(He) gently raised, without wearying (her) in the least, the
lotus-like goddess of the earth
residing in the region of the rising of the sun,——just as (the god) Tirumāl (Vishṇu), having
assumed the form of the
primeval boar, had raised (the earth) on the day when (she) was
submerged in the
ocean (by the demon) Hiraṇyāksha),——and seated (her) under the shade
of his
parasol, (where she) experienced delight. (He) made the wheel (of his
authority) and
the tiger (-banner) go in every direction and established
(his) fame and justice in every
country. While valour, liberality, pride and compassion,
as (his) intimate relatives, were
resplendent on the undivided earth,
he took his seat (on the throne) with (the goddess of)
victory and put on by
right the jewelled crown of (his) family. While the rulers of the
earth bore his feet
(on their heads), (he) wielded the sceptre in every (quarter of the)
beautiful
continent of the nāval (tree).
In the second year (of the reign) of this king Rājakēsarivarman, alias)
the lord
Srī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva,——the general (sēnāpati)
Rājarājaṉ-Paranr̥parākshasa-
nār, alias
Vīra-Śōḻa-Iḷaṅgōvēḷār, the headman of [Naḍ]ār in
Tiraimūr-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Uyyakkoṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu, (a
district) of Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, deposited
——for the expenses required for
anointing (the idol of) Kārāṇai-Viḍaṅgadēvar in the
temple of the god of
Tiruvoṟṟiyūr in Puḻal-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Puḻaṟkōṭṭam,
(a district) of
Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam,——in the treasury of this god two hundred
and forty
good kāśu current at the time. After these two hundred and forty
kāśu had been
deposited in the treasury of this god, (the following) deed of
sale of land was drawn up in
writing against (the receipt of) these kāśu by us,
the assembly of Maṇali, alias Siṁha-
vishṇu-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, a dēvadāna of this
(temple) in Puḻal-nāḍu, (a sub-
division) of
Puḻaṟkōṭṭam, and by us, the villagers of Āmbilavāyil and
Igaṇaiyūr
in the same nāḍu), of Vēḻaśāṟṟu in
Tuḍarmuṉṉi-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Puliyūr-
kōṭṭam, and of Pirayapākkam in [E]ḻumūr-nāḍu.•••••
This inscription (No. 14 of 1896) is engraved on the east wall of the second
prākāra
of the Vaṭāraṇyēśvara temple at Tiruvālaṅgāḍu, a
village in the Kārvēṭnagar Zamīn-
dārī, 3 miles north-north-east of the
Chinnamapēṭ Railway Station. The present name of
the temple is derived from
Vaṭ-āraṇya, ‘the banyan forest,’ which is the Sanskrit equivalent
of
Ālaṅ-gāḍu. In Tiruñāṉasambandar's Dēvāram the place is mentioned by the
name
Paḻaiyaṉūr-Ālaṅgāḍu, i.e. ‘Ālaṅgāḍu (near) Paḻaiyaṉūr.’ And
the subjoined in-
scription speaks of it as “Tiruvālaṅgāḍu (near) Paḻaiyaṉūr
in Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu, (a sub-
division) of Mēṉmalai.” Paḻaiyaṉūr is found on the Madras Survey Map of
the
Kārvēṭnagar Zamīndārī; it is close to Tiruvālaṅgāḍu and 3 miles north-east of the
Chin-
namapēṭ Railway Station. According to another inscription at
Tiruvālaṅgāḍu (No. 16 of
1896), Mēlmalai, the district to which
Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu belonged, was included in
Jayaṅgoṇda Śōlamaṇḍalam.
The historical introduction and the date of this inscription are identical with those of
No.
64. The inscription records that Rājēndra-Chōḷa II. issued an order to the
effect
that twenty-five families of Śaṅkarappāḍi should be settled on the land of
Tiruvālaṅ-
gāḍu, that the new settlement should be called
Rājēndra-Śōḻappāḍi (after the name of
the king), and that the settlers should
have the duty of looking after fifteen lamps of the
temple.
(Line 3.) Hail! Prosperity ! In the second year (of the reign) of king
Rājakēsari-
varman, alias the lord
Śrī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva, who etc.——the following royal
order
was received with the signature of the royal secretary
(tiru-mandirav-ōlai) Arumoḻi-Viḻup-
parayar:——“While (we)
were dining in the day-residence (pagal-irukkai) at Śivapuram
in
Puriśai-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Maṇaiyiṟkōṭṭam,
(a district) of Jayaṅ-
goṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, (and)
when Vīra-Śōḻa-Pallavaraiyaṉ, (one) among our
officials (kaṉmi),
submitted to us that twenty-five families of Śaṅkarappāḍi should be settled
on the
land of this village, (that this settlement should be called) by the name of
Rājēndra-
Śōḻappāḍi, and that (they) should supply the oil
required for, and keep burning, fifteen
perpetual lamps (in the temple) of
Mahādēva at Tiruvālaṅgāḍu (near) Paḻaiyaṉūr
in
Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Mēṉmalai,——we granted
that the twenty-five
families of Śaṅkarappāḍi should supply lamp-oil to this
god.”
(L. 6.) Accordingly, the magistrate (adhikārin) Nāṅgoṟṟa-Kaḍambaṉ
ordered:——
“Let it be engraved on stone that those who shall cause injury to this charity will
have
disobeyed the royal order.”•••••
This inscription (No. 131 of 1892) is engraved on the east wall of the
Kōlāramma
temple at Kōlār in the Mysore State. In the Chōḷa
inscriptions of the temple the goddess
is called Piḍāri, and
Kōlār itself Kuvaḷālam. As the traditional capital of the Gaṅga
family it is
mentioned under the names of Kuvaḷālapura, Kōḷāḷapura and
Kōlāhalapura.
According to the subjoined inscription (l. 5) it belonged to
Kuvaḷāla-nāḍu, a district of
Vijayarājēndra-maṇḍalam.
The historical introduction and the date of this inscription are identical with those
of
Nos. 64 and 65. The inscription records that an officer named Vīraśikhāmaṇi-
Mūvēndavēḷār inspected the temple and appointed a committee, which seems to have
made allotments to various shrines included in the temple.
The temple revenue had been
originally paid by the temple villages in gold coins
(māḍai), but was subsequently converted
into supplies of paddy. We learn that one
māḍai corresponded to two kāśu (l. 11) and that
one kāśu purchased
about 2(3/4) kalam of paddy (l. 11 f.). In the Tiruvallam inscription of
Adhirājēndra
one kāśu corresponds to four kalam of paddy. The Tanjore
inscriptions of
Rājarāja I. and Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. fix the interest per
kāśu at 3 kuṟuṇi of paddy or one eighth
kāśu, from which it follows
that one kāśu corresponded to 24 kuṟuṇi, i.e. 2 kalam. This
shows that
the prices of grain must have varied considerably either according to the locality
or at
different times.
The preserved portion of the inscription consists of 28 lines. At the end of each of
the
lines 1 to 7 a few syllables are lost; at the end of line 8 much more is lost; and from
line 9
it is impossible to supply the missing portions of each line. To give a general idea of
the
contents of the inscription, I am publishing the text as far as line 13, but am quoting
also
from the unpublished portion in the following list of shrines to which allotments
were
made:——Vīrabhadradēva (l. 12), Brahmāṇī, Īśvarī (l. 13),
Vaishṇavī (l. 14),
Indrāṇī (l. 15), Gaṇapati
(l. 16), Chāmuṇḍēśvarī of the chief shrine (mūlasthāna)
(l. 17),
Kshētrapāladēva, Mahāśāstā (l. 18), Sūryadēva (l. 19),
Yōginī and
Yōgēśvara (ll. 24 and 27). At the worship of the two last
deities intoxicating drinks
(madya-pāna) were consumed.
(Line 4.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the second year (of the reign) of king
Rājakēsari-
varman, alias the lord
Śrī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva, who etc.——when the magistrate
(adhi-
kārin) Ambalavaṉ Tiruppondaiyār, alias
Vīraśikhāmaṇi-Mūvēndavēḷār, the
lord of Pāṇḍiyambākkam (and a native) of Pāṇḍiyambākkam in Perumbuliyūr-
nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam,
(a district) of [Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa]-maṇ-
ḍalam, was examining
the affairs of the temple in the maṇḍapa enclosing the temple
of Piḍāriyār
at [Kuvaḷālam] in Kuvaḷāla-nāḍu, (a district) of
Vijayarājēndra-
maṇḍalam, (he) asked the
Kaṉṉāḍaga-Paṇḍita who was the superintendent of the
maṭha
of this god, the Pañchāchārya
(who wears) a silk garment (in honour) of the feet of the god,
and
the Pūjāris (kaṉmi) of the god:——“Have allotments been made to this god, [to
the
Pañchāchārya] (who wears) a silk garment (in honour) of the feet of the
god, and to the
various temple servants, after the (payments in) gold
coins (māḍai) accruing from the villages
which are dēvadānas) of this god
were converted into (supplies of) paddy ?”
(L. 7.) The answer was:——“No allotments have been made until the second year (of
the
reign) of the lord [Śrī-Rājēndra-Śō]ḻadēva.”
(L. 8.) Thereon the magistrate Vīraśikhāmaṇi-Mūvēndavēḷā[r] appointed
(a
committee consisting of) the above mentioned persons; the
Puravuvaritiṇaikaḷattu-Mugaveṭṭi
•••••• of Iḷai[yūṟu]
(near) Mummuḍi-Śōḻa-nallūr (and) a
resident of Āraṇi in
Paiyyūr-kōṭṭam; (and)••• Vēḷāṉ Kaṇapuram,
alias
Nr̥paśikhāmaṇi-Viḻupparaiyaṉ.
(L. 10.)••••• māḍai one hundred and eighty-seven and three
twentieths. Pākkambaḷ[ḷi] (had to pay) māḍai two hundred and two, one
twentieth and
one eightieth. [A]ṟaiyūr (had to pay) māḍai ten and a half,
one twentieth and one fortieth
••••••
(L. 11.) [Altogether], [mā]ḍai five hundred and seventeen, three twentieths and
one
eightieth, which correspond——at the rate of two kāśu for one māḍai——to
kāśu one thousand and
thirty-four, three twentieths and one fortieth, which correspond,——at the rate of••
•••• by the Rāja[kēsari] (measure) for each kāśu——to••••
••kalam and one tūṇi [of
paddy], which correspond——with an increment of one kalam,
one
tūṇi and four nāḻi for each kalam——to two thousand eight hundred and
forty-three kalam,
two tūṇi and three kuṟuṇi of paddy by the
marakkāl (called after) Arumoḻidēvaṉ.
(L. 12.) Out of this the following allotments were made:——To Vīrabhadradēvar,
[at
each] of the three times of the day,••••• four••• To
Brahmāṇiyār, at each
of the three times of the day, four nāḻi of rice, two dishes of vege-
tables, two areca-nuts and four betel-leaves. To Īśvariyār, at each of the
three times of
the day,••• of rice•••••
This inscription (No. 182 of 1901) is engraved on three walls of the Saundararāja-
Perumāḷ temple at Sōmaṅgalam, a village north of
Maṇimaṅgalam in the Chingleput
district. The ancient name of the temple was
Chitrakūṭa (l. 3). Like Maṇimaṅgalam,
Sōmaṅgalam belonged to
Māgaṇūr-nāḍu, a subdivision of the district of Śēṅgāṭṭu-
kōṭṭam (l. 2 f.).
The inscription is dated in the 3rd year of Rājēndra-Chōḷa II. The
introduction
agrees with that of the inscriptions of his 2nd year (Nos. 64 to 66 above), but
adds a
reference to his queen, without mentioning her name.
Hail ! Prosperity !••••• In the 3rd year (of the reign) of
king
Rājakēsarivarman, alias the lord Śrī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva,
who was pleased to
take his seat on the throne of heroes together with (his queen), the
mistress of the whole
world,——we, the great assembly of Sōmaṅgalam, alias
Rājaśikhāmaṇi-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam, in Māgaṇūr-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Śēṅgāṭṭu-kōṭṭam, (a district)
of
Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, drew up the following writing on stone, to last
as long
as the moon, in favour of the lord of the holy Chitrakūṭa (temple) in
our village.••
••••
This inscription (No. 17 of 1893) is engraved on the north wall of the Pāṇḍava-Peru-
māḷ temple at Conjeeveram. The ancient name of the temple was
Tiruppāḍagam
(l. 3), and it is mentioned under the name of Pāḍagam in the
Nālāyiraprabandham.
The date is the 5th year of the king, who is now styled
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva
(I.), while in the inscriptions of his 2nd, 3rd and 4th
years (Nos. 64 to 67 and 77) he still
bears the name Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva (II.).
The new inscription refers to his early victories at Śakkarakōṭṭam and Vayi-
rāgaram. It then states that he vanquished the king of
Kuntala, i.e. the Western
Chālukya king Vikramāditya VI., that he crowned
himself as king of the country on the
banks of the Kāvērī, i.e. of the
Chōḷa country, and that he decapitated an unnamed
Pāṇḍya king. An inscription of
the 6th year of his reign adds nothing new to these
The subjoined inscription records that a merchant of Kāñchipuram provided
the
temple with a flower-garden and purchased from the villagers of Ōrirukkai some
land
for the benefit of the gardeners. I cannot find Ōrirukkai on the map; but it must
be
looked for near Uttiramēlūr (l. 4) in the Madurāntakam tāluka
of the Chingleput district.
As boundaries of the land granted, the inscription mentions also
the river Aḻichchiyāṟu
and apparently the village of Śāttamaṅgalam. A
village of this name I find 8 miles
east of Madurāntakam.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! Having made the wheel of his (authority) to go as far
as
the golden circle (i.e). Mount Mēru) on the earth, which was surrounded by
the moat of the
sea, that was (again) surrounded by (his) fame, (the king)
newly wedded, in the time (when
he was still) heir-apparent (iḷaṅgō), the
brilliant goddess of victory at Śakkarakōṭṭam by
deeds of valour and scized a herd
of strong elephants at Vayirāgaram. (He) unsheathed
(his) sword, showed
the strength of (his) arm, and spurred (his) war-steed, so that the king
of
Kondaḷa (Kuntala), (whose spear had) a sharp point, lost his wealth. Having
established
(his) fame, having put on the garland of (the victory over) the
Northern region, and having
stopped the prostitution of the goddess with the sweet and
excellent lotus-flower (i.e.
Lakshmī) of the Southern region, and the loneliness of the
goddess of the good country whose
garment is the Poṉṉi (Kāvērī), (he) put
on by right (of inheritance) the pure royal crown
of jewels, while the kings of the old
earth bore his two feet (on their heads) as a large crown.
(L. 2.) The sweet river Poṉṉi swelled, (and) the river (of the sins) of
the Kali (age)
dried up. (His) sceptre swayed over every region; the heavenly white light of (his) white
parasol shone everywhere on the circle of the
great earth; (and his) tiger(-banner) fluttered
unrivalled on the Mēru
(mountain). (Before him) stood a row of elephants showering jewels,
which were presented
(as) tribute by the kings of remote islands of the deep sea. The
excellent head of the
brilliant king of the South (i.e. the Pāṇḍya) lay being pecked by
kites.
While his valour and liberality shone like (his) necklace of precious stones
and
(like) the flower-garland on (his) royal shoulders, (and) while
(all his) enemies prostrated
themselves on the ground, (he) was pleased to take
his seat on the throne of heroes together
with (his queen), the mistress of the whole
world.
(L. 3.) In the fifth year (of the reign) of this king Rājakēsarivarman,
alias) the lord
Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva,——we, the inhabitants of
Ōrirukkai in Kāliyūr-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of
Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam, (a district) of
Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, made
and gave the following writing on
stone:——Kumāra-Peruvāṇiyaṉ Dēvaṉ Eṟiñjōḍi,
alias Aruḷāḷadāsaṉ, a merchant
(residing) in the great street of Arumolidēva
at
Kāñchipuram, a city in Eyil-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Eyiṟkōṭṭam, had made for
the god who is pleased to reside in the
Tiruppāḍagam (temple) a flower-garden, called
the flower-garden of
Aruḷāḷadāsaṉ (and situated) on the outside of the temple. In order
to
provide for the cost (mudal) of the clothing of those who work (in this garden) and
of
(their) families, we sold the following land in our village free from taxes.
(L. 4.) The eastern boundary (is) to the west of the road of the inhabitants of
Uttira-
mēlūr; the southern boundary (is) to the north of the
Aḻichchiyāṟu (river); the western
boundary (is) to the cast of the
land which we have sold to (the temple of) Tiruve[ḥ]kāvāḻ-
vāṉ and of the field of Śāttamaṅgalam-Uḍaiyāṉ
Kaḍagaṉ; and the northern bound-
ary (is) to the south of the small
field of Śāttamaṅgalam-Uḍaiyāṉ Kaḍichchāṉ.
Having sold the two thousand
kuḻi, (measured) by the rod of sixteen spans, enclosed in these
four
boundaries, not excluding the cultivated land, (we) received from him as
purchase-
money for this land eleven kaḻañju of gold, weighed by the true
standard of the city (kuḍi-
naṟ-kal) (and) equal (in fineness) to
the Madurāntakaṉ-māḍai. Having received (this amount)
in
full and having made (the land) a tax-free dēvadāna), we shall not be able to claim
on this
land vēlikkāśu, water-cess (nīr-vilai), petty
taxes, śōṟumāṭṭu and any other (tax).
(L. 5.) We have to measure into the treasury of the temple the paddy which comes
from the
land harvested in Āṉaikkaṟukku, (a portion of ?) this land. It shall be lawful
to
irrigate the land lying to the east (of the land sold), from the channels included in
this land.
(L. 6.) Having thus agreed, we, the inhabitants of Ōrirukkai, made and gave
(this)
writing on stone to continue as long as the moon and the sun. At the bidding of
these, I,
Śāttamaṅgalam-Uḍaiyāṉ Vēḷāṉ Kayilāyatt[āṉ], a cultivator of
this village, wrote
(this). This is my writing. (This is placed under) the
protection of the Śrī-Vaishnavas.
This inscription (No. 174 of 1894) is engraved on the wall of the strong-room of
the
Vēdagirīśvara temple at Tirukkaḻukkuṉṟam, a large village in the
Chingleput district
on the road from Chingleput to the port of Sadras. This
village is mentioned in Sundaramūrti's
Dēvāram as Kaḻukkuṉṟam, ‘the hill
of the kites.’ The ancient name of the temple was
Mūlasthāna.
Tirukkaḻukkuṉṟam itself bore the surname Ulagaḷanda-Śōḻapuram and
belonged to
Kaḷattūr-nāḍu, a subdivision of the district of Kaḷattūr-kōṭṭam.
The
names of this district and of its subdivision are derived from Kalattūr, a
village on the
south of Chingleput.
The inscription records the grant of two lamps, made in the 14th and 15th years of the
reign
of Kulōttuṅga I. (ll. 32 and 38). The historical introduction agrees on the
whole
with that of No. 68 as far as line 11. It then relates that Kulōttuṅga I. drove
Vikkalan
(i.e. Vikramāditya VI.) from Naṅgili (in the Kōlār
district) by way of Maṇalūr to
the
Tuṅgabhadrā river, and that he conquered the Gaṅga-maṇḍalam and
Śiṅgaṇam, by
which the dominions of Jayasiṁha III. seem to be meant. Having secured his frontiers
in the north, he turned against the
Pāṇḍyas and subdued the south-western portion of the
peninsula as
far as the Gulf of Maṉṉār, the Podiyil mountain (in the Tinnevelly district),
Cape Comorin,
Kōṭṭāṟu, the Sahya (i.e. the Western Ghāṭs) and Kuḍamalai-nāḍu
(i.e.
Malabar). From the statement that he “fixed the boundary of the Southern
country”
(l. 27), it may be concluded that he limited the territories of the Pāṇḍya king to
the Madura
district. In order to pacify the newly acquired country, he settled some of his
officers on
the roads passing through Kōṭṭāṟu, etc. An inscription of the
39th year of his reign at
Chōḷapuram, a portion of Kōttāṟu (No. 46 of 1896), actually
mentions one of those military
settlers.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While the wheel of his (authority) went as far as the
golden
circle (i.e. Mount Mēru) on the earth, which was surrounded by the moat
of the sea, that
was (again) surrounded by (his) fame, (the king) newly
wedded, in the time (when he was still)
heir-apparent, the brilliant goddess of victory
at Śakkarakōṭṭam by deeds of valour and
seized a herd of mountains of rut
(i.e). rutting elephants) at Vayirāgaram.
(L. 3.) (He) unsheathed (his) sword, showed the strength of (his) arm, and
spurred (his)
war-steed, so that the army of the king of Kondaḷa, (whose
spear had) a sharp point,
retreated.
(L. 4.) Having established (his) fame, having put on the garland of (the victory
over) the
Northern region, and having stopped the prostitution of the goddess with the
sweet and
excellent lotus-flower (i.e. Lakshmī) of the Southern region, and the
loneliness of the goddess
of the good country whose garment is the Poṉṉi,
(he) put on by right (of inheritance) the
pure royal crown of jewels, while the
kings of the earth bore his two feet (on their heads) as
a large crown.
(L. 6.) The river (of the rules) of the ancient king Manu swelled, (and)
the river (of the
sins) of the Kali (age) dried up.
(L. 7.) (His) sceptre swayed over every (quarter of) this continent of the
nāval (tree); the
white light of the sacred shadow of (his) white parasol shone
everywhere on the circle of the
great earth; (and his) tiger (-banner) fluttered
unrivalled on the Mēru (mountain).
(L. 9.) (Before him) stood a row of elephants showering jewels, which were
presented
(as) tribute by the kings of remote islands whose girdle is the sea.
(L. 10.) The excellent head of the refractory king of the South (i.e. the
Pāṇḍya) lay
outside his (viz. Kulōttuṅga's) beautiful city, being pecked
by kites.
(L. 11.) Not only did the speech (of Vikkalaṉ):——“After this day a permanent
blemish
(will attach to Kulōttuṅga), as to the crescent (which is
the origin) of (his) family,”——turn out
wrong, but the bow
(in) the hand of Vikkalaṉ was not (even) bent against (the
enemy).
(L. 13.) Everywhere from Naṅgili of rocky roads——with Maṇalūr in the
middle——to
the Tuṅgabhadrā, there were lying low the dead (bodies of his)
furious elephants, his lost
pride and (his) boasted valour.
(L. 14.) The very mountains which (he) ascended bent their backs; the very rivers
into
which (he) descended eddied and breached (the banks) in their course;
(and) the very seas
into which (he) plunged became troubled and agitated.
(L. 16.) (The Chōḷa king) seized simultaneously the two countries (pāṇi)
called Gaṅga-
maṇḍalam and Śiṅgaṇam, troops of furious
elephants which had been irretrievably
abandoned (by the enemy), crowds of women,
(the angles of) whose beautiful eyes were as
pointed as daggers, the goddess of fame,
who gladly brought disgrace (on Vikkalaṉ), and the
great goddess of victory, who
changed to the opposite (side) and caused (Vikkalaṉ) himself
and (his) father,
who were desirous of the rule over the Western region, to turn their backs
again and again on
many days.
(L. 20.) Having resolved in (his) royal mind to conquer also the
Pāṇḍi-maṇḍalam
(i.e. the Pāṇḍya country) with great fame, (he)
despatched his great army,——which possessed
[excellent horses (resembling) the waves of
the sea], war-elephants (resembling) ships, and
troops (resembling) water,——as
though the Northern ocean was overflowing the Southern
ocean.
(L. 22.) (He) completely destroyed the forest which the five Pañchavas
(i.e. Pāṇḍyas)
had entered as refuge, when they were routed on a battlefield where
(he) fought (with them),
and fled cowering with fear.
(L. 24.) (He) subdued (their) country, drove them into hot jungles (in)
hills where
woodmen roamed about, and planted pillars of victory in every region.
(L. 25.) (He) was pleased to seize the pearl fisheries, the
Podiyil (mountain) where
the three kinds of Tamiḻ (flourished), [the (very) centre of the (mountain) Śaiyam] where
furious rutting elephants were captured, and Kaṉṉi, and fixed the boundaries of the
Southern (i.e. Pāṇḍya)
country.
(L. 27.) While all the heroes in the Western hill-country
(Kuḍamalai-nāḍu)
ascended voluntarily to heaven, (he) was
pleased to bestow on the chiefs of his army, who
were mounted on horses, settlements on every
road, including (that which passed) Kōṭṭāṟu,
in order
that the enemies might be scattered, and took his seat on the throne acquired in
warfare.
(L. 29.) (He) was pleased to be seated (on it) while (his) valour and
liberality shone
like (his) necklace of great splendour and (like) the
flower-garland on (his) royal shoulders,
(and) while (all his) enemies
prostrated themselves on the ground.
(L. 31.) In the [1]4th year (of the reign) of this king Rājakēsarivarman,
alias the
emperor Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, 1——one——perpetual lamp was
given to Mahādēva,
the lord of the Śrī-Mūlasthāna (temple) at
Tirukkaḻukkuṉṟam, alias Ulagaḷanda-
Śōḻapuram, a
dēvadāna) in its own circle (kūṟu) in
Kaḷattūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Kaḷattūr-kōṭṭam, (a
district) of Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, by .•• ppaḷḷi
Śelvaṉ
Paḻumaḍaiyaṉ, alias Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-periyarayaṉ, who resided
at
Śēvūr, alias Śōḻakēraḷanallūr, in
Ōymāṉāḍu.
(L. 36.) In order (to supply) to (this lamp) one uḻakku of ghee per day,
(measured) by
the Arumoḻidēvaṉ-uḻakku, (he) granted ninety
full-grown ewes, which must neither die nor
grow old.
(L. 37.) The feet of him who will continue this (grant) as long as the moon and the
sun
exist, shall be on my head. This (is placed under) the protection of all
Māhēśvaras).
(L. 38.) In the 15th year (of the king's reign) the above-mentioned person (also)
granted
ninety full-grown ewes, which must neither die nor grow old, for 1 (other)
perpetual lamp
which (he) had given. This (is placed under) the protection of all
Māhēśvaras.
This inscription (No. 62 of 1892) is engraved on the east wall of the third prākāra
of
the Raṅganātha temple on the island of Śrīraṅgam
near Trichinopoly. It mentions
Śrīraṅgam as Tiruvaraṅgam (l. 16) and the temple as
Tiruvaraṅgadēvar (l. 10).
The date is the 18th year of the reign of Kulōttuṅga I. The historical
introduction
does not add any fresh details to those narrated at the beginning of the
inscriptions of the
14th and 15th years. The inscription records that a
certain Kāliṅgarāyar granted to
the temple 6(1/4) kāśu with the condition
that the interest should be applied to defraying the
cost of offerings on two festival
days.
As discovered by Mr. Venkayya, the subjoined inscription fixes the time before
which
two of the twelve Vaishṇava Āḻvārs, who were the authors of the
Nālāyiraprabandham,
must have lived. For, (1) it refers to the recital of the text
beginning with Tēṭṭarundiṟal
(l. 13), which is the 2nd chapter of the sacred hymns
of Kulaśēkhara; and (2) the names
of three of the temple officials who are mentioned
in the inscription prove that the Vaishṇava
saint Śaṭhagōpa or
Nammāḻvār was already at that time well known and highly
venerated. As noticed before, his work, the Tiruvāymoḻi, is presupposed already in
an
inscription of Rājarāja I. These epigraphical evidences are fatal to
the theory of
Dr. Caldwell, who placed the Āḻvārs in the 12th or 13th century.
(Line 10.) In the [eighteenth] year (of the reign) of king Rājakēsarivarman,
alias the
emperor Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who etc.——by order of the magistrate (adhikārin)
Nisha[dha]rājar, the
manager of the temple of the god Tiruvaraṅgadēvar, the
following was agreed on and
given in writing to Arayaṉ[Garu]ḍa[v]āhaṉ, alias
Kāliṅgarāyar,
by us, the Pūjāris (kaṉmi) of the god, such as (1) the members of the
committee of the Śrī-Vaishṇavas: Tiruveḻu[di]nāḍu-Dāsar,
Vaḍamadurappiṟan-
dā[ṉ]- Nambi, Irāyūrā[ḷi]-Nambi,••• r
Nārāyaṇa-Nambi, Śrīśaḍa-
gōpa-Dāsar of
Perum[ba]ṟṟappuliyūr, and Arikulavāraṇa-Nambi of Mārkka-
maṅgalam; (2) the members of the committee of the temple treasury:
Kurugaikāvalaṉ
Ārāvamudu of the Hārita (gōtra),
Tiruvāykkulam-Uḍaiyāṉ Śrīrāghavaṉ of the
Hārita
(gōtra), Kēśuvaṉ (Kēśava) [Ta]ni-Iḷa[ñ]jiṅgam of the Hārita
(gōtra), Kēśuvaṉ
Aṟivariyāṉ of the Bhāradvāja (gōtra),
[Tiru]va[raṅ]ga-Nārāyaṇaṉ Śrīkr̥shṇaṉ of
the Bhāradvāja (gōtra),
and Ārāvamudu Śrīrāmaṉ of the [H]ārita (gōtra); (3) the account-
ants of the assembly: Arayaṉ Ambala••• and .•• āṟṟuvap-
piriyaṉ; and (4) the accountant of the Śrī-Vaishṇavas:
Tiruvēṅgaḍavaṉ Sōmaṉ,
alias
Padineṭṭunāḍu-Kiḻavaṉ.
(L. 13.) During the car festival in (the month of) Appigai (Aippaśi) and during
the
festival in Paṅgūni (Paṅguṉi), on the night of that day on which the
bathing-water (of the
idol) is distributed, at the time when (the idol) has been
placed under the sacred puṉṉai (tree)
and is listening to (the recital of the hymn)
Tēṭṭarundiṟal, (the following requirements have
to be supplied) on this day of
either festival:——For one hundred cakes to be offered (to
the god) are required one
padakku of old rice, three nāḻi of pulse (paruppu), three nāḻi
of
ghee, one hundred palam of sugar, three uḻākku of pepper, one
uḻākku of cumin, three uḻākku
of salt, fifty plantains, five cocoa-nuts, ten
young cocoa-nuts, one hundred and twenty areca-
nuts, one śeviḍu and a half
of camphor-oil, twelve bundles of teri leaves, and two mañjāḍi
of
camphor. (For all this), for those who pound (the rice into) flour for the
cakes, for those
who carry water, for those who fetch firewood, for those who fry the cakes,
for pots, and for
other requirements, he deposited six and a quarter
kāśu, to continue as long as the moon and
the sun.
(L. 15.) Having received these six and a quarter kāśu, we shall be bound to supply
the
offerings in this way at both festivals out of the interest for as long as the moon and the
sun
shall exist. Thus [it should be] caused to be engraved on stone. Having
agreed thus, we,
the Pūjāris of the god, gave a written agreement.
(L. 16.) We, the great assembly of Tiruvaraṅgam, shall be bound to continue
this
as long as the moon and the sun exist. This (is placed under) the protection of
the
Śrī-Vaishṇavas.
This inscription (No. 105 of 1895) is engraved on the west wall of the second
prākāra
of the Vaṭamūlēśvara temple at Kīḻappaḻuvūr in the
Uḍaiyārpāḷaiyam tāluka of the
Trichinopoly district. This village is
mentioned under the name of Paḻuvūr in Tiruñāṉa-
sambandar's
Dēvāram. The subjoined inscription calls it both Śiṟupaḻuvūr (ll. 18,
23,
25) and simply Paḻuvūr (ll. 26, 27). It belonged to Kuṉṟa-kūṟṟam, a
subdivision of the
district of Uttoṅgatoṅga-vaḷanāḍu (l. 18). According to other
inscriptions at Kīḻappaḻuvūr,
the name of the Śiva temple was
Tiruvālanduṟai-Mahādēva, in which āl, ‘the banyan,’
is the Tamil
equivalent of vaṭa, the first member of Vaṭamūlēśvara, the Sanskrit designation
of
the temple. A Vishṇu temple at the same village, which was named Vīra-Śōḻa-Viṇṇa-
gar, is mentioned in line 28 of the subjoined inscription.
The date is the 20th year of the reign of Kulōttuṅga I., when the assembly
of
Śiṟupaḻuvūr sold one twentieth vēli of land for one kāśu to the mother
of a certain Viruda-
rājabhayaṁkara-Vāṇakōvaraiyar. This may have been
the chief of Vāṇakōppāḍi, a
district which is mentioned in an inscription at
Tirukkōvalūr (No. 126 of 1900). That he
received his title from Kulōttuṅga I., follows from
the first portion of his name, Viruda-
rājabhayaṁkara, which, according
to the Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi (x. verse 25), was a surname
of Kulōttuṅga I. Another
derivative of the same surname is the district of Virudarāja-
bhayaṁkara-vaḷanāḍu; Gaṅgaikoṇḍachōḷapuram and Tirumudukuṉṟam
(i.e. Vr̥ddhā-
chalam in the South Arcot district) belonged to
Mēṟkā-nāḍu, a subdivision of this
district. A Telugu
inscription of Kulōttuṅga I. mentions Manni-nāṇḍu as another sub-
division of
the same district.
(Line 17.) In the twentieth year (of the reign) of king Rājakēsarivarman,
alias) the
emperor of the three worlds, Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who
etc.——we, the assembly of
Śiṟupaḻuvūr, a
brahmadēya) in Kuṉṟa-kūṟṟam, (a subdivision) of
Uttoṅgatoṅga-vaḷa-
nāḍu, sold the following land at a price
(settled by) the assembly to Śōḻakulasundaraṉ-
Vichchādiri
Āḻvār, the mother of Vi[ru]darājabhayaṁkara-Vāṇakō[va]raiyar.
(L. 19.) One fortieth (vēli) of land on the eastern side of the one twentieth
(vēli) of
land on the northern side of the four twentieths (vēli) of land of
the second square of the
first kaṇṇāṟu) to the north of the
Rājēndra-Śōḻa) channel (and) to the east of the Pavitti-
[ram]āṇikka road.
(L. 20.) And one fortieth (vēli) of land on the western side of the one twentieth
(vēli)
of land on the northern side of the four twentieths (vēli) of land
(of) the second square of the
second kaṇṇāṟu) to the east of this road
(and) to the north of this channel.
(L. 21.) Altogether, one twentieth (vēli) of land. The price which we have to
receive
from her for this one twentieth (vēli) of land, (and) on which we have
agreed, (is) one good
kāśu current at the time.
(L. 22.) Having received this one kāśu in full into the hand•••••
we, the assembly of the brahmadēya) of Śiṟupaḻuvūr, sold
(the land) and made and gave a
deed of sale. For this one twentieth (vēli) of
land this alone shall be the record of sale,
and this alone shall be the record of the final
payment of the money, and they (viz. the
purchasers) shall not be
bound to produce another record of the final payment of the money
besides this.
(L. 24.) Having thus agreed, having received this one kāśu, and having sold this
one
twentieth (vēli) of land at the full price, we, the assembly of
Śiṟupaḻuvūr, have received
the money in full.
(L. 25.) By their order, I, the Madhyastha Pa[ḻuvūr-U]ḍaiyāṉ
Āyirattiru-
nūṟṟuvaṉ Muḍikoṇḍāṉ, wrote this document
(pramāṇa); this is my writing. I, Pālā-
śiriyaṉ[Ila]kkuvaṇaṉ
(Lakshmaṇa) [Kū]ttappaṉ of [Ś]ān[da]maṅgalam, (know)
this; this
is my writing. I, Śa[v]āndi Nārāṇaṉ (i.e. Nārāyaṇa) of
Paḻuvū[r], (know)
this; this is my writing. This (is the writing) of
Śāndi Palāśiriyaṉ Vīranārāyaṇaṉ.
This (is the writing of)
Śā[vā]ndi Nārāyaṇaṉ Māṟaṉ. Thus do I know,
Nārāyaṇaṉ
Tiruvā[yi]kkulam-Uḍaiyāṉ, who performs the worship
of the temple of Vīra-Śōḻa-
Viṇṇagar-Āḻvār in this village. Thus
do I know, the blacksmith of this village. This (is
placed under) the protection of all
Māhēśvaras.
This inscription (No. 132 of 1895) is engraved on the east wall of the second prākāra
of
the Mahāliṅgasvāmin temple at Tiruviḍaimarudūr in
the Kumbhakōṇam tāluka of
the Tanjore district. This village is mentioned in
Tiruñāṉasambandar's Dēvāram as Iḍai-
marudu. The Sanskrit
equivalent of this name is Madhyārjuna, in which
madhya
corresponds to iḍai, ‘the middle,’ and arjuna to marudu,
‘Terminalia alata.’ In the
subjoined inscription the village is called
Tiruviḍaimarudil and its temple Tiruviḍai-
marud-Uḍaiyār (i.e). the lord of Tiruviḍaimarudu). It belonged to
Tiraimūr-nāḍu,
a subdivision of Ulaguyyakkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu. The inscription records a grant
of 120 sheep for two lamps. The Pūjāris
of the temple and the inhabitants of Tiruviḍai-
marudil and Tiraimūr were
appointed trustees of the grant. Tiraimūr I do not find on the
map;
but, as its inhabitants seem to have had a share in the management of the temple
at
Tiruviḍaimarudūr, it was probably not far distant from the latter.
The date is the 172nd day of the 26th year of the reign of Kulōttuṅga I.
The
historical introduction agrees with that of the 20th year (No. 71 above), but adds that
the
king conquered the Kaliṅga-maṇḍalam (l. 4). Other inscriptions refer to a
single
queen, who is styled ‘the mistress of the whole world,’ ‘the mistress
of the whole earth,’
or ‘the mistress of the world,’ and
who is perhaps identical with Madhurāntakī, the
daughter of Rājēndradēva. In addition to this queen, the subjoined inscription
mentions
three other queens, viz. Dīnachintāmaṇi, Ēḻiśai-Vallabhī, and Tyāgavallī. Of
the last of these the Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi
(x. verse 55) states that “she had the right to issue
orders together with the orders of the
Śeṉṉi (i.e. the Chōḷa king).”
(Line 4.) (He) was pleased to seize the Kaliṅga-maṇḍalam,
whose rivers were
checked (by dams), and was pleased to take his seat (on the
throne) with the mistress of the
whole world who remained (his) chief consort, while (his) valour and liberality shone like (his)
necklace
acquired in warfare and (like) the flower-garland on (his) royal shoulders;
while
(all men on) earth worshipped (him); while the mistress of the whole world,
Dīnachintā-
maṇi, was present, as Umā near Śiva; while the mistress of
the seven worlds, Ēḻiśai-
Vallabhī,——may she prosper !——the ornament of
women, was calmly and joyfully seated, as
Gaṅgā takes her seat with her (viz. Umā);
(and) while his (i.e. the king's favourite) mistress
of the world,
Tyāgavallī, possessing the splendour of Lakshmī who is inseparably clinging
to the bosom of Tirumāl (Vishṇu) to the end of the world, was present.
(L. 5.) In the 26th year (of the reign) of this king Rājakēsarivarman,
alias the
emperor Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva,——the Pañchāchārya)
(who wears) a silk garment (in
honour of) the feet of the god
Tiruviḍaimarud-Uḍaiyār, and the Pūjāris of the god
were pleased to send a
letter (śrīmugam) to the members of the assembly of Tiraimūr, to
the
citizens of Tiruviḍaimarudil, to the villagers of Tiraimūr, to the
temple-manager
Vaḍa-Śāttamaṅgalam-Uḍaiyāṉ Kūttaṉ
Sōmadēvaṉ, alias Kaṉṉa[gi]darapāṇi-
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ,
to the overseer of the Śrī-Māhēśvaras, [Eḍu]ttapādam
I[ṉ]buṟṟi-
rundāṉ, alias Poṟkōyil-Nambi, of the Bhāradvāja (gōtra), and to the accountant——to
the effect that it
should be engraved on stone that, on the 172nd day of the 26th year (of
the
king's reign), Paṭṭiyūr-Uḍaiyāṉ Nambaṉ Madurāntakadēvaṉ,
alias Kulōttuṅga-
Śōḻa-[Vi]ṟaināṭṭu Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, had
given a perpetual lamp to (the temple
of)
Tiruviḍaimarud-Uḍaiyār, the lord of Tiraimūr-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of Ulaguy-
ya[kk]oṇḍa-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu.
(L. 7.) When (this letter) arrived, (the addressees) placed (it) on
(their) heads and felt
honoured. Paṭṭiyūr-Uḍaiyāṉ Nambaṉ
Madurāntakadēvaṉ, alias Kulōttuṅga-
Śōḻa-[Vi]ṟaināṭṭu
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, had assigned 120 sheep for the two perpetual lamps
given (by
him), in order to supply one uri) of ghee per day by the E4kanāyakaṉ
(measure).
These one hundred and twenty sheep were taken over by Maṉṟāḍi
Tāmōdiraṉ (Dāmōdara)
Veṇgāḍaṉ, Dēvaṉ
Iḍaṅgoṇḍāṉ, Marudaṉ Dēvaṉ and Paṭṭaṉ Peṟṟāṉ.
We,
the Pūjāris of the god, the members of the assembly of Tiraimūr, the
citizens of
Tiruviḍaimarudil, and the villagers of Tiraimūr, shall be bound
to levy, as long as the
moon and the sun exist, this one uri of ghee per day by the
E4kanāyakaṉ (measure) from
(the recipients of) these one hundred and twenty
sheep and to keep these two perpetual lamps
burning.
(L. 8.) This (is) the writing of the accountant of the temple, Koṟṟamaṅgalam-
Uḍaiyāṉ Arumoḻi Poṟkāri. This (is placed under) the protection of all
Māhēśvaras.
The inscriptions of Kulōttuṅga I. inform us that he conquered and colonized
Kōṭṭāṟu.
This ancient town now belongs to the Travancore State
and is situated about 10 miles north
of Cape Comorin and near the British Post Office.
“Nagercoil.” A temple named
Chōḷēśvara is now included in a quarter of Nagercoil
which bears the name Chōḷapuram,
while according to the subjoined inscription it
belonged to Kōṭṭāṟu itself. The inscription
(No. 31 of 1896) is engraved on the north,
west and south walls of the first prākāra of this
temple.
The date is the 180th day of the [30]th year of the reign of Kulōttuṅga I.
The
historical introduction agrees on the whole with that of No. 72. But, among the
queens,
Dīnachintāmaṇi is omitted and Tyāgavallī mentioned in the first
place. Hence it may
be concluded that Dīnachintāmaṇi died between the 26th and 30th years of
the king's reign.
The inscription records that Kulōttuṅga I. himself, while staying in his palace
at
Kāñchipuram, granted to the temple the village of Āndāyakkuḍi, which
received the
new name Rājēndra-Śōḻa-nallūr. The temple itself, we are told, was
built by one of
the king's officers and named Rājēndra-Śōḻa-Īśvara. Both this
name and the new name
of the village granted must have been chosen with reference either to
Rājēndra-Chōḷa II.,
the name which Kulōttuṅga I. bore during the first
few years of his reign, or to Rājēndra-
Chōḷa I., the name of his maternal
grandfather. Kōṭṭāṟu had the surname Mummuḍi-
Śōḻa-nallūr and belonged to Nāñji-nāḍu, a subdivision of Uttama-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu,
a district of
Rājarāja-Pāṇḍi-nāḍu.
The inscription is incomplete at the end, and lines 5 and 6 are so much damaged that
they
cannot be published. They contain a detailed description of the boundaries of the
village
granted and mention the villages of Aḻagiya-Pāṇḍiyapuram (ll. 4 and 6),
Śivīndiram,
Tarumapuram, Irāśak[ka]maṅgalam (l. 5),
Śillūr, and the temple of Maṇivaṇ-
ṇīśvara (l. 6).
[The historical introduction is the same as in No. 69, with the following differences.]
(Line 12 f. of No. 69.) For “Vikkalaṉ” No. 73 substitutes “Vēḷpulattaraśu.”
(L. 13 f. of No. 69.) “At Aḷatti there were lying low herds of elephants
abandoned
(by him), the dead (bodies of his) fiery horses, his lost pride and
(his) boasted valour.”
(L. 16 of No. 69.) “(The Chōḷa king) seized simultaneously the two countries
(called)
Gaṅga-maṇḍalam and Koṅgaṇa-dēśam,
troops of furious elephants,” etc.
[Instead of the passage in line 4 f. of No. 72, which was translated on page 158 above,
No.
73 reads:] “(He) was pleased to take his seat on the throne of heroes for life-time
with
the mistress of the whole earth, while (his) valour and liberality shone like
(his) necklace
acquired in warfare and (like) the flower-garland on (his)
royal shoulders; while (all men on)
earth worshipped (him); while the mistress of
the whole earth, Tyāgavallī, was present, as
Umā near Śiva; (and) while the
mistress of the seven worlds, Ēḻiśai-Vallabhī,——may
she prosper !——the ornament of
women, was pleasantly and joyfully seated, as Gaṅgā takes
her seat with him (viz.
Śiva).”
(L. 3.) While this king Rājakēsarivarman, alias the emperor
Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-
Śōḻadēva, was graciously seated on the
śoṭṭai (?) in the white (?) maṇḍapa (called
after)
Rājēndra-Śōḻaṉ in the west of the octangular (court ?) within the royal
palace at Kāñchi-
puram, he was pleased to order as
follows:——“To (the god) Mahādēva (of the temple)
of
Rājēndra-Śōḻa-Īśvara, which Araiyaṉ Madurāntakaṉ, alias
Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-
Kēraḷarājaṉ, the lord of Muḻaiyūr in
Maṇṇi-nāḍu, (a district) of
Śōḻa-maṇḍalam,
had caused to be built at Kōṭṭāṟu, alias)
Mummuḍi-Śōḻa-nallūr, in Nāñji-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of
Uttama-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu, (a district) of Rājarāja-Pāṇḍi-nāḍu,
shall
be paid, for the expenses required by this god, from the [30]th year (of my reign)
forty-five
and a half, three twentieths and one fortieth māḍai) by
(the village of) Āndāyakkuḍi in the
same nāḍu). According to
(the settlement of) payments (that had taken place) in the seventh
year after the
accession of Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva, (this) tax was paid instead
of the (original)
land-tax of seventy-nine kāśu and three hundred and
twenty-four kalam of paddy. The
previous name of this village having been cancelled and
the name of Rājēndra-Śōḻa-nallūr
(having been substituted), let it be
entered in the revenue-register (vari) as a tax-free dēva-
dāna from the thirtieth year (of my reign), including rents, internal
revenue, and small rights,
such as ūr-kaḻañju, kumara-kachchāṇam,
the fishing-rent, the tax on looms, the rent of
the
goldsmiths, māḍai-kūli, daśavandam and
kāl-aḷavu-kūli.”
(L. 4.) In accordance with this royal order, received with the signature of the
royal
secretary, Kēraḷāntaka-Pallavarayaṉ, it was entered in the revenue-register
as a tax-
free dēvadāna on the one-hundred-and-eightieth day of the•••
th
year (of the king's reign) in the presence of the
Puravaritiṇaikkaḷa-nāyagam
Pañchanedi
Tirukkaṇṇapuram-Uḍaiyāṉ, the lord of Nāgaṉgu[ḍi] in
Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu;
Vēḷāṉ Kumaraṉ, alias
Kuvalayasundara-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, the headman of
Mullūr; the
Puravaritiṇaikkaḷattu-Mugaveṭṭi N[ā]rāyaṇaṉ
Tiruchchiṟṟambalam-
Uḍaiyāṉ, the lord of Aṇḍakku[ḍi] in
Ambar-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Rājasundara-
vaḷanāḍu;
and Araiyaṉ Kuḍitāṅgi, alias Rājan[ā]rāyaṇa-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ,
the lord
of Ku• [lūr]. The chief (kōṉ) of this village,
Rājarājaṉ, alias Kulōttuṅga-
Śōḻa-Nāñjināḍ-Uḍaiyā[ṉ], (drew up) a document specifying the four great boundaries
of this village. According to the document drawn up
(by him), the eastern boundary of
this (village is) to the west of the road
leading to Aḻagiya-Pāṇḍiyapuram.••
•••
This inscription (No. 18 of 1893) is engraved on the south wall of the Pāṇḍava-
Perumāḷ temple at Conjeeveram. As in No. 68 above, the name of the
temple is
given as Tiruppāḍagam (l. 3).
The date is the 39th year of the reign of Kulōttuṅga I. But the historical
introduc-
tion agrees almost literally with an inscription of the 5th year in the
same temple (No. 68
above), while the intervening inscriptions (Nos. 69 to 73, 78, and Vol. II.
No. 58) contain
much additional matter.
The inscription records that a merchant of Kāñchipuram paid two kaḻañju
and
two mañjāḍi of gold to the Pūjāris of the temple, who pledged themselves
to have the god
supplied daily with two nāḻi of curds.
(Line 3.) In the thirty-ninth year (of the reign) of king Rājakēsarivarman,
alias the
lord Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who etc.——the following writing on stone was made
and given by me,
Niṉṟanārāyaṇa-Bhaṭṭaṉ of the Bhāradvāja (gōtra) and by
me,
Dū[da]kari Tiruvaraṅgamāṇi-Bhaṭṭaṉ, who are performing
the worship in the
temple of Tiruppāḍagatt-Āḻvāṉ at Kāñchipuram, a
city in Eyiṟkōṭṭam, (a
district) of
Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam. From Tōṭṭaṅgiḻānādaṉ Sōmaṉ, a mer-
chant who resides in the great street of Rājāśraya in
this city, we have received two
kaḻañju and two mañjāḍi of gold, weighed by
the standard of the city (kuḍiñai-kal) (and)
equal (in fineness) to the
Madurāntaka-māḍai.
(L. 4.) Out of the interest from (this) we shall be bound to pay for supplying daily to
this
god two nāḻi of curds by the Niṉṟāṉ (? measure). If we are not able
(to pay it), we shall be
bound to make over this gold to those who will pay (it).
If (our) right (to serve) in this
temple should cease, we two shall be bound to
refund this money before leaving.
This inscription (No. 179 of 1894) is engraved on the south wall of the second
prākāra
of the Vēdagirīśvara temple at Tirukkaḻukkuṉṟam. It has been published before in
a tentative manner by Mr. V. Kanakasabhai Pillai
in the Indian Antiquary, Vol. XXI.
p. 281 ff. The date is the 42nd
year of the reign of Kulōttuṅga I. (l. 11).
The inscription records that an inhabitant of Rājarājapuram (l. 17) made over
Vāṉavaṉmahādēvi-chaturvēdimaṅgalam belonged to Kumiḻi-nāḍu, a subdivision
of
the district of Āmūr-kōṭṭam (l. 11). The land purchased was situated in
Kīraippākkam,
a hamlet in the west of that village (l. 12), and was bounded in the
east by Uroḍagam,
in the south by Tāḻaivēḍu, in the west by
Uragambākkam, and in the north by
Taṇḍuṟai (l. 13). Kiraippākkam is the
modern Kīrappākkam in the Chingleput
tāluka. East of it the map
shows Oragaḍam (No. 228), south of it Tāḻambēḍu
(No. 266), and north of
it Taṇḍaṟai (No. 233). The nāḍu to which these villages belonged
is named
after Kumiḻi in the same tāluka. The district of Āmūr-kōṭṭam owes
its name to
the village of Āmūr near Māmallapuram, which belonged to the subdivision Āmūr-
nāḍu. From the Koṇḍyāta grant of Veṅkaṭa II. it appears that there
was another district
which also bore the name of Āmūr-kōṭṭam, but which was named after
the town of Āmūr or
Āmbūr in the Vēlūr tāluka of the North Arcot district.
(Line 11.) In the forty-second year (of the reign) of••••• the
emperor
Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who etc.——we, the great assembly
of Vāṉavaṉ-
mahādēvi-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in Kumiḻi-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Āmūr-kōṭṭam,
(a district) of
Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, (drew up) a written deed of sale of land.
We
sold the following land, for maintaining a Maṭha, to Ādidāsa
[Chaṇḍēśvara]dēva
in the temple of
Tirukkaḻukkuṉṟam-uḍaiya-Mahādēvar, the lord of Ulagaḷanda-
Śōḻapuram, alias Śembiyaṉ-Tirukkaḻukkuṉṟam, in [Kaḷattūr]-nāḍu, (a sub-
division) of
Kaḷattūr-[kōṭṭam].
(L. 12.) The land sold (at) [Kī]raippākkam, a western hamlet of our village,
has
to be reclaimed by cutting down••••• the jungle and removing the
stumps.
(L. 13.) The eastern boundary of (this land) adjoins the boundary of Uroḍagam;
the
southern boundary adjoins the boundary of Tāḻaivēḍu; the western boundary
adjoins the
boundary of U[ra]gamb[ākka]m; and the northern boundary adjoins the
boundary of
[Ta]ṇḍuṟai.
(L. 14.) Having freed from taxes the wet land and the dry land, the trees above and
the
wells below, [enclosed within these four boundaries], and sold (it) for maintaining
the
Maṭha of Naminandi-Aḍigaḷ, which is situated in the
Maḍaiviḷāgam of this village, we
received as price ten good
kāśu current at the time.
(L. 15.) Having sold••••• and having received the money
in full, we, the great assembly,
made and gave a deed of sale. Having agreed that we alone
should be bound to pay the small
taxes, the big taxes, and any other (tax) due on this land,
we sold
(it) free from taxes. By order of [Karā]mbichcheṭṭu
[Sarv]ādittaṉ, who
belonged (?) to the sabhā, we,••••• Bhaṭṭaṉ,
Ma[ḻa]ppirāṉ
Kumārasāmi-Kramavittaṉ, Aruḷāḷa-Bhaṭṭaṉ of
Uṟuppuṭṭūr, Śrīraṅga-
nātha-Bhaṭṭaṉ of
Paśumbuṟam, Śaṁkaranārāyaṇa-Bhaṭṭaṉ of
Uṟuppuṭṭūr,
Tillaikkūtta-Kramavittaṉ of
Kura[va]ś[ē]ri, and Dōṇaśūra-Kramavittaṉ
of
Kirāñji,——all these members of the great assembly made and gave
(this) writing [on
stone, to last as long as] the moon and the sun.
(L. 17.) This is the writing of Vāṉavaṉmahādēvi-Uḍaiyāṉ Śelvaṉ
Kuḻaiñāṉ.
This charity was made by me, Dēvandainādaṉ Aruḷāḷaṉ,
alias Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-
Māpodiyarāyaṉ, of
Rājarājapuram in Eyiṟkōṭṭam. This charity•••
•••
This inscription (No. 31 of 1891) is engraved on the east wall of the second prākāra
of
the Jambukēśvara temple on the island of Śrīraṅgam
near Trichinopoly. As stated in
Vol. II. p. 253, the ancient name of the locality is
Tiruvāṉaikkā, i.e. ‘the sacred
elephant-grove,’ and the name of the temple
is derived from ‘the sacred white jambū tree’
(tiru-veṇ-ṇāval in Tamil). At
the time of the inscription, Tiruvāṉaikkā belonged to Mīgōḻai,
a subdivision of
the district of Pāṇḍikulāśani-vaḷanāḍu.
The date is the 47th year of the reign of Kulōttuṅga I. A certain
Villavarāyaṉ
had set up in the temple images of Ṛishabhavāhana,
i.e. Śiva riding on the bull, and of
Pārvatī. To provide for the
requirements of these two images, he purchased from the
temple authorities some land, whose
crop of paddy had to be made over to the temple.
(Line 11.) In the 47th year (of the reign) of king Rājakēsarivarman,
alias the
emperor of the three worlds, Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who
etc.——(at) the order of
Chaṇḍēśvara,
who is the chief servant of the lord of the three worlds who is pleased to
reside under the
sacred white jambū) tree (tiru-veṇ-ṇāval) at Tiruvāṉaikkā, a
dēvadāna
(and) brahmadēya in Mīgōḻai, (a subdivision) of
Pāṇḍikulāśani-vaḷanāḍu, we sold the
following land to Muṉaiyaṉ
Arumoḻidēvaṉ, alias Villavarāyaṉ, the son of
Arayaṉ of
Vaḷambaguḍi in Mīśeṅgiḷi-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Jayasiṁha-
kulakālavaḷanāḍu.
(L. 13.) The eastern boundary agreed on of the land which (we) sold to him
at
Āḷiguḍi in Mīgōḻai, (a subdivision) of
Pāṇḍikulāśani-vaḷanāḍu, (one) among the
villages on the southern bank
(of the Kāvērī) (and) a dēvadāna of the lord Emberumāṉ
of
Tiruvāṉaikkā, (is) to the west of the Piḷḷaigoḷḷi) channel;
the southern boundary (is) to
the north of the Agai channel on the north of the
thrashing-floor; the western boundary (is)
to the east of the boundary of
Pudukkuḍi, a hamlet on the south of Uttamaśīli-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam; (and) the northern boundary
(is) to the south of the high road
on the southern bank of the river. Altogether, 4(3/4)
(vēli) of land, enclosed within these four
great boundaries agreed on.
(L. 16.) As these four and three quarters (vēli) of land had been lying full of
holes
and sand as uncultivated dry land until the forty-seventh year (of the reign) of
this king,
we agreed to sell that land to Muṉaiyaṉ Arumoḻidēvaṉ, alias
Villavarāyaṉ, for a
purchase-money of 4, 1/20, 1/80 good kāśu current at
the time.
(L. 17.) Having received these four, one twentieth and one eightieth kāśu and
having
deposited (them) in the treasury of the temple of Emberumāṉ of
Tiruvāṉaikkā, (we)
sold (the land) to Muṉaiyaṉ
Arumoḻidēvaṉ, alias) Villavarāyaṉ.
(L. 18.) Having dug and reclaimed these 4(3/4) (vēli) of land, (he) has to supply
for these
four and three quarters (vēli) of land to the temple treasury 23 kalam, 2
tūṇi and 1 kuṟuṇi of
paddy by the marakkāl (called after)
Rājakēsarin, (viz.) five kalam for each vēli at
the rate
for dry land, for the expenses required by the god Ṛishabhavāhana——whom he
had set
up under the name Iḍaṅgaināyagar in the temple of the
lord Emberumāṉ of
Tiruvāṉaikkā——and by (his) consort,
(viz). for bathing the idols, for oblations, for
carrying them about on two days at
(each of) the two festivals, etc.
(L. 19.) If those twenty-three kalam, two tūṇi and one kuṟuṇi of paddy
are supplied,
half has to be supplied in kār (and) half in paśāṉam.
(L. 20.) Having received this in full, we made provision for the expenses required by
the
god Ṛishabhavāhana whom he had set up under the name Iḍaṅgaināyagar,
and
by (his) consort, (viz). for bathing the idols, for oblations, for carrying
them about on two
days at (cach of) the two festivals, etc.
(L. 21.) (This is an agreement made by) us, the Pūjāris, including
Chaṇḍēśvara, who
is the chief servant of Emberumāṉ of
Tiruvāṉaikkā, with Muṉaiyaṉ Arumoḻi-
dēvaṉ, alias
Villavarāyaṉ. This (is placed under) the protection of all
Māhēśvaras.
In chronological order this inscription follows immediately after No. 67 above, and No.
78
after No. 68 above. It was found impossible to insert them in their proper places, because
Nos.
64 to 76 had been already set up in pages when Nos. 77 and 78 were copied. Besides
these two
records, the following inscriptions commencing with
in 1901, in addition to those noted under clause VIII. on page 126 above:——
The subjoined inscription (No. 206 of 1901) is engraved on the south wall of
the
Lakshmīnārāyaṇa temple at Kāvāntaṇḍalam. The same temple contains
three earlier
inscriptions (Nos. 207 to 209 of 1901), according to which it was built in the
time of the
Gaṅga-Pallava king Kampavarman by a certain
Mānasarpa from Kuḷaṉūr in
Vēṅgai-nāḍu.
The inscription, which is incomplete, is dated in the 4th year of the reign of
Rājēndra-
Chōḷa II., but omits the reference to his queen which occurs
in the Sōmaṅgalam inscription
of the 3rd year (No. 67 above). It records the proceedings of a
meeting of the assembly of
Kāyvāṉtaṇḍalam (l. 3) in Tamaṉūr-nāḍu, a
subdivision of the district of
Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam Kāvāntaṇḍalam,
Tamaṉūr and Ūṟṟukkāḍu are all included in
the modern
Conjeeveram tāluka.
(Line 2.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year (of the reign) of king
Rājakēsarivarman,
alias the lord Śrī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva, who
etc.——we, the great assembly of Kāyvāṉ-
taṇḍalam, alias Chaturvēdimaṅgalam, a brahmadēya in
Tamaṉūr-nāḍu, (a sub-
division) of
Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam, (a district) of
Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, being
assembled, without a vacancy in the
assembly, in the court (muṟṟam) of the sacred temple
of
Vīṟṟirund-Āḻvār in the middle of our village on a Thursday which corresponded
to (the
day of) Tiruvōṇam (Śravaṇa) and to the sixth tithi of the first
fortnight of the month of
Vr̥śchika in this year, ordered (the
following) writing, while the magistrate
(adhikār̥n)
Śōḻa-Mūvēndavēḷār also was walking
about.
(L. 4.) Whereas••••• and ourselves had been unable to
pay••••• which was due from us, the
great assembly, [at] the
festivals (on the days) of Śittirai (and)
Tiruvōṇam•••••
This inscription (No. 264 of 1901) is engraved on the west wall of a maṇḍapa in
front
of the Tāndōṉṟīśvara temple at Perumbēr in the Madurāntakam
tāluka of the
Chingleput district. The ancient name of the temple was
Śrīkaraṇīśvara (l. 22),
and that of the village was Perumbēṟūr (ll.
22 and 23). From this and other
inscriptions we learn that
Śrī-Madurāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, which is the
modern Madurāntakam,
formed a separate division of the district of Kaḷattūr-kōṭṭam
(l. 21); that Achcharapākkam (9 miles south-south-west of
Madurāntakam) was a
quarter of it; and that Perumbēṟūr (3 miles south-west of
Achcharapākkam) was a
hamlet on the south of it (l. 22).
The date is the 11th year of the reign of Kulōttuṅga I. (l. 20 f.). As stated in
the
introductory remarks to this chapter (p. 129 f.), the inscription carries the account of
the
king's achievements as far as the defeat of Vikkalaṉ and the conquest of
Gaṅga-
maṇḍalam and Śiṅgaṇam. It records that the assembly
of Madurāntakam remitted the
taxes on certain land at Perumbēṟūr in favour of the temple,
and breaks off with the
signatures of a number of citizens in charge of different portions
(śēri) of the city, which were
named after Chōḷa kings.
To the list of inscriptions opening with
one, which I had overlooked, must be added:——
16. 15th year: Kaḍappēri near Madurāntakam, No. 138 of 1896.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While the wheel of his (authority) went as far as
the
golden circle (i.e. Mount Mēru) on the earth, which was surrounded by the
moat of the
sea, that was (again) surrounded by (his) fame, (the king)
newly wedded, in the time (when
he was still) heir-apparent, the brilliant goddess of
Victory at Śakkarakōṭṭam by deeds of
valour and seized a herd of mountains of rut
(i.e). rutting elephants) at Vayirāgaram.
(L. 4.) (He) unsheathed (his) sword, showed the strength of (his) arm,
established
(his) fame, and spurred (his) war-steed, so that the army of the king
of Kuntaḷa, (whose
spear had) a sharp point, retreated.
(L. 5.) Having put on the garland of (the victory over) the Northern region, (he)
came
to put a stop to the prostitution of the goddess with the sweet and excellent
lotus-flower
(i.e. Lakshmī) of the Southern region and to the loneliness of the goddess
of the good country
whose garment is the Poṉṉi, and put on by right (of
inheritance) the pure royal crown of
jewels, while the kings of the old earth bore his two
feet (on their heads) as a large crown.
(L. 8.) The river (of the rules) of the ancient king Manu swelled, (and)
the river
(of the sins) of the Kali (age) dried up. (His) sceptre swayed
over every region; the
heavenly white light of (his) white parasol shone everywhere
(on) the circle of the great
earth; (and his) tiger(-banner) fluttered
unrivalled on the Mēru (mountain).
(L. 10.) (Before him) stood a row of elephants showering jewels, which were
presented
by the kings of remote islands whose girdle is the sea.
(L. 11.) The excellent head of the refractory king of the South (i.e. the
Pāṇḍya)
lay outside his (viz). Kulōttuṅga's) beautiful city, being pecked
by kites.
(L. 12.) Not only did the speech (of Vikkalaṉ):——“After this day a permanent
blemish
(will attach to Kulōttuṅga), as (to) the crescent (which is the origin) of
(his) family,”——
turn out wrong, but the bow (in) the hand of
Vikkalaṉ was not (even) bent against (the
enemy).
(L. 13.) Everywhere from Naṅgili of rocky roads——with Maṇalūr in the
middle——
to the Tuṅgabhadrā, there were lying low the dead (bodies of his)
furious elephants, his
lost pride and (his) boasted valour.
(L. 14.) The very mountains which (he) ascended bent their backs; the very
rivers
into which (he) descended eddied and breached (the banks) in their course;
(and) the very
sea into which (he) plunged became troubled and agitated.
(L. 15.) (The Chōḷa king) seized simultaneously the two countries called
Gaṅga-
maṇḍalam and Śiṅgaṇam, troops of furious elephants
which had been irretrievably
abandoned (by the enemy), crowds of women, (the angles
of) whose beautiful eyes were as
pointed as daggers, the goddess of Fame, who gladly
brought disgrace (on Vikkalaṉ), and
the great goddess of Victory, who changed to the
opposite (side) and caused (Vikkalaṉ)
himself, who was desirous of the rule over the
Western region, and (his) army to turn their
backs again and again on many days.
(L. 19.) (He) was pleased to be seated (on the throne), while (his) valour
and liberality
shone like (his) necklace and (like) the flower-garland on
(his) royal shoulders, (and) while
(all his) enemies prostrated themselves
on the ground.
(L. 20.) In the eleventh year (of the reign) of this king Rājakēsarivarman,
alias
the lord Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva.
(L. 21.) The writing of us, the great assembly of
Śrī-Madurāntaka-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam, an independent village in Kaḷattūr-kōṭṭam, (a district) of Jayaṅgoṇḍa-
Śōḻa-maṇḍalam.
(L. 22.) We, the great assembly, have granted that (the following) tax-paying
land,
which is the property (kāṇi) of (the god) Mahādēva of the
Śrīkaraṇīśvara (temple)
in Perumbēṟūr, a hamlet
in the south of our village, shall be caused to be engraved
on stone and on copper (as
belonging) to this god (and) as free from taxes as long as
the moon and the sun
shall last, and that we shall not levy (on it the taxes
called) antarāya (and) magaṇmai:——Eight pāḍagam
(of) the third square to the east of
the Madurāntaka road in the first
kaṇāṟu to the north [of the Śrīkr̥shṇapura channel]
(at)
Perumbēṟūr, [and four (pāḍagam) on the east] of the fourth
square. Eight pāḍagam (of)
[the third square to the east of the same road] in the
second kaṇāṟu, seven pāḍagam (of) the
fourth square, and three
pāḍagam on the northern side of the four pāḍagam on the west
(of) the
fifth square. Two and a quarter pāḍagam) on the northern side of the fourth square
to
the east of the same road in the third kaṇāṟu. Altogether, thirty-two and a
quarter
pāḍagam (The tax due) on (this land is) eleven and three quarters
kaḻañju and one and two
tenths mañjāḍi of gold. Having added to this (sum) from the temple (funds) seven tenths
and
one twentieth (mañjāḍi), (the total is) twelve kaḻañju) of gold.
(L. 28.) (The above) was ordered by Śoṭṭai
Gōvindabhaṭṭar of Irāyūr, (in charge
of)
Śrī-Madurāntakachchēri; Kuṉṟakāḷi Sōmayājiyār of Uṟuppuṭṭūr, (in charge
of) Śrī-Parāntakachchēri; Kāṭṭugai
Nārāyaṇa-Kramavittar of Nambūr, (in charge
of)
Śrī-Irumuḍi-Sōḻachchēri; Śrīkr̥shṇabhaṭṭar of Araṇaippuṟam, (in charge
of) Śrī-Siṁhaḷāntakachchēri;
Nārāyaṇabhaṭṭa-Sarvakratuvājapē[ya]yājiyār
of Pippirai, (in charge
of) Śrī-Vīra-Śōḻachchēri•••••
Before concluding this chapter on the inscriptions of Kulōttuṅga I. I have to make
some
additional remarks on the names of his queens. In the introduction to the
inscriptions
of his son Vikrama-Chōḷa (page 182 below) it will be shown that the official
title of the chief
queen is often mentioned twice——first in connection with her proper name,
and a second time
immediately before the name of the king himself, with whom she is stated to
be seated on
the throne. If we re-examine the inscriptions of Kulōttuṅga I. in the light of
this observa-
tion, we find that, in an inscription of his 26th year (No. 72 above),
there are mentioned
(1) Dīnachintāmaṇi with the title Bhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ, (2)
Ēḻiśai-Vallabhī with
the title Ēḻulagamuḍaiyāḷ, (3) Tyāgavallī
with the title Ulaguḍaiyāḷ, and (4) once more
Bhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ (i.e.
Dīnachintāmaṇi) as seated on the throne with the king. In
two inscriptions of the 30th and
42nd years (Nos. 73 and 75 above) the order is (1) Tyāga-
vallī
Avanimuḻuduḍaiyāḷ, (2) Ēḻiśai-Vallabhī Ēḻulaguḍaiyāḷ or Ēḻulagamuḍaiyāḷ,
and
(3) again Avanimuḻuduḍaiyāḷ (i.e. Tyāgavallī). In two
inscriptions of the 45th and 47th
years we have (1) Tyāgavallī
Ulaguḍaiyāḷ and (2) Ēḻiśai-Vallabhī Ēḻulagamu-
ḍaiyāḷ, and No.
76 adds Ulagumuḍaiyāḷ (i.e. Tyāgavallī) a second time. It follows
from
these references that in A.D. 1095-96 Dīnachintāmaṇi occupied the place of chief queen,
while
Ēḻiśai-Vallabhī and Tyāgavallī were the second and third queens. In A. D.
1099-1100
Dīnachintāmaṇi had died, Tyāgavallī had been made chief queen, and
Ēḻiśai-Vallabhī remained
second queen. This arrangement was still in force in A.D. 1116-17
(No. 76 above). It
follows further that the title Ulaguḍaiyāḷ, which occurs in
inscriptions of A.D. 1114-15 to
1117-18, must be referred to Tyāgavallī.
The title Bhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ or Avani-
muḻuduḍaiyāḷ,
which is found in numerous inscriptions between A.D. 1072-73 (No. 67
above) and A.D.
1118-19, was first borne by Dīnachintāmaṇi (No. 72 above) and after-
wards, besides the title Ulaguḍaiyāḷ, by Tyāgavallī (Nos. 73 and 75 above).
Dīnachintā-
maṇi is perhaps identical with the Madhurāntakī
of the Chellūr and Piṭhāpuram plates of
Vīra-Chōḍa, which are dated in
A.D. 1090-91 and 1092-93, respectively. It may be
noted in passing that the
Tamil poem Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi must have been composed later than
A.D. 1095-96, because
in this year Dīnachintāmaṇi was still alive, while the poem already
mentions
Tyāgavallī as chief queen.
The following is a list of the inscriptions of Vikrama-Chōḷa, the son and
successor
of Kulōttuṅga I., which have been copied so far.
I. Tamil inscriptions opening with the words
II. Tamil inscriptions opening with the words
III. A Tamil inscription without introduction.
IV. Two Telugu inscriptions.
V. A Sanskrit inscription at Śevilimēḍu: 16th year.
The Chellūr plates of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḍa II. and the Piṭhāpuram
inscription of Malla-
padēva state that Vikrama-Chōḍa
was the son and successor of the Eastern Chālukya
king Kulōttuṅga-Chōḍa I. or
Rājēndra-Chōḍa (II.). The Piṭhāpuram inscription
adds that he bore the surname
Tyāgasamudra, that he went to govern the Chōḍa
country, and that after his
departure the country of Vēṅgī became devoid of a ruler. On
the strength of these
statements I have identified Vikrama-Chōḍa with the hero of
the
Vikkirama-Śōḻaṉ-Ulā, in which his surname Tyāgasamudra occurs, and with the
Chōḷa king
Parakēsarivarman, alias Vikrama-Chōḷadēva, whose
inscriptions inform us that he
originally resided in the Vēṅgai country and that he
left it to ascend the Chōḷa throne.
The newly discovered Ṭēki
plates show that Vikrama-Chōḍa was not, as was hitherto
believed, the
eldest son of Kulōttuṅga I., but a younger brother of Vīra-Chōḍa, the third
son of
Kulōttuṅga I. As the two copper-plate grants which mention Madhurāntakī
do not contain the name of Vikrama-Chōḍa, it remains doubtful whether his
mother was
Madhurāntakī or another of the queens of Kulōttuṅga I. and,
if the former should be the
case, whether he came next to Vīra-Chōḍa in seniority or was
another of the four younger
sons of Madhurāntakī.
The Tamil inscriptions of Vikrama-Chōḷa state that he left the North for the South and
was
crowned as Chōḷa king. Professor Kielhorn's calculations of the dates
of his inscrip-
tions in the Tamil and Telugu countries show that his coronation
took place on (approxi-
mately) the 29th June A.D. 1118. Guided
by his Tamil inscriptions, we can distinguish
three periods in the career of Vikrama-Chōḷa.
The first of these was his expendition into the
Kaliṅga country, which is mentioned
in the first place in his Tamil inscriptions. On this
occasion he defeated the
Teliṅga or Teluṅga Bhīma of Kuḷam, who was
apparently
one of the Nāyakas of Ellore. The Kaliṅga war is also referred
to in the inscriptions
beginning with
Ulā, an unpublished poem in honour of Kulōttuṅga II., states that
Akaḷaṅkaṉ (i.e.
Vikrama-Chōḷa), the son of
Śuṅgandavirttōṉ (i.e. Kulōttuṅga I.), “accepted (from
the
author) the great poem (paraṇi) about Kaliṅga.” This is
a distinct reference to the
historical poem Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi, which describes the
conquest of Kaliṅga by Kulōttuṅga I.
As Vikrama-Chōḷa's inscriptions place the Kaliṅga
war not only before his coronation
in A.D. 1118, but before his stay in Vēṅgī, it must have
taken place before the end of the
reign of his father Kulōttuṅga I. and is
perhaps identical with that expedition into
Kaliṅga, which is ascribed to Kulōttuṅga I.
himself in his inscriptions and in the Kaliṅgattu-
Paraṇi. This expedition
seems to have taken place before the 26th year of the reign of
Kulōttuṅga I., i.e.
A.D. 1095-96.
The second period in Vikrama-Chōḷa's career is marked in his inscriptions by the
statement
that he stayed for some time in the Vēṅgai-maṇḍalam and conquered the
Northern
region. The Piṭhāpuram inscription of Mallapadēva alludes to the same event in
stating that
he ruled over Vēṅgī. before he went to govern the Chōḍa country. Dr. Fleet
has
already concluded from this that he must have held the office of viceroy of Vēṅgī
in
succession of his brother Vīra-Chōḍa. On the strength of the
new materials which are
now available, it may be added that the period of his viceroyalty
probably extended to the
date of his coronation in A.D. 1118, and that it cannot have commenced
before A.D. 1092-93,
the latest known date of his elder brother Vīra-Chōḍa. The statement of the Piṭhāpuram
inscription of Mallapadēva that, after the
departure of Vikrama-Chōla to the Chōḷa country,
the country of Vēṅgī became
devoid of a ruler suggests that his absence resulted in political
troubles. The Piṭhāpuram
inscription of Pr̥thvīśvara reports that Kulōttuṅga I. bestowed
the Vēṅgī
sixteen-thousand on “his adopted son” Chōḍa of Velanāṇḍu.
An inscription
of this chief at Drākshārāma shows that in A.D. 1120-21 he was a vassal of
the Western
Chālukya king Vikramāditya VI. It may be concluded
from these two statements
that, when Vikrama-Chōḷa went to the South, Kulōttuṅga I.
entrusted Vēṅgī to Chōḍa of
Velanāṇḍu, but that the latter became a dependent of
Vikramāditya VI. who took advantage
of Vikrama-Chōḷa's absence in the Chōḷa country as
co-regent of his father and of the
subsequent death of Kulōttuṅga I. for conquering the
Vēṅgī province. The inscriptions of
Vikramāditya VI. at Drākshārāma range from
A.D. 1120-21 to 1123-24. Shortly
after,
Vikrama-Chōḷa must have re-conquered his northern dominions. For, two inscrip-
tions of his reign at Chēbrōlu and Niḍubrōlu are dated in A.D. 1127 and 1135.
The third important point in Vikrama-Chōḷa's life is the date of his coronation
as
Chōḷa king or, apparently, as co-regent of his father Kulōttuṅga I., which
according to
Professor Kielhorn took place on (approximately) the 29th June A.D. 1118. In the
Piṭhāpuram inscription of Mallapadēva this event is referred to by the
statement that “he
went to protect the Chōḍa-maṇḍala.” The
Tanjore inscription of his 4th year uses in
this connection a passage which is taken over from
the inscriptions of Kulōttuṅga I.
Other inscriptions say that he went from
the Northern to the Southern region, adopted
the crest of the tiger, and put on the hereditary
crown. In the introductory remarks to
the inscriptions of
Kulōttuṅga I. I stated that his reign must have ended about A.D.
1119. Hence he
appears to have died shortly after the date of Vikrama-Chōḷa's coronation.
The Chellūr plates of Kulōttuṅga II. assign only 15 years to the reign of Vikrama-
Chōḷa. But an inscription at Śevilimēḍu belongs to his 16th
year, and one of the 17th
year at Niḍubrōlu, as calculated by Professor
Kielhorn, is dated on the 18th April A.D.
1135. The Chellūr plates of
Vikrama-Chōḷa's successor Kulōttuṅga-Chōḍa II. are
dated at an equinox in
Śaka-Saṁvat 1056, which would primā facie correspond to A.D.
1133 or 1134; but
Professor Kielhorn has shown that Śaka-Saṁvat 1056 is an error of the
composer of the
inscription for Śaka-Saṁvat 1065, and that the date corresponds to the 24th
March A.D.
1143.
Parakēsarivarman, alias Vikrama-Chōḷadēva, had the surname
Tyāgasamudra,
‘the ocean of liberality,’ which occurs in the Piṭhāpuram inscription
of Mallapadēva
and in the Vikkirama-Śōḻaṉ-Ulā. The Śevilimēḍu inscription of the 16th April A.D.
1134
contains the synonymous surname Tyāgavārākara and another, viz.
Akaḷaṅka,
‘the spotless one.’ The latter is employed for
Vikrama-Chōḷa in the Kulōttuṅga-
Śōḻaṉ-Ulā. As
Mr. Venkayya informs me, it also occurs twice in the Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi
(ix. verses 7
and 16), where it is doubtful whether Kulōttuṅga I. or Vikrama-Chōḷa is meant
by it. In a
Telugu inscription at Chēbrōlu, Vikrama-Chōḷa assumes the same birudas which
had
been borne by his father. He also inherited from the latter the title
Tribhuvana-
chakravartin, which is prefixed to his name in
all his Telugu and Tamil inscriptions, with
the exception of an inscription of the 5th year
(No. 130 of 1895), where he is called
Uḍaiyār, and of two inscriptions of the 7th and
14th years (Nos. 258 and 318 of 1901),
where he is styled Chakravartin.
Of the inscriptions opening with
as Vikrama-Chōḷa's queen Mukkōkkiḻānaḍigaḷ, and those of
the 9th to 15th years Tri-
bhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ.
Hence Mukkōkkiḻānaḍigaḷ must have died in the course of the
9th year, i.e. A.D.
1126-27. The inscriptions beginning with
this fact.
For, those of the 4th to 8th years mention as his chief queen
Mukkōkkiḻānaḍi
and as his favourite
Tyāgapatākā, surnamed Tribhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ, and five of
them (Nos. 3-7) state
besides that Mukkōkkiḻānaḍigaḷ shared his throne. In those
of the 11th and 15th
years she is not named any more, but Tyāgapatākā,
surnamed
Tribhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ, is mentioned in the first place, next to her
Dharaṇimuḻudu-
ḍaiyāḷ, and at the end
Tribhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ (i.e. Tyāgapatākā) is stated to have
shared his
throne. This shows that she succeeded the defunct Mukkōkkiḻānadigaḷ as chief
queen, while
for herself a fresh substitute was appointed in Dharaṇimuḻuduḍaiyāḷ.
This inscription (No. 82 of 1895) is engraved on the south wall of the second
prākāra
of the Vaidyanātha temple at Tirumalavāḍi in the
Uḍaiyārpāḷaiyam tāluka of the Trichi-
nopoly district. The
village is mentioned as Maḻapāḍi in Tiruñāṉasambandar's Dēvāram
and as
Tirumaḻuvāḍi in the subjoined inscription (l. 38 f.).
The inscription is dated in the 15th year of the reign of Parakēsarivarman,
alias
Vikrama-Chōḷadēva (l. 36 f.). The introduction, like that of the
Tanjore inscription,
records that the king defeated the Teluṅga
Bhīma at Kuḷam and burnt the country of
Kaliṅga (l. 8), stayed in
Vēṅgai-maṇḍalam (l. 9), conquered the North, and then
proceeded to the South,
where he crowned himself (as Chōḷa king).
In the tenth year of his reign (l. 15) he made valuable gifts to the temple of his
family
god at Chidambaram. At the end of the passage describing these gifts mention is
made
of the very day of these donations:——Sunday, the day of Hasta and the thirteenth
tithi of
the bright fortnight of Śittirai in the tenth year of his reign (l. 24 f.).
According to Pro-
fessor Kielhorn's calculation this date corresponds to Sunday, the
15th April A.D. 1128,
on which day, however, the nakshatra was Chitrā, not Hasta.
The end of the historical introduction gives the names of two queens, viz. Tyāga-
patākā (l. 31), surnamed Tribhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ (ll. 32 and 36),
and Dharaṇi-
muḻuduḍaiyāḷ (l. 35).
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! (The king) was resplendent with golden chains,
combined
with garlands of flowers. In (his) arms, which were covered with large jewels,
(and) which
(formed the subject of) a great number of poems, rested the goddess
of Victory, along with
the goddess of the great Earth. Having obtained as her own
(possession) (his) chest, (which
resembled) a solid mountain, the goddess of
Prosperity exclusively abided (there). As a chaste
woman that possessed great eloquence,
the goddess of Learning resided with delight in (his)
tongue.
(L. 6.) (His) sceptre, along with the wheel (of his authority), swayed over all
regions.
(His) white parasol cast its shade on high, like a matchless second moon,
overspreading the
whole world. The dark Kali (age) hid itself and lay in the deep
pit.
(L. 8.) In the season of Cupid (i.e. in spring)
(he) grasped the cruel weapon, so
that at Kuḷam the Teluṅga Vīmaṉ
(i.e. Bhīma) ascended the mountains (as refuge),
and so that hot fire
consumed the country (bhūmi) of Kaliṅga. (He) joyfully stayed
(a
while) in the Vēṅgai-maṇḍalam and was pleased to subdue the Northern region.
(L. 10.) (He) was pleased to arrive (in) the Southern region, in order that
charities,
austerities and gifts might prosper (and) that the Vēdas and truth might
flourish (in) every
place as (in) the first age.
(L. 11.) While (all other) kings bore (on their heads) the orders (sealed with
the
crest) of the warlike tiger which is hard to conquer, (he) put on by right the
crown set with
jewels.
(L. 12.) Like a sweet dear mother, (he) extended his kindness to all living beings
and
took care of each (of them). (He) cultivated the path of Manu, so that the whole
earth
rejoiced.
(L. 13.) In front of the victorious gate of his palace the tongue of the bell
became
silent; the drums were sounding; (and his) victory and fame
rose higher and higher.
(L. 14.) Out of the heap of pure gold which had been brought, piled up (as)
tribute,
and poured out by kings, before there came in due course the year ten (after the
time) when
a gold leaf (set with) royal gems was engraved (with the words):
“May (the king) live long (and)
protect this great earth !”——(he) covered (with) fine gold the enclosure, the gate
towers,
halls and buildings surrounding the shrine of pure gold where his
family-god (viz. Naṭēśa)
practises the tāṇḍava (dance), as if the splendid
circular mountain surrounding the earth
were combined with the Eastern mountain; covered
(with) splendid gold the altar on which
offerings abound, so that the light of heaven
was reflected (by it); covered (with) pure gold
and adorned with numerous strings
of large round pearls the sacred car temple, in order
that, conferring long
life on the delighted people, the miraculous dancer (viz. Naṭēśa) who
occupies the
(golden) hall might be drawn in procession (at) the great festival called
‘the
festival of the great name’ (perum-piyar-viḻā) on the great (days of)
Puraṭṭādi (and) Uttiraṭ-
ṭādi, so as to cause prosperity (on)
the great earth (and) joy to the gods; was pleased to build
a long temple street of
mansions covered with jewels (!) and called (it) after his royal
prosperous name; and
made numberless splendid insignia, beginning with dishes cut of fine
gold, together with
a Kalpa (tree) of pure gold.
(L. 24.) Having been pleased to make gladly many such (gifts) in the tenth year (of
his
reign), (in) the month Śittirai, on a Sunday which corresponded to Hasta, (on)
the thirteenth
tithi) of the fortnight of the auspicious waxing moon, (he)
covered the whole earth under the
shade of a single parasol.
(L. 26.) The Śeḻiyas (i.e. Pāṇḍyas) entered hot jungles (as refuge);
the Śēralas (i.e.
Chēras) entered the sea; the Śiṅgaḷas (i.e.
Siṁhalas), who deal destruction, became
afraid and agitated in mind; the
Gaṅgas paid tribute; the Kaṉṉaḍas turned their backs;
the
Koṅgas retreated; the Koṅkaṇas fled; the kings of all other regions duly
worshipped
(his) royal red lotus-feet as their protection.
(L. 30.) Tyāgapadāgai (i.e. Tyāgapatākā), the ornament of women, (who
had) curly
hair, (who possessed the gait of) a female elephant, a lady of pure
virtues, the mistress of all
the three worlds (Tribhuvanamuḻuḍuḍaiyāḷ), dwelt
with (him) as mistress of the full
favour of his royal heart, resembling Gaṅgā at whom
he rejoices.
(L. 33.) Dharaṇimuḻuduḍaiyāḷ (i.e. the mistress of the whole earth), the
peacock
among women, an Arundhatī on earth, a wife adorned with chastity, enjoyed the favour
of
his royal heart, just as Lakshmī is inseparably clinging to the bosom of Neḍumāl
(Vishṇu)
to the end of the world.
(L. 35.) In the 15th year (of the reign) of this king Parakēsarivarman,
alias the
emperor of the three worlds, Śrī-Vikrama-Śōḻadēva, who was
pleased to take his seat
with Tribhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ on the throne of heroes,
(which consisted of) pure gold,
——(at) the order (and) by the favour of
the god Ādi-Chaṇḍēśvara in the temple of the
lord of
Tirumaḻuvāḍi in Poygai-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Tribhuvanamuḻuduḍai-
vaḷanāḍu, (the following) was written by
us, the temple authorities, viz. the Śrī-Māhēśvaras,
the temple managers,
the accountant of this temple: Nelkuppai-Uḍaiyāṉ, etc.
(L. 41.) Aḷḷiyūr-Uḍaiyāṉ, who had set up (the image of) the god
Śrī-Nandikē-
śvara in this temple•••••
This inscription (No. 33 of 1893) is engraved on the west wall of the stone platform
called
‘the mountain’ (malai) in the Aruḷāḷa-Perumāḷ temple at Little
Conjeeveram.
As in the inscription of Ravivarman, the
temple is here stated to be situated in Tiruvatti-
yūr, which belonged to
Eyil-nāḍu, a subdivision of Eyiṟkōṭṭam (l. 2).
The inscription is dated in the 9th year of the reign of Parakēsarivarman,
alias
Vikrama-Chōḷadēva. The short poetical introduction mentions nothing of
historical
importance besides the conquest of Kaliṅga and the name of
Vikrama-Chōḷa's queen,
Mukkōkkiḻānaḍigaḷ. These two points are, however,
sufficient to enable us to identify
the king with the Vikrama-Chōḷa of the inscriptions
opening with the words
miṭaintu
was named
Mukkōkkiḻānaḍi.
The inscription records that a private person made over to the temple 780 kalam
of
paddy, with the stipulation that the interest, which amounts here to 50 per cent.,
should be
applied for the requirements of the worship on 13 days of every year, viz. on
the days of the
nakshatra Jyēshṭhā. In this nakshatra, we are told, were born
the two Vaishṇava saints
Pūdattāḻvār and Poygaiyāḻvār, “who were pleased to compose hymns in praise of the
god (Āḻvār) of
Tiruvattiyūr” (l. 2). That portion of the Nālāyiraprabandham, which
is
entitled Iyaṟpā, opens with two hymns of 100 stanzas each, the first of which is
ascribed
to Poygaiyāḻvār and the second to Pūdattāḻvār. In the first
(verse 77) reference is
made to Veḥkā, and in the second (verse 95 f.) to
Attiyūr. The second name has to be
referred to the temple at Tiruvattiyūr,
i.e. the Aruḷāḷa-Perumāḷ temple, and the first may be
connected with the same
temple, because Veḥkā is the Tamil name of the river Vēgavatī,
which
flows past the temple of Aruḷāḷa-Perumāḷ. At any rate the mention of the
two
Āḻvārs as recognized saints in the subjoined inscription proves that they must
have lived
a long time before the 12th century of the Christian era. As stated before (p. 148),
two
other Āḻvārs, Kulaśēkhara and Śaṭhagōpa, are presupposed
by an inscription of
Kulōttuṅga I. at Śrīraṅgam. In the Annual
Report for 1899-1900 (p. 10) Mr. Venkayya
states that an inscription of
Śōḻa-Kēraḷadēva, whom he places in the 11th century of the
Christian era, quotes
the hymn Tiruneḍundāṇḍagam. This is the name of the last hymn of
the
Periyatirumoḻi, that portion of the Nālāyiraprabandham which was composed by
Tiru-
maṅgaiyāḻvār. The upper limit of this Āḻvār is the
beginning of the 8th century A.D.;
for he celebrates in one of his hymns the temple of
Paramēśvara-Viṇṇagaram at
Kachchi, i.e. the Vaikuṇṭha-Perumāḷ
temple at Conjeeveram, which seems to have been
founded by the Pallava king Paramēśvaravarman
II.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While the goddess with the lotus (i.e. Lakshmī)
wedded
(the king), while the goddess of the Earth prospered, while the goddess of Speech
was re-
splendent, while the goddess of Victory loved (him), (and) while
(all other) kings bore (on
their heads) his two lotus-feet, (he) put on
the jewelled crown by established right. While
(his) seeptre went and made all regions
prosper, the cruel Kali (age) was driven away, and
true righteousness flourished.
(He) despatched mountains of rut (i.e. elephants) to subdue
Kaliṅga.
(His) discus wandered (as far as) the circular mountain surrounding (the
earth),
(and his) single parasol cast its shade up to the two
luminaries (i.e. the sun and the moon).
Having performed the anointment of victory,
(he) was pleased to take his seat on the throne
of heroes together with (his
queen) Mukkōkkiḻānaḍigaḷ.
(L. 2.) In the ninth year (of the reign) of this king Parakēsarivarman,
alias) the
emperor of the three worlds, Śrī-Vikrama-Śōḻadēva.
When on the day of Tirukkēṭṭai (Jyēshṭhā), on which were born the saint
Pūdattāḻvār
and the saint Poygaiyāḻvār, who were pleased to compose
hymns in praise of the god
(Āḻvār) of Tiruvattiyūr in Eyil-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Eyiṟkōṭṭam, (a district)
of
Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, (the god) Aruḷāḷa-Perumāḷ is
carried out, is bathed
eighty-one times, and receives great offerings,——one padakku) and
two nāḻi) of paddy (are
required) for thirty-six pots of sprouts to be offered at the bath, viz. one uri of paddy to
be spread
underneath each pot; four nāḻi of rice to purchase seeds for sprouting; six
nāḻi
and one uḻakku) of rice as fee (for wishing) an auspicious day
(puṇyāha); two nāḻi) and one uri
of rice for offerings
(balidravya); one nāḻi and one uḻakku of oil for a perpetual lamp
(burning)
near the sprouts on five days, viz. one uḻakku of oil on each
day; three uḻakku and one
āḻākku of ghee for the
kr̥tahārōhaṇam; five kuṟuṇi and one uri of paddy
(to be spread) under-
neath eighty-one water-pots (kalaśa) for the
bath; four nāḻi of paddy for four large pots
(kumbha); two nāḻi of
rice (to be spread) underneath one water-pot (coated with) chunnam;
thirteen
pieces of cloth costing one kāṇam (of gold), to wrap round the water-pot; half
a
palam of thread, to tie round the water-pot; for the bath, three nāḻi of
ghee, one nāḻi of
honey, three nāḻi of milk, three nāḻi of curds,
the necessary ingredients for the bath, five
metals and five gems; forty palam) of
saffron (nāḍaṉ-mañjaḷ), (to be mixed) with the
chunnam; one uri) of
lamp-oil; one uri) of ghee for burnt oblations (hōma); three kaśu of
sandal, six twentieths of camphor, half a kaḻañju of agallochum, one
and two twentieths
mañjāḍi of musk, and two and four twentieths mañjāḍi of
civet-fat, to be rubbed on (the
image); four nāḻi of rice for māttirai
(?); for the great offerings, three kalam and one
kuṟuṇi of rice, one
padakku, two nāḻi and one uri of pulse, and eight hundred and twenty-
five palam in weight of vegetables of various kinds; for the vegetables, four
nāḻi of salt,
one uri of pepper, one āḻākku and two and a half
śeviḍu of mustard, one āḻakku of cumin,
twenty palam of sugar, and one
uri of ghee; to offer with the rice, thirty-two and a half
palam of sugar, eleven
nāḻi and one āḻakku of ghee, fifty-five plantains, one tūṇi of curds,
and
three kaśu of sugar-candy; for tirukkaṇṇāmaḍai (?), two nāḻi of
rice, one uḻakku of ghee,
twenty palam of sugar, and ten platains; for cakes,
one padakku of rice, two nāḻi and one
uri of ghee, eighty palam
of sugar, one āḻakku of pepper, two śeviḍu and a half of cumin,
and three
bundles of fire-wood; for pots, one kalam of paddy; one and a half śeviḍu
of
cardamoms, (to be mixed) with water; four hundred and fifty areca-nuts and nine
bundles of
betel-leaves; one nāḻi and one uri of lamp-oil; three nāḻi
of oil for twelve torches (?) of the
lamp-lighters; and two nāḻi) of oil for lamps
(held by) images.
(L. 8.) Altogether, for each day of Tirukkēṭṭai, thirty kalam of paddy calculated by
the
average price (and measured) by the marakkāl of
Arumoḻinaṅgai, with which the
requirements of this
temple are measured, were given in order to defray these (requirements).
Consequently,
for (thirteen) days in one year three hundred and ninety kalam) of paddy
are
required.
(L. 9.) For (this purpose) seven hundred and eighty kalam of paddy were measured
into
the treasury of this god with the marakkāl of Arumoḻinaṅgai, with which
the require-
ments are measured, by Muḻaiyūr-Uḍaiyāṉ Veṇgāḍaṉ Ādittadēvaṉ, alias
Vaṅgattaraiyaṉ, of
Vaṅga-Muḻaiyūr in Maṇṇi-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Viruda-
rājabhayaṁkara-vaḷanāḍu, (a district)
of Śōḻa-maṇḍalam. The interest on
these seven hundred and eighty kalam of
paddy——at the rate of thirty-two kalam, one tūṇi
and one padakku of
paddy per month——amounts to three hundred and ninety kalam of
paddy per year——the rate
of interest being one half kalam (per kalam).
(L. 10.) We, all the members of the temple committee of this
temple:——Rājarāja-
Kramavittaṉ of Puṇḍavattanam (i.e.
Puṇḍravardhana); Dūtahari-Niṉṟanārāyaṇa-
Kramavittaṉ;
Pāṇḍavadūta-Kramavittaṉ of Mr̥hasthalam (i.e.
Br̥hatsthala ?);
Iḷaiyakō-Kramavittaṉ of Puṇḍavattanam;
Dūtahari-Veṇṇaikkūtta-Krama-
vittaṉ;
Dūtahari-Iḷaiyaruḷāḷa-Kramavittaṉ; and the accountant of the
temple,
Uttiramēlūr-Uḍaiyāṉ, alias Eṭṭi
Tirukkāḷatti-Uḍaiyāṉ, caused to be engraved
on stone that, as long
as the moon and the sun shall last, provision shall be made out of
these three hundred and
ninety kalam of paddy——(the required principal) having been
deposited in the
treasury in accordance with this provision——for the requirements of (the
god)
Aruḷāḷa-Perumāḷ when, on the day of Tirukkēṭṭai in each month, (he) is
carried out,
is bathed, and receives great offerings.
(L. 12.) This (is) the writing of Uttiramēlūr-Uḍaiyāṉ, (alias)
Eṭṭi Tirukkāḷatti-
Uḍaiyāṉ.
In an earlier part of this volume, it was shown that Rājakēsarivarman
alias
Vīrarājēndradēva I., the victor at Kūḍalśaṅgamam, must
have reigned in the
period intervening between the reigns of Rājēndradēva and of
Kulōttuṅga I., and that,
apparently, his immediate predecessor was
Rājakēsarivarman alias Rājamahēndradēva, and
his immediate
successor Parakēsarivarman alias Adhirājēndradēva. Since then,
Professor
Kielhorn's calculations of the dates of an inscription at Beḷatūru and of another at Maṇi-
maṅgalam (No. 29 above) have established
the fact that Rājēndradēva ascended the
throne (approximately) on the 28th May A.D.
1052, while the reign of Kulōttuṅga I.
commenced
(approximately) on the 9th June A.D. 1070. Further, Professor Kielhorn
has
shown that the date of the Maṇimaṅgalam inscription of the 5th year of Vīra-
rājēndra I. (No. 30 above) probably corresponds to Monday, the 10th September
A.D.
1067, and that, consequently, this king ascended the throne in A.D. 1062-63.
That Rājamahēndra reigned between Rājēndradēva and Kulōttuṅga I., may be con-
cluded from an Ālaṅguḍi inscription of the 6th year of Parakēsarivarman
alias Tribhuvana-
chakravartin Rājarājadēva (II.), which quotes successively the three following earlier
dates:——
(a) Line 22.——
aruḷina perumāḷ vijayarāje
lord Vijaya-Rājēndradēva, who was
pleased to conquer Kalyāṇapuram and Kollā-
puram and to fall
asleep (i.e. to die in battle) on an elephant.” This statement
must
refer to Parakēsarivarman alias Rājēndradēva, who is known to have set up a
pillar of
victory at Kollāpuram.
(b) L. 55.——
kaṭintu ceṅkuṭai niḻaṟkīḻ vīra
uṭaiyār
kēsarivarman (alias) the lord
Śrī-Rājamahēndradēva, who, while the law of Manu
flourished (as) of old, rescued the great earth from being the common property
(of other
kings), dispelled (with his) sceptre the dark Kali (age), and was pleased to be
seated on the
throne of heroes under the shade of a red parasol.”
(c) L. 63.——
pattaiñcāvatu;
was pleased to rule after having abolished tolls.” This
refers to Kulōttuṅga I., who bore
the surname Śuṅgandavirttōṉ,
i.e. ‘the abolisher of tolls.’
A lately discovered inscription of the 3rd year of “king Rājakēsarivarman
alias
the lord Śrī-Rājamahēndradēva” at Tirupāpuliyūr (No. 119 of 1902)
opens with a
short historical introduction, at the beginning of which it is stated that the
king “by a
war-elephant caused Āhavamalla to turn his back on (the bank of) the
winding river.”
The mention of Āhavamalla as an opponent of Rājamahēndra
corroborates the conclusion
derived from the Ālaṅguḍi inscription of Rājarāja II., that
Rājamahēndra must have reigned
in the period between Rājēndradēva and Kulōttuṅga I.
Among the kings who ruled in
this interval according to the Vikkirama-Śōḻaṉ-Ulā,
there are only two whose identification
is not self-evident, viz. the predecessor and
the successor of Vīrarājēndra I. The latter must
have been
Adhirājēndra, whose published inscription quotes the 8th year of Vīra-
rājēndra (I.). Consequently, Rājamahēndra, the enemy of
Āhavamalla, must be identical
with the unnamed king who is alluded to in the
Kaliṅgattu-Paraṇi and the Vikkirama-Śōḻaṉ-
Ulā as
the predecessor of Vīrarājēndra I. The subjoined table shows the reigns of Rājēndra-
dēva and his successors according to the present state of our knowledge.
If the years given in the third column are added to the initial dates preceding them
in the
second column, it becomes evident that the reigns of these kings must have overlapped
each
other. The same had been the case with their predecessors Rājarāja I., Rājēndra-Chōḷa
I.
and Rājādhirāja I. As regards Rājamahēndra, his reign seems to be covered alto-
gether by those of Rājēndradēva and Vīrarājēndra I. Perhaps he was a son and
temporary
co-regent of Rājēndradēva. This was suggested already by an inscription
of the 9th
year of Rājēndradēva, which mentions among the boundaries of a village ‘the road
of
Rājamahēndra.’ A further confirmation is furnished by the fact
that his successor
Vīrarājēndra I. adopted the surname Rājakēsarivarman.
If this king had recognized
Rājamahēndra Rājakēsarivarman as his rightful predecessor, he
would, in accordance with
all precedents, have assumed the title Parakēsarivarman.
I subjoin a list of the inscriptions of Vīrarājēndra I. which have been copied up
to
date.
I. Inscriptions opening with the words
II. Inscriptions opening with the words
The earliest form of the longer historical introduction, which opens with
found in an inscription of the 2nd year at Tiruveṇgāḍu. Three battles
with the Chālukyas
are referred to:——(1) Vikramāditya VI. was driven from
Gaṅgapāḍi over the Tuṅga-
bhadrā; (2) an army which he had
sent into Vēṅgai-nāḍu was defeated; and (3)
Āhavamalla with his two sons
Vikramāditya VI. and Jayasiṁha III. was put to
flight at
Kūḍalśaṅgamam. The Karuvūr inscription of the 4th year (No. 20 above,
l. 9 f.)
adds that Vīrarājēndra I. killed the king of Pottappi, the Kērala, the Pāṇḍya
and
others. The Maṇimaṅgalam inscription of the 5th year (No. 30 above) notices
further
victories over the Kēralas, Chālukyas and Pāṇḍyas; a battle which had been
appointed on
the bank of an unspecified river; the burning of Raṭṭapāḍi and the
planting of a pillar of
victory on the Tuṅgabhadrā; the appointment (of
Vikramāditya VI.) as heir-apparent of
the Chalukya king (Āhavamalla); the conquest
of Vēṅgai-nāḍu, Kaliṅgam and
Chakra-kōṭṭam; and the bestowal of
Vēṅgai-nāḍu on Vijayāditya VII.
Of the shorter historical introduction, which opens with
publish below four different redactions. Several inscriptions of the 2nd to 5th years state
that Vīrarājēndra I. defeated Āhavamalla and (his two sons)
Vikramāditya VI. and
Jayasiṁha III. at Kūḍalśaṅgamam and
seized Āhavamalla's queen, treasures and
vehicles. This brief statement corresponds to the
long description of the battle at
Kūḍalśaṅgamam, which appears first in the Tiruveṇgāḍu
inscription of the 2nd year, and
a translation of which was given from the
Karuvūr inscription on page 37 above. In
perfect accordance with the longer redaction of the
introduction, in which the battle of
Kūḍalśaṅgamam is stated to have been the third
encounter with the Chālukyas, the Tiru-
nāmanallūr inscription of the 4th year
(No. 81 below, l. 2) attributes to Vīrarājēndra I.
the biruda ‘who saw the back of
Āhavamalla three times.’
In two inscriptions of the 6th year, several fresh details are recorded. ‘On a
third
occasion,’ i.e. at the next opportunity after the two encounters at
Kūḍalśaṅgamam and near
the river, Vīrarājēndra I. “burnt (the city of)
Kampili before Sōmēśvara could untie the
necklace which
(he) had put on, and set up a pillar of victory at Kaṟaḍikal.” In the
Maṇimaṅgalam
inscription of the 5th year (l. 25 f.), the same expedition is referred to by the
statement
that Vīrarājēndra I. conquered Raṭṭapāḍi, “kindled crackling fires,” and set
up
a pillar of victory on the bank of the Tuṅgabhadrā. Kampili is the modern Kampli,
a
town on the southern bank of the Tuṅgabhadrā in the Hospēṭ tāluka of the Bellary
district.
Kaṟaḍikal, the site of the pillar of victory, must be looked for in the same
neighbourhood,
perhaps on the opposite bank of the Tuṅgabhadrā, which is included in the
Nizam's Domi-
nions. The Sōmēśvara from whom Kampili was taken
can be no other than Sōmēśvara II.,
the eldest son of Āhavamalla and elder brother
of Vikramāditya VI. and Jayasiṁha III.
The necklace which he is stated to have worn is the
well-known emblem of the dignity of
Yuvarāja, and we know from the
Vikramāṅkadēvacharita (iii. 55 and 59) that Āhava-
malla actually
appointed Sōmēśvara II. his heir-apparent. As No. 83 below implies that
Sōmēśvara II. was
still heir-apparent in the 6th year of Vīrarājēndra I., it follows that at
this time
Āhavamalla was still alive. Finally, Vīrarājēndra I. is stated to have
expelled
Dēvanātha and other chiefs from Chakra-kōṭṭam and to have
‘recovered’ Kanyakubja,
i.e. Kanauj. Both Dēvanātha and the expedition into
Chakra-kōṭṭam are referred to in the
Maṇimaṅgalam inscription of the 5th year.
The introduction of the inscriptions of the 7th year differs considerably from
that of
the preceding years. It first states that Vīrarājēndra I. defeated the Pāṇḍya,
Chēra and
Siṁhala kings, but does not mention their names. Āhavamalla is said to
have been put
to flight in battle five times. As the earlier inscriptions show, these five
occasions were:——
(1) the battle on the Tuṅgabhadrā in Gaṅgapāḍi; (2) the first expedition
into Vēṅgai-nāḍu;
(3) the battle at Kūḍalśaṅgamam; (4) the battle near the river; and
(5) the burning of
Kampili. No. 84 below next mentions the reconquest of
Vēṅgai-nāḍu, which, according to
No. 83 below, fell between the fourth and fifth
encounters with Āhavamalla. According to
one of the three inscriptions of the 7th year, Vīrarājēndra I. bestowed the Vēṅgai-
maṇḍalam on the
Chalukya Vijayāditya. The same fact is noticed in the Maṇi-
maṅgalam
inscription of the 5th year. As I have shown since this inscription was
published,
the Eastern Chālukya Vijayāditya VII. is meant here. No. 84
below then asserts that
Vīrarājēndra I. conquered the country of Kaḍāram. In Vol.
II. p. 106, Kaḍāram was
wrongly identified with a place in the Madura district. The fact that
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I.
despatched an expedition to it on ships by sea, suggests that it was
situated out of the Indian
peninsula. Of the numerous places which are mentioned
in connection with this expedition,
Mr. Venkayya has identified two, viz.
Nakkavāram and Pappāḷam. The former is the
Tamil name of
the Nicobar Islands, and according to the Mahāvaṁsa (lxxvi. 63) Papphāla
was a port
in Rāmañña, i.e. the Talaing country of Burma. Hence Kaḍāram will have
to be looked for in Farther India. Finally,
Vīrarājēndra I. drove Sōmēśvara II. out of the
Kaṉṉara country,
invested (his younger brother) Vikramāditya VI. with the necklace——
the emblem of the
dignity of heir-apparent——and made Raṭṭapāḍi over to him. The same
transaction is
alluded to in the Maṇimaṅgalam inscription of the 5th year (ll. 26 to 28) by
the statement
that Vīrarājēndra I. tied the necklace on ‘the liar's’ neck and appointed him
to the dignity
of Vallabha or Chalukya. A comparison of the inscriptions of the 6th
year suggests that the necklace bestowed on Vikramāditya VI. was taken away from his
elder
brother Sōmeśvara II., and that Vīrarājēndra I. appointed the former as
heir-apparent of
Āhavamalla in the place of the second.
Two inscriptions of the 7th year contain a short panegyrical passage, which
does not
form part of the historical introduction, but occurs at the beginning of the grant
portion, and
which glorifies Vīrarājēndra I. for having put the Chalukya or
Raṭṭa king to flight in a
battle which had been appointed ‘on (the bank of) the
winding river.’ This statement
refers to the fourth encounter with
Āhavamalla, which took place between the battle at
Kūḍalśaṅgamam and the burning of
Kampili.
The Tirunāmanallūr inscription of the 4th year (No. 81 below) attributes to Vīrarājēn-
dra I. a long string of titles, the three first of which——Sakalabhuvanāśraya,
Śrīmēdini-
vallabha and Mahārājādhirāja——must have been taken
over from his Western Chālukya
enemies. Another, Rājāśraya, had been borne by his
ancestor Rājarāja I. The next
two surnames, Vīra-Chōḷa and
Karikāla-Chōḷa, suggest that Vīrarājēndra I. may have
been one of the younger
brothers of Rājēndradēva; for, the latter is stated to have con-
ferred
the title Karikāla-Chōḷa on his younger brother Vīra-Chōḷa. If
Vīrarājēndra I. really
was a younger brother of Rājēndradēva, he would also have been a
younger brother of
Rājādhirāja I., who was the elder brother of
Rājēndradēva. In a mutilated inscription of
his 5th year at
Gaṅgaikoṇḍachōḷapuram (No. 82b of 1892), Vīrarājēndra I. quotes
“the
twenty-third year of (my) father, who was pleased to conquer the Eastern country,
the
Gaṅgā and Kaḍāram.” This can refer to no other of
his predecessors but Rājēndra-
Chōḷa I., whose conquests are summed up
in the same words in an inscription at Suttūru,
and who bore the surname
Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-Chōḷa. Consequently, Vīrarājēndra I. and
his
two elder brothers Rājēndradēva and Rājādhirāja I. seem to have been the sons of
Rājēndra-
Chōḷa I. I do not consider this result as absolutely final, because
the South-Indian lan-
guages employ the words of relationship in a very loose
manner. Thus the word ‘younger
brother’ (tambi) in No. 29 above (l. 2)
might also mean ‘a cousin,’ and the word ‘father’
(aiyar) in No. 82b of 1892
might designate ‘an elder brother.’ If it is granted that
Vīrarājēndra I. was the son of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I., it would follow that the story of the adop-
tion of
Kulōttuṅga I. by the latter is a pure invention, which was started for
political
reasons in order to give an apparent locus standi to this usurper. With the
help of the
fresh materials which are now available, I venture to publish a revised pedigree of
the
earlier Chōḷas, in which I have included the pedigree given in Vol. I. p. 112,
and the
details supplied by the Ṭēki plates of Chōḍagaṅga. The figures
in brackets after the
names of kings denote the year of accession to the throne.
The Tanjore inscription of Kulōttuṅga I. supplies the name of Arumoḻi-Naṅgai,
the
queen of Vīrarājēndra I. As I have shown elsewhere,
his daughter was given in marriage
to the Western Chālukya king Vikramāditya VI.;
his son and successor was Para-
kēsarivarman alias
Adhirājēndradēva; and the latter was succeeded by Rājēndra-
Chōḷa II. alias Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa I.
Dr. Burnell was the first to draw attention to the Tamil grammar Vīraśōḻiyam
by
Buddhamitra and to its commentary, which was written by Perundēvaṉār, a
pupil of
the author, and which quotes a large number of Tamil works. Both the
grammar and its
commentary have been edited by the late C.W. Damodaram Pillai in 1895. In the
Annual
Report for 1898-99 (p. 18), Mr. Venkayya remarks on this work as follows:——“The
text (p. 6)
refers to a Chōḷa king Vīrarājēndra as the author's patron.
In the commentary, which
was admittedly written by a pupil of the author himself, the first few
words of the historical
introduction of the inscriptions of Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. are
quoted as an illustration of a
particular kind of metre. The battle of
Koppam is mentioned in a verse cited as an
illustration of another
kind of metre (p. 141), and that of Kūḍalśaṅgamam in another
quoted as an
illustration of a figure of rhetoric (p. 196). These references prove that the
commentary at
least could not have been composed before the time of Vīrarājēndra I., who
fought the battle
of Kūḍalśaṅgamam. As Vīrarājēndra is mentioned in the text of the work
as the author's
sovereign, and as the commentary, in which the battle of Kūḍalśaṅgamam
and no later
historical event is mentioned, was written by the author's own pupil, the most
natural
inference is that the work itself was written during the time of Vīrarājēndra I., who
fought
the battle of Kūḍalśaṅgamam.” To this may now be added that Vīra-Chōḷa
is
mentioned as a surname of Vīrarājēndra I. in No. 81 below, and that the
Vīraśōḻiyam
owes its title to this surname. Mr. Venkayya
continues:——“Malaikkūṟṟam is mentioned
in the commentary to the
Vīraśōḻiyam (p. 196) as the district in which Poṉpaṟṟi, the
native
village of the author, was situated. Dr. Burnell identified this district with the
Malakūṭa
(Mo-lo-kiu-ch'a) of Hiuen-Tsiang, which he located in the delta of the
Kāvērī. But as
Buddhamitra, the author of the Vīraśōḻiyam, was,
according to its commentary, the lord of
Toṇḍi, a sea-port in the Madura district,
his native village of Poṉpaṟṟi has probably to be
looked for in the Pāṇḍya
country and has perhaps to be identified with ‘Ponpetti,’ about
This incomplete inscription (No. 371 of 1902) is engraved on the north wall of
the
maṇḍapa in front of the shrine in the Bhaktajanēśvara temple at
Tirunāmanallūr in
the Tirukoilur (Tirukkōvalūr) tāluka of the South Arcot district. It records an order
which Vīrarājēndra
I. issued in the 4th year of his reign. As in other inscriptions,
Tirunāmanallūr is here
called Tirunāvalūr alias Rājādittapuram, and its
Śiva temple
Tiruttoṇḍīśvara, which is the Tamil equivalent of the modern name
Bhaktajanēśvara.
The village is stated to have been included in
Mēlūr-nāḍu, a subdivision of Tiru-
muṉaippāḍi, a district
of Rājēndra-Chōḷa-vaḷanāḍu, while, according to an inscription
of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I., Tirumuṉaippāḍi was a district of Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Chōḷa-maṇḍalam. The
end of the published portion refers to the village of Perumbākkam
in Mēlūr-nāḍu, which
belonged to the temple and was surnamed
Vīrarājēndra-chaturvēdimaṅgalam after
the king.
Perumbākkam is situated 4 miles west-north-west of Tirunāmanallūr.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While courage was (his) only help and liberality
(his)
only ornament, (the king) wielded the sceptre and dispelled the dark Kali
(age). (He)
terrified Āhavamalla at Kūḍalśaṅgamam, saw the
retreating back of (i.e). put to flight)
Vikkalaṉ [and Śiṅgaṇaṉ],
and seized riches and vehicles along with his (viz. Āhava-
malla's) great queen. In the 4th year of (this) king Rājakēsarivarman
alias) the lord
Śrī-Vīrarājēndradēva, who was pleased to be seated on the
throne of heroes together
with (his queen) Ulagamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ.
(L. 2.) Hail ! Prosperity ! Sakalabhuvanāśraya Śrīmēdinivallabha Mahārā-
jādhirāja Chōḷakula-Sundara
Pāṇḍyakulāntaka Āhavamallakula-Kāla Āhava-
mallaṉai-mummaḍi-veṉ-kaṇḍa Rājāśraya Vīra-Chōḷa
Karikāla-Chōḷa Śrī-
Vīrarājēndradēva Rājakēsarivarman-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ
Kōnēriṉmai-koṇḍāṉ
(addresses the following order) to the
citizens of Tirunāvalūr alias Rājādittapuram
in
Mēlūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Tirumuṉaippāḍi, (a district)
of Rājēndra-
Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu:——••••• of Perumbākkam
(alias) Vīra-
rājēndra-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in this
nāḍu, a dēvadāna of (the god) Mahādēva of
the
Tiruttoṇḍīśvara (temple) in that village•••••
This inscription (No. 273 of 1902) is engraved on the north wall of the maṇḍapa
in
front of the shrine in the Vīraṭṭāṉēśvara temple at Kīḻūr near Tirukoilur (Tirukkō-
valūr). As in other inscriptions, the
temple is here called Tiruvīraṭṭāṉam and is stated
to be situated at
Tirukkōvalūr in Kuṟukkai-kūṟṟam, a subdivision of Jananātha-
vaḷanāḍu.
The inscription is dated in the 5th year of Vīrarājēndra I. and records the gift of
a
lamp by a native of Kūriyūr in Śeṅguṉṟa-nāḍu, a subdivision of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa-
vaḷanāḍu. Kūriyūr is stated to have been a hamlet
in the west of Vīrarājēndra-chatur-
vēdimaṅgalam. According to No. 81
above, this was a surname of Perumbākkam,
which belonged to another subdivision of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa-vaḷanāḍu; but the map does not
show any village named Kūriyūr on the
west of Perumbākkam.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While courage was (his) only help and liberality
(his)
only ornament, (the king) wielded the sceptre and dispelled the dark Kali
(age). (He)
terrified Āhavamalla at Kūḍalśaṅgam, saw the
retreating back of Vikkalaṉ and
Śiṅgaṇaṉ, and seized riches and vehicles
along with his (viz. Āhavamalla's) great queens.
(L. 3.) (He) terrified Āhavamalla yet a second time on the appointed
battle-field, ful-
filled the vow of the elder brother who was born with him, seized Vēṅgai-nāḍu, and
performed the anointment of victors.
(L. 4.) In the 5th year of (this) king Rājakēsarivarman alias) the lord
Śrī-Vīra-
rājēndradēva, who was pleased to be seated on the throne of
heroes together with (his queen)
Ulagamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ,——I, the
Maṉṟāḍi Ulagaṉ Mōḍaṉ, residing at Kūriyūr
in
Śeṅguṉṟa-nāḍu, a hamlet in the west of
Vīrarājēndra-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, an
independent village in
Rājēndra-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu, gave 1 perpetual lamp for the merit
of my son Mōḍaṉ Śūṟṟi to (the god) Mahādēva of the
Tiruvīraṭṭāṉam (temple) at
Tirukkōvalūr in
Kuṟukkai-kūṟṟam, (a subdivision) of Jananātha-vaḷanāḍu.
For
(this lamp I) gave 48 big sheep. These big sheep (shall) neither die nor grow
old.
Having received these (sheep),••••• [This gift is placed
under]
the protection of [all Māhē]śvaras.
This inscription (No. 207 of 1902) is engraved on the south wall of the maṇḍapa
in
front of the shrine in the Tintriṇīśvara temple at Tiṇḍivaṉam, the
head-quarters of a
tāluka of the South Arcot district. The end of most lines (including the
date in line 11)
is covered by a brick wall, which was temporarily removed for preparing an
inked estam-
page.
The inscription is dated in the 6th year of Vīrarājēndra I. and records the gift
of
12 cows to the Tiruttiṇḍīśvara temple at Giḍaṅgil in
Ōymā-nāḍu. Giḍaṅgil is now
the name of a suburb of
Tiṇḍivaṉam.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While courage was (his) only help and liberality
(his)
only ornament, (the king) wielded the sceptre and dispelled the dark Kali
(age).
(L. 2.) (He) terrified Āhavamalla at Kūḍalśaṅgamam, saw the
retreating back
of Vikkalaṉ and Śiṅgaṇaṉ, and seized riches and vehicles
along with his (viz). Āhava-
malla's) great queens.
(L. 4.) (He) terrified Āhavamalla yet a second time on the (previously)
appointed
battle-field, recovered Vēṅgai-nāḍu, and fulfilled the vow of the elder
brother who was
born with him.
(L. 6.) On a third occasion (he) burnt (the city of) Kampili before
Sōmēśvara could
untie the necklace which (he) had put on,
and set up a pillar of victory at Kaṟaḍikal.
(L. 8.) (He) expelled the great Sāmantas) beginning with Dēvanātha
from Śakkara-
kōṭṭam and seized their wives.
(L. 10.) (He) recovered [Kaṉṉa]kuchchi (i.e. Kanyakubja), crossed the
boundaries
and fixed (them). In the 6th year of (this) king
Rājakēsarivarman alias) the lord
Śrī-Vīrarājēndradēva, who was
pleased to be seated on the throne of victory together
with (his queen)
Ulagamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ,——I, Īśvaraṉ Śiṅgamāṇi alias)
Toṇḍaimāṉ
Śōḻapperiyaraiyaṉ, granted twelve cows to (the god)
Mahādēva of the Tiruttiṇ-
ḍīśvara (temple) at
Giḍaṅgil in Ōymā-nāḍu. (These cows were) granted in order
to
(supply) three uḻakku of ghee, viz. one uri
of ghee for the śrībali, one aḻākku (of ghee) for
the hōma, and one
aḻākku of ghee and one nāḻi of curds for offerings on those holy Sundays
on
which (the god) is carried outside (for) the śrībali.
(L. 22.) Having received these twelve cows, we, the members of the assembly
(in
charge) of the store-room of this temple, shall have to supply
these requirements as long as
the moon and the sun shall last.
(L. 24.) This (gift is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras.
This inscription (No. 266 of 1901) is engraved on the east wall of the maṇḍapa in
front
of the shrine in the Tāndōṉṟīśvara temple at Perumbēr and is
dated in the 7th year of
Vīrarājēndra I. It records a grant of land to the
Tiruttāṉtōṉṟi-Mahāśrīkaraṇa-
Īśvara temple at
Perumbēṟūr alias Tribhuvananallūr. As in another
Perumbēr
inscription (No. 78 above), Perumbēṟūr is here called a hamlet of
Śrī-Madurāntaka-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam, the modern Madurāntakam. Line
16, which is incomplete,
mentions Vīra-Śōḻaśēri, a portion of the city which is
also referred to at the end of
No. 78 above.
(L. 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! While courage was (his) only help and liberality (his)
only
ornament, (the king) wielded the sceptre and dispelled the dark Kali (age).
(He) took the
head of the king of the South (i.e). the Pāṇḍya), levied tribute from the Śēralaṉ (i.e. the
Chēra king), and
subdued the Śiṅgaḷa (i.e. Siṁhala) country.
(L. 2.) (He) saw the back of (i.e. put to flight) Āhavamalla five times
in hot
battles, recovered Vēṅgai-nāḍu, fulfilled the vow of the elder brother who
was born with
him, and bestowed the [Vēṅgai]-maṇḍalam on the Śaḷukki
(i.e). Chalukya) Vijayā-
ditya who came and worshipped (his)
feet.
(L. 4.) Having conquered (the country of) Kaḍāram, (he) was pleased to
give (it)
(back) to (its) king who worshipped (his) feet (which
bore) ankle-rings.
(L. 5.) (He) chased Sōmēśvara (and forced him) to abandon the
Kaṉṉara country,
invested the Śaḷukki Vikramāditya, who came and bowed
to (his) feet, with the necklace
which illumined the eight directions, and was pleased
to conquer and to grant (to him) the
seven and a half lakshas of
Raṭṭapāḍi.
(L. 6.) In the seventh year of (this) king Rājakēsarivarman alias the
lord Śrī-
Vīrarājēndradēva, who was pleased to be seated on the
throne of victory together with
(his queen) Ulagamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ.
(L. 8.) The writing of us, the great assembly of
Śrī-Madurāntaka-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam, an independent village in Kaḷattūr-kōṭṭam, (a district) of Jayaṅgoṇḍa-
Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, which is ruled over——having conquered (it by the strength
of his) arm and
having made it his exclusive property——by the warlike
Vīrarājēndra, the god of Death
to the family of the Raṭṭa king,
(whose) anger abated (only) after seeing the back of the
obstinate
Śaḷukki (i.e). Chalukya) on the bank of) the winding river.
(L. 10.) (The following) land was granted, free of taxes, to the god of the
Tiruttāṉ-
tōṉṟi-Mahāśrīkaraṇa-Īśvara (temple) at
Perumbēṟūr alias Tribhuvananallūr,
a hamlet of our village.
(L. 11.) Three pāḍagam in the land which had been lying as
mañjikkam, without being
levelled and dug up, within (the
following boundaries): to the south of the bank of the tank at
Perumbēṟūr; to
the west of the channel running towards the south-west from the (sluice
called)
Ambalattu-tūmbu of this tank; to the north of the margin of the road leading from
this
channel up to the temple of this god; and to the east of the end of the square (field)
on
the east of the temple of this god.
(L. 14.) Having reclaimed (this land), we, the great assembly, gave (it) to this
god,
free of taxes, for (supplying) paddy of the red kind to the temple and for (supporting) those
who perform the worship in the temple.
(L. 16.) (This) was ordered by••• of Vēṟpuṟam, (in charge of)
Vīra-
Śōḻaśēri•••••
As I have stated on page 43 above, the time of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III.,
the
immediate predecessor of Rājarāja III., is settled by an inscription at Nellore,
which
couples Śaka-Saṁvat 1119 with the 19th year of his reign. Professor Kielhorn's
calcu-
lations of the dates of twenty inscriptions of this king have shown that his
reign commenced
between the 8th June and 8th July A.D. 1178.
The records of the reign of Kulōttuṅga III. are so numerous that a complete list of
them
would occupy too much space. I subjoin a list of those opening with a historical
introduction,
the first word of which is
In the majority of these inscriptions (Nos. 1, 4, 5, 7 to 10) the king is
called
Parakēsarivarman alias Tribhuvanachakravartin
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva. Two
inscriptions (Nos. 2 and 3) substitute
Vīrarājēndradēva (II.) for Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa-
dēva, and the two
remaining inscriptions (Nos. 6 and 11) have instead of it Kōnērimēṉ-
koṇḍāṉ and Tribhuvanavīradēva, respectively. In
his inscriptions without historical
introduction, the king is called either
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva or Tribhuvanavīradēva.
The second name occurs in
records of the 27th to 37th years. In a single inscription the
king bears the
name Vīrarājēndra-Chōḷadēva.
Two inscriptions of the 9th year prefix to the name of the king the relative
sentence
31st years, this sentence is amplified into
ruḷiya,
Pāṇḍya.’
Other inscriptions, of the 12th to 29th years, read
ṇṭiyaṉ muṭittalaiyuṅkoṇṭaruḷiṉa,
pleased to take also the crowned head of the
Pāṇḍya.’ An inscription of the 14th year
has
inscriptions of the 23rd to 31st years, we find
karuvūrum koṇṭaruḷiṉa,
of the Pāṇḍya,
and Karuvūr.’ Finally, certain inscriptions of the 31st to 37th years
add to the
king's conquests, that he ‘was pleased to perform the anointment of heroes and
the anointment
of victors:’——
vīrara
The introductions of the inscriptions of the 3rd, 5th and 8th years do not
contain any
statement of historical interest. An inscription of the 9th year (No. 86 below)
relates that
Kulōttuṅga III. assisted Vikrama-Pāṇḍya against the son of
Vīra-Pāṇḍya, defeated the
Maṟa (i.e. Maṟava ?)
army, drove the Siṁhala army into the sea, took
Madurai
(i.e. Madhurā) from Vīra-Pāṇḍya and bestowed it on
(Vikrama-) Pāṇḍya. An
inscription of the 11th year (No. 87 below) also refers to
the defeat of the son of Vīra-
Pāṇḍya and to the bestowal of
Kūḍal (i.e. Madhurā) on Vikrama-Pāṇḍya, and adds
that
Vīra-Pāṇḍya revolted again, but that Kulōttuṅga III. ‘took his crowned head,’
i.e.
that, while seated on the throne, he placed his feet on the crown of the Pāṇḍya
king.
An inscription of the 19th year (No. 88 below) first notices an expedition into the
North,
at the end of which the king entered Kachchi, i.e. Conjeeveram. As in
the inscription
of the 11th year, it is then stated that he defeated the son of
(Vīra-)Pāṇḍya, took
Madurai and bestowed it on
Vikrama-Pāṇḍya, and that he ‘took the crowned head’
of Vīra-Pāṇḍya,
who had revolted again and given him battle at Neṭṭūr. The
next-following
passage relates that he pardoned the Pāṇḍya king, i.e. apparently Vīra-
Pāṇḍya, and the Chēra king, who seems to be identical with the person who
is subse-
quently called Vīra-Kēraḷa. Finally, an
unnamed Pāṇḍya king who bore the
surname ‘chief of the family of the Sun’ received
valuable presents. An inscription of
the 21st year adds that Kulōttuṅga III. placed his feet
on the crown of the king of Īḻam,
i.e. Ceylon.
In his Annual Report for 1898-99, Mr. Venkayya has shown that the invasion of
the
Pāṇḍya country during the reign of the Ceylon king Parākramabāhu, which is
related
in chapters 76 and 77 of the Mahāvaṁsa, fell into the reign of the Chōḷa
king Rājādhi-
rāja II. During this war there were two claimants for the
throne of Madhurā. One of
them, Vīra-Pāṇḍya, the son of
Parākrama-Pāṇḍya, was supported by the Singhalese,
and the other,
Kulaśēkhara, by the Chōḷas. The former is probably the same person
as the
Vīra-Pāṇḍya who was defeated and humiliated by Kulōttuṅga III., while, as
Mr.
Venkayya suggests, Vikrama-Pāṇḍya, the protégé of Kulōttuṅga III., may
have
been the successor of Kulaśēkhara, the claimant to the Pāṇḍya throne whose
part had
been taken by Rājādhirāja II.
If the foregoing inferences are accepted, it would follow that Rājādhirāja II.
was
either the immediate predecessor or one of the predecessors of Kulōttuṅga III.
on the
Chōḷa throne. That these two kings were intimately connected, may be concluded also
from
the fact that an inscription of the 17th year of Kulōttuṅga III. opens with the first
sentence of a historical introduction
which is given in full at the beginning of an inscription
of the 5th year of
Rājakēsarivarman alias Tribhuvanachakravartin
Rājādhirājadēva
(No. 262 of 1902). Another point which connects these two kings
is, that an inscription of
the 11th year of Rājakēsarivarman alias
Tribhuvanachakravartin Rājādhirājadēva (No. 3 of
1899), which opens with the words
the epithet
III.
In four of the six inscriptions of Rājādhirāja II. which open with
pārmātarum
these four inscriptions shows that the 8th
year of Rājādhirāja II. was about 15 years later
than the 19th year of Rājarāja
II., as will appear from the following extract.
“On the first solar day of the month Kāttigai in the 8th year of king Parakēsari-
varman alias the emperor of the three worlds, the glorious
Rājādhirājadēva,——in the
fifteen years from the month Tai in the 19th year of the
lord Rājarājadēva to the month
Aippaśi in the 8th year of the emperor of the three
worlds, the glorious Rājādhirājadēva.”
Consequently Rājarāja II. must have been either the immediate predecessor or one
of
the predecessors of Rājādhirāja II.
In eight inscriptions of Rājarāja II. which open with
king bears the epithet Parakēsarivarman.
Besides, there are two inscriptions of his
which have the same introduction as those of
Rājādhirāja II. (
one of these (No. 219 of
1901) Rājarāja II. is called Parakēsarivarman, and in the
second (No. 375 of 1902)
Rājakēsarivarman.
To return to Kulōttuṅga III., an inscription of his 19th year asserts that he
under-
took an expedition into the North and entered Conjeeveram.
This statement is borne out
by the fact that three inscriptions of his reign are found at
Conjeeveram and five others as
far north as Nellore.
The following vassals of Kulōttuṅga III. are mentioned in epigraphical records:——
1.——Madhurāntaka-Pottappi-Chōḷa alias Tammusiddhi-araiśaṉ made a
grant to the Vishṇu temple at Nellore alias Vikramasiṁhapuram in the 26th year of
Kulōttuṅga III. (=A.D. 1203-4). Another Nellore inscription
of the [3]1st year (= A.D.
1208-9) refers to Madhurāntaka-Pottappi-Chōḷa
alias Nallasiddh-arasar. Other
inscriptions of
Tammusiddhi are dated in Śaka-Saṁvat 1127 and 1129 (=A.D. 1205-6
and 1207-8), and Nallasiddhi was the name of an uncle of his.
2.——An inscription of the 5th May A.D. 1205 in the Ēkāmranātha temple at Con-
jeeveram records the gift of a lamp by the Gaṅga chief
Śīyagaṅga Amarābharaṇa
alias
Tiruvēgambam-uḍaiyāṉ, in whose time the Tamil grammar Naṉṉūl was
composed,
and his queen Ariyapiḷḷai gave two lamps to the temple at Tiruvallam in
the [3]4th
year of Kulōttuṅga (III.).
3.——Two inscriptions of the 27th and 33rd years of Kulōttuṅga III. record grants
of land
by Chōḷa-Piḷḷai alias Aḻagiya-Chōḷa alias
Edirili-Chōḷa-Śambuvarāyaṉ, the
son of Śeṅgēṇi Ammaiyappaṉ. This chief is already known from the Poygai inscrip-
tions of
Rājarāja III., the successor of Kulōttuṅga III. Two inscriptions of
Tribhuvana-
chakravartin
Kōnērimēlkoṇḍa-Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva record grants by
Śeṅgēṇi
Ammaiyappaṉ Kaṇṇuḍaipperumāṉ alias
Vikrama-Chōḷa-Śambuvarāyaṉ.
As this Śeṅgēṇi Ammaiyappaṉ
must have been the father of the above-mentioned
Aḻagiya-Chōḷa, the two inscriptions may be
safely allotted to Kulōttuṅga III. Another
inscription of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva (III. ?)
introduces a member of the same family;
named Śeṅgēṇi Miṇḍaṉ Attimallaṉ
Śambuvarāyaṉ.
4.——The chief noted under No. 2 and one of the last-mentioned chiefs seem to
be referred to
in two inscriptions of the 20th and 21st years at Śeṅgama, which I have
accordingly allotted
to Kulōttuṅga III. The same two inscriptions contain the names of
two other
feudatories of Kulōttuṅga III., viz. Viḍugādaḻagiya-Perumāḷ, a chief
of
Dharmapuri in the Salem district, and Malaiyaṉ
Viṉaiyai-veṉṟāṉ alias Karikāla-
Chōḷa-Āḍaiyūrnāḍ-Āḻvāṉ.
5.——The Śeṅgama inscription of the 21st year refers to a certain Yādavarāya.
This
title was borne by two chiefs, viz. Tirukkāḷattidēva
and his son Vīra-Nārasiṁha-
dēva. The former is mentioned in
inscriptions of the 16th and 17th years of Kulōttuṅga
III., and the other
in inscriptions of the 36th and 37th years of the same king and in
an
inscription of the 8th year of Rājarājadēva (III.), the successor of Kulōttuṅga
III. In
an inscription of the 15th year of Kulōttuṅga (III.), this chief
calls himself ‘prince Siṁha
alias Vīrarākshasa-Yādavarāja, the
son of Yādavarāja alias Tirukkāḷattidēva.’
Both Tirukkāḷattidēva and his son claimed descent from the Eastern
Chālukya family;
for, they bore the birudas Vēṅgīvallabha and
Śaśikula-Chāḷukki. The Veṅkaṭēśa-
Perumāḷ temple on the Tirupati
hill contains an inscription of the 34th year of Tribhuvana-
chakravartin
Vīra[n]ārasiṁhadēva Yādavarāya (No. 71 of 1888-89). In the 40th
year of
Vīranārasiṁhadēva-Yādavarāya the same temple was rebuilt. Another Tirupati
inscription (No. 58 of 1888-89) is dated in the [8]th year of
Tribhuvanachakravartin
Tiruvēṅgaḍanātha-Yādavarāya, who may have belonged
to the same family.
This inscription (No. 165 of 1902) is engraved on the right of the entrance into the
east
wall of the prākāra of the Vāmanapurīśvara temple at Tirumāṇikuḻi
in the
Cuddalore tāluka of the South Arcot district. This village is called
Udavi-Māṇikuḻi
by Tiruñāṉasambandar, and Udavi-Tirumāṇikuḻi in some
of its inscriptions. According
to the subjoined record (l. 3 f.) it belonged to the district of
Rājarāja-vaḷanāḍu,
and according to other inscriptions to Mēlkkāl-nāḍu,
Mēṟkāṉāḍu or Mēṟkā-nāḍu, a
subdivision of
Vaḍakarai-Rājēndra-Chōḷa-vaḷanāḍu, Virudarājabhayaṁkara-vaḷanāḍu,
or
Rājarāja-vaḷanāḍu.
The inscription is dated in the 3rd year of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III. on a day
which
corresponds to the 12th August A.D. 1180. It records the gift of 32
cows for a lamp.
The donor was a native of Kūḍal, which was situated in the same
district as Tirumāṇikuḻi
and seems to be identical with the modern Kūḍalūr
(Cuddalore).
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! (The king) put on the beautiful crown in order
to
protect the earth to the end of the world, while clouds were abundant (and) increased
the
fertility (of his country); while the conduct (prescribed) in
the four true Vēdas prospered;
while the goddess of Fortune and the goddess of Victory were
greatly delighted (to be his
wives); while (his) parasol shone like the white
moon; while victorious kings bowed at (his)
feet; while the goddess of the Earth
rejoiced; while the rules of Manu flourished and
spread; (and) while (the king's)
discus and sceptre went (and) ruled every region.
(L. 2.) In the third year of (this) king Parakēsarivarman alias) the
emperor of
the three worlds, Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who was pleased to be
seated together
with (his queen) Bhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ on the throne of
heroes (which consisted of)
pure gold,——on the day of Aśvinī, which corresponded to a
Monday and to the fifth tithi of
the second fortnight of the month Siṁha,——one
perpetual lamp was given to Āḷuḍaiya-
nāyaṉār of
Tirumāṇikuḻi, the god of Rājarāja-vaḷanāḍu, by
Aṛaśanārāyaṇaṉ
Ēḻiśaimōgaṉ, alias
Jananātha-Kachchiyarāyaṉ, of Kūḍal in the same nāḍu.
For
(this lamp he) granted 32 undying and unaging cows.
(L. 4.) Having received these thirty-two cows, we, the members of the assembly
(in
charge) of the store-room of this temple, shall have to maintain this
perpetual lamp as
long as the moon and the sun shall last.
(L. 5.) Having agreed thus, we took charge of this gift. This (gift is placed under)
the
protection of all Māhēśvaras.
This inscription (No. 457 of 1902) is engraved on the west wall of the second
prākāra
of the great Śaiva temple of Naṭarāja at Chidambaram in the South Arcot district. It
is dated on the 88th day of the 9th year of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III. and records that the
king sanctioned a grant of land to the
temple by a certain Kēraḷarājaṉ (ll. 6 and 10).
The land granted was situated in
two hamlets of Chidambaram, the first of which bore the
name Kaḍavāychchēri
alias Tillaināyaganallūr (l. 6). Kaḍavāchchēri is found on
the map about 2
miles south of Chidambaram, and Tillaināyaganallūr survives as the name
of
a neighbouring village which has now been joined to Uśuppūr. The second
hamlet,
Śāttaṅguḍi alias Mahīpālakulakālanallūr (l. 7), I am unable to identify.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! (The king) put on the beautiful crown in order to
protect
the earth to the end of the world, while clouds were abundant and (hence) the
fertility
(of his country) increased; while the conduct (prescribed) in the four
true Vēdas prospered;
while the goddess of Fortune and the goddess of Victory were greatly
delighted (to be his
wives); while (his) parasol shone like the white moon; while
victorious kings bowed at (his)
feet; while the goddess of the Earth rejoiced; while the
rules of Manu flourished and
spread; (and) while (the king's) discus and sceptre
went (and) ruled every region.
(L. 2.) While, by an army despatched at the request of Vikrama-Pāṇḍya, the
son
of Vīra-Pāṇḍya was subdued; while Ēḻagam was
subdued; while the Maṟa army was
subdued; while the
Śiṅgaḷa soldiers had (their) noses cut off and rushed into the rolling
sea,——
(he) attacked Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (forcing him) to turn (his)
back, took Madurai and the throne,
set up a pillar of victory, was pleased to bestow
that (city of) Madurai, the throne and the
country on the Pāṇḍya
who had taken refuge (with him), and raised the banner of
liberality, together with the
banner of heroism which displayed the body (of the tiger ?).
(L. 3.) On the eighty-eighth day of the ninth year of (this) king Parakēsarivar-
man, who was pleased to be seated together with (his queen)
Bhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ on
the throne of heroes (which consisted of) pure gold,
alias the emperor of the three worlds,
Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, who was
pleased to take Madurai,——the following order
was issued (by the king) and
received.
(L. 4.) In order to lay out a flower-garden (which shall furnish) the garlands to be
placed
on (the image of) Āḷuḍaiyār, and in order to (provide)
tax-free (land) for the maintenance
of the flower-garden,
(viz). for (supplying) clothing and food to the
two attendants who
work in this flower-garden,——Tiruvēgambam-uḍaiyāṉ
Tiruvanatīśvaram-uḍaiyāṉ
alias Kēraḷarājaṉ, a native of
Perunallūr in Kīḻ-Vēṅgai-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Rāja-
rāja-vaḷanāḍu, purchased (the following) land from
several persons in the name of another,
(viz.) in the name of Uḻaichcharaṇaṉ
Vaḍugaṉ Tirunaṭṭamāḍi of Perumbaṟṟap-
puliyūr.
(L. 6.) In Kaḍavāychchēri alias Tillaināyaganallūr, a hamlet of
this village, one
twentieth (vēli) of dry land in the second square of the first
kaṇṇāṟu to the west of the road
of Sundara-Śōḻa (and) to the
south of the channel of Uttama-Śōḻa; and in Śāttaṅguḍi
alias
Mahīpālakulakālanallūr (near) that śēri (i.e.
Kaḍavāychchēri), a hamlet (of this
village), one half (vēli),
three twentieths, three eightieths, one hundred-and-sixtieth and
one
three-hundred-and-twentieth; and 1/320 of three quarters, four
twentieths, one hundred-and-
sixtieth and one three-hundred-and-twentieth——more or
less——of classified land in the first
square of the fourth kaṇṇāṟu
to the west of the road of Kundavai (and) to the south of the
channel of
Uttama-Śōḻa,——altogether, including the dry land, according to the
village
(accounts), one half (vēli), four twentieths, three eightieths, one
hundred-and-sixtieth and
one three-hundred-and-twentieth; and 1/320 of three quarters, four
twentieths, one hundred-
and-sixtieth and one three-hundred-and-twentieth of
land.
(L. 8.) Of (this), one hundred-and-sixtieth (vēli) and one
three-hundred-and-twentieth;
1/320 of nine twentieths and three eightieths; and (1/320) of
three quarters and three eightieths
(is) second-crop land.
(L. 9.) (This land) has to be added to the various plots in this village (which
are) the temple
property of (the god) Āḷuḍaiyār, as a flower-garden,
and as tax-free (land) for the mainte-
nance of the flower-garden. Out of the
money which this village has decided to levy from
this land, the money which accrues, from the
second-crop assessment (?) has to be deducted
from (the amount due by) the village. This
has to be engraved (on) stone on the wall near the
Tiruppūmaṇḍapam in the temple. The services etc. which have to be rendered by
the
attendants of (other) flower-gardens shall not be demanded from the two attendants
of (this)
flower-garden.
(L. 10.) “Kēraḷarājaṉ having submitted to us that (the above
request) might be
sanctioned, we ordered that it should be done thus, and directed the
revenue officers to
enter (that land) as such in the account
(book).”
(L. 11.) “From the ninth (year of the king's reign) forward, this land
has to be added to
the various (other) plots (of this village) and has to be
considered as a flower-garden and as
tax-free (land) for the maintenance of the
flower-garden, (viz). for (supplying) clothing and
food to the two attendants of
the flower-garden. This has to be engraved (on) stone in the
temple. The garlands to be
supplied by the attendants of this flower-garden, (and) amounting
to one kuṟuṇi
and four nāḻi (of flowers) per day for each person, have to be supplied in advance
to
the Tiruppūmaṇḍapam. The services etc. which have to be rendered by the attendants
of
(other) flower-gardens shall not be demanded from these (attendants).” Written
by the royal
secretary, Rājanārāyaṇa-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ.
(L. 13.) (The above) was copied from the order received, which was written (by the
royal
secretary) and signed by Viḻuppādhirājar, Nuḷambādhirājar,
Pāṇḍiyarājar,
Kaḷappāḷarājar, Nandiyarājar, Rājavallabha-Pallavarāyar and
Vayirādhirājar.
This inscription (No. 458 of 1902) is engraved on the same wall as the preceding one
(No. 86). It is dated on the 118th day of the 11th year of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III. and
records that the king sanctioned a grant of land to the
temple by a certain Vāḷuvarāyaṉ
(ll. 5 and 12). The land granted was situated in
the same two hamlets of Chidambaram
which were mentioned in No. 86, viz.
Mahīpālakulakālanallūr (l. 6) and Kaḍavāy-
chchēri
alias Tillaināyaganallūr (l. 8). Chidambaram itself is referred to as
Perum-
baṟṟappuliyūr in Rājādhirāja-vaḷanāḍu (l. 5), and
its Śiva temple as Tiruchchiṟṟam-
balam-uḍaiyār (l. 9.).
[The first sentence is identical with the beginning of No. 86 above.]
(Line 2.) By a single army (he) had the nose of the son of Vīra-Pāṇḍya cut
off, gave
the great city of Kūḍal (i.e). Madhurā) to
Vikrama-Pāṇḍya, and returned. After this,
(he) took the crowned head of
Vīra-Pāṇḍya, who had started and faced (him)
because
(he felt his) disgrace.
(L. 3.) After having set up a pillar of victory at the end of the war, (he) raised
the
banner of victory and great heroism, together with the banner of liberality. On the one-
hundred-and-eighteenth day of the eleventh year of (this) king
Parakēsarivarman, who
was pleased to be seated together with (his queen)
Bhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyāḷ on the throne of
heroes (which consisted of) pure gold,
alias) the emperor of the three worlds, Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-
Śōḻadēva, who, having taken Madurai, was pleased to take the crowned
head of the
Pāṇḍya,——the following order was issued (by the
king) and received.
(L. 4.) In order to supply clothing and food to the two attendants of the flower-garden
of
Kayilāyadēvaṉ,——which Tiruppuṟambiyam-uḍaiyāṉ
Kayilāyadēvaṉ alias
Vāḷuvarāyaṉ, a
native of Dēvaṅgu[ḍi] in Pāmbuṇi-kūṟṟam, (a subdivision)
of
Śuttamali-vaḷanāḍu, had caused to be laid out as a flower-garden (which
should furnish)
the garlands to be placed on (the image of)
Āḷuḍaiyār,——(he) purchased from Uḻaichcha-
raṇaṉ
Tiruchchiṟṟambalam-uḍaiyāṉ Poṉṉambalakkūttaṉ and
Vārkkiyaṉ
Dēvaṉ Poṉṉambalakkūttaṉ, (two) among the chief members of the
assembly of
Perumbaṟṟappuliyūr in
Rājādhirāja-vaḷanāḍu, land in the fourth square of the fifth
kaṇṇāru)
to the west of the road of Śrī-Sundara-Śōḻa (and) to the south of the channel
of
Śrī-Śōḻakulasundarī in Mahīpālakulakāla nallūr, a hamlet in the
west of the village.
The boundary of (this land is) to the east of the land of the
seller, to the south of a water-
course, to the west of the land purchased in the
name of another and enjoyed by Puḷiyam-
būṇḍi-uḍaiyāṉ, and to the north of the Kaṇṇāṟṟu-channel. One
half (vēli), one twentieth
and three eightieths of wet land enclosed in these four
boundaries thus described, and one
eightieth of land (occupied by) the water-course in
the north,——altogether, one half (vēli) and
two twentieths of wet land.
(L. 8.) For the flower-garden (itself he) purchased dry land in the third square of
the
first kaṇṇāṟu to the west of the road of Śrī-Sundara-Śōḻa
(and) to the south of the channel
of Uttama-Śōḻa in
Kaḍavā[y]chchēri alias Tillaināyaganallūr. The boundary
of
(this land is) to the east of the side of the houses of the
Tirumaḍaiviḷāgam on the east of the
flower-garden of
Edirili-Śōḻaṉ, (which is) the temple property of the god Tiruch-
chiṟṟambalam-uḍaiyār, to the south of the channel of Uttama-Śōḻa,
to the west of the
dry land of the seller, and to the north of the flower-garden of
Nichchayavāśagaṉ,
(which is) the temple property of the god
Tiruchchiṟṟambalam-uḍaiyār. According to
the village (accounts), two
twentieths (vēli) of land.
(L. 10.) In the name of another, (viz.) in the name of Vāchchiyaṉ
Mahēśvaraṉ
Tiraṇḍavāṉ Kuṟaṅgaṉ alias
Rājasūrya-Brahmamārāyaṉ, (he) purchased (these) one
half
(vēli) and two twentieths of wet land and two twentieths (vēli)
of dry land,——
altogether according to (the accounts of) this village,
one half (vēli) and four twentieths of
land.
Having bought out the former owners and having added (this land) to the various
plots
(which are) the temple property of (the god) Āḷuḍaiyār as
tax-free (land),——the money
that accrues from the second crop (according to) the
land assessment (?) (and) the class
assessment which (this
village) has decided to levy from this land, has to be deducted from
(the amount due
by) the village. The documents of the sale of this land have to be deposited
in the temple.
The garlands amounting to one kuṟuṇi and four nāḻi (of flowers) per day
for
each of the attendants of the flower-garden have to be supplied in advance to the
Tiruppū-
maṇḍapam. These (attendants) shall not
be bound to render the services rendered by the
attendants of other flower-gardens. This has to
be engraved (on) stone on the wall of the
temple.
(L. 12.) “Vāḷuvarāyaṉ himself having submitted to us that (the above
request)
might be sanctioned, we ordered that it should be done thus, and directed the
revenue
officers to enter (that land) in the account (book).”
“Thus it should be caused to be done.” Written by the royal secretary, Mīṉavaṉ-
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ.
(L. 13.) “Thus (the king) was pleased to order by word of mouth.” This (is) the
signa-
ture of Kurukularāyaṉ. This (is) the signature of
Kaḷappāḷarāyaṉ. This (is) the
signature of Vayirādh[i]rāyaṉ.
This (is) the signature of Maḻavarāyaṉ. This (is)
the signature of
Nandiyarāyaṉ. This (is) the signature of Amarakōṉ. This
(is)
the signature of Kāḍuveṭṭi. This (is) the signature of
Pāṇḍiyarāyaṉ. This (is) the
signature of Anagharāyaṉ.
This inscription (No. 66 of 1892) is engraved on the left of the entrance to the north
wall
of the fourth prākāra of the Raṅganātha temple on the island of
Śrīraṅgam near
Trichinopoly. It is dated in the 19th year of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III. on a day which
corresponds to Tuesday, the 12th November
A.D. 1196, and recorded an order of the king,
the contents of which are
lost.
(Line 1.) (Obeisance to) Hari (i.e. Vishṇu) ! Hail ! Prosperity ! (The
king) put on the crown
of the race of the Sun, while clouds were abundant and
(hence) the land was fertile; while
the commands (sealed with the crest) of the
tiger, the discus, the rules of Manu, (by) which
(good) conduct prospered, and
the sceptre ruled (every) region; while the goddess of Fortune
rejoiced (to be
united) with the king; while the cruel Kali (age) perished; (and) while
the
cool white parasol (of the king) overshadowed the earth to the end of the world.
(L. 2.) (He) despatched matchless elephants, performed heroic deeds, prostrated to
the
ground the kings of the North, entered Kachchi when (his) anger abated, and
levied tribute
from the whole (northern) region.
(L. 3.) By a single army (he) cut off the nose of the son of the Vaḻudi
(i.e. the Pāṇḍya
king), took the Madurai of the Tamiḻ
(country) and gave (it) to Vikrama-Pāṇḍya.
(He) took the
crowned head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, who, after (the Chōḷa
king) had returned,
started because (he felt his) disgrace and faced (him)
at Neṭṭūr. (He) put an end to the war
and caused his (viz). the
Pāṇḍya's) young wife to enter (his) harem (?).
(L. 4.) When the Teṉṉavaṉ (i.e). the Pāṇḍya king), who had lost
(his) fortune, and
the Śēralaṉ (i.e). the Chēra king) came (to
the Chōḷa king), bowed (to him) and sat down at
the foot of (his)
throne, (he) placed (his) feet on the crown of the former, granted (him)
land,
granted (him) a crown, and gave the Pāṇḍya permission (to go);
and to the Villavaṉ (i.e.
the Chēra king), who (formerly had)
distributed crores, (he) granted a fortune which (other)
kings could not
obtain.
(L. 5.) (He) cut off a finger of Vīra-Kēraḷa and saw (his) back
(i.e). put him to flight);
(but), when (the latter) came and bowed (to
him), (he) bestowed riches (on him) in public and
gave
(him) to eat from the (royal) plates.
(L. 6.) To the Pānḍya who bore the glorious name of ‘chief of the family of the
Sun’
(he) granted great treasures, robes, and vessels (set with) brilliant
jewels. (He) raised the
banner of liberality and heroism and put on the
vāgai) (garland) (and) the ankle-rings of
heroes. The eight
quarters obeyed (his) orders, (and his) fame shone on the mountain
surrounding
(the earth).
(L. 7.) In the 19th year of (this) king Parakēsarivarman, who was pleased to
be
seated together with (his queen) Bhuvanamuḻuduḍaiyār on the throne of
heroes (which
consisted of) pure gold, alias the emperor of the three worlds,
Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva,
who, having taken Madurai, was pleased to
take the crowned head of the Pāṇḍya,——on
the day of Pushya, which
corresponded to a Tuesday and to the fifth tithi of the second
fortnight of the month
Vr̥śchika,——the following order was issued (by the king).
(L. 9.) This (is) the everlasting great order of the holy Śrīraṅganātha
(who is) the
cause of the creation, protection and destruction of the
three worlds.
The inscription registers a gift of 100 sheep for a lamp by Kaḍambamādēvī,
the
wife of the chief Vikki-Aṇṇaṉ, who was the recipient of several royal honours
and of
the hereditary title Śembiyaṉ Tamiḻavēḷ from the Chōḷa king
Rājakēsarivar-
man who 'overran Toṇḍai-nāḍu' and was the
conqueror of 'kings that possessed many
elephants
(pal-yāṉai-kōkkaṇḍaṉ)' and from the Chēra king
Sthāṇu Ravi.
The Tiruvālaṅgāḍu plates state that the Chōḷa king Āditya I.
defeated the
Pallava Aparājita and captured Toṇḍai-maṇḍalam from him. We
also know that
Āditya's son, Parāntaka I., was called Parakēsarivarman and
there is not therefore
much doubt that the Rājakēsarivarman referred to in this
inscription is Āditya I.
The fact that he and the Chēra king Sthāṇu
Ravi conferred honours on Vikki-
Aṇṇaṉ suggests that these
Chēra and the Chōḷa kings might have been contemporaries.
Hail ! Prosperity ! One hundred sheep were given for a perpetual lamp to
the
Mahādēva (i.e., Śiva) of Tiruneyttāṉam by
Kaḍambamādēvī, the wife of
Vikki-Aṇṇaṉ who had received a
(feudatory) throne (taviśu ?), fly-whisk, palanquin,
drum (timilai),
mansion, pōnagam (sumptuary allowance), bugle, an army of male elephants
and the
hereditary title of Śembiyaṉ-Tamiḻavēḷ from Rājakēsarivarman, the
Chōḷa (king) who overran
Toṇḍai-nāḍu and from the Kōkkaṇḍaṉ of (i.e., the
conqueror of
kings that possessed) many elephants, the Chēra king (Śēramāṉ)
Sthāṇu
Ravi. (The assembly of) all Māhēśvaras shall protect
this (charity).
This inscription is dated in the 2nd year of Rājakēsarivarman and records
that
the assembly of Nālūr, a brahmadēya of Śēṟṟūr-kūṟṟam, sold for
25 kāśu, the
aṅgāḍikkūli, i.e., the market fees of the bazaar street, to
the temple of Tirumayāṉam.
On palaeographical grounds we may attribute the record to
the time of Rājakēsari-
varman Āditya I.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 2nd year of (the reign of) king Rājakēsari-
varman, we, the great men of the big assembly which included the great
bhaṭṭas
of Nālūr, a brahmadēya of Śēṟṟūr-kūṟṟam,
sold the market-fees (aṅgāḍikkūli)
of the bazaar-street in our village to the
Mahādēva (i.e., Śiva) of the glorious
Mūlasthāna at our village
of Tirumayāṉam, thus:——
(L. 4.) From those who bring from outside villages and sell such articles as paddy,
rice,
etc., (which are sold) by measuring, shall be received (one) nāḻi for each
kāśu (realised)
and for other articles placed on the ground and sold, (one)
nāḻi shall be received on each
heap (kuvāl). (For) articles (sold) by
weight, one palam shall be received on each weigh-
ment (niṟai). From each basket of betel leaves, shall be received one paṟṟu; and
two
areca-nuts from each basket (of them). On each vaṭṭi of••• shall be
received.
(L. 9.) In this manner was this (market-)fee (kūli) sold over to, and 25
kāśu received
from, this god. For this 25 kāśu (given), (the temple) shall
receive (the market-fee defined
above) till the moon and the sun (last).
(L. 10.) We, the great men of the big assembly including the great bhaṭṭas, sold
and
executed the sale-deed (vibai-śrāvaṇai) (stipulating that), if either the
assembly or any single
individual (of the assembly) obstruct this (i.e., the
collection), all Māhēśvaras (assembled)
shall themselves levy (a fine of)
gold as they choose, and even after collecting (it), shall
retain possession of this fee
as long as the moon and the sun (last). (The assembly of)
all Māhēśvaras shall
protect this (charity).
This is a record, in archaic characters, of Rājakēsarivarman (perhaps
Āditya I.)
dated in his 2nd year. It registers gifts made by the merchants
(nagarattār) of
Kumaramārtāṇḍapuram to meet the cost of repairs to the
enclosure (called) Mauna-
kumaramārtāṇḍaṉ and the
gōpura of Milāḍuḍaiyārpaḷḷi. From No. 199 of
the Madras Epigraphical
collection for 1907 it appears that Kumaramārtāṇḍaṉ was
a surname of the
Pallava king Nandippōttaraiyar. In the word Milāḍuḍai-
yārpaḷḷi we may have a possible reference to the Śaiva saint
Meypporuṇāyaṉār
also called Milāḍuḍaiyār. As the usual imprecation
not occur at the end of the inscription, it is
much more probable that Milāḍuḍaiyār-
paḷḷi was a Jaina temple than a
Śaiva shrine called after Milāḍuḍaiyār.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 2nd year of (the reign of) king Rājakēsari-
varman, we, the great merchants (nagarattōm) of
Kumaramārtāṇḍapuram in
Tiraimūr-nāḍu on the southern bank (of the
Kāvērī river), assigned and gave, with
the consent of the guild, the
income of every alternate year from the collection (vārāvaigal)
which we, the
merchants, are receiving on account of the flower gardens on the eastern and
western sides of
this paḷḷi (temple), for the benefit of the repairs (pudukkuppuṟam) to
the
sacred enclosure called Maunakumaramārtāṇḍaṉ and the gōpura of ours
(i.e.,
built by us) in (the temple) Milāḍuḍaiyārpaḷḷi in this
village.
(L. 22.) Should we, as a guild or a single individual (of the guild), propose to
appro-
priate these collections (presented to the temple), the person among
us who is (then)
in charge of this paḷḷi (temple) might levy
any (fine of) gold himself and realize (it) from him
openly at any place he
likes; besides, (the culprit) shall incur the sin of one who kills one
thousand tawny
cows on the banks of the Gaṅgā. We, the great merchants of Kumara-
mārtāṇḍapuram, have thus assigned and given (the above-mentioned gift)
to last as long
as the moon and the sun (endure).
This inscription is dated in the 14th year of Rājakēsarivarman and provides
for
feeding the female Jain ascetic Kanakavīrakurattiyār, who was a disciple of
Guṇa-
kīrtti-Bhaṭāra, and her pupils. Veḍāl, called
Viḍāl [alias] Mādēvi-Ārāndimaṅ-
galam in the
inscription, is said to have been situated to the east of
Śiṅgapura-nāḍu.
The archaic characters in which the record is written would
indicate that Rājakēsarivar-
man must be identical with Āditya
I.
The construction of the two sentences in the inscription is somewhat vague. The words
in line 12f. have been evidently misplaced. For a proper and
connected understanding of
the sentences the first has to come after
the second at the beginning of
line 11.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 14th year of (the reign of) king
Rājakēsari-
varman, we, the lay disciples (of this school), have
undertaken to protect and feed
Kanakavīrakurattiyār, a female disciple and follower
of Guṇakīrti-Bhaṭāra, of
Viḍāl [alias]
Mādēvi-Ārāndimaṅgalam on the eastern side (kīḻvaḻi) of Śiṅgapura-
nāḍu and the lady pupils of her following, since there has been a disagreement
between
the five hundred pupils
ascetics. (This charity remains under) our own protection. The
sandals of those who
maintain this (shall rest) on our heads.
(L. 7.) As Kanakavīrakurattiyār of Mādēvi-Ārāndimaṅgalam is
the
daughter of•• the chief men of•• shall protect this. (This shall
be under) their
own protection. The sandals of those who protect this shall be on our heads.
As
Kanakavīrakurattiyār of Mādēvi-Ārāndimaṅgalam is the daughter of
you,
viz., Kāḻāṉ•• and others, all this shall be (under) your watch. Those who
think
of injuring this (charity), shall incur the sin committed (by the people
living) in the 700
kādam between Gaṅgā (the Ganges) and Kumari (Cape
Comorin), and shall (also) be traitors
to the king.
This inscription, dated in the 24th year of Rājakēsarivarman, registers a grant
of
land for the upkeep of a tank at Neṟkuṉṟam on the eastern side of
Śiṅgapura-nāḍu
by Nambiyamallaṉār, son of
Nr̥patuṅgamaṅgalappēraraiyaṉ. The name
Nr̥patuṅgamaṅgalappēraraiyaṉ
and the archaic characters of the inscription make
it very probable that the record is one of
Rājakēsarivarman Āditya I.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 24th year of (the reign of) king Rāja-
kēsarivarman, the (following gift of) ērippaṭṭi (viz., the fields),
Marudañcheṟuvu,
Koḍumāḍi and Kaḻuval was made by
Nambiyamallaṉ, son of Nr̥patuṅgamaṅ-
galappēraraiyar,
declaring these to be tank-land (ērippaṭṭi) for (the maintenance of) the
tank
at Neṟkuṉṟam on the eastern side (kīḻvaḻi) of
Śiṅgapura-nāḍu. If we, the
villagers, assert our occupancy, rights
(kuḍimai-śey) (in such a way) as to reduce this
(charity), we shall enter the
hell lower than the seventh hell. He who reduces the ērippaṭṭi
shall also enter the
hell lower than the seventh hell. The feet of the person who protects
and perpetuates this
shall be on my head.
(L. 27.) I, Nambiyamallaṉ, gave, solely for (the benefit of) the tank, every
kind of
duty levied by the assembly (maṉṟupāḍu) including
āṉavāy-daṇḍam. Whoso reduces this
shall also enter the hell lower
than the seventh hell. We, the villagers, also shall enter
the hell lower than the seventh
hell, if we assert our occupancy rights so as to reduce this
(charity). The feet of him
who protects and perpetuates this shall be on my head.
The record belongs to the 24th year of the early Chōḷa king
Rājakēsarivarman
and has to be assigned to Āditya I. on palaeographical grounds. It
registers a gift of gold
by Aḍigaḷ Gaṇḍaṉ Māṟambāvai, queen
of Nandippōttaraiyar of the Pallavatilaka
race. The fact that this Pallava queen made
a grant in the reign of the Chōḷa king
suggests that the Pallavas had been
completely subdued by this time, as stated in
the Tiruvālaṅgāḍu grant and that
Nandippōttaraiyar, the husband of
Māṟambāvai, was also dead.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity !•• king Rājakēsari[varman].•• I,
Aḍigaḷ Gaṇḍaṉ
Māṟambāvaiyār, the great queen of Nandippōttaraiyar of
the
Pallavatilaka-race, deposited five kaḻañju of pure gold
(ūrkaṟchemmai-poṉ)•
. assigning five nāḻi of ghee, milk
and curd for sacred offerings•• to (the god)
Mahādēva (Śiva) on the
equinoxial days (Vishu) in (the months) Aippigai (Aippaśi)
and
Śittirai•• [ā]ḻākku•• for sacred offerings and sacred•• one
padakku
and four nāḻi of rice for sacred offerings to (other gods)
including the subsidiary (deities);
again for sacred offerings•• and other required food
of the gods (aviśu), so that
on those days twenty Brāhmaṇas may take food and boys
(māṇigaḷ) [and the devotees]
(dēvaraḍiyār) who do service
in this temple may be fed.
(L. 7.) And I, Īśvarakkāraṇi Vāmadēvaṉ Tiruveṇkāḍaṉ, the priest
(paṭṭu-
ḍaiyāṉ) of this temple, received the gold (assuring the
donor) that from the gold, (viz.,) half
kaḻañju and one-eighths at each
pū(crop), accruing as interest at (the rate of) one-eighth every
pū
(crop) on each kaḻañju, I shall maintain (the charity) thus (described)
on these days.
(This gift is placed under) the protection of (the assembly of)
all Māhēśvaras.
This inscription is dated in the 3rd year of Parakēsarivarman and registers a
gift
of gold by a certain Gaṇḍarāditta Pallavaraiyaṉ to the temple at
Tiruvāmāttūr,
which was a dēvadāna in Mīvaḻi-Vāvalūr-nāḍu,
a subdivision of Aruvānāḍu.
Gaṇḍarāditta Pallavaraiyaṉ
was evidently an officer of Gaṇḍarāditya
who is known from copper-plate records to
have been the second son of king Parāntaka I.
Parakēsarivarman of this record may
have, therefore, to be identified with Parāntaka I.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman,
Parabūmigaṉ Mallaṉ alias Gaṇḍarāditta
Pallavaraiyaṉ, the chief of
Kaṟpūṇḍināḍu in Muṭṭa-nāḍu
deposited ten gold (poṉ) (coins) for burning as long
as the moon and the sun
(endure) one perpetual lamp which (he) had placed in (the temple
of) the
lord of Tiruvāmāttūr (which was) a dēvadāna in
Mīvaḻi-Vāvalūr-nāḍu
(a subdivision) of Aruvā-nāḍu. The
(members of the) assembly, the villagers (ūr) and
the temple servants
(dēvarkaṉmi) shall protect this gold paid (by the donor). (The assembly
of) all
Māheśvaras shall protect (this charity).
In this inscription which is dated in the 3rd year of Parakēsarivarman,
we have a
reference to the construction of the Śiva temple at Tiruchchenduṟai which
was a
brahmadēya suburb of Īśānamaṅgala, by Pūḍi
Ādichchapiḍāriyār
(Ādityapiḍāri). This lady is here distinctly called the daughter
of Teṉṉavaṉ
Iḷaṅgōvēḷār (another name of Maṟavaṉ Pūdiyār) and the queen of Arikula-
kēsariyār, the son of
Śōḻa-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ (i.e., Parāntaka I.). Conse-
quently, Parakēsarivarman to whose reign the record belongs is
Parāntaka I.
It may be noted that the 60 kaḻañju of gold granted by
Pūdi Ādichchapiḍāri
for sacred offerings to the god, was weighed by a stone called
after Veḍēlviḍugu
which was the surname of the Pallava king
TeḷḷāṟṟeṟindaNandippōttaraiyar.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivar-
man, Pūdi Ādichchapiḍāriyār, daughter of
Teṉṉavaṉ Iḷaṅgōvēḷār
(and) queen of Arikulakēsariyār
(who was) the son of Śōḻa-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ
(i.e.,
Parāntaka I.), gave, in this year, sixty kaḻañju of (pure gold called)
tuḷaippoṉ
(weighed) by the (standard) stone
Veḍēlviḍugu, as capital (from which) sacred offerings
at
the holy shrine (śeṉṉaḍai) (have to be provided) to the lord of the stone temple
constructed by
her at Tiruchchenduṟai, (a hamlet) of
Īśāṉamaṉgala which was a brahmadēya.
(L. 7.) And we, (the members of) the assembly (paruḍai) of
Īśāṉamaṅgala, having
received this sixty kaḻañju of gold, we (the
members of) the assembly agreed to measure out
as long as the moon and the sun
(endure), sixty kalam of paddy per year (measured) by the
śūlakkāl,
viz., thirty kalam at the end of Kārttigai and thirty kalam in the
harvest (piśāṉam)
at the end of Paṅguṉi——in all sixty kalam of paddy——as
interest on this gold (calculated)
at (the rate of) (one) tūṇi and (one)
padakku of paddy on (one) kaḻañju for (each) pū (crop).
(L. 12.) One kuṟuṇi of old rice pounded ten or eight times shall be (used each
day) for
(providing) sacred offerings at the dawn (nāḷ) and in the mid-day
(uchcham). (The assembly
of) all Māhēśvaras shall protect this
(charity).
This inscription records that in the 4th year of Parakēsarivarman, two
residents
of Kaḍuttalai in the country called Irumaḍichchōḻar
Kaṉṉāḍaga
(Karṇāṭaka), gave four kaḻañju of gold for feeding a devotee in
the Jain temple on the
hill at Vaigāvūr in Paṅgaḷa-nāḍu which was a
subdivision of Palakuṉṟa-
kōṭṭam. The name Irumaḍichchōḻar
Kaṉṉāḍaga indicates that the country
in which Vaigāvūr was situated, was so called
after Irumaḍichchōḻa who is perhaps
to be identified with
Parakēsarivarman in whose reign the record is dated.
Irumaḍichchōḻa means
‘the twice (powerful) Chōḻa’ as Mummaḍichchōḻa, the
surname of
Rājarāja I. means ‘the thrice (powerful) Chōḻa’.
Parakēsarivarman
Parāntaka I. was actually the second powerful king in the
Vijayālaya line.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman,
we, the two following persons (viz.) Eraṉ
Puttugaṉ, a temple servant (dēvakaṉmi) of the
village of Kaḍuttalai in
Irumaḍichchōḻar-Kaṉṉāḍaga (country) and
Madurāntaka
Karambuḻār alias Sōmanāyagaṉ Śandaiyaṉ Āyiravaṉ
of
Kaḍuttalai, provided to give food regularly to one devotee
(aḍigaḷ) in the Jaina
temple (paḷḷi) on the sacred hill (tirumalai) at
Vaigāvūr (a village) in Paṅgaḷa-nāḍu
(which was a district) of
Palakuṉṟa-kōṭṭam. We deposited for this (purpose) four
kaḻañju of
gold to last as long as the moon and the sun endure, so that, with the interest
accruing
(from this gold), the managers of this paḷḷi shall themselves feed (the
devotee).
This inscription is dated in the 10th year of Parakēsarivarman. It registers
gifts
of sheep for lamps, made by Śembiyaṉ Mārāyaṉ, a perundanam
of
Vīraśōḻa Iḷaṅgōvēḷār of Koḍumbāḷūr, to the temple of
Kaṟkuḍi in
Nandivanmamaṅgalam. Kaṟkuḍi as the ancient name of
Uyyakkoṇḍāṉ
Tirumalai occurs in the hymns of the Dēvāram.
Parakēsarivarman of this
inscription has been identified with Parāntaka I.
in the Epigraphical Report for
1908-09, page 88.
In the 10th year of (the reign of) king Parkēsarivarman, Pērānaṉ Vīranārā-
yaṇaṉ, alias Śembiyaṉ Mārāyaṉ, a perundaṉam of
Vīraśōḻa Iḷaṅgōvēḷār of
Koḍumbāḷūr in
Uṟattūr-kūṟṟam, gave ninety full-grown ewes which neither die
nor grow old for a
sacred perpetual lamp to be burnt regularly, as long as the moon and
the sun (endure),
with (one) uḻakku of ghee supplied by (the measure called) śūla-vuḻakku,
to
the great god (Paramēśvara) at the sacred Kaṟkuḍi in Nandipanmamaṅ-
galam which was a brahmadēya on the southern bank (of the
Kāvērī). Having received
(these) ninety (ewes), we, the temple servants
(dēvarkaṉmi), agreed to burn (the lamp). In
this same year, the self-same
person gave fifty full-grown ewes which neither die nor grow
old, for burning a day-lamp (in
the same temple). Having received these fifty ewes also, we,
the temple servants, consented
to burn regularly (the lamp), supplying (one) āḻākku of
ghee by (the
measure called) śūla-vuḻakku. This (charity) shall be (under) the
protection
of (the assembly of) all Māhēśvaras.
This interesting record registers a gift of gold made by a military officer for strengthen-
ing 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.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 12th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsari-
varman who took Madirai (Madura)——the day of the gift
(koṭṭa-nāḷ) (being) 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)-committee,
the Bhaṭṭas and other distinguished men (viśishṭas) of this
year.••••
Kāvadippākkam alias Amaṉinārāyaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam
in Paḍuvūr-
kōṭṭam, 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
battle at Vēḷūr. 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 Pāryāṟu, in the feeding hall (śālai-maṇḍagam) constructed by him
(i.e.,
Śeṉṉi Pēraraiyar), without any break as long as the moon (lasts), four
apūrvi Brāhmaṇas
versed in the Vēdas, with rich meals
(agram) supplying four vegetables (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-com-
mittee 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 tank-
committee 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.
This inscription is dated in the 14th year of Parakēsarivarman, ‘the conqueror
of
Madura,’ and records a gift of land for a lamp to the Śiva temple at
Karugāvūr
near Tirukkuḍamūkkil by a certain merchant of
Nandipuram. The village
Nandipuram is mentioned in the
Nālāyiraprabandham as the seat of a Vishṇu temple
and is identical with
Nātbaṉkōvil near Kumbakōṇam. Uṭpalāṟu, on which
the village
Karugāvūr is stated to have been situated, must be one of the several
branches of
the river Kāvērī.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 14th year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman,
who took Madirai (Madura), I, Śāmuṇḍaṉ
Mūrti, a merchant of Nandipuram,
purchased at Karugāvūr (and
gave) one mā and three kāṇi of land on the north (bank) of
the
Uṭpalāṟu (river) of this village and three kāṇi to the east of the
Ālattūr-channel——in
all one eighth (vēli) of land, for one perpetual lamp
(to burn) as long as the moon and the sun
(last), to (the temple of)
Mahādēva (Śiva) at Karugāvūr near
Tirukkuḍamūkkil
which was a dēvadāna in Pāmbūr-nāḍu on the
northern bank (of the Kāvērī). From
the income of this (land) given by
Śāmuṇḍaṉ Mūrti, after deducting its taxes, (one)
perpetual lamp shall
burn day and night as long as the moon and the sun (endure). The (one)
thousand
tiruvaḍi of this village shall protect this charity. The dust of the sacred feet
of
these (persons) shall be on my head.
The subjoined record refers to two servants of prince Kōdaṇḍa who must be the same
as
Kōdaṇḍarāma Rājāditya, the eldest son of Parāntaka I.
Tirumēṟṟaḷi is the
same as Mēlaikkōyil mentioned in the other records
from Kuḍumiyāmalai.
Kāḍugāḷ which forms part of the name of a woman-servant of
Rājāditya (l. 4) occurs
in the Tanjore inscriptions as the name of one of the
village goddesses.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 15th year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman
who took Madirai (Madura), Kuḍiyaṉ Kāḍugāḷ
of Maṅgalavāśal in Paṉṟiyūr-
nāḍu, who was one of the
female (servants) (attached to) the kitchen (maḍaippaḷḷi) of
Prince
(piḷḷaiyār) Kōdaṇḍa, gave seven and a half kaḻañju of pure gold
(tuḷaippoṉ) for one perpetual
lamp to (the temple of) the lord of the
Tirumūlaṭṭāṉam (temple) at Tirunalakkuṉṟam
in
Kuṉṟiyūr-nāḍu. Ōlai Vīraṭṭaṉ of Adiyaraiyamaṅgalam in
Muṉaippāḍi,
who supplied (sandal) paste to Prince
Kōdaṇḍar, gave 3 (kaḻañju) of pure gold (tuḷaippoṉ)
for one lamp
to be burnt during day-time (in the temple) of the god of Tirumēṟṟaḷi.
(The
assembly of) all Māhēśvaras shall protect (this charity).
This record which is dated in the 24th year of Parāntaka I. registers a gift of
land
for a lamp by a temple-woman of Jayabhīmataḷi in Tañjāvūr, in the
presence of king
Parakēsarivarman. Jayabhīmataḷi, as the name of a temple in
Tanjore, occurs in
one of the inscriptions of the Br̥hadīśvara temple
which registers the gift, of service-women
to that temple, by Rājarāja I.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 24th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman,
who
took Madirai (Madura), Nakkaṉ Śandirādēvi (attached to the
temple) of Jaya-
bhīmataḷi at Tañjāvūr gave in the
presence of king Parakēsarivarman for
burning regularly with (one) uḻakku of
oil (one) perpetual lamp placed (by her) in (the temple
of)
Mahādēva (Śiva) at Tirukkarugāvūr, two mā of land
to the south of the field for
sacred lamp granted by Āvūr-nāṭṭu Vēḷār at
Vaḍavūr-Veṇgāḍu, two mā (of
land) to the west of this (land), the
mound to the south of (the channel called) Uḷvāykkāl
and the enclosed field
of the mound which has been made cultivable. Receiving all these
lands, one perpetual lamp
shall be burnt as long as the moon and the sun (last). (The
assembly of) all
Māhēśvaras shall protect this (charity).
This record which is dated in the 29th year of Parakēsarivarman Parāntaka
I.
registers a grant of 30 kaḻañju of pure gold for a lamp to the temple of Mahādēva
at
Tiruvoṟṟiyūr. The donor was Iravi Nīlī, the daughter of the Chēra
king
Vijayarāgadēva. From the inscriptions published so far we do not know of
any
Chēra king of name Vijayarāga who was a contemporary of
Parāntaka.
It has been noted above that Kōkkaṇḍaṉ Sthāṇu Ravi was a
contemporary and
friend of Rājakēsarivarman Āditya I., father of
Parāntaka I. Perhaps
Vijayarāga (i.e., Vijayarāghava), if at all he was an
actual ruler of the Chēra country,
might have succeeded Sthāṇu Ravi either as his son or his
brother. The friendly relations
that thus existed between the Chōḷas and the
Chēras during the reigns of Āditya I.
and Parāntaka I. deserve to be noted.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! Nīlī, daughter of the Kēraḷa king
Vijayarāga,
verily gave thirty nishka of pure gold for a lamp to (the
temple of) Īśāna (Śiva) at
Ādhipurī.
(L. 3.) In the 29th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman, who
took
Madirai (Madura), Iravi Nīlī, daughter of the Chēra king
Vijayarāga-
dēva, gave thirty kaḻañju of pure gold tested by the
stone of the village (ūrkaṟchemmai-
poṉ), for burning as long as the moon
and the stars (last), one perpetual lamp in (the temple
of) Mahādēva
(Śiva) at Tiruvoṟṟiyūr. (In exchange) for four and a half
kaḻañju of gold
per year (which accrues) as interest on this (amount of)
gold, (calculated) at the rate of three
mañjādi of gold on each
kaḻañju, the land (which forms part) of the field (called) Vaḍa-
garai Marudēri in Tiruvoṟṟiyūr has been given. The landlord's share
(svāmi-
bhōga) realised (from this land) after deducting (its) taxes
is granted as permanent poliyūṭṭu
(to last) as long as the moon.
This is a record of Parāntaka I. of his 30th year, which mentions a grant by
prince
(piḷḷaiyār) Arindigai or Arindigai-Perumāṉār, one of the
sons of Śōḻa-
Perumāṉaḍigaḷ (i.e., Parāntaka I.). The
Tiruvālaṅgāḍu plates call this prince
Arindama and elsewhere we find the
forms Ariñjigai, Ariṁjaya, and
Arikulakēsariyār. The term nishka
which occurs in the Sanskrit portion of the
grant corresponds to kaḻañju of the Tamil
portion, as in No. 103 above. According to
Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary,
nishka is a coin varying in value at different
times; but kaḻañju in Tamil has
invariably represented a particular weight of gold bullion
(= about 80 grains).
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! The illustrious son of the Chōḷa king,
named
Aṟindigai, who possessed keen intelligence, who was the beloved (of the
goddess) of
wealth, who was (the god of) death to (his) enemies and whose
greatness was accom-
panied by virtuous character and good qualities, gave 30
nishkas of gold by weight to the
god, the Conqueror of (the demon) Pura,
who resides in Ādhigrāma, for a lamp to be
burnt always and also gave a big metallic
lamp-stand.
(L. 6.) In the 30th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman who
took
Madirai (Madura), prince (piḷḷaiyār) Arindigai-Perumāṉār,
the illustrious son of
Śōḻa-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ (i.e., Parāntaka I.) gave to
(the temple of) Mahādēva (Śiva)
at Tiruvoṟṟiyūr thirty
kaḻañju of pure gold tested by the stone of the village
for burning (one)
perpetual lamp, as long as the moon and the stars (last) under the
supervision of
Śēndaṉ•• diyappaṉ, a resident of•• Śātapattūr
in
Āli-nāḍu.
The subjoined record is also dated in the 30th year of king
Parakēsarivarman
Parāntaka I. Later on, in the body of the inscription (l. 11) his
35th year is men-
tioned. It follows that the epigraph must have been engraved on
the stone not earlier
than the 35th year of the king and that till then it must have been
preserved in the royal
archives. It registers a gift of gold for a lamp to the temple of
Tiruvoṟṟiyūr by
prince Kōdaṇḍarāma, the eldest son of (the Chōḷa
king) Śōḻa-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ
(Parāntaka I.).
A portion of this gold is stated to have been invested with the residents of
Veḷḷivāyil
who agreed to pay interest once in six months on the deposited amount
and to give two
meals every day to the man that came to demand the interest thereon. The rate
of interest
was three mañjāḍi per kaḻañju per annum (i.e., fifteen
per cent). Veḷḷivāyil is evidently
the same as Tiruveḷḷavāyal, eight
miles east of Poṉṉēri.
The temple of Kōdaṇḍarāmēśvara at Toṇḍamaṉāḍ was also
called
Ādityēśvara and Mr. Venkayya surmised from this that
Kōdaṇḍarāma must
have been a surname either of
Rājāditya, the eldest son of Parāntaka I., or of his
second son
Gaṇḍarāditya. The subjoined inscription calling
Kōdaṇḍarāma
the eldest son of Parāntaka proves conclusively that the former must
be identical with
Rājāditya of the large Leyden plates. It might further be remarked that in
the
Tirumālpuram inscription (No. 142) printed below, the Chōḷa king
Āditya I.
is called Toṇḍaimāṉāṟṟūr-tuñjiṉadēva. Mr. Venkayya
identifies the village
Toṇḍaimāṉāṟṟūr with Toṇḍamaṉāḍ. If this
identification is correct it follows
that the temple of Kōdaṇḍarāmēśvara or
Ādityēśvara at Toṇḍamaṉāḍ
may have been so called after Āditya I.
who died at Toṇḍamaṉāḍ and who, it is not
improbable, also held the title
Kōdaṇḍarāma, just like his grandson Rājāditya.
(Line 1.)••• gave two lamp-stands•••••
for burning lamps every day.
(L. 3.) In the 30th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman who
took
Madirai (Madura), the eldest prince, the prosperous Kōdaṇḍarāma,
the
illustrious son of Śōḻa-Perumānaḍigaḷ Parakēsarivarman, deposited
sixty
kaḻañju of pure gold tested by the stone of the village, for two perpetual lamps under
the supervision of Echchapperumāṉ of Śiṟṟinavāḻ in
Muḍichchōḻa-nāḍu
and of the body-guard (meykāppāṉ)
Naḍaiyūraṉ of Kōyinallūr, for burning
two perpetual lamps in (the
temple of) Mahādēva (Śiva) at Tiruvoṟṟiyūr as long
as the
moon and the stars (exist). Out of this gold, in the thirty-fifth (year) of this
king,
the residents of the village (ūrōm) of Veḷḷivāyil in
Puḻalērikīḻ-nāḍu (a sub-
division) of
Puḻal-kōṭṭam, received thirty kaḻañju of pure gold tested by the stone
of
the village. The interest on this gold.••• received, at the rate of three
mañjāḍi per
kaḻañju, (viz.) four and a half kaḻañju of gold••• two kaḻañju and
a
quarter of gold for every six months commencing with (the month of) Māśi••
shall be
received through the administrators of Tiruvoṟṟiyūr••• To
the
persons who come to demand the gold (i.e., the interest), we shall give two meals
every
day. Failing (to do) this••• to the dharmāsana, a fine of twelve
kāṇam per
day••• gave•••• The fine being deposited,•• the
standing•• we the
above-mentioned••• of Veḷḷivāyil••
••••
This record which is written in the Vaṭṭeḻuttu character is the only inscription
of
Parāntaka's reign hitherto found in the vicinity of Madura. It is dated in
his
33rd year and records a gift by Marudūruḍaiyāṉ Aruṇidi Kaliyaṉ, an
officer
of Śōḻa-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ (Parāntaka I.) to the temple of
Naraśiṅgapperumāṉ-
aḍigaḷ of the sacred Āṉaimalai
(hill). The temple had to pay 18 īḻakkāśu every
year to the assembly and it
had only arranged for the payment of six īḻakkāśu. Aruṇidi
Kaliyaṉ
apparently agreed to pay the rest himself taking possession of the tank
Kaliyaṉēri
which must have belonged to the temple. He also provided for offerings to
the god and the
feeding of five Brāhmaṇas, by purchasing two vēlis of wet land under the
tank
Kaliyaṉēri. It was stipulated that the feeding of the Brāhmaṇas was to com-
mence from Friday in the month of Karkaṭaka (of this year) when there
was an eclipse
of the sun and the nakshatra was Āślēsha. This incidental
mention of the astronomical
details helps us to confirm the initial date of Parāntaka
I. (viz., 907 A.D.) already
arrived at by Professor Kielhorn from other inscriptions.
According to Mr. L.D.
Swamikkannu Pillai's Ephemeris, A. D. 939, July 19, was a Friday
on which the nakshatra
Āślēsha ended at 80 after mean sunrise. There was also on this
day an eclipse of the sun a
7 hours, 57 minutes after sunrise according to Dr. Robert Schram's
“Eclipses of the Sun in
India.” It was a total eclipse of great importance. We learn
again from the record
that (1/4) puttakkam was the interest charged on 1
īḻakkāśu for one month and that each
īḻakkāśu was equal to 7(1/2)
puttakkam.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In this, the 33rd year of (the reign of) king Parakēsari-
varman, who took Madirai (Madura), (the following) is the deed
agreed upon and given by
us, the members of the assembly of Naraśiṅgamaṅgalam, a
brahmadēya and a dēvadāna
included in Kīḻ-Iraṇiyamuṭṭam, to
Marudūruḍaiyāṉ Aruṇidi Kaliyaṉ
of Marudūr in
Puraṅgarambai-nāḍu (a subdivision) of Śōḻa-nāḍu who was
an
officer of Śōḻapperumāṉaḍigaḷ (i.e., Parāntaka I.). (The
temple of) Naraśiṅga-
Perumāṉaḍigaḷ of the sacred
Āṉaimalai (hill) in our village has to pay to (us) the
members of the
assembly, eighteen īḻakkāśu annually on account of the lands belonging
to it. One
third of this eighteen kāśu is six īḻakkāśu. For (realising) this six
īḻakkāśu,
fifteen īḻakkāśu had been deposited on interest in the hands of
the members of the assembly.
The interest accruing on the fifteen (īḻakkāśu) is as
follows:——At (the rate of) one-fourth
puttakkam per month on each
īḻakkāśu, there accrues in each month (on the fifteen īḻakkāśu)
three and
three-fourths puttakkam. For the twelve months of a year, (at) three and three-
fourths (each month) would accumulate forty-five puttakkam. At the rate
of seven and a
half puttakkam for one īḻakkāśu (these) forty-five
(puttakkam) would give six īḻakkāśu.
Deducting these six īḻakkāśu
from the taxes (due), the god has (still) to pay 12 kāśu to the
members
of the assembly. The officer Marudūruḍaiyāṉ AruṇidiKaliyaṉ,
having caused to be
deducted these 12 kāśu (due to the assembly by the god), (by virtue of)
the tax money
(iṟaikkāval) deposited (by him), obtained (possession of) the (tank)
land
Ūruḍaiyāṉkuḷam alias Kaliyaṉēri. This tank he shall dig
(to any depth)
he likes and throw up the embankment to its (full) length; shall
raise the tank bund and
collect water in this tank to the extent required by him. Marudūruḍaiyāṉ
Aruṇidi Kaliyaṉ (also) purchased below this
tank two vēli of wet land. And 300
kalam of paddy
(measured) by the aññāḻikkāl was got as produce from (these) two
vēli of wet
land under this tank. Receiving the moiety of this (viz.,) 150
(kalam) of paddy, (he arṛanged
that) sacred food shall be offered to this
(god) at the three junctures (of the day). With
the remaining 150 (kalam)
of paddy (he also arranged that) five Brāhmaṇas (versed in the) Vēdas
shall be
fed with superior food daily, when the god is fed, on the (following) scale
laid
down:——for one man two nāḻi of rice pounded ten or eight times, three vegetables,
(one) nāḻi
of curd, two śeviḍu of ghee, two areca-nuts and (two) betel
leaves, five plates (tālam), five
cups (vaṭṭil), one oṭṭūṭṭi, one
ladle (śaṭṭuvam). Five nāḻi of paddy daily (and) one cloth
for
(every) six months, were (also) provided for one cook. Thus this feeding
should be done.
Commencing from the day when an eclipse of the sun at its least occurred on the (asterism)
Āślēshā corresponding to a Friday
in the month of Kaṟkaṭaka of this year, the
supervisor of the temple business
(śrīkāryam), viz., Tiruvāyppāḍi-Nārāyaṇaṉ and
the members of this
village personally arranged thus to conduct this feeding. We, who
look after the business of
the (temple) of Naraśiṅga-Perumāṉ of the sacred
Āṉaimalai (hill),
and the members of the assembly shall conduct the sumptuous feeding in
this wise without
failure as long as the sun and the moon (last). Any of us that fails to
do this, whether
(he be) a member of the assembly or a supervisor of temple business, when
he fails,
(shall) pay a daily fine of two kāśu to the then reigning king, and with that
kāśu
(collected as fine) a sacred lamp shall be burnt in (the temple) of the
god. If the members
of the assembly (as a whole body) fail to do (this), (they)
shall pay a fine of six kāśu. (Thus)
we, the members of the assembly
and the supervisor of temple business, gave an agreement
to Marudūruḍaiyāṉ Aruṇidi
Kaliyaṉ. Even after paying this fine (we),
the assembly and the Vaishṇavas who
supervise the temple business, shall feed the five
persons as long as the moon and the sun last
without stopping this charity. He who
protects this charity.••
This inscription records a gift of sheep for a lamp to the temple of
Tiruviśalūr
by a female servant of Kāmaṉiyakkaṉār. This lady who was
apparently a member
of the royal family is not mentioned elsewhere.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman,
who took Madirai (Madura), Iśakkaṉayya-Naṅgai,
one of the servants (parivāram)
of Kāmaṉiyakkaṉār of•• nāḍu,
gave one sacred lamp (to burn) as long
as the moon and the sun (last), as a
sacred perpetual light, to (the temple of) the god of
Tiruviśalūr in
Amaṉinārāyaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam which was a
dēvadāna and a
brahmadēya on the north bank (of the Kāvērī). For this (purpose) (she)
gave
ninety sheep. (The assembly of) all Māhēśvaras••• shall protect this.
The
sacred feet [of those who protect] (shall be) on (my head).
The inscription is dated in the 34th year of king Parakēsarivarman who
took
Madura and records the gift of 90 sheep for a lamp to the Śiva temple at
Tiruvoṟṟiyūr
(Ādhipurī), by the chief Māṟaṉ Paramēśvaraṉ
alias Śembiyaṉ Śōḻiya-
varaiyaṉ of Śiṟukuḷattūr,
on his return from conquering Śīṭpuli and destroy-
ing Nellūr.
The mutilated Sanskrit verse at the beginning gives the king the title
Vīrakīrti.
This military campaign reveals for the first time the extent to which the
sway of the
Chōḷa king Parāntaka I. extended on the east coast.
The name Śīṭpuli is Tamil and means ‘the fierce tiger.’ The corresponding
Sanskrit
equivalent, if any, must end in the word vyāghra. We do not know of any names
of
contemporaneous kings of the Telugu country at this period which ended either
with
vyāghra or puli. In the time of Nandivarman Pallavamalla, however,
there was,
according to the Udayēndiram plates, a chief named
Pr̥thivivyāghra whom Udaya-
chandra drove out of the district of
Vishṇurāja (i.e., the Eastern Chalukya king
Vishṇuvardhana
III.). It is not impossible that our Śīṭpuli was a later member of
the
Nishāda family to which Pr̥thivivyāghra belonged.
Hail ! Prosperity !•••• to (the temple of Śiva), the enemy of••
at the prosperous
(town) Ādhipurī, that Vīrakīrti gave 90 goats. In
the 34th
year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman who took Madirai
(Madura), Māṟaṉ
Paramēśvaraṉ alias Śembiyaṉ Śōḻiyavaraiyaṉ, a
native of Śirukuḷattūr in
Poyyiṟ-kūṟṟam (a district) of
Teṉkarai-nāḍu (which was a division) of Śōḻa-nāḍu,
while
returning (from his campaign) after having struck Śīṭpuli (in battle) and
destroyed
Nellūr, gave for burning a sacred perpetual lamp to the (god)
Mahādēva (Śiva) at Tiru-
voṟṟiyūr as long as the moon
and stars (last), 96 fat sheep which neither die nor grow
old.
The inscription is dated in the 36th year of Parakēsarivarman and is much
damaged.
It is written in the Vaṭṭeḻuttu alphabet and registers a gift of a lamp to the
temple of Tirunaḍuvūr [in] Arukēsarinallūr (which was the
ancient name of Śiṉṉa-
maṉūr), a brahmadēya in Aḻa-nāḍu. The high
regnal year points to the king being identical
with Parāntaka I. If this is the case,
an inscription of Parāntaka I. so far to the south
of Madura deserves to be
noted.
Hail ! Prosperity ! The 36th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman.
In
this year•• per day for the ghee (which is required) for (one) sacred lamp to
the
god (bhaṭāra) of Tirunaḍuvūr in Arukēsarinallūr, a
brahmadēya of Aḻa-nāḍu, by
Tiruchchēdi Irāśaḍi, on behalf of
his son Irāśaḍi Śōlai.
This record which is dated in the 39th year of Parakēsarivarman (Parāntaka
I.)
‘who took Madirai and Īḻam’ registers a gift of land by a maid-servant
of queen
Villavaṉ-Mahādēviyār. The recipient of the gift is not mentioned but must
be the
Śiva temple of Tirumullainātha at Tirukkaḷāvūr, on whose wall the
inscription is
engraved.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 39th year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman,
who took Madirai (Madura) and Īḻam (Ceylon),
we, the members of the assembly
(paraḍai) of Karugāvūr near (pāl)
Tirukkuḍamūkkil which was a dēvadāna
in Vaḍagarai Pāmbūr-nāḍu
(received) one quarter (of) Pāḻmuṭṭi (land) with a
tank dug (in
it) which Nakkaṉ Vikramābharaṇi, a palace maid-servant (peṇḍāṭṭi)
of
queen Villavaṉ-Mahādēviyār, had purchased from Vaikundaṉ Pāṇḍaṉ
of
Koṟṟaṅguḍi, one of the landlords of this village. Converting (the tank)
into an iṟai-
kuḷam, we, the members of the assembly had this land
cultivated (on the terms) two to one,
obtaining in this village;
charged the tax of•• one-eighth śey to the village and
charged
(the tax on the remaining) one-eighth of this land to the members of the assembly
and
receiving in our hands this (5) five kaḻañju of gold for this land (from her), made
this
land tax-free as long as the moon and the sun (exist) and got (this deed)
engraved on stone.
If we fail (to act according to) this (decision), we, (the
members) of the assembly ourselves shall
pay a fine of 100 kaḻañju of gold and
shall (also) cause to be paid a fine of 50 kaḻañju of gold by
each of the
persons who individually obstruct (this order). Even then (i.e., even after
paying
the fine) we, the members of the assembly, shall have this one-fourth śey
engraved on stone
as tax-free (land) imposing (the taxes of) this one-fourth
śey of tax-free land on the village
and paying the taxes ourselves. The sacred feet of
those who protect this charity shall be on
our heads. (The assembly of) all
Māhēśvaras and the great men of all Māhēśvaras shall protect
(this
charity).
This inscription is dated in the 8th year of Rājakēsarivarman and registers
a
grant of land to the Śiva temple at Tiruppaṇambūdūr which was a hamlet
of
Uttamaśīli-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, by Tappildaram Pallavaraiyaṉ
alias
Kīḻmāndūr Paruvūr, a perundaram of prince
(piḷḷaiyāṟ) Arikulakēsaridēva.
The land granted was made tax-free by the
village assembly.
The inscription is engraved on the walls of the stone temple at
Tiruppātturai,
i.e., the modern Tiruppalātturai which is quite close
to Uttamaśīli,——the
Uttamaśīli-chaturvēdimaṅgalam of the inscription,
evidently so called after
prince Uttamaśīli, a probable son of Parāntaka
I., not mentioned in the Tiru-
vālaṅgāḍu plates. Of the two names
Vīraśrīkāmugavadi and Ariñjigai-
vāykkāl mentioned among
the boundaries of the land granted, the latter was probably
named after prince
Arikulakēsaridēva.
Arikulakēsaridēva is identical with the Arikulakēsarin of the Tiruk-
kōyilūr record of Parakēsarivarman Parāntaka I.
Professor Kielhorn
thinks that this Arikulakēsarin is the same as Ariñjaya,
one of the sons
of Parāntaka I., mentioned in the large Leyden grant. If this is correct, the
king Rājakēsarivarman of our inscription who
was ruling at that time must
evidently be Rājakēsarivarman Gaṇḍarāditya.
Perundaram or Perundanam is already known as a title of high rank from the
Tanjore
inscriptions.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 8th year of (the reign of) king Rājakēsari-
varman, I, Tappildaram Pallavaraiyaṉ alias Kīḻmāndūr
Paruvūr
(one) of the Perundaram of prince (piḷḷaiyār)
Arikulakēsaridēva, gave (the
following) land as a gift for the maintenance of
the sacred central shrine (tiruvuṇṇāḻigaipuram)
for sacred offerings to the
(god) Paramēśvara (Śiva) of
Tiruppaṇambūdūr
(hamlet) of the prosperous
Uttamaśīli-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, a brahmadēya
on the southern bank; (viz.)——
(L. 3.) The land (consisting) of 2 mā excluding maṇṇilai and 1/2 mā of maṇṇilai, (both)
purchased by me from Vēṅgai
Iḷaiya-Rudrakumāra-Kramavittaṉ and
(situated) to the west of the (path
called) Vīraśrīkāmugavadi and to the south of
(the channel called)
Ariñjigaivāykkāl and (which is the) uṭkuṟai of this village;
one
mā (of land given) by Kumāra-Kramavittaṉ of this village to be enjoyed
along
with the above as (a gift) for sacred offerings and for (the maintenance
of) worshippers
(archanābhōga) of the (god) Paramēśvara
(Śiva) of Tiruppaṇambūdūr; and (1/2) mā
which I purchased from the
wife of Nārāyaṇaṉ Daśapuriyaṉ of Kuṭṭūr and
gave out of the 2 mā
(of land situated) to the east of this vadi, (and formed) the fifth
pāḍagam
of the śadukkam owned by Śannamaṇḍai-Kramavittaṉ and
others of Dvēdai-
gōmapuram. Thus (were given)
these 4 mā of cultivable land (śey).
(L. 7.) (The gift of) these 4 mā of cultivable land was given by both of us as
long as
the moon and the sun (endure) to the (god) Paramēśvara
(Śiva) of Tiruppaṇambūdūr,
after having (the gift) engraved on stone
in the sacred stone temple of Tiruppāttuṟai.
(L. 8.) We, (the members) of the big assembly, made this land tax-free as long as
the
moon and the sun (endure). We, (the members) of the big assembly, declared
that (the
assembly of) all Māhēśvaras could themselves decide upon and collect
any (fine) they choose
for (i.e., on behalf of) the king from (such of us)
as might order the levying of taxes on
this land or those as were present in the assembly on
the occasion or those as might enter
the taxes (in the books). (The assembly of) all
Māhēśvaras shall protect this (charity).
This is again a record of Rājakēsarivarman dated in his 8th year and is in
some
respects similar to the preceding number. It records that the assembly of
Uttamaśīli-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam, having received ten kāśu as
tax-money from Tappildaram
Pallavaraiyaṉ alias Kīḻmāndūr
Paruvūr, the donor of No. 111 and a perundaram
of āḷvār
Arikulakēsaridēva, made the land one mā and odd, granted by him to the
Śiva
temple at Tiruppaṇambūdūr, tax-free for all time to come. Like the previous
inscrip-
tion, this record also authorizes the imposition of a fine on the members
and the accountants
of the assembly who might suggest the levying of a tax on the land. The
epithet āḷvār
which is applied to Arikulakēsaridēva in this inscription is perhaps
a term of respect, as
piḷḷaiyār in the previous inscription was one of
endearment.
Of the names mentioned in the description of the boundaries, the pathway
called
Kōdaṇḍarāmavadi may have been so named after Kōdaṇḍarāma
Rājāditya, the
eldest son of king Parāntaka I. or the latter's father
Āditya I.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 8th year of (the reign of) king
Rājakēsarivarman,
we, (the members of) the big assembly of the prosperous
Uttamaśīli-chaturvēdimaṅ-
galam, a brahmadēya on the southern
bank (of the Kāvērī), having received in this year
as
iṟaikāval ten kāśu from Tappildaram Pallavaraiyaṉ alias
Kīḻmāndūr Paruvūr,
of the perundaram of āḷvār
Arikulakēsaridēva, on account of the land of the (god)
Paramēśvara
(Śiva) of Tiruppaṇambūdūr, which was the uṭkuṟai of this
village,
——the land (measuring) one mā and odd including excess or deficiency
(in measurement)
and situated within (the) following (boundaries);——to the
south of (the channel called)
Śrīdēvivāykkāl (which was) to the
west of (the path called) Vīraśrīkāmugavadi;
to the north of (the
channel called) Parāntakavāykkāl (which irrigates) the
first
śadiram from the north, of the fifth kaṇṇāṟu
(counting) from the east; to the east of (the
path called)
Kōdaṇḍarāmavadi and to the west of the kaṇṇāṟu to the south of
the
tenth pāḍagam in the śadukkam belonging to Noṭṭūr
Attōṇa-chaturvēdibhaṭṭaṉ
and others.
(L. 11.) (We) exempted this one mā and odd of land from payment of taxes and
ordered
that this land be (registered) tax-free as long as the moon and the sun
(endure); and we,
(the members) of the big assembly had this (deed)
engraved on stone:——(also ordered that the
assembly of) all Māhēśvaras could
themselves collect for (i.e., on behalf of) the king mentioned
above
any (fine in) gold they choose from (such of us) as may order the levying of taxes
on
this land or those who may enter (any) tax (in the accounts). (The assembly
of) all Māhēś-
varas shall protect this (charity).
This inscription is dated in the 13th year of Rājakēsarivarman. It records
gifts
of gold made by Teṉṉavaṉ Pirudimārāśaṉ alias Kaṭṭi Oṟṟiūraṉ
and
Varaguṇa-Perumāṉār, the wife of Parāntaka Iḷaṅgōvēḷār, for
two
perpetual lamps to be burnt in the temple of Mahādēva (Śiva) of
Tiruneyttāṉam
which was a dēvadāna (village) in Poygai-nāḍu.
Among the boundaries described in the inscription the embankment Karikāla-
karai is worthy of mention.
Varaguṇa-Perumāṉār under the name Varaguṇā has been mentioned
in the
Mūvarkōyil inscription at Koḍumbāḷūr as the wife of
Bhūti-
Vikramakēsarin whose other name was
Madhurāntaka-Irukkuvēḷ.
Perhaps Parāntaka Iḷaṅgōvēḷār of our
inscription is the same as Madhurān-
taka Irukkuvēḷ.
Mr. Venkayya considered that Madhurāntaka Irukkuvēl was a contemporary
of
Āditya Karikāla II. The palaeography suggests a much earlier period
for the
inscription.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 13th year of (the reign of) king
Rājakēsari-
varman, Teṉṉavaṉ Pirudimārāśaṉ alias
Kaṭṭi Oṟṟi-ūraṉ gave 25
kaḻañju of gold for burning
one perpetual lamp with (one) uḻakku of ghee every day,
to the (god)
Mahādēva (Śiva) of Tiruneyttāṉam which was a dēvadāna
in
Poygāi-nāḍu; and Varaguṇa-Perumāṉār, the queen (dēviyār)
of Parān-
taka-Iḷaṅgōvēḷār, (also) gave 25
kaḻañju of gold for one perpetual lamp. With (this)
total of
50 kaḻañju of gold (some) land of the god was cleared of its
borders and mounds
and converted into a wet field. The boundaries (of this reclaimed)
land (are):——
(L. 7.) West of the cultivated land (tuḍavai) of (the god)
Vishṇu-Bhaṭṭāraka
(lying to the) east of the border; north of the
embankment (called) Karikāla-karai; east
of the kaṟāy dry lands of
the god; and south of (the channel called) Andanūr-vāykkāl.
Having
(thus) received the ten śey of cultivated wet land situated within the four
great
boundaries thus described, we, the assembly and the pādamūlam
of Tiruneyttāṉam,
agree to burn daily two perpetual lamps, as long as the moon and
the sun (endure). (The
assembly of) all Māhēśvaras shall protect this
(charity).
Madiraikoṇḍa Rājakēsarivarman, in whose 5th year this record is dated,
has been
identified with Gaṇḍarāditya, the second son of Parāntaka I., on
the
supposition that he must have inherited the title Madiraikoṇḍa from his father who
first
bore it and that he should have been the immediate successor of Parāntaka I. on
the
Chōḷa throne——the eldest son Rājāditya having evidently died during the
life-time of
Parāntaka.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 5th year of (the reign of) king
Rājakēsarivarman
who took Madirai (Madura),
Dēvakumāra-kramavittaṉ of Teṉṉūr, (one)
of the (members of
the) administrative assembly (āḷum-gaṇattār) of Veḷichchēri
in
Kōṭṭūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Puliyūr-kōṭṭam, gave
ninety fat sheep, which
neither die nor grow old, for burning a lamp as long as the moon and
the sun (endure), (in
the temple) of the god Tiruttaṇḍīśvara of this
village. (The assembly of) all Māhēś-
varas shall protect this
charity.
This inscription is also dated in the 5th year of the reign of
Madiraikoṇḍa
Rājakēsarivarman. It registers a gift of sheep for a lamp to the
Śiva temple at
Tiruvoṟṟiyūr. The donor was one of the nobles (perundaram)
of Uḍaiyār śrī-
Uttama-Chōḷa who is undoubtedly king
Madhurāntaka Uttama-Chōḷa,
the paternal uncle of Rājarāja I. A
reasonable doubt may arise why Uttama-
Chōḷa is given here the title of a
ruling king and not that of a prince. It was perhaps
because he was the chosen successor of
Gaṇḍarāditya at the time. We know,
however, that he actually came to the Chōḷa
throne only after one or two other kings had
reigned subsequent to his father's death.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 5th year of (the reign of) king Rājakēsarivarman,
who
took Madirai (Madura), Kaḍuttalai Nāgamaiyaṉ, son of
Śiṅgamaiyaṉ, a
perundaram of Kalēśi (village ?) who had
accompanied Uḍaiyār śrī-Uttama-Śōḻadēva
(to this temple), gave
ninety fat sheep, which neither die nor grow old, for burning one perpetual
lamp as long as the
moon and the stars (endure), and one Īḻa lamp-(stand) to (the temple
of)
Mahādēva (Śiva) of Tiruvoṟṟiyūr. This shall be under the
protection of (the
assembly of) all Māhēśvaras.
This is again an inscription of Madiraikoṇḍa Rājakēsarivarman dated
in the 7th
year of his reign. It registers a gift of a land by purchase, by two
Veḷḷāḷa
brothers of Oṉpadiṟṟuvēli in Ārkāṭṭu-kūṟṟam, a subdivision
of
Śōṇāḍu, to the Mahādēva temple of Tīruttaṇḍīśvaram at
Veḷichchēri.
Oṉpadiṟṟuvēli may be identified with Ombattuvēli in the Tanjore taluk
of
the Tanjore district. Ārkāḍu which was evidently the headquarters of the
subdivision
Ārkāṭṭu-kūṟṟam is now a petty village in the vicinity of
Tirukkāṭṭuppaḷḷi.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 7th year of (the reign of) king Rājakēsari-
varman who took Madirai (Madura), we (the members) of the great
assembly of
Veḷichchēri in Puliyūr-kōṭṭam, having gathered in assembly
without
deficiency, in the Brahmasthāna of our village, sold the (following)
land:——
(L. 4.) the••• the land included in the tank of Adambuḻānaḻi of
•••• the eastern
hamlet of this village••• west•• this path;
the southern boundary (is) to the north of
the (channel called) Māṉayīṭṭu-kāl; the
western boundary (is) to
the east of the path which passes by the tank (called) Taṭṭāṉēri;
and the
northern boundary (is) to the south of the channel of Kōṭṭūr. We sold the
land
situated within the enclosure of these four boundaries excluding the land•••
within
(it) (but) without excluding the uṇṇilam.
(L. 9.) Having given the sale money and kīḻ-iṟai thus, Indraṉ
Paḻanattaḍigaḷ
the cultivator (veḷḷāḷaṉ) of Oṉpadiṟṟuvēli in
Ārkāṭṭu-kūṟṟam, (a subdivision)
of Śōṇāḍu, and his younger
brother Aṇṇāmalai, got (this land) sold (to them), and
we sold
(the land) having received in full the sale-money of this land from these two
persons.
We (the members of the assembly) shall not show (in our account books) any kind
of
tax as accruing on this land such as iṟai, echchōṟu, amañji, free labour
(veṭṭi), vēdiṉai and
antarāya. We (the members) of the big assembly
gave a written agreement that (the assembly
of) all Māhēśvaras (alone) shall
(have the right to) levy, in case they choose (to do so), to be
credited to the
council of justice (dharmāsana), a fine of these two-hundred
kāṇam on each
of the persons that show (any such tax) (in the books). We
(the members) of the big
assembly (also) gave a written agreement that the two
tenants who cultivate this land
(shall have) all exemptions. At the command of these
(members), I, Vaikānasaṉ
Perumāṉ-Bhaṭṭaṉ, wrote (this).
(L. 18.) (We) Indraṉ Paḻaṉattaḍigaḷ and his younger brother
Aṇṇāmalai
granted on the same terms, (the land) obtained in this wise from
the members of the big
assembly of our (village) Veḷichchēri to
Mahādēva (Śiva) of (the temple of)
Tiruttaṇḍīśvaram in
this village for burning one perpetual lamp as long as the
moon and the sun (endure) and
for the presentation of sacred offerings (prepared) with two
nāḻi of rice, at
midday, to (the god) Gaṇapati set up in the sacred shrine which we had
built
in this temple. We, the following Śiva-Brāhmaṇas (viz.,)
Gaṅgādhara-Śiva,
Amirta-rañjana-Śiva and Poṉmalai-Śiva of
(i.e., attached to) the sacred
central shrine in (the temple of)
Tiruttaṇḍīśvaram received this land (on the under-
standing)
that obtaining this land given by these persons, we shall burn this perpetual
lamp and
(also) present sacred offerings to Gaṇapati. We (agree) to conduct
this
service without default as long as the moon and the sun (endure). If (any)
default (happens)
we shall double the scale (of service). The eighty great men of
the administrative assembly
(gaṉa), the king reigning at the time, and (the assembly
of) all Māhēśvaras shall protect this
charity.
This inscription is dated in the 17th year of Madiraikoṇḍa Rājakēsari-
varman and registers a gift of 96 sheep for a lamp to the Vishṇu temple at
Gōvinda-
pāḍi in Valla-nāḍu, a subdivision of Dāmar
(Dāmal)-kōṭṭam.
Gōvindavāḍi and Dāmal are villages in the Conjeeveram taluk of
the
Chingleput district. The former is quite close to Tirumālpuram in the
Arkonam
taluk of the North Arcot district and is identical with the Gōvindapāḍi of
our
inscription.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 17th year of (the reign of) king
Rājakēsarivarman
who took Madirai (Madura), Kēśavaṉ Rāmaṉ
alias Śembiyaṉ Paṉaiyūr-
nāṭṭu-Vēḷāṉ, (a native)
of Paṉaiyūr in Teṉkarai Paṉaiyūr-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of
Śōḻa-nāḍu gave ninety-six sheep for burning, as long as the moon and
the sun
(endure), one sacred perpetual lamp to the god (perumānaḍigaḷ) who was pleased
to
stand at the sacred (temple of) Gōvindapāḍi in Valla-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of
Dāmar-kōṭṭam. (All) Śrī-Vaishṇavas shall protect this
(charity). Do not forget
charity !
This inscription is also dated in the 17th year of the same king and registers a lamp-
gift to the temple mentioned in No. 117. The donors belonged to
Kīḻmalai,
Veṇkala-nāḍu and Tiruppāśūr. The last place is at a
distance of 2 miles from
Tiruvaḷḷūr, Chingleput district.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 17th year of (the reign of) king
Rājakēsarivarman,
who took Madirai (Madura), Pallavappēraraiyaṉ
alias Rājakēsarippēra-
raiyaṉ of Kīḻmalai,
Mummalaiyaṉ of Veṇkala-nāḍu and Mutta-
raiyaṉ of
Tiruppāśūr gave.•••• , for burning as long as the
moon and the sun (endure),
one sacred perpetual lamp to the god (perumānaḍigaḷ) who was
pleased to stand at the
sacred (temple of) Gōvindapāḍi in Valla-nāḍu, (a sub-
division) of Dāmar-kōṭṭam.
This inscription is dated in the 2nd year of Rājakēsarivarman and registers
a
gift of land to the temple at Tiruviśalūr by Pirāntakaṉ Iruṅgōḷaṉ
alias
Śiṟiyavēḷār of Koḍumbāḷūr. This chief has been
identified by Mr. K.V.Subrah-
manya Aiyar with PirāntakaṉŚiṟiyavēḷār
alias Tirukkaṟṟaḷi-Pichchaṉ men-
tioned in a
Tirukkaḷittaṭṭai inscription. The name Śiṟiyavēḷār
occurs again
in a much mutilated Tirukkaḷittaṭṭai inscription of the reign of
Sundara-Chōḷa
alias Poṉmāḷigaittuñjiṉadēvar (i.e., the
lord who died in the golden palace)
who ‘drove the Pāṇḍya into the forest.’ The king who died in the golden palace was
Sundara-Chōḷa Parāntaka
II., the father of Rājarāja I. This Sundara-
Chōḷa
Parāntaka II., is called a Rājakēsarivarman in No. 302 of 1908 quoted
above which
also refers to Īḻam; but the passage is much mutilated. The officer Śiṟiya-
vēḷār is stated in a record of the time of Rājarāja I. to
have died on the battlefield in
Ceylon in the 9th year of Poṉmāḷigaittuñjiṉadēva
(i.e., Sundara-Chōḷa Parāntaka
II.). Evidently Sundara-Chōḷa
Parāntaka II. and his General were engaged in a battle
with the Ceylon king who must as usual
have helped with his forces, the Pāṇḍya king,
the natural enemy of the Chōḷas.
Applying the correction of 23 years in the Singhalese Chronology worked out
by
Professor Hultzsch (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society for 1913, pp. 517-531) we
gather
that Mahinda IV. must have been the sovereign of Ceylon who was
contemporaneous
with Sundara-Chōḷa Parāntaka II. In his time, according to the
Mahāvaṁsa,
Chapter LIV, there was a fight with Vallabha (i.e., the
Chōḷa king) in which it
is stated that Mahinda's General ‘destroyed him (the Chōḷa)
utterly.’
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 2nd year of (the reign of) king
Rājakēsarivarman,
Pirāntakaṉ Iruṅgōḷaṉ alias Śiṟiyavēḷār
of Koḍumbāḷūr purchased and
gave the following land for feeding at noon with one
sumptuous meal one Brāhmaṇa (versed)
in the Vēdas, in the sacred
temple (śrīkōyil) of the god (perumāṉdigaḷ) of Tiruviśa-
lūr in Avaninārāyaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, a dēvadāna and a
brahmadēya
on the northern bank (of the Kāvērī), as long as the moon and the
sun (endure). He (also)
paid fifty kaḻañju of gold to the great men
(perumakkaḷ) of Tēvaṅguḍi as iṟaikāval for
the
one-eighth śey (of land) purchased from Tāyanārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭa-Sōmayā-
jiyār of Toḻūr, on the northern bank of the (channel called)
Paramēśvara-
vāykkāl, (forming) the first pāḍagam of
the śadukkam of Nārāyaṇaṉār••
••••• Tirunārāyaṇachchēri got it
exempted from the payment
of taxes and gave over (this) one-eighth śey (of
land). This (charity is placed) under the
protection of the great men of the great
assembly.
This is again a record of Rājakēsarivarman dated in the 4th year and must
be
attributed to Parāntaka II, since it mentions the General Pirāntakaṉ
Iruṅgōḷar
alias Śiṟiyavēḷār.
(Line 1.). Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year of (the reign of) king
Rājakēsari-
varman, Pirāntakaṉ Iruṅgōḷar alias
Śiṟiyavēḷar, paid 130 īḻakkāśu to
the great men of the big assembly and
gave, freed from payment (of taxes) (adēyam) the
following land for
the sacred midday offerings to (the temple of) the god (perumāṉaḍigaḷ) at
Tiruviśalūr in Amaninārāyaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, a
dēvadāna and
a brahamdēya on the northern bank (of the Kāvērī), (to
last) as long as the moon and the
sun.
(L. 4.) (One) quarter (vēli of land)••• kaṇḍam on the western side
of the sacred
shrine (śrīkōyil), (forming) the second pāḍagam of the śadukkam of
Bhava-
nandi-Chaturvēdibhaṭṭa-Sōmayājiyār of Kuñjapevil (living) in (the
quarter)
Tirunīlakaṇḍachchēri and (one) kāṇi (of land) in the village-site (ūr-
irukkai) of Tiruviśalūr, (forming) the nattam portion of
the aṭṭakam of Nandīśvara-
Bhaṭṭa (living) in
Śrīmādhavarchēri,——in all this quarter (vēli) and (one) kāṇi
(of
land) were given (by him) (to last) as long as the moon and the sun. (The
assembly of) all
Māhēśvaras shall protect (this charity).
This Sanskrit inscription supplies some additional information about
[Pirāntakaṉ]
Iruṅgōḷār alias Śiṟiyavēḷār mentioned in the
two previous records. He is here
called Śiruvēḷā the foremost member in the family
of the daughter of king Pirāntaka
and the light of the Iruṅgōḷa race. The
first of the attributes is interesting and has
perhaps to be understood with reference to the
marriage of a member of the Koḍumbāḷūr
family named Samarābhirāma to
the Chōḷa princess Anupamā mentioned in
an inscription
from Mūvarkōyil. If this is so, it follows that Anupamā was a daughter
of king
Parāntaka I. It is also known that prince Arikulakēsari, son of Parān-
taka I., married Pūdi Āditta-Piḍāri, daughter of Teṉṉavaṉ
Iḷaṅgōvēḷār,
another member of the same family which was called Irukkuvēḷ,
Iḷaṅgōvēḷ or Iruṅgōḷa.
In the 5th year of king Sundara-Chōḷa this chief Śiruvēḷa (i.e.,
Śiṟiyavēḷār)
is stated to have given to the god at Śrīviśalūra (i.e.,
Tiruviśalūr), some māshakas of
gold for rice offering and the gatānakas
(gadyāṇakas) which accrued to the king as revenue
from the village Nimba or
Nimbāgrahāra for repairs, and a lamp. Nimba or
Nimbāgrahāra on the northern bank
of the Kāvērī is apparently the modern Vēppattūr
called
Amaninārāyaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in Tamil inscriptions.
(Verse 1.) The light of his race, the fortunate one••• (gave)•••
māshakas
increased by five for offering in perpetuity cooked rice in midday to the god
dwelling in the
temple••• named Śrīviśalūra. (He) also (gave) for white-
wash (i.e., repairs) the gatānakas (gadyāṇakas ?) of the village
Nimba, which were payable
to the king.
(V. 2.) The king named Śiruvēḷa who was the light of the Iruṅkōḷa race
and
the foremost (member) in the family of the daughter of (king)
Pirāntaka gave with
delight a lamp to Hara (Śiva) whose abode was at
Śrīviśalūra.
(V. 3.) May the Māhēśvaras protect the lamp presented with delight in the
prosperous
fifth year of (the reign of) the best of kings, the illustrious
Sundara-Chōḷa, by him who
bore the name Śiruvēḷa, to Īśa
(Śiva) who was pleased (to dwell) in the abode (temple)
of
Śrīviśalūra (situated) in the virtuous village named Nimbāgrahāra on the
northern
bank of the (river) Kāvērī.
This incomplete record, dated in the 14th year of Rājakēsarivarman,
registers
gifts of money in īḻakkāśu made by Rājādichchi and Kuñjiramalli,
the
wife and daughter respectively of Śiṟiyavēḷāṉ, for burning lamps in the
temple at
Tirukkuḍittiṭṭai which was included in
Amaninārāyaṇa-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam. Śiṟiyavēḷāṉ is identical
with Pirāntakaṉ Śiṟiyavēḷār, the
General of the Chōḷa king
Sundara-Chōḷa Parāntaka II. The king Rāja-
kēsarivarman could not be identified. It is not impossible, however, that he
is
identical with Sundara-Chōḷa Parāntaka II.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 14th year of (the reign of) king Rājakēsarivar-
man, Rājādichchi, the wife of Śiṟiyavēḷāṉ, deposited (25)
twenty-five īḻakkāśu
for burning, as long as the moon and the sun (endure),
one perpetual lamp, in (the temple of)
the god (perumāḷ) of
Tirukkuḍittiṭṭai in Amaninārāyaṇa-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam
which was a dēvadāna and a brahmadēya on the northern bank (of the
Kāvērī).
(Also) Kuñjiramalli, the daughter of Śiṟiyavēḷāṉ,
deposited 25 īḻakkāśu, for
burning, as long as the moon and the sun (endure),
one perpetual lamp (in the same temple).
For the total of 50 kāśu (thus) paid,
was purchased the land (situated) on the western side of
the village of
Amaṅguḍi; and under the direction of Ālikkoṉṟai Śrīdharakra-
mavittar——
This record which is dated in the 16th year of Parakēsarivarman, registers
a sale
of land by the village assembly, for the maintenance of a lamp in the temple of Śiva
at
Tirukkarugāvūr. The inscription may be one of king
Parakēsarivarman
Uttama-Chōḷa on account of its high regnal year, if not one of
Parakēsarivarman
Parāntaka I.
(Line 1.). Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of (the reign of) king Parakēsari-
varman, (to the god) Mahādēva (Śiva) of
Tirukkarugāvūr.
(L. 3.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 16th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsari-
varman, we the great men of the chief assembly (mūla-paruḍai) of this
village gave the
following land free of taxes till the moon and the sun (endure) to this
god Mahādēva
(Śiva) of Tirukkarugāvūr.
(L. 7.) Two mā of our land of Sabhaikūṭṭuvāṉ in the northern
kaṇḍam of the
land belonging to the sacred interior and one mā (of land) to
the west of the southern
kaṇḍam,——in all, three mā of land comprised of two
taḍi; and one kāṇi of land (called)
Śuṇḍaikuḻi in (the
field called) Sabhaikūṭṭuvāṉ which being a maṉai, is cultivated
and
is yielding crop;——together, three mā and (one) kāṇi of land including excess and
defi-
ciency (in measurement), (we) have sold and received thirty-one
kāśu of paḻavāvu. Having
received these thirty-one
kāśu we the great men of the chief assembly sold this land (viz.,)
three
mā and kāṇi to (the god) Mahādēva
(Śiva) of Tirukkarugāvūr and exempted
it from taxes, it being tax-free
already, as long as the moon and the sun (endure). This
(skall be under) the
protection of (the assembly of) all Māhēśvaras.
This inscription is dated in the 4th year of Parakēsarivarman and registers
that
the assembly of Tiraimūr, the merchants of Tiruviḍaimarudil (the
modern
Tiruviḍaimarudūr), the trustees and other officers of the temple assembled in the
theatrical
hall of the temple and made up an account of the gifts of gold made for maintaining
lamps
in that temple. It is stated that the stones which bore the original inscriptions
regarding
these gifts were placed in underground cellars and when the temple was renovated,
true
copies were made of them and that from these copies the documents were re-incised on
the
stone walls of the renovated temple. One such gift was that made by
Kāḍupaṭṭigaḷ
Nandippōttaraiyar for burning a lamp called
Kumaramārtāṇḍaṉ.
The acting of dramas in temples is mentioned in a Tanjore inscription of the time
of
Rājarāja I. The present record contains, though incidentally, an earlier reference
to
dramatic performances by introducing the term
us also an idea of how the important documents of a temple were engraved on
stones and
preserved in underground cellars and how when the temples had to be renovated
they
were copied over and re-engraved.
Kāḍupaṭṭigaḷ Nandippōttaraiyar may possibly be
Nandivarman
Pallavamalla of the Udayēndiram grant.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year and the [3]25th day of (the reign
of)
king Parakēsarivarman, there being present in the theatrical hall
(nāḍayaśālai)
of the god at Tiruviḍaimarudil, the assembly of
Tiraimūr whose business it was
to regulate the temple affairs (śrīkāryam)
of this god, the merchants (nagarattār) of Tiru-
viḍaimarudil, the
trustees of the sacred temple, the temple-accountant Marudaṉ
Piramakuṭṭaṉ, and the
temple manager (śrīkāryamārāygiṉṟa) Pūśalāṉkuḍaiyār,
an account
was made up of the lamps maintained from the interest (on money) deposited for
(the
benefit of) the god.
(L. 2.) All the documentary stones of (i.e., relating to) (investments on) interest
(by the
temple) having been copied over and kept as on the stones
which were placed below in the
underground cellars, prior to the renovation of this temple
(śrīkōyil) in stone, it was ordered
that in the same manner as the transferred copies
were made before (from the originals)
(they) may now be re-engraved on the stones of the
sacred stone temple; and (the following
copy) was thus engraved on the
stone:——Kāḍupaṭṭigaḷ Nandippōttaraiyar
gave 60 kaḻañju of gold for a lamp called Kumaramārttāṇḍaṉ. One lamp (has to
be
maintained) from (one) uri of ghee to be measured (daily) by the
(members of the) assembly
of Tiraimūr who received this sixty kaḻañju
of gold.
The record is dated in the 6th year of Parakēsarivarman and registers a gift
of
gold for a lamp to the Maṇavāḷa-Perumāḷ temple at Tiruviḍavandai
situated
in Paḍuvūr-nāḍu, a subdivision of Āmūr-kōṭṭam.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 6th year of (the reign of) king Parakē-
sarivarman, we the villagers (ūrōm) of Tiruviḍavandai in
Paḍuvūr-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Āmūr-kōṭṭam signed (the
following deed):——
(L. 2.) (Whereas) we have received thirty kaḻañju of gold from the hands
of
Nakkaṉ Ēnādi, the headman of Iṉṉambar on the northern bank (of
the
Kāvērī) in the Chōḷa country (Śō-ṇāḍu), (we affirm that) we
have received this gold and
agree to measure 90 nāḻi of oil (as interest) on
this 30 kaḻañju of gold, at (one) uḻakku of oil
every day, for
(burning) one perpetual lamp in (the temple of) Maṇavāḷa-Perumāḷ
of
this village. We (thus) agreed and received the gold and shall measure for this gold
the
(quantity of) oil (agreed upon) as long as the moon and the sun
(endure). We the villagers
(also) agree that we shall not pay gold and say
(that it is for) interest. If we fail (to do)
this, we shall
submit (to a fine of) four and a quarter kāṇam for each day (of default), in
a court
of justice after producing the uṇḍigai and paṭṭigai (effects ?) and
we shall also pay as maṉṟu-
pāḍu (one) mañjāḍi of gold for every day
(of default), to the then-reigning king. And
paying this fine and the
maṉṟupāḍu, we the villagers (still) agree to measure out
without
(further) default to (the persons of) the
tiruvuṇṇāḻigai-vāriyam this (stipulated quantity of) oil
for burning (the
lamp).
This inscription, dated in the 2nd year of Parakēsarivarman, registers a grant
of
land by Pūdi Ādittapiḍāri to the stone temple built by her at
Tiruchchenduṟai,
to meet the cost of the expenses of a festival in connexion with the
solar eclipse. Pūdi
Ādittapiḍāri may have been a daughter of Pūdi or
Maṟavaṉ Pūdiyār referred
to in another inscription of king
Parakēsarivarman at Tiruchchenduṟai.
The king
Parakēsarivarman himself has to be identified with either Madhu-
rāntaka Uttama-Chōḷa or Āditya Karikāla II. both of whom held the
title
Parakēsarivarman. The provision made for festivals on the day
of the solar eclipse
might suggest that in this second year of king Parakēsarivarman
there should have
been at least one such eclipse. If Parakēsarivarman is identified
with Madhu-
rāntaka Uttama-Chōḷa who succeeded to the throne in A.D.
971, we find that
according to Dr. Schram's “Eclipses of the Sun in
India,” there were two solar eclipses in the
year 972 which was the second year of
Uttama-Chōḷa. Consequently it is not unlikely
that the king referred to in this
inscription is king Uttama-Chōḷa.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 2nd year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman,
I,
Pūdi Ādittapiḍāri, gave with libation of water these two garden (lands) as
per
the same terms under which I purchased (them) (viz.,) the garden (land) which
I purchased
for 35 kaḻañju of gold in the second year (of the king's reign)
from Kāchchuvaṉ
(Kāśyapa) Tattanārāyaṇaṉ and the garden
(land) purchased from Pāradāyaṉ
(Bhāradvāja ?) Īśāna
Māṟaṉ, to the lord of the stone temple at Tiruchchenduṟai
for maintaining
festivals (tiruviḻāppuṟam) of the lord of Tiruchchenduṟai on (the
day
of) the solar eclipse, (stipulating that) the maintenance of the (said)
festivals of the lord of
(this) stone temple constructed by me Pūdi
Ādittapiḍāri (should be met only) from the
produce of the (said) gardens.
(The assembly of) all Māhēśvaras shall protect this (charity).
This inscription is dated in the 3rd year of Parakēsarivarman and registers a
gift
of gold for a lamp by a certain Koṟṟaṉ Aruṇmoḻi alias Vāṉavaṉ
Pēraraiyaṉ of
Āṟṟūr in Māṅgāḍu-nāḍu. The money presented was
apparently utilized in purchasing
a land which adjoined another granted by Naṅgai
Varaguṇa-Perumāṉār. This lady
has been already referred to as the wife of
Parāntaka Iḷaṅgōvēḷār and to have made a
grant of land to the same temple in
the 13th year of Rājakēsarivarman (Gaṇḍar-
āditya). It is now
difficult to determine who this king Parakēsarivarman is in
whose reign the gift of
Varaguṇa-Perumāṉār could be referred to. Subsequent to
Gaṇḍarāditya
who ruled for about 18 years there must have ruled at least four kings
before
Rājarāja I. succeeded to the throne in A. D. 985, viz.,——Ariṁjaya,
Sundara-
Chōḷa Parāntaka II., Āditya Karikāla and Uttama-Chōḷa
of whom the first
probably and the two last bore the surnames Parakēsarivarman.
Consequently
Parakēsarivarman of our inscription must be identified
with either Arimjaya whose
records have not been found hitherto or with
Uttama-Chōḷa. In all probability the
reference appears to be to the latter.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman,
Koṟṟaṉ Aruṇmoḻi alias Vāṉavaṉ Pēraraiyaṉ
a native of Āṟṟūr (a village)
in [Mā]ṅgāḍu-nāḍu, gave [25
kaḻañju] of gold for burning one perpetual lamp day and
night.•••• at
Tiruneyttāṉam. Having received this twenty-five
kaḻañju of gold,••••••
quarter śey (of land) to the west of the
cultivated field (maśakkal)••• [whose
southern boundary] (is) to the north of
the shrine of minor deities (?) at the boundary
line (ellaikkāl-kāvu);••• of Viṟ-
paṟai the eastern boundary (is)
to the west of the quarter śey (of land) given for a lamp
by Naṅgai
Varaguṇa-Perumāṉār; the northern boundary (is) to the south of (the
channel
called) Andaṉūrvāykkāl and the western boundary (is) to the east of
the
mound which has never been levelled (for cultivation). We, the assembly, the
villagers
(ūrōm) and the temple servants (dēvakanmi) of
Tiruneyttāṉam sold to Koṟṟaṉ
Aruṇmoḻi alias Vāṉavaṉ
Pēraraiyaṉ (the land) situated within the four great
boundaries thus described
without excluding any (portion) of land within (uṇṇilam) and
executed a
sale-deed (vilai-āvaṇam). (The assembly of) all Māhēśvaras shall protect
this
(charity).
These copper-plates belong to the Madras Museum. A full description of them to-
gether with that of the huge ring and seal on which they are hung and a short abstract
of
contents, have been given by Professor Hultzsch in his Report on Epigraphy for the
half-
year ending March 1891, page 4, paragraph 9. The plates are
published below for the
first time with text and translation. Mr. Sewell does not mention them
in the list of copper-
plate grants which he gives at the beginning of his Lists
of Madras Antiquities, Volume II.
It cannot be ascertained how and when the plates were
acquired by the Museum.
Early Chōḷa copper-plate grants published so far are only two in number. These
are
known as the large and the small Leyden grants which belong to the time of
Rājēndra-
Chōḷa I. Hence the subjoined plates which bear on them the
record of Parakēsari-
varman Uttama-Chōḷadēva, the uncle of
Rājarāja I., and the grand-
father of Rājēndra-Chōḷa I.,
will be the earliest Chōḷa record published.
A few plates of the set are missing at the beginning and one at least at the end.
The
portion of the record on the existing five copper-plates consists of a short Sanskrit
prose
passage (ll. 1 to 6), three Sanskrit verses (ll. 6 to 11) and Tamil prose (ll. 11 to
121). The
construction of the Tamil portion is often involved and irregular.
The word nēra in l. 87,
e.g., is used in the still current commercial sense of
adjustment of receipts and payments
and the meaning of viśam in l. 111 is not quite
intelligible. As regards the palaeography and
orthography of the plates the
following may be noted. The initial vowels e and ē are not
distinguished, though
in other inscriptions of this period the distinction is marked by adding
the sign of length
short is
however observed in o, in ll. 52 and 53. The secondary i and ī signs are
distin-
guished, the latter by a loop attached to the end of the semi-circular cap
which represents
the former, e.g., nī and vī in ll. 22 and 23 respectively. The
i super-added to ḍa or ṭa is, as
usual, marked by the semi-circular cap;
but in certain cases as in ll. 26, 34, etc., it is shown
by the head of the letter
itself being bent and drawn out almost into a loop. The vowel signs
u and ū
added to m are distinguished, the former by a plain curve bent towards the left
and
attached to the prolonged vertical of ma from its middle and the latter by the same
curve
doubled like the English numeral 3. The same remarks apply as well to ḷu and
ḷū. When
added to ka the u and ū-signs are doubled in either
case, the distinction, however, being
that in the former the curve bends to the left and in the
latter to the right. In ya, va and
pa these signs are marked as at present by a
vertical line attached to the right limb of the
letter in the one case, and by a curve affixed
to the latter, in the other. In the case of the
letters
which at present however is joined to the u-sign of the letter.
Sandhi (puṇarchchi) is but
optionally adopted. The doubling of consonants has been
omitted evidently by mistake in
ll. 68, 70, 71, etc. Case terminations are added to the
last word of a group (e.g., ll. 16f, 82).
In l. 44
also the
forms
The Sanskrit portion states that 200 pieces of gold were deposited with two classes
of
paṭṭaśālins residing in the quarters (of Kachchippēḍu) known as
Karuvuḷān-
pāṭi, Kaṁsahappāṭi, Atimānappāṭi and
Ēṟṟuvaḻichchēri and that the
residents of two of the above-said quarters were
appointed managers of the temple by the
king (Uttama-Chōḷa). Also this same Chōḷa
king ‘who destroyed Madhurā’ is
stated to have ordered that the residents of
Śōḻāniyamam, another quarter of Kach-
chippēḍu, should give
to the god at Ūraka two prastha and one kuḍubaka of rice and
one prastha of oil and thus be exempted from all other taxes payable to the
king. These
residents of Śōḻāniyamam together with the managers appointed from
among the
weavers who made cloths for the king and lived in the four quarters mentioned
above,
were further required to write out by turns the accounts of the temple of
Vishṇu
at Ūragam.
The Tamil portion which begins in line 11 is dated in the 16th year of Parakēsari-
varman alias Uttama-Chōḷadēva and records that while the king
was seated
in the Chitra-maṇḍapa inside his palace (kōyil) at
Kachchippēḍu, his officer
Śōḻamūvēndavēḷār whose name was
Nakkaṉ Kaṇichchaṉ of Śikkal (l. 25 f.)
requested that the income of the god of the
temple of Ūragam which consisted of (1) kōlnirai-
kūli and
kālaḷavu-kūli collected at Kachchippēḍu, (2) of the (produce from)
lands
purchased at Kachchippēḍu and Tuṇḍuṇukkachchēri and (3) of
interest (in
paddy and in money) accruing on investments by the temple, might be apportioned
for the
several services in the main temple and in the two shrines of the hall called
Karikāla-
teṟṟi (l. 65) and that the residents of the two quarters of
Kachchippēḍu, viz.,
Kambuḻānpāḍi and Atimānappāḍi
(l. 23) may be appointed to supervise and
carry out this apportionment. The king entrusted the
matter in the hands of the chief who
made the request and the latter settled the required
apportionment of income.
The lands purchased and the investments made are detailed with reference to the
original
documents written on stone. These were:——(1) document dated in the 22nd year
of king
Parakēsarivarman, by which the assemblies of Kūram and Ariyar-
Perumbākkam having received 250 kaḻañju of gold from the temple had
agreed to
measure every year as interest thereon 500 kāḍi of paddy; (2) document dated
in the same
year by which the assembly of Uḻai-ūr received 50 kaḻañju and
agreed to measure annually
an interest thereon of 150 kāḍi of paddy; (3) document
dated in the 9th year of king
Vijaya-Kampavarman, by which the assembly of
Oḻukkaippākkam received 24
kaḻañju and agreed to pay an interest every year
of one kaḻañju and four mañjāḍi of gold.
With line 72 commences a fresh grant made in the 16th year of
Parakēsarivarman
(Uttama-Chōḷa), to the temple of Ūragam at
Kachchippēḍu for maintaining
the Śittirai-tiruviḻā festival of that god.
For this purpose 200 kaḻañju of gold were
deposited with the residents of
Kambuḻāṉpāḍi, Atimānappāḍi, Kañjagappāḍi
and Ēṟṟuvaḻichchēri
on perpetual interest of 30 kaḻañju for one year, at the rate of
one piḷavu on
each kaḻañju per month. This money (i.e., 30 kaḻañju) being fully
adjusted
hoisters had to be secured by the residents of the four
quarters mentioned above (free of cost).
Lines 99 to 100 register a few other items of expense apparently in connexion with
the same
festival. It is stated that in the 18th year of Parakēsarivarman, ‘who
took
Madirai and Īḻam’ (i.e., Parāntaka I), a concession had been
granted, viz.,
exemption from municipal taxes, to the residents who had newly settled
down in the quarter
called Śōḻāniyamam (of Kachchippēḍu) in
consideration of their giving certain
fixed quantities of oil and rice to the temple of
Ūragam, which the Tōḷāchcheviyār
alias Ēlākkaiyar the
former residents of this quarter were regularly contributing but had
discontinued on account of
their decline. This concession. was now (i.e., in the 16th year)
ratified by king
(Uttama-Chōḷa). It was further ordered that the residents of this
quarter,
viz., Śōḻāniyamam, must provide also an accountant who would be given
every
day from the temple treasury 2 kuṟuṇi of paddy and every year 2 kaḻañju
of gold.
According to lines 100 to 103 a further grant of 23 kaḻañju was made to the
residents
in the three Śaiva quarters (Śaṅkarappāḍi) of Kachchippēḍu,
viz., Raṇajayappāḍi,
Ēkavīrappāḍi and Vāmanaśaṅkarappāḍi,
in order to maintain a perpetual
lamp in the temple and to burn twilight lamps from the oil
supplied by the residents of
Śōḻāniyamam mentioned in the previous paragraph.
Other miscellaneous items of provision (ll. 103 to 108) included the cost of the
sacred
festivals of Uttarāyaṇa-Saṁkrānti and Chitrā-Vishu, the
organization of the
gōshṭhī of devotees, etc. The president of the City Corporation,
the members of the Annual
Supervision Committee and the residents of
Ēṟṟuvaḻichchēri and Kañjagappāḍi were
required to check the accounts
at the end of each festival, while the residents of these two
quarters were to supply also the
watchman of the temple (ll. 110 ff.). (The city assembly)
was further entrusted with the
authority of appointing the managers for carrying out the
temple business, the watchman and the
accountant and of exempting these from payment of
all municipal taxes (l. 113 f.). The document
was drawn up by Nārppatteṇṇāyira-
maṅgalādittaṉ, an arbitrator
(madhyastha) of Vīrappāḍi, a quarter of Kachchip-
pēḍu
(l. 119 f.).
From the above abstract of contents it is clear that the preserved Sanskrit portion of
the
grant refers in brief to what has been elaborately detailed in ll. 72 to 115 of the
Tamil
portion. Consequently the contents covered by lines 11 to 71 of the Tamil portion
together
with the genealogical portion of the grant, if any——all in Sanskrit——should have been
lost in the
missing plates at the beginning of the record. The reference to previous kings in
the body of
the Tamil portion is very interesting inasmuch as it enables us to identify king
Parakēsari-
varman Uttama-Chōḷa, the 16th year of whose reign is quoted
twice in ll. 11 f. and
72 f., with the uncle and immediate predecessor of Rājarāja
I. These references
as stated already are the 22nd year of a certain Parakēsarivarman
(l. 28 f.),
the 9th year of Vijaya-Kampavarman (l. 34 f.) and the 18th year of
Para-
kēsarivarman, ‘who took Madirai (Madura) and Īḻam
(Ceylon)’ (l. 96 f.).
Vijaya-Kampavarman has been attributed to the 9th century
A.D. by Professor
Hultzsch, and Parakēsarivarman, ‘who took Madirai and
Īḻam’ is Madirai-
koṇḍa Parāntaka I. whose
reign extended over the first half of the 10th century A.D.
Consequently the unidentified
Parakēsarivarman referred to in l. 28 f. appears to be no other
than Parakēsarivarman
Vijayālaya, who was the first of the resuscitated line of the
Tanjore Chōḷas and to
whom Professor Kielhorn doubtfully attributes certain Chōḷa records
from Conjeeveram, Ukkal
and Śuchīndram ranging in date from the 4th to the 34th years
of his reign.
The inscription also supplies some valuable information about the town Kachchip-
pēḍu (i.e., the modern Conjeeveram). Four quarters are referred to,
viz., Kambuḻāṉ-
pāḍi (ll. 74 and 88) spelt in the Sanskrit text
as Karuvuḷānpāṭi (ll. 1 and 3); Atimāṉap-
pāḍi (ll. 2 and 75);
Kañjagappāḍi (Sanskrit Kaṁsahappāṭi) (ll. 1f. and 75 f.)
and Eṟṟuvaḻichchēri (ll. 2 and 76) which were mostly inhabited by
weavers who
were patronised by the king (l. 10) and consisted of two sections of
paṭṭaśālins. The
appointment of these paṭṭaśālins as the managers of the
temple and the royal patronage
extended them suggests the high social status which they must
have been enjoying at this
early period. Even now the name Piḷḷaipāḷaiyam given to
the weavers’ quarters
suggests the favourite position which these weavers occupied either with
reference to
the temple or to the king——the word piḷḷai or piḷḷaiyār being
frequently applied in this
sense. Mr. Thurston under the heading Śāliyans
mentions the two main divisions of
that class, one of which was paṭṭaśāliyaṉ
evidently the paṭṭaśāliṉ mentioned above. The
Śaiva quarters Raṇajayappāḍi,
Ekavīrappāḍi and Vāmanaśaṅkarappāḍi
of Conjeevaram are also mentioned.
Śōḻāniyamam seems to have been still
another such quarter of Conjeeveram in which
according to lines 89 to 93 the inhabitants
were exempted from all taxes in consideration of
their payment of fixed quantities
of rice and oil to the temple of Ūragam. In this
connexion it is also interesting to learn
that this quarter of Śōḻāniyamam was at
first inhabited by a class of people known as
Tōḷāchcheviyar or
Ēlākkaiyar. Tōlāchcheviyar literally means ‘those whose ears
are not bored’
and Ēlākkaiyar ‘those whose hands would not accept gifts’. The first is per-
haps the opposite of Karṇaprāvr̥tas mentioned in a Tanjore inscription and of Toḷḷaikkādar
a term applied to the tribes of Maravaṉ,
Kaḷḷaṉ, Śāṇāṉ, etc., according to Winslow's Tamil Dic-
tionary. Two
other chēris of Kachchippēḍu which we learn from the inscription
were
Tuṇḍuṇukkachchēri whose lands were watered by the two irrigation channels
named
respectively ‘the high-level sluice’ and ‘the low level-sluice’ and
Vīrappāḍi. Whether
these several quarters (pāḍi or chēri in Tamil
and vāṭī or vāṭaka in Sanskrit) were suburban
villages adjoining Conjeeveram
or the different quarters of that city cannot be ascertained
Conjeeveram must
have also been the seat of the king whose palace is referred to in l. 13.
The
temple of Ūragam (Sanskrit Ūraka) at Kachchippēḍu is mentioned in the
Nālāyira-
prabandham and has been identified by Professor Hultzsch with the
present Ulagaḷanda-
Perumāḷ some of whose inscriptions mention the
temple by that name. The Karikāla-teṟṟi
hall which formed an important portion of the
temple must have been so called after the
ancient Chōḷa king Karikāla. The
present temple of Ulagaḷanda-Perumāḷ which
is in a badly neglected condition shows
that the surrounding hall, if at all contemporaneous
with the central shrine, must have been
renovated in a much later period and could not
represent the old Karikāla-teṟṟi.
Kōlnirai-kūli and kālaḷavu-kūli which were assigned to the temple of Ūragam
(l. 15 f.)
are explained in the Sanskrit portion (l. 4) as ‘tolls on (articles) measured
by weight (tulā)
and by capacity (prastha)’. The city had a strong guild of
merchants (nagara l. 110,
nagarattār l. 119, or mānagarattōm l. 120 f.)
who apparently represented the city council
with a chief person (mānagaramāḷvāṉ) at
their head. The guild was given full liberty to
supervise the proper management of the temple
business, to appoint the watchman and clerks
of the temple and to exempt these latter from
payment of (municipal) taxes. An item of
interesting information supplied by the
record is that a Brāhmaṇa knowing the Vēdas was
appointed for worship in the temple
of Ūragam, only in case a man conversant with the
Vaishṇava system of temple-worship
(kōyil-nambu) was not available. Vedic Brāhmaṇas
as a rule do not
appear to have had anything to do with temple-worship from early times.
The details of
expenditure recorded in the grant on account of the several festivals were
audited by the Chief
Merchant and the Annual-Supervision Committee and all difficulties
in way of the proper conduct
of the charities were to be removed by the Vaishnava devotees
of the temple, in the 18
nāḍus.
The geographical names that occur in the inscription, viz., Kūram, Ariyar Perum-
bākkam, Uḻai-ūr and Oḻukkaipākkam, are all situated in the
Chingleput district
and are respectively identical with Kūram and
Āriyaperumbakkam in the Conjee-
veram taluk and Oḻaiyūr and
Oḻukarai (?) in the Madurantakam taluk. Śikkal
the native village of the
officer Śōḻamūvēndavēḷāṉ is identical with Śikkil near
Negapatam in the
Tanjore district.
(Line 1.)••••• and he likewise invested (for interest) these
two hundred pieces of
gold in those same quarters (vāṭaka) called Karuvuḷāṉpāṭi,
Kaṁsahappāṭi,
Atimāṉappāṭi and Ēṟṟuvaḻichchēri of those paṭṭasālins
of the
two families. There being no managers (śrīkāryakr̥t) to supervise the receipts
and
expenses of that same (temple of) Hari (i.e., Vishṇu),——of the income
arising out of the
interest on gold (invested) and the tolls on (things) measured
by weight, capacity, etc., that
same king himself appointed for doing the work of
(temple) management (śrīkārya) those
same weavers born in the two quarters,
viz., Atimāṉappāṭi and Karuvuḻāṉpāṭi
of those same
(four) quarters.
(L. 6.) The Chōḷa (king) who was the destroyer of Madhurā (i.e.,
Uttama-
Chōḷa Madhurāntaka) commanded that the residents of
Śōḻāniyamam must
give per month two prasthas and one kuḍubaka of
rice and (one) prastha of oil to (the god)
Tridhāmam (Vishṇu) standing
in (the temple of) Ūraka and that no taxes which may
be levied by the king be
collected (from these) in consideration of (their) poverty. There-
upon the city-magnates also authorized this. Consequently the house-holders residing
in
Śōḻāniyamam together with the managers of (the temple of) Hari
whose abode is in
Ūraka, must write out in turn one after another the (accounts
of) income and expenditure
and show (them) every month to these weavers of royal
garments living in the four quarters
(mentioned above).
(L. 11.) In the sixteenth year (of the reign) of the glorious king Parakēsarivar-
man alias the illustrious Uttama-Chōḷadēva, when (this)
lord was pleased to
remain in the (hall called) Chitra-maṇḍapa on the southern
side within (his) palace at
Kachchippēḍu, the officer
(adhikāri). Śōḻamūvēndavēḷār seeing that no provi-
sion for
expenses (nibandam) was previously made for this god, made the request that the
king
(emberumāṉ) may be pleased to order that the kōlniṟai-kūli and
kālaḷavu-kūli of this
Kachchippēḍu together with the proceeds in the
enjoyment of this (god) from the
lands purchased for this same god in
Kachchippēḍu and Tuṇḍuṇukkachchēri
and other (income) derived by
interest (poliyūṭṭu), (may be used) to provide for the nibandam
of the god who
is pleased to stand in (the temple of) Ūragam at this
Kachchippēḍu
and that the two chēris of this Kachchippēḍu may
manage the business (śrīkārya) of
this god.
(L. 21.) (The king) was pleased to order (as follows):——“You shall yourself have
the
(necessary) provision made for the nibandam of the god who is pleased to
stand in (the temple
of) Ūragam at this
Kachchippēḍu, (from) the kōlniṟai-kūli and kālaḷavu-kūli of
this
village, (from) the lands acquired (by the temple) by purchase and
(from) the income derived
by interest. The two chēris of this village,
viz., Kambuḻāṉpāḍi and Atimāṉap-
pāḍi, shall
manage the business of this god. In this way shall you carry out the
nibandam.”
(L. 25.) (Thus) at the request of the officer Nakkaṉ Kaṇichchaṉ alias
Śōḻa-
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of Śikkal, the nibandam, which
was caused to be made (from) the
kālaḷavu-kūli, and the
kōlniṟai-kūli; from the income from the lands purchased by this god;
from the five
hundred kāḍi of paddy which (being the income) as interest of this god
according
to the investment deed (engraved) on stone in the 22nd year of (the reign
of) king Para-
kēsarivarman was measured out by (the measure
called) eṇṇāḻippoṟkāl of their village
for one year, (as interest) on the 250
kaḻañju of gold deposited with the members of the
assemblies of Kūram and
Ariyar Perumbākkam; from the one hundred and fifty
kāḍi of paddy which was
measured out as interest for one year on fifty kaḻañju of gold
received by the members
of the assembly of Uḻaiyūr (in the same year of the same king)
according to
the deed (engraved) on stone; and from one kaḻañju and four mañjāḍi of
gold
which was paid as interest, for one year, on the twenty-four kaḻañju of gold
received by the
members of the assembly of Oḻukkaipākkam, according to the deed
(engraved) on
stone in the 9th year of (the reign of) king Vijaya
Kampavarman, was thus
organised.
(L. 38.) Three kuṟuṇi and six nāḻi of paddy for sacred offerings (to be
given) at the
three junctures (sandhi) (of the day); four nāḻi of paddy for
two vegetable offerings (to be
given) at the three junctures (of the day); five
nāḻi of paddy for (one) uḻakku of the daily
ghee offering; three nāḻi
of paddy for (one) nāḻi and (one) uri of curd which was (to be
offered)
at the three junctures (of the day) at the rate of one uri of curd
each time; three nāḻi of
paddy for areca-nut offering at the three junctures; two
nāḻi of paddy for firewood;
one padakku of paddy for one Brāhmaṇa who knows
the Vēdas and performs worship;
five kaḻañju of gold (given) to this man as
cloth money (puḍavai-mudal) for the period of one
year; six nāḻi of paddy for
one māṇi who does service (in the temple); one kaḻañju of
gold
(given) to this man as cloth money (puḍavai-mudal) for the period of one
year; one kuṟuṇi
of paddy daily for one man who watches the sacred images (of the
temple); two kaḻañju of
gold (given) to this man as cloth money
(puḍavai-mudal) for the period of one year; one
kuṛuṇi and four nāḻi
of paddy per day for two persons who work in the flower garden; (one)
kaḻañju of gold
(given) to these for cloth; fifteen kaḻañju of gold for the
twelve Saṁkrāntis
at the rate of (one) kaḻañju and a quarter of gold for each
Saṁkrānti, including the priests’
honorarium (āchārya-pūjaṉai); (one)
kaḻañju and a half of gold for a period of one year for
(sandal-paste) rubbed
over the sacred body (of the god) and sacred smoke (incense), at the
rate of
one-eighth poṉ per month; three-quarters of a poṉ for the period of one year
for
three sacred baths (namanigai); (one) kaḻañju of gold for the period of one year
for three
sacred cloths. One hundred and fifty kāḍi of paddy (which is the
income) by interest
(measured out) by Uḻai-ūr (were assigned)
inclusive of cloth money to nine persons of
musicians (ugachchagal), viz., one (who
beats) the talaipparai, two drummers (mattaḷi), one (who
beats) the
karaḍigai, one (who strikes) the tāḷam, one (who beats) the
śegaṇḍigai, two (who blow)
the trumpets and one (who sounds) the
hand-bell (kai-maṇi). One paṭṭi (of land) called
Śittiravallipperuñjeru (included) in the lands purchased from the
merchants (nagarattār) of
Kachchippēḍu and (one) paṭṭi of land of
five taḍis, consisting of three taḍis (included) in
the land purchased at
Tuṇḍuṇukkachchēri which lies to the north of the land
of
Śendaraippottaṉ and is irrigated by the channel which flows from the high
level
sluice, of one śeruvu to the north of the (field) Kāḍāḍi-kuṇḍil and
of (one) kuṇḍil to the
north of (the land which is in the) enjoyment of
Kōṉēriyār and is (included) in the lands
irrigated by the channel which
flows from the low-level sluice,——in all, these two paṭṭis
of land and the
above-mentioned one hundred and fifty kāḍis of interest-paddy shall
provide the
expenses (nibanda) on account of the nine persons who form the musical troupe.
Three
nāḻi of paddy (were provided) daily to those who smear (the temple) with cow
dung.
Also (the following) are to be the expenses (nibanda) of the two gods
mentioned below:——
three kuṟuṇi and six nāḻi of paddy on account of the two
gods in the sculptured hall of
Karikāla (Karikāla-teṟṟi), at six nāḻi of
rice (and) one (kuṟuṇi) and four nāḻi of rice
(to be offered
respectively) at the three junctures daily (of the day) to (each of) these two
gods;
four nāḻi of paddy for vegetable offerings (to be given) at the three
junctures (of the day);
three nāḻi of paddy for firewood; five nāḻi of
paddy for (one) uḻakku of ghee-offering
(required) at the three junctures (of
the day); one kuṟuṇi and four nāḻi of paddy for (one)
uri of ghee
(required) for two sacred perpetual lamps to the two gods; twelve mañjāḍi of
gold
for (sandal paste) rubbed over the sacred body (of the images) and for the
sacred smoke
(incense) for the period of one year at the rate of (one) mañjāḍi
of gold per month.
(L. 72.) In the 16th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman, from the
god
who was pleased to stand (in the temple) of Ūragam at
Kachchippēḍu, the resi-
dents of Kambuḻāṉpāḍi (a
quarter) of this village, received 73 kaḻañju and a half of
gold; the residents of
(the quarter) Kañjagappāḍi received 35 kaḻañju of gold and
the
residents of (the quarter) Eṟṟuvaḻichchēri received 18 kaḻañju
of gold. (Thus) for
the total gold of 200 kaḻañju, the interest which accrues
for the period of one year at the
rate of one piḷavu on each
kaḻañju (for a month), was thirty kaḻañju of gold. These
thirty
kaḻañju of gold were used in providing for the expenses (nibanda) of the
Śittirai-tiruviḻā
(festival) of this god in the following manner:——7 kaḻañju
of gold for oil (required) for the
seven days of the festival, 2 kaḻañju of
gold for sweet-smelling flowers and scented sandal-
paste on (these) seven
days; 5 kaḻañju of gold for food and presents to the devotees who
form the koṭṭi
(gōshṭhī) during (these) seven days; 10 kaḻañju of gold
for the food of the
Brāhmaṇas during (these) seven days by purchasing paddy••• and feeding
(them); (one) kaḻañju of gold for the palanquin-bearers who
carry the palanquin of the bed-
chamber of the god and for the musicians invited for
the seven days of the festival; and
5 kaḻañju of gold for miscellaneous expenses. Thus
the gold being equal (to the expenses
specified), the lamp-bearers and flag-hoisters for
the festival (shall be) the residents of
Kambuḻāṉpāḍi, Atimāṉappāḍi,
Ēṟṟuvaḻichchēri and Kañjagap-
pāḍi.
(L. 89.) Whereas Toḷāchcheviyar alias Ēlākkaiyar, the former
residents
of Śōḻāniyamam, a chēri (quarter) of this god, have decreased in
numbers and these
Ēlākkaiyar are unable to pay taxes as per old custom, the
inhabitants who come from
outside this chēri and settle (in it) (shall) give
(one) nāḻi and (one) uḻakku of oil and two
nāḻi of rice per house per
month as tax (payable) only to this god, and shall not pay any
other taxes fixed by the
town magnates. Those who show (in the books) against them any
taxes other than the said
(taxes) shall incur the sin committed by the people who commit
(sin) between
Gaṅgā (the Ganges) and Kumari (Cape Comorin).
(L. 96.) Thus this god shall receive these taxes from these inhabitants in the
manner
described above, according to the very settlement (vyavasthai) made by the
merchants of this
Kachchippēḍu in the eighteenth year of (the reign of) the
glorious Parakēsari-
varman who took Madirai (Madura) and
Īḻam (Ceylon). The accounts of this god
shall be maintained by (one of) the
inhabitants of this chēri and he shall be paid from the
treasury of this god (one)
kuṟuṇi of paddy per day and two kaḻañju of gold per year.
(L. 100.) The Śaṅkarappāḍiyāṟ of the three quarters,
viz., Raṇajayap-
pāḍi, Ēkavīrappāḍi and
Vāmana-Śaṅkarappāḍi of this village having
received twenty kaḻañju of
gold shall burn one perpetual lamp which these inhabitants of the
above-mentioned quarters have
agreed (to do) and an evening lamp from the oil supplied
by the inhabitants of
Śōḻāniyamam.
(L. 103.) For bathing the gods in the two sacred temples (śrīkōyil) (on the occasion
of)
Uttaramayana (Uttarāyaṇa)-Saṁkrānti and Śittirai-Vishu, for the lamp
bearers and the man
who hoists the flag during (these) festivals and for the chiefs of
the assembly (parushai) who
enter the sacred court (of the temple, to supervise),
one tūṇi of rice (has been provided); for one
who organises the
gōshṭhi, (one) tūṇi and (one) padakku of rice; and half a
kaḻañju of gold
as honorarium (for the same). Other items (of expense)
in the sacred temple which are
omitted (to be mentioned) shall be met from miscellaneous
expenditure, without taking note
of the provision (nibanda) (made above).
(L. 108.) The (Śrīvaishṇava) devotees of the 18 nāḍu shall alone supervise
and set right
all obstructions to the management of the (temple) business of these gods.
The Chief
Merchant (nagaram-āḻvāṉ) of this guild (nagara), (the members of
the) Annual Supervision
Committee (āṭṭai-vāriyar), the residents of
Ēṟṟuvaḻichchēri and Kañjagap-
pāḍi, shall, every year,
look into the accounts of the expenses (incurred) on (viśam)
these
gods, soon after the festivals are celebrated. The residents of the above-mentioned
two
chēris alone shall provide for the watch of the sacred images as per the settlement
(nibandam)
deposited in the treasury of the gods.
(L. 113.) The mercantile guild shall itself choose the superintendent of the sacred
business
(in the temple) of these gods, the watchman of the sacred images and the account-
ant and shall not receive (any) taxes (from them). If persons fully
knowing the (duties of)
worship in sacred temples are not obtainable for (this)
sacred temple, a Brāhmaṇa versed in
the Vēdas shall alone be appointed to perform the
worship.
(L. 117.) Thus at the command of the officers, I, Nāṟpatteṇṇāyira Maṅgalā-
dittaṉ, an arbitrator (madhyastha) of Vīrappāḍi of this city,
executed (i.e., wrote)
this document (aṟai-ōlai) by order. (This is) my
writing. We (the members) of the great
guild of merchants sold with
excess and deficiency (in measurement), the land (lying) east
to west in the (field) Lōkamārāyapperuñjeru (which we had)
purchased from
the citizens of this Kachchippēḍu. Arantāṅgi
Pōrmugavīraṉ••
who engraved the letters of this charter (śāsanam).••••
This inscription is dated in the 4th year of Parakēsarivarman and registers the
gift
of a lamp to the temple of Tirukkīḷ-kōṭṭam at Tirukkuḍamūkkil
(i.e., the Nāgēs-
vara temple at Kumbhakōṇam). The
astronomical details given in the record were
verified by Diwan Bahadur L. D. Swamikkannu
Pillai and found to be correct for Madhu-
rāntaka Uttama-Chōḷa, the
uncle of Rājarāja I. The date corresponds to
Thursday, the 22nd April A. D. 975.
In the 4th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman, on the day of
Makhā
which corresponded to a Thursday and to the ninth tithi of the month of Mēsha,
we the
great men of the chief assembly (mūlaparuḍai) of
Tirukkuḍamūkkil•••
which was a dēvadāna in Pāmbūr-nāḍu on the
northern bank (of the Kāvērī), sold
the following land••• on account of one
sacred perpetual lamp which was
placed for the great god (paramasvāmin) at
Tirukkīḻ-kōṭṭam on behalf of Kāri
Koḻambaṉ, one of the
[Kai]kkōḷas.••
This inscription is dated in the 6th year of Parakēsarivarman Uttama-Chōḷa.
It
registers the grant of a land for a lamp to the temple of Ādityēśvaram-uḍaiya-
Mahādēva at Tirunallam.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 6th year of (the reign of) Uttama-Chōḷa
alias
king Parakēsarivarman, the headman of Eḻiṉūr••• for burning
one
perpetual lamp, as long as the moon and the sun (endure), to (the temple of)
Ādityēśvaram-
uḍaiya-Mahādēva at Tirunallam. (The
boundaries of) the land which I, on behalf
of Dēvaṉ in presence of the
‘Karaṇikas,’ (set apart) for this (purpose) and excluded from
the lands of the
god (are as follow):——(The eastern boundary is) to the west of the land
(called)
Kuḷavampandal (belonging to) Pālāśiriyaṉ of Mīḍūr; the southern boundary is
to
the north of (the channel called) Ṛishabhavāhana-vāykkāl; the western
boundary
is to the east of the land (belonging to) Pālāśiriyaṉ Śāttaṉ
Kāri and (his) younger
brother and to the channel of the village; the northern
boundary is to the south of the land
(belonging to) these same (persons).
(L. 3.) (The total extent of) the land thus (described) (viz.,) (one) quarter,
one-fortieth,
one three-hundred and twentieth and 1/320 of three-fourths, one hundred and
sixtieth and
one hundred and sixtieth. This land was excluded (being set
apart) for burning one per-
petual lamp as long as the moon and the sun
(endure). (The assembly of) all Māhēśvaras
shall protect this
(charity). This lamp was given by this person.
This is another record of Parakēsarivarman which supplies the astronomical
details
of week-day, month and nakshatra and enables us to fix the exact date of the
record.
Diwan Bahadur Swamikkannu Pillai has calculated and found the details to be
correct for the
eighth year of Parakēsarivarman Uttama-Chōḷa who ascended the
throne in A.D.
969-70. The date corresponds to Thursday, the 30th January A.D. 979.
Uḍaiyār-Gaṇḍarādittatteriñja-Kaikkōḷar must
have been the name of a regiment
called after king Gaṇḍarāditya, the father of
Uttama-Chōḷa.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 8th year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman
——in this year——on the day of Aviṭṭa (Śravishṭhā) which
corresponded to a Thursday in the
month of Kumbha of this year, .•• taṉ Pichchaṉ
alias .•• araiyaṉ
•••• Uḍaiyār
[Gaṇḍarādittateri]ñja-Kaikkōḷa•••
gave 96•• for one perpetual sacred lamp to (the
temple of) the god (paramasvāmin)
of Tirukkīḻkōṭṭam at
Tirukkuḍamūkkil which was a dēvadāna of Pāmbūr-nāḍu
on the
northern bank (of the Kāvērī). Having received these, the [shepherd]
Mādēvaṉ
Kāri••• Dēvaṉpuṟam, shall measure out•• ghee•• lamp
also. This is
placed under the protection of (the assembly of) all Māhēśvaras.
This unfinished inscription is dated in the 8th year of Parakēsarivarman
and
registers a gift of [2]0 kaḻañju of gold for offerings to the god Kr̥shṇa and
his consort
Rukmiṇī. The donor was Īrāyiraṉdēvi-Ammaṉār, the wife of
‘the lord who
died on the back of an elephant’.
This is the earliest reference in South-Indian Inscriptions to the worship of
Kr̥shṇa
and Rukmiṇī. By the clause ‘the lord who died on the back of an
elephant’ we have
probably to understand Prince Rājāditya who, in the large Leyden
grant, is stated to
have met with his death on the back of an elephant in an encounter with
Kr̥shṇarāja
(i.e., the Rāshṭrakūṭa king Kr̥shṇa
III.) King Parakēsarivarman must,
therefore, be identified with
either Madhurāntaka Uttama-Chōḷa or with
Āditya-Karikāla II.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 8th year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman,
(the following) was engraved (i.e., recorded) as the
gift (made) by Īrāyiraṉdēvi-
Ammaṉār, the consort of ‘the lord
who died on the back of an elephant’ (Uḍaiyār
Āṉaimēṟṟuñjiṉār) to the
glorious (god) Kr̥shṇa and the glorious goddess
Rukmiṇī in the
sacred big temple (periya-śrīkōyil) at Tiruveḷḷaṟai.
[Twenty]
kaḻañju of gold (weighed) by the stone (called after)
Tiruveḷḷaṟai, were deposited for
offering food prepared from four nāḻi of
rice to the glorious (god) Kr̥shṇa on each one of
the (following) days
(viz.,) the two vāvu (?), Ashṭami (eighth tithi) and Saṅkrānti. And
for
one lamp, was deposited•• gold (weighed) by the stone (called after)
Tiruveḷḷaṟai.
The inscription is dated in the 8th year of Parakēsarivarman and refers to
the
re-engraving of
the reign
of Parāntaka I. The original documents, which had been engraved on the
steps
(paḍikaṭṭu) of the old central shrine of the temple of Tiruppāttuṟai had
become
weather-worn and it is stated that the assembly of Uttamaśīli-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam ordered their restoration.
Among the boundaries of the lands granted are mentioned
Vīraśrī-Kāmugavadi,
Ādichcha-vāykkāl, Kōdaṇḍarāmavadi and
Uttamaśīli-vāykkāl
already referred to in the other inscriptions from
Tiruppalāttuṟai.
The ruling king Parakēsarivarman must be identified with one of the three
kings,
viz., Ariñjaya, Āditya-Karikāla II. or Uttama-Chōḷa Madhu-
rāntaka who bore that epithet, and ruled between Madiraikoṇḍa
Parāntaka I.
and Rājarāja I. I am inclined to think that the reference is
probably to the last.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 8th year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivar-
man, we, (the members) of the big assembly of the
prosperous Uttamaśīli-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam (which was) a
brahmadēya on the southern bank (of the Kāvērī), made in this
year the
following (copies of inscriptions) according to the weathered writings
engraved on
the steps of the old central shrine (śrī-vimāna) of (the god)
Mahādēva-Bhaṭṭāraka
of this (village) Tiruppāttuṟai.
(L. 5.) In the 18th year of (the reign of) king Madiraikoṇḍa Parakēsarivar-
man, the land which is not included in the uṭkuṟai of this village,
(which lay) to the west
of (the path called) Vīraśrī-Kāmugavadi, to
the north of (the channel called)
Ādichcha-vāykkāl and•• fourth and fifth
kaṇṇāṟu from the eastern side
of•• was made tax-free and granted as a
dēvadāna••
(L. 10.) The western half of the second kaṇṇāṟu from the east and the ground
included
in the third, fourth and the fifth kaṇṇāṟu, (lying) to the west of this
same path (vadi), to the
north of the channel (called) Pālaivāy, to
the east of the field (śērvai ?) facing (the path
called)
Kōdaṇḍarāma-vadi on (its) northern side and to the south of the channel
from
the river.
(L. 12.) One mā of land made tax-free and granted for burning two perpetual
lamps
day and night as long as the moon and the sun (endure), by Kumaraṉ
Śōḻappēraiyaṉ
the headman of Muḷarikuḍi, after having purchased
(it) from Akkiśarma-Krama-
vittaṉ of Muḍapuram. (This
was) to the west of the western road passing from (this)
village facing northwards,
(and) to the north of (the channel called) Uttamaśīli-vāykkāl
and
formed the northern side of the first śadiram from the south.
(L. 17.) In the 20th year (of the reign), Kamuduvaṉ Nīlanārāyaṇaṉ
of
Tirumiḻalai purchased the following land, made (it) tax-free and granted
(it) for the
sacred midday offerings:——One mā (of land) to the west of the four
mā on the northern side
of the second śadiram which lay•• path running
westwards from the village and
to the south of (the channel called)
Uttamaśīli-vāykkāl in•• kaṇṇāṟu.
(L. 21.) Also two mā and odd (chinnam) of land, was sold, made tax-free and given
(for
worship) as archanā-bhōga. (The land was) to the west of this same path
and to the south of
this same channel, forming the southern portion of the first
śadiram in the second kaṇṇāṟu.
(L. 24.) Also one and a half mā and odd of land, sold, made tax-free and given
(for
festivals) as tiruviḻāppuram——(it being the balance left) after deducting
one kāṇi and odd of
(land occupied by) a tank on the north-western side, from
the two mā (of land) adjoining the
one mā which is (also) excluded and
lies on the northern side of the first śadiram to the
south of (the channel
called) Uttamaśīli-vāykkāl, in the first kaṇṇāṟu to the west of
the
western road which passes northwards from (this) village.
(L. 28.) To the east of (the pathway) Mātiruvadi•••••
Pālai——
This inscription which is dated in the 9th year of king
Parakēsarivarman
Uttama-Chōḷadēva registers provision for food-offering made by
the officer Villa-
vaṉ Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of Puduvūr in
Tirunaṟaiyūr-nāḍu, to the temple
of Mahādēva (Śiva) of the
sacred Vīraṭṭāna at Tirukkaṇḍiyūr. Tiruk-
kaṇḍiyūr is
one of the eight Vīraṭṭāna temples mentioned in the Dēvāram.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 9th year of (the reign of) the glorious Uttama-Chōḷa-
dēva alias king Parakēsarivarman, I, Māyāṉ Kāñjaṉ
alias Villavaṉ
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of Puduvūr residing in
Puduvūr, (a village) of Tirunaṟai-
yūr-nāḍu,
(gave) for burning with ghee one sacred perpetual lamp to (the temple
of)
Mahādēva of the sacred Vīraṭṭāna at Tirukkaṇḍiyūr
and for providing as long
as the moon and the sun (endure), big (i.e., special)
sacred offerings to this Mahādēva
(Śiva) of the sacred
Vīraṭṭāna, in each month on the day of Śōdi (Śvāti) which is
the day
of my nativity, were given seven kuṟuṇi and four nāḻi of paddy for (i.e.,
to be con-
verted into) three kuṟuṇi of rice cleaned ten or eight times;
one padakku of paddy for (one)
uri of sweet ghee;•• and three uḻākku of
paddy for four nāḻi of curds; (one) kuṟuṇi
and three nāḻi of paddy
for two nāḻi of good dhal; (one) kuṟuṇi of paddy for four palam
of
sugar and••• plantain fruits; four nāḻi of paddy and••• for
(one)
uḻākku of•••; three nāḻi of paddy for twelve areca-nuts and (one)
kuṟuṇi of paddy
for firewood.
This inscription is built in at the right end by a modern structure raised in front of
the
Dakshiṇāmūrti shrine. Its importance consists in the Śaka and Kaliyuga dates
which
it supplies and thereby fixes the period of Uttama-Chōḷa's rule.
Hail ! Prosperity ! The Śaka year 901 (corresponding to the) Kaliyuga year 4080.
The
glorious Uttama-Chōḷadēva alias king Parakēsa[rivarman]••
•••
shall be pleased to receive the big sacred offering•••• with
twenty areca-nuts and eighty betel
leaves••••• to the north of the
land (belonging to) Śrīkaṇḍaṉ
Avināśagaṉ and (his) younger brother. The western
boundary•••• the land
(belonging to) the seller.
This fragmentary inscription is dated in the 10th year of
Uttama-Chōḷa.
Tirunallūr is identical with Nallūr, a village 5 miles
south of Kumbha-
kōṇam. Māṉakkuṟai Vīranārāyaṇaṉār was evidently
an officer of the king
deputed to check the accounts of the temple of Tirunallūr.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 10th year of (the reign of) the glorious
Uttama-Chōḷa
and during the inspection of the temple management
(śrīkāryam) by Māṉakkuṟai
Vīranārāyaṇaṉār under the order of the
king (the following lands) were given
to Mahādēva (Śiva) (of the
temple) at Tirunallūr, after due scrutiny of the temple
business.
The importance of the subjoined inscription consists in the astronomical details of
date it
supplies and the name Vīranārāyaṇiyār which it gives as that of the queen
of king
Uttama-Chōḷa. The record apparently registers a grant of land to the
temple of
Tirukkīḻ-kōṭṭam (the present Nāgēśvara) at
Tirukkuḍamūkkil
(i.e., Kumbhakōṇam).
The astronomical details of the date have been verified by Diwan Bahadur L. D.
Swamikkannu
Pillai and found correct for the 13th year of the reign of Parakēsari-
varman
Uttama-Chōḷa. The given date corresponds to Friday 9th June A.D. 982.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the [13]th year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman
on the day of Mūla, on a Friday in the second (or dark) fortnight and the 18th (day) of the
month of
Āṉi of this year, in the said year, month, day and fortnight, the great men of
the
chief assembly (mūlaparuḍai) of this village••• in the dēvadāna [of
Tiruk-
kuḍamūkkil] in Pāmbūr-nāḍu•••
Vīranārāyaṇiyār
daughter of••• and queen of the glorious (king)
Uttama-Chōḷa••
••for garlands to the god (of the temple) of
Tirukkīl-kōṭṭam•••
sold the following••• The great men of the chief assembly of
this village
•••• (one) uḻakku••• per day••••••
kāśu. (The following are)
the boundaries of••• sold and given:——the eastern
boundary (is)•••• of the land
belonging to Kaviṇiyaṉ•••
••Purambiyaṉ••• the western boundary••
east••
••• the land which was the strīdhana of Paṭṭaṉ Paṟpanābhaṉ Gōvin-
daṉ•• to the land of Kēśavaṉ and (his) younger
brother•••
situated within (these) boundaries••• including excess and deficiency
(in
measurement) and without excluding the land within (uṇṇilam)•••
having
executed the deed••• the sale amount••• kāśu•••
The importance of this inscription consists in the fact that it furnishes both the Kali-
yuga year and the regnal year of king Uttama-Chōḷa and thus enables us to
fix the
year of accession of this sovereign. Since the 13th year of the king corresponded to
Kali
4083 (= A. D. 981-82), it follows that he must have ascended the throne in A.D.
969-70.
His latest year known so far is the 16th which brings the close of his reign down to
the date
of accession of his successor Rājarāja I. which has been calculated and
found to be
985-6 A.D.
The name Siṁhavishṇu-chaturvēdimaṅgalam given to Kañjaṉūr
shows
that the conquest of the Chōḷa dominion by the Pallava king Siṁhavishṇu
so
specifically claimed for him in the Vēlūrpāḷaiyam plates,
must evidently have been
based on actual facts.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 13th year of (the reign of) Uttama-Chōḷa
alias king
Parakēsarivarman, (corresponding to) the Kaliyuga year four
thousand and eighty-
three,•• the big assembly of Kañjaṉūr alias
Siṁhavishṇu-chatur-
vēdimaṅgalam, a brahmadēya in
Vaḍagarai Nallāṟṟūr-nāḍu••
••••
This is an unfinished inscription, dated in the 14th year of Parakēsarivarman.
It
registers a grant of land, by Śembiyaṉ Irukkuvēḷ alias Pūdi
Parāntakaṉ,
to the temple at Anduvanallūr Tiruvālanduṟai, which he had
himself built.
The donor has been identified by the late Rai Bahadur Venkayya, with
Parāntaka-
varman the son of the Koḍumbāḷūr chief
Vikramakēsarin. Consequently
king Parakēsarivarman may be identified with
Uttama-Chōḷa.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! Obeisance to Śiva ! In the 14th year of (the
reign of)
king Parakēsarivarman, on the day when Śembiyaṉ Irukkuvēḷ
alias
Pūdi Parāntakaṉ, having constructed a stone temple to the god (paramēśvara)
at
Anduvanallūr-Tiruvālanduṟai in Kiḷiyūr-nāḍu, sprinkled (it)
with water
(i.e., consecrated it), (he) gave as dēvadānam at
Muḷḷikkuṟumbu of Uṟaiyūr-
kūṟṟam in the (plot of land
measuring) 8(1/2) (vēli), the village (i.e., land) 7(1/2)
(vēli) which
was the remainder (left) after deducting the (one) vēli of
old dēvadāna (land) of the god.
From these 7(1/2) (vēli of land) the
(following) arrangement (nivanda) was made for temple
expenses:——
(L. 7.) One (vēli) and a quarter and half mā for (worship in) the
temple
(śeṉṉaḍai); two vēli of land for eight sacred perpetual lamps;
(one) vēli for four māṇis;
ten (mā) for two conch
(blowers); ten (mā) for two trumpet (blowers); three mā and
a
half for one (who beats the) gong; a quarter (vēli) for two sacred flower-garlands;
seven
mā and a half, for three coatings (of the god) (with sandal-paste); three
quarter (vēli) of land
for 3 uḻakku of ghee daily at the rate of (one)
uḻakku each time; a quarter (vēli) for
(sounding) one karaḍigai;•••
for [singing] the tiruppadiyam.
The inscription is dated in the 14th year of Parakēsarivarman. It registers
the
gift of the produce of a certain field in Kaḷarikuṟichchi, for expenses in
con-
nexion with the fire oblations (agnikārya) in the temple at
Tiruneḍuṅgaḷam in
Kavira-nāḍu. The king is probably identical with
Uttama-Chōḷa after whom
Uttamaśōḻa-Brahmādhirāja mentioned in the
inscription, was so called.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 14th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivar-
man, Vēlveṭṭi-Gōvindabhaṭṭaṉ, who manages the temple business
(śrikāryam)
for Śembiyaṉ Vaḍapuṟaiyūrnāṭṭu-Mūvēndavēḷār, a
servant (kanmi)
of Uttamaśōḻa-Brahmādhirāja, thus made the following
arrangement for fire
oblations (agnikārya) (to be conducted) daily at the three
junctures (of the day) (in
the temple) of this god Mahādēva (Śiva) of
Tiruneḍuṅgaḷam in Kavira-
nāḍu. Receiving the twelve
kalam of paddy that shall be measured out annually to us
from (the field ?)
Mīyvākkāṉkarai in Kaḷarikuṟichchi (a village situated) in
this
nāḍu, we, the trustees of this sacred temple agree to secure for (each)
time, half piḍi of
ghee, mēleri (and) other things required
for the agnikārya and have it performed. This
(shall be under) the protection of
all Māhēśvaras.
This inscription which is dated in the 14th year of king
Parakēsarivarman
Uttama-Chōḷadēva registers a gift of land to the temple at
Tirumullaivāyil by
Śembiyaṉmādēviyār the daughter of
Maḻavaraiyar and queen of Gaṇḍarā-
ditya-Perumāḷ. The land
was purchased by her from the assembly of Ambattūr in
Ambattūr-nāḍu which was a subdivision of Puḻaṟ-kōṭṭam.
Tirumullai-
vāyil and Ambattūr mentioned in the record are villages
in the Saidapet taluk of the
Chingleput district.
The characters of the inscription are of a period much later than that to which the
record
belongs. It is probably a copy
(Line 1). Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 14th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsari-
varman alias Uttama-Chōḷadēva, we (the members) of the
assembly of Ambattūr
in Ambattūr-nāḍu (which is a subdivision) of
Puḻaṟ-kōṭṭam, having received
eighty kaḻañju of gold from
Śembiyaṉmādēviyār, the daughter of Maḻavaraiyar
and queen of the
glorious Gaṇḍarāditya-Perumāḷ gave the (following) land
(called)
Kīḻēripaṭṭu after exempting (it) from (all) taxes.
(Its boundaries are):
the western boundary (is) to the east of (the ford) Pāṇḍivāyttuṟai;
the southern boundary (is) to the north of the swamp (oḻuṟkai) of
Kīrainallūr
including (the field called) Śāndikuṇḍil;
the eastern boundary (is) to the west of the big path leading to
Muṉainallūr;
(and) the northern boundary (is) to the south of the
embankment of the tank.
(L. 3.) We (the members) of the assembly of Ambattūr exempted from taxes and
sold
nine thousand and three hundred kuḻi of land in all, (measured) by the rod
(equal in length to)
sixteen spans (śāṇ) and situated within the (above
described) boundaries on the four sides
of this village, to
Nambirāṭṭiyār Śembiyaṉmādēviyār; (viz.) Kōyilāṉpaṭṭi
(field)
(measuring one) thousand and two hundred kuḻi: the land (śeṟu)
to the east of this (measur-
ing one) thousand kuḻi: high land
(mēṭṭēttam) to the south of this (measuring one) thousand
kuḻi: low
land (paḷḷakkaḻuval) (measuring) six hundred kuḻi: high land
(mēṭṭēttam) to the
south of this (measuring) (one) thousand and two hundred
kuḻi: (land) to the north of this
including maṇaliḍu and kōṟaikkuḻi
(measuring) (one) thousand kuḻi: and land growing dry
crops including (the
field) Mārttumālai-kollai (and measuring) three thousand and
two hundred
kuḻi.
(L. 5.) Having received this land Taṉkūṭṭamuḍaiyāṉ Vaṇṇakkaṉ
alias
Vayaṉaśundaraṉ shall measure out daily (one) nāḻi of oil to
(the temple of) Mahādēva
(Śiva) at Tirumullaivāyil and
(so long) as he measures, (he) shall (be entitled to)
irrigate these lands
with first water
shall
enjoy (the right of) the trees growing overground and the wells sunk underneath in
this
land. We shall not say anything prohibiting (the enjoyment of) these lands. We
(the
members) of the big assembly of Ambattūr have thus sold (the
lands). I, Śūṟṟi Kaṇ-
ḍattaḍigaḷ the madhyastha of this
village wrote this at the command of these (i.e., the
members of the assembly of
Ambattūr). This is my hand (i.e., signature). (The assembly
of) all
Māhēśvaras shall protect this (charity).
This inscription is dated in the 14th year and the 216th day of
Kō-nōṉ-iṉmai-
koṇḍāṉ while he was staying in his
golden palace (poṉ-māḷigai) at Kachchippēḍu. In
his introduction to
South-Indian Inscriptions, Volume II, Part V, the late Mr. Venkayya
surmised that
poṉ-māḷigai in the word poṉ-māḷigai-tuñjiṉadēva must
denote the dancing
hall of the god Naṭarāja at Chidambaram which is said to
have been covered with gold
both by Parāntaka I. and by an early Pallava
sovereign. The reference in this inscription
to the golden palace at
Kachchippēḍu seems, however, to indicate that the term poṉ-māḷigai
should
refer to the palace and not to the golden hall of the Chidambaram temple. It is
more
appropriate that the death of Sundara-Chōḷa called Poṉmāḷigai-tuñjiṉa-
dēva should have happened in a palace instead of a temple.
The record is of much historical interest. It refers first to a grant of revenue in paddy
and
in gold, made in the 21st and 22nd years of a Chōḷa king entitled
Toṇḍaimāṉāṟṟūr-
tuñjiṉadēva, to the temple at
Tirumālpēru. The grant, was not entered in the revenue
registers,
evidently by a mistake, and was therefore rectified in the 4th year of Parakēsa-
rivarman, ‘who took Madirai and Īḻam.’ A fresh grant was also
made to the temple in
the 36th year of this same king. This latter grant being misappropriated
by the assembly of
Puduppākkam which was entrusted with the management of the gift, a
complaint was
lodged before the king, here referred to as Kō-nōṉ-iṉmai-koṇḍāṉ, in the
14th year of his reign.
The offending members were fined for the mistake committed and orders
were issued that the
defaulting members of the assembly should in future conduct the trust
honestly.
Rai Bahadur V. Venkayya has fully discussed the contents of this inscription and
their
historical bearing in the Madras Epigraphical Report for 1907, p. 71 f. He points
out
that Toṇḍaimānāṟṟūr-tuñjiṉadēva, who preceded Parakēsarivarman
the
conqueror of Madirai and Īḻam, could be no other than the latter's
father Āditya I., and
that the title which means ‘who died at
Toṇḍaimāṉāṟṟūr’ must indicate that Āditya I.,
who was the actual
conqueror of Toṇḍai and the hero who deprived the Gaṅga
Pallavas of the
last vestiges of their authority, died in the Toṇḍai country in the
village
Toṇḍaimāṉāṟṟūr (i.e., the modern Toṇḍamanāḍ near Kāḷahasti).
It is
not clear who king Kō-nōṉ-iṉmai-koṇḍāṉ was in whose 14th year the
present record
was written. In identifying him it has to be observed that he rectified a
mistake which
was committed in the 36th year of Parāntaka I. and which was brought to his
notice in
his 14th year. Mr. Venkayya was inclined to identify
Kō-nōṉ-iṉmai-koṇḍāṉ with
Āditya Karikāla (II) whose latest date
known from inscriptions, however, is his 5th
year. Kō-nōṉ-iṉmai-koṇḍāṉ may
have been Rājakēsarivarman Gaṇḍarā-
ditya, the immediate successor of
Parāntaka I. But the appearance of the same names
among the signatories in this
record as well as in another document distinctly of the time of
Uttama-Chōḷa, makes
it almost certain that the Kō-nōṉ-iṉmai-koṇḍāṉ of the
Tirumālpuram
inscription is no other than king Uttama-Chōḷa.
The publicity given to the order by communicating it to the headmen of
all
Brahmadēya villages, the residents of the Dēvadāna, Paḷḷichchanda,
Kaṇimuṟṟūṭṭu and
Vēṭṭappēṟṟu villages in Maṇaiyil-nāḍu, the
long list of officers that held various public
offices such as Āṇatti, Vāykkēḻvi,
Ōlai-nāyagam, Puravuvari, Varippottagam, Kaṇakku,
Variyiliḍu, Paṭṭōlai and
Mugaveṭṭi who executed the order and witnessed the transaction, and
the perspicuity
with which the facts themselves are detailed in the record, are worthy of note.
Of the villages mentioned Śiṟṟiyāṟṟūr and Puduppākkam may be
identified
with Śittāttūr and Puduppākkam in the Walajapet taluk of the North Arcot
district. The
terms puravu and iravu applied to the income in paddy have not been
clearly understood.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! (This is the order of)
Kō-nōṉ-iṉmai-koṇḍāṉ to
the residents (nāṭṭār) of
Maṇaiyil-nāḍu in Maṇaiyil-kōṭṭam, to the
headmen (kiḻavar) of
Brahmadēya (villages), to the residents of the Dēvadāna,
Paḷḷichchanda,
Kaṇimuṟṟūṭṭu and Vēṭṭappēṟṟu villages and to the
residents of towns:——
(L. 8.) On the 216th day of the 14th year (of our reign) we being on the first
floor
of the golden hall (poṉ-māḷigai) within our mansion at Kachchippēḍu,
the
officer Śōḻa-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ informed us thus:——
(L. 12.) “Śiṟṟiyāṟṟūr in Maṇaiyil-nāḍu (a subdivision) of
Maṇaiyil-
kōṭṭam with (its income of) three thousand
kāḍi of puravu, five hundred and sixty-one kāḍi
of iravu and
twenty-six and a half kaḻañju and (one) mañjāḍi of gold, excluding the
kāṇi of
Śaṅgappāḍikiḻāṉ, was assigned as a tax-free dēvadāna
to (the temple of) Mahādēva
(Śiva) at Tirumālpēṟu in the
twenty-first year of (the reign of) the king (uḍaiyār) who
died
at Toṇḍaimāṉāṟṟūr, and was made over to (the members) of the assembly
of
Puduppākkam which was a brahmadēya in Puriśai-nāḍu of this
kōṭṭam, as a
dēvadāna and brahmadēya (with the stipulation) that
they should pay the said puravu, iravu
and gold to the god.”
(L. 23.) “(This village) which was handed over in the 22nd (year of the
same
reign) after its hamlets had been circumambulated and the (necessary) documents
executed,
was not, (however), entered in the accounts (vari). It was registered
(subsequently) in the
accounts (vari) as a dēvadāna and a
brahmadēya in the fourth year (of the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman,
‘who took Madirai (Madura) and Īḻam (Ceylon)’, and
(accordingly) the
members of the assembly of Puduppākkam were themselves paying to
the god, the
(said) puravu, iravu and gold.”
(L. 28.) “In the 36th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman,
‘who
took Madiri (Madura) and Īḻam (Ceylon)’ the three thousand
kāḍi of puravu
accruing as produce from the estate (kāṇi) of
Śaṅgappāḍikiḻāṉ in this (village of)
Śiṟṟiyāṟṟūr, was
(also) entered in the accounts as a tax-free dēvadāna (in favour of) the
same
(temple of) Mahādēva at Tirumālpēru.”
(L. 32.) “(Now), the managers of the temple (dēvakanmigaḷ), the men in charge
of
(its) central shrine (uṇṇāḻigaiy-uḍaiyār) and all the
Māhēśvaras come and complain that the
members of the assembly of
Puduppākkam have been misappropriating and enjoying
this kāṇi of
Śaṅgappāḍikiḻāṉ bestowed (on the temple) in the above said
manner,
without paying the taxes to the god.”
(L. 36.) On Our inquiry (into the matter) after summoning the managers of the
temple
at Tirumālpēṟu, the men in charge of the central shrine, (the assembly of)
all
Māhēśvaras and the members of the assembly of Puduppākkam, it was
found
that the members of the assembly of Puduppākkam had been enjoying the
dēvadāna
and had not been paying the taxes (derived) from the kāṇi of
Śaṅgappāḍikiḻāṉ in
Śīṟṟiyāṟṟūṟ to the god. We ordered that a
fine be levied on the members of the assembly
of Puduppākkam and that from the 14th
year (of Our reign) it (i.e., the kāṇi
of
Śaṅgappāḍikiḻāṉ) be a dēvadāna and a brahmadēya of these
same (with the stipula-
tion) that the members of the assembly of
Puduppākkam shall themselves pay to (the
temple of) Mahādēva at
Tirumālpēṟu three thousand kāḍi of puravu on the kāṇi of
the
said Śaṅgappāḍikiḻāṉ.
(L. 53.) (We also ordered) that this three thousand kāḍi of puravu (thus
settled),
the three thousand kāḍi of puravu, five hundred and sixty-one
kāḍi of iravu and twenty-six
and a half kaḻañju and (one)
mañjāḍi of gold which is (already) being paid on the village
of
Śīṟṟiyāṟṟūr,——in all six thousand kāḍi of puravu, five
hundred and sixty-one kāḍi of iravu
and twenty-six and a half kaḻañju
and (one) mañjāḍi of gold, shall be paid by the members
of the assembly of
Pudduppākkam to (the temple of) Mahādēva at
Tirumālpēṟu
and be so entered in the accounts as tax-free dēvadāna and
brahmadēya.
(L. 61.) Accordingly Kōdukulavaṉ Śāttaṉ alias Parakēsari-Mūvēnda-
vēḷāṉ of Paruttikkuḍi who looks after Our affairs, the arbitrator
(naḍuvirukkai)
Triyambaka-bhaṭṭaṉ of Payalai and Nakkaṉ
Kaṇichchaṉ alias Śōḻa-Mūvēn-
davēḷāṉ of
Śikkar, being Aṇatti and Vāykēḻvi, received (this order). (The order
was) written
by the Uttaramantri Paṭṭālagaṉ of Aṇṇāṟṟūr who
writes Our orders, and signed
by Our Chief Secretary (Ōlai-nāyagaṉ)
Śōḻa-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ. (And) Parakēsari-
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ who looks after Our affairs, having commanded the entry in the
registers in
the terms (of the order) issued, Puravuvari
Śembiyaṉ Uttaramantri alias Taṇḍipūdi
the headman
(talaimagaṉ) of Iraiyāṉkuḍi, Aḍigaḷ Nakkaṉ the headman (kiḻavaṉ)
of
Pavvattiri, Udayadivākaraṉ (a native of) Pēraraiśūr,
Vīrābaraṇa-
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ alias Veṉṟāṉ Karpagam of
Kaḻaṉivāyil, the Varippotta-
gam (officer) Tāḻi
Śandiraśēgaraṉ the headman of Tiruṉālūr, the Mugaveṭṭi
(officer)
Araiyaṉ•• of Paḻanakkuḍi, Aḍigaḷ Vīraśōḻaṉ of Vittār,
Paṅgaṉ
Kaḍambaṉ of Iraiyāṉśēri, Kṟishṇaṉ Rājādittaṉ of
Mukkuṟumbu,
Niṉṟāṉ Nakkaṉ of Śāttaṉūr, the Puravuvari of
Toṇḍaināḍu, Araiyaṉ
Śivakkoḻundu of Śiṟuguḍi, Kuṉṟāḍi Tiruppori
of Śembākkam, the
Varippottaga-kaṇakku (officer),•• Tāḻi of
[Mē]-Nāraṇamaṅgalam,
Parañjōdi Paṭṭālagaṉ of Nerkuṉṟam, the
Variyiliḍu (officer) Śuvaraṉ
Śāttaṉ of Uḍaiyūr and the
Paṭṭōlai (officer) Rājavijayābaraṇaṉ of
Kuṟichchi,——being
present.
(L. 121.) In the 14th year and 218th day (of Our reign), the three
thousand
kāḍi of puravu from Śaṅgappāḍikiḻāṉ's estate
(kāṇi)——a tax-free dēvadāna of (the
temple of) Mahādēva at
Tirumālpēru in Śiṟṟiyāṟṟūr belonging to your naḍu,
being
payable by the members of the assembly of Puduppākkam a brahmadēya
in
Puriśai-nāḍu, (since it was given over) to them as a dēvadāna
and a brahmadēya, and the
three thousand kāḍi of puravu, five hundred
and sixty-one kāḍi of iravu and twenty-six and
a half kaḻañju and
(one) mañjaḍi of gold which these residents of Siṟṟiyāṟṟūr have
been
previously paying (on the village of Śiṟṟiyāṟṟūr)——in all six thousand five
hundred and sixty-
one kāḍi of paddy and twenty-six and a half
kaḻañju and (one) mañjāḍi of gold, shall (thus) be
paid by the
members themselves of the assembly of Puduppākkam to (the temple
of)
Mahādēva at Tirumālpēru. This was entered in the accounts and given over
to them
as a dēvadāna and a brahmadēya.
(L. 141.) This••• the signature of Ādittaṉ alias
Mīṉavaṉ
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, Nakkaṉ•• Śōḻamūvēnda•• of••
This inscription which is dated in the 15th year of Parakēsarivarman Uttama-
Chōḷa mentions Śeṉṉi-Yeṟipaḍaichchōḻaṉ Uttamaśōḻaṉ who was
probably an
officer of the king. The first part of the name suggests that this chief would have
been
connected with Śeṉṉi-yeṟi-paḍai, i.e., the warlike army of
Śeṉṉi.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 15th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman
the
glorious Uttama-Chōḷadēva, Uttama-Chōḷa having been pleased to order
to
make and present in gold to (the temple of) Mahādēva at
Tiruvoṟṟiyūr, (an image of)
Śrībalidēva, eight trumpets, and
fly-whisks for the twenty-four fly-whisk-women from
the taxes of the king, (these) were
made and presented (by) Śeṉṉi-Yeṟipaḍaichchōḻaṉ
Uttamaśōḻaṉ•••
The inscription is dated in the 16th year of king Parakēsarivarman
alias
Madhurāntakadēva Uttama-Chōḷa and states that the temple of
Tirukku-
raṅgāḍutuṟai (i.e., the modern Āḍutuṟai
near Tiruviḍaimarudūr) was built of stone
by the king's mother Uḍaiyapirāṭṭiyār
Mādēvaḍigaḷār alias Śembiyaṉ-
mādēviyār and that
certain documents of grants made to the god in former times having
become old and damaged were
now re-engraved on the walls of the newly-constructed temple.
The temple of Tirukkuraṅgāḍutuṟai is already mentioned in the
Dēvāram
and as such it should have been in existence in some form or other in the
seventh century
A. D. It is not unlikely, therefore, that prior to the construction of it in
stone by the king's
mother there was, perhaps, a smaller stone structure with
inscriptions (laksaṇha) on it.
Consequently what is recorded here must refer to the
renovation of the temple by the queen
mother. In this connexion it may be noted that two
inscriptions of the Pāṇḍya king
Mārañjaḍaiyaṉ which are
earlier in point of time than the present record and are
also found on the temple walls, must
have been copies of older grants.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In this sacred stone temple which
Uḍaiyapirāṭṭiyār
Mādēvaḍigaḷār alias the glorious
Śembiyaṉ-Mādēviyār who had obtained in
her sacred womb the glorious
Madhurāntakadēva alias the glorious Uttama-
Chōḷa——had
graciously caused to be built to the god (āḻvār) at Tirukkuraṅgāḍu-
tuṟai in Tiraimūr-nāḍu, were engraved on stone, in the 16th year of
(the reign of)
the glorious Uttama-Chōḷadēva alias king
Parakēsarivarman (such) lakshaṇas
(i.e., inscriptions ?) as were made to this
god in former times (to last) as long as the moon and
the sun, and which
lakshaṇas on examination were found to have become old.
This inscription is dated in the 16th year of Parakēsarivarman Uttama-
Chōḷa. It refers to a scrutiny of accounts of the temple of
Tiruvoṟṟiyūr made
in this year and registers the assignment of a gold salver to the
temple by
the headman of Eḻinūr in Puṟaṅgarambai-nāḍu. The district in
which
Puṟaṅgarambai-nāḍu was situated is not given; but we know from other
records
that it was in Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu also called Teṉ
Kaḍuvāy. The village
of Eḻinūr mentioned in the record may
be identified with Eḻalūr in the Tirutturaip-
pūṇḍi taluk of the
Tanjore district.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 16th year of (the reign of) the glorious Uttama-
Chōḷadēva alias king Parakēsarivarman, Nandīśuran
alias Parakēsari-
Viḻupparaiyaṉ, the headman of
Eḻinūr, (a village) in Puṟaṅgarambai-nāḍu
(which was a
subdivision) of Śōḻa-nāḍu, who scrutinises the sacred business of the
god
(āḷvār) at Tiruvoṟṟiyūr, assigned, after adding up the king's income,
one gold salver
with pits, weighing eight hundred and eighty-eight kaḻañju marked and
pure (as tested by)
the stone (-weight) of the treasury (paṇḍārakkal),
for offering food to the god, as long as the
moon and the sun (endure). In this (are
included) the forty kaḻañju of marked and pure
gold deposited by Śīyaṉ
Puravariṉirañjaṉaṉ, (one of the) Vaḷañjiyar, for offer-
ing two
dishes of superior food (uttamāgram), (in order to secure merit) for Kāḷaṉ and
Māṇikkaśeṭṭi.
This inscription is engraved below a group of sculptures reproduced on the accompany-
ing plate. It states that, during the reign of Madhurāntaka dēva
alias Uttama-Chōḷa,
his mother Mādēvaḍigaḷār alias
Śembiyaṉ-Mādēviyār caused to be built in the
name of her husband
Gaṇḍarādityadēva, a stone temple at Tirunallam, i.e., the
modern
Kōnērirājapuram, which is one of the ancient Śaivite places of worship
mentioned
in the Dēvāram. The inscription serves as a key to understand the sculptures
below
which it is engraved. The female figure kneeling down in a worshipping posture is
queen
Śembiyaṉ-Mādēviyār and the one close to the liṅga is
Gaṇḍarāḍityadēva.
The two figures behind the queen are her attendants. The name
Ādityēśvara-Mahādēva
which occurs in other inscriptions of
Kōnērirājapuram indicates that it was derived
from Gaṇḍarāditya.
Hail ! Prosperity ! Mādēvaḍigaḷār alias the glorious
Śembiyaṉ-Mādēviyār,
queen of Gaṇḍarādityadēva, constructed in the
sacred name of her husband (viz.,)
the glorious Gaṇḍarādityadēva, a stone
temple to the lord (i.e., the god) of
Tirunallam (at the time) when her
illustrious son, i.e., the glorious Madhurāntaka-
dēva
alias the glorious Uttama-Chōḷa, was graciously ruling. This is (the
image
of) the glorious Gaṇḍarādityadēva which was (caused to be) made
in this sacred
stone temple in the posture of worshipping the sacred feet of the lord (i.e.,
the god) of
Tirunallam.
This inscription again is a label explaining an image; and is engraved above and on
the
sides of it.
Hail ! Prosperity ! This is Śāttaṉ Guṇabattaṉ alias Haracharaṇa-
śēgaraṉ of Ālattūr that built the sacred stone temple of
Uḍaiyapirāṭṭiyār
who had (obtained) in (her) sacred womb the
glorious Madhurāntakadēva alias
Uttama-Chōḷa. The title with which
he was honoured (in his office) was Rāja-
kēsari-Mūvēndavēḷār. (This is) he.
This inscription, which is fragmentary, registers the gift of a gold koḷgai set
with
gems, to the god at Tiruviśalūr. The place is mentioned in the
Dēvāram. It is
not known exactly what koḷgai means. Kombiṟ-koḷgai
occurs in the Tanjore inscriptions
as an ornament for the tusk of Gaṇapati. Perhaps
koḷgai is the cover or mask which is
generally put over the liṅga in Śiva
temples.
Hail ! Prosperity ! Uḍaiya[pirāṭṭiyār Śembi]yaṉ-Mahādēviyār who
had
(obtained) in (her) sacred womb king Parakēsarivarman alias the
glorious
Madurāntaka (the son of) the glorious Gaṇḍarāditya,
deposited•••
(one) sacred gold koḷgai in the treasury, [on the day] when she
bathed the great god at
Tiruviśalūr. On the upper kaṇḍam (of it) (there
were)•• three hundred
and fifty-five kaḻañju of gold. On this was set one ruby
(māṇikkam); surrounding this
were set•• diamonds (vayiram)•••••••
palaśavi
and tūgaḻumā (?) all round. (The whole weighed) 4,173——four
thousand one hundred and
seventy-three.•••
This inscription, which is built in at the beginning, registers a gift of land for
offerings
by the mother of king Uttama-Chōḷa, to the temple of
Siddhēśvaramuḍaiya-
Mahādēva at Tirunaṟaiyūr
which was a brahmadēya in Tirunaṟaiyūr-
nāḍu. The place is one
of those mentioned in the Dēvāram and is situated in the Kumba-
kōṇam
taluk of the Tanjore district. It may be noted that the queen mother is here
called
Pirāṉtakaṉ-Mādēvaḍigaḷār.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! Uḍaiyapirāṭṭiyār the glorious Pirāntamaṉ-
Mādēvaḍigaḷār alias the glorious Śembiyaṉ-Mādēviyār who
had obtained
in (her) sacred womb [king Parakēsarivarman] alias the
glorious Uttama-
Chōḷadēva, (gave) [6] vēli of land for
offerings•••• to (the god)
Siddhēśvaram-uḍaiya-Mahādēva at
Tirunaṟaiyūr which was a brahma-
dēya in
Tirunaṟaiyūr-nāḍu. The several (items of) expenses to be met from
this
(land) are as follow:——
(L. 2.) Rice for sacred offerings (to be made) three times (a day)•••
•• for
vegetable offerings•••••• ghee-offering, three
times••••• arecanuts for three times••••
13
plantain fruits to be offered three times; sugar for three times••• ten nāḻi
of
paddy for (the expenses of) one Brāhmaṇa who performs worship, including the cost
of
(his) cloth; sacred lamp••••• for śidāri••• ghee
•••
milk•• curds•• fried paddy••• receiving
these•••• including jalapavitra and
(other) things required for bathing
(the god)•••• and for the potter who makes
the required pots, when
scented powder is pounded••••• pound the scented powder••
••• to
spread below the pālikai•; for the necessary things to (raise the) sprouts
. .;
for the Brāhmaṇa who performs the puṇyāha•• for 5 palam of sugar
••; plantain
fruits 35•; arecanuts••; different spices••
thus for•• Saṅkrānti•• Saṅkrānti••
superior•• ;••
rice for sacred offerings at midday to the god who presents himself•• ; at this
rate
for five vegetable-offerings• ; in all, for one year•• for the expenses of feeding
on
festival days•• ; thus the•• spent for the daily expenses, for the 12
Saṅkarāntis, for the
two pairs of sacred cloths (pariśaṭṭam), to the god who presents himself
in festive
procession and for the feeding expenses on festival days; the arrangement made
for this is as
follows:——(The village) Mēlaḍavāy in Tirunaṟaiyūr-nāḍu,
which
the king (uḍaiyār) gave as a tax-free dēvadāna land is the
following.
This is a record of the time of Parakēsarivarman Uttama-Chōḷa and
registers a
grant of land to Dayāparappērambalam built in the temple (?) at Tirup-
pāttuṟai. The assembly of Uttamaśīli-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,
i.e., the
present Uttamaśīli village in the Trichinopoly district, received the gift
and made it tax-
free. Dayāparappērambalam herein mentioned was probably the name
of a hall where
the village assembly used to meet.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the•• year of (the reign of) king Parakēsari-
varman alias the glorious Uttama-Chōḷa••• the glorious
Uttamaśīli-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam (which was a) brahmadēya•••
Vāsudēvaṉ and
•••• the land purchased by these••• Having received
(this)
one mā and a half śēy of land which they had purchased (and
which was) on the western side
••• the fifth pāḍagam belonging to Śandiraṉ
Vishṇubhaṭṭaṉ and his group of
śadukkam-owners,——as an ambalappuṟam
(i.e., gift for the maintenance of an ambalam) to
the (hall called)
Dayāparappērambalam which they had built•• in this
village; and having received on
hand the 5 five kāśu of taṭṭiṟai (derived) from this half kāṇi
and
(one) mundirigai of assessed land of the 8th taram (class),——ordered the said
(land) of
one mā and a half śēy to be tax-free, as long as the moon and
the sun (endure); caused the
deduction of taxes (to be entered) in the land
register (nilamudal ?) and the tax register
(pottagam) and had (the
transaction) engraved on stone on the sacred central shrine (śrīvi-
māna) of (the temple at) Tiruppāttuṟai. Since this land is not
liable to pay śeṉṉīrveṭṭi
and all other taxes, if (any) tax is shown
(against it), (the said persons) shall pay a fine of
50 kaḻañju of gold which
the assembly would decide for being credited to the sacred feet (of
the king). Even
after paying the gold demanded in full (maṟaiyili), still we (the members)
of
the big assembly shall guard this land against (payment of) taxes.
This and the next number together constitute one record of Parakēsarivarman
who is
identical with Madhurāntaka Uttama-Chōḷa. The object of the inscrip-
tion is to register the grant of certain lands to the temple at Tirunallam in
Veṇṇāḍu,
which had been constructed of stone by queen
Śembiyaṉ-Mādēviyār in the name
of her husband Gaṇḍarāditya. Prior to
the date of this record she is stated to have
laid out a new flower-garden for the temple by
purchasing lands from the assembly of
Tirunallam and getting them exempted from
payment of taxes and to have increased the
original provision for feeding Brāhmaṇas in the
temple. The king also granted in the
3rd year of his reign two vēli of land for the
upkeep of the garden and in the sixth year a
further 16 vēli for the expenses in
connexion with the feeding of Brāhmaṇas (ll. 24 to 26).
In the 7th year and 240th day of his reign when the king was encamped
at
Pichchaṉkōyil, one of his executive officers named Parakēsari Mūvēnda-
vēḷāṉ informed the former that the gift for feeding Brāhmaṇas was not
sufficient and
that a further gift of 12 vēli of land had to be made. This was done
accordingly in the
7th year of reign (ll. 23 to 40). A detailed description of the boundary
line of the two vēli
and the 12 vēli of land respectively granted for the
maintenance of the flower-garden and the
feeding house is given in 47 lines (ll. 51 to 98). The
privileges and exemptions granted
in favour of these two lands occupy lines 99 to 115. With
line 116 commences a new grant
dated in the 8th year and 143rd day of the same king when he was
encamped at
Kāṟaikkāṭṭu Paṉaiyūr. The request now was for the regulation of the
expenses
for all the income derived from the dēvadāna lands of the Tirunallam
temple. Accord-
ingly, on the 151st day of the same year the king ordered that
specified amounts of gold
and paddy collected as tax on the dēvadāna
lands of Tirunallam were to be deducted
from the general revenue and that the number
of Brāhmaṇas who were fed in the feeding
house be raised from 25 to 40, the additional
expense being met from the remaining balance
under a certain item provided for in the old
regulations.
This brings us to the end of No. 151 which is engraved on the last section of the south
wall
and the adjoining section on the east wall of the temple which itself faces west The two
next
sections on the east wall, two lines on the top of the north wall and a portion again of
the
east wall seem to contain the continuation. Consequently, on account of the
irregular
arrangement on the walls, this continuation is treated separately as No. 151A. It
describes
the regulated expenses referred to at the end of No. 151. As many as 4,151
kalam of
paddy and lands, whose measurements are given in great detail, were provided
for, in order
to maintain the regular service in the temple, such as, the various dishes of
oblations to
the images, sandal paste, incense, lamps, the śrībali-ceremony held on
the natal star
Jyēshṭhā of queen Śembiyaṉ-Mādēviyār, feeding
Brāhmaṇas, pay (with cost
of clothing) of the worshipper, the festivals
Mārgaḻi-Tiruvādirai and Vaigāśī-Viśāgam,
the pay (with cost of clothing)
of Brāhmaṇas who crushed sandal, the Brāhmaṇa
servants who held the canopy (over the
images) and rendered other necessary service,
servants who picked up flowers and strung them,
servants who swept the sacred temple
and smeared it with cowdung, musicians, trumpeters,
conch-blowers, watchmen of
images, reciters of the Tiruppadiyam hymns, Brāhmaṇas who
attended to the general
management of the temple (kōvil-vāriyam), the temple
accountant of the potter caste, the
potter who supplied pots, the dyer (?) who dyed the sacred
cloth (for the images), the
Brāhmaṇa who carried the water from the Kāvērī for the
sacred bath, the official auditor
who checked the temple transactions under orders of the king,
temple repairs, the monthly
sacred baths and the ceremonies on eclipses, renewal of screens and
canopies, the purifi-
catory ceremony called Jalapavitra, annual renewal of
sacred cloths, the astrologer who
recited the astronomical changes every day and carried the
calendar (nāḷōtai) with him, the
pay (including cost of clothing) of the gardeners
and of their assistants, the temple architect,
the carpenter and the blacksmith, special
worship for the images of Tripuravijaya, Vrishabha-
vāhana and Gaṇapati and the
sacred bath with the five articles, viz., milk, curds, butter,
sugar and honey. The
extent of the houses occupied by the temple servants, hymners.
priests, musicians, the temple
manager and others, is also recorded.
The several officers of the king who legalised the grant by affixing their signatures,
the
immunities granted to and the privileges enjoyed by the donee, viz., the
present
Umāmahēśvara temple at Tirunallam, are of very great interest. The
officers mentioned
are the councillors (Karumam-ārāyum), revenue officers
(Puṟavuvaṟi), officers (in charge)
of revenue registers
(Vaṟippottagam), revenue accountants (Vaṟippottaga-kaṇakku), revenue
clerks
(Variyiliḍu), Mugaveṭṭi, Paṭṭōlai and the Chief Secretary
(Ōlaināyagam). The
privileges and immunities granted are almost the same as those
mentioned in Vol. II,
pp. 512 and 530 f. The scheme of the document was apparently a model on
which the later
grants recorded on the large Leyden copper-plates and other
similar ones were drawn up.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! Uḍaiyapirāṭṭiyār Śembiyaṉ-Mādēviyār
was
pleased to convert the temple of god Mahādēva (Śiva) of Tirunallam
in
Veṇṇāḍu into a sacred stone temple, bearing the sacred name of (her
husband) the
glorious Gaṇḍarāditya.
(L. 2.) For the land required to (lay out) a sacred flower-garden to the god,
(she)
obtained free of taxes, by complete sale, (a portion of) the land belonging
to the members of
the assembly of this village.
(L. 3.) We were requested that, in order to (make) provision for koṟṟu and
puḍavai
(cloth) money for the four persons who do work in the flower-garden made
(therein and
called) the glorious Gaṇḍarāditya and other flower-gardens, the
two vēli of Kīḻaḍa-
kuvilai land in Veṇṇāḍu with
its income of two hundred and twenty-four kalam
of paddy may be entered in the books
from the 3rd year (of reign), as a tax-free
dēvadāna for the maintenance of the
flower-garden (nandavāṉappuṟam)
(L. 8.) We declared that the two vēli of Kīḻaḍukuvilai land in
Veṇṇāḍu shall
have its previous owners replaced and the tenants removed; that it shall, inclusive of the
kārāṇmai and mīyāṭchi, be a
tax-free dēvadāna for the maintenance of the flower-garden
(nandavāṉappuṟam)
of Mahādēva (Śiva) at Tirunallam; that it shall be (so) registered
in
the accounts and receive from the 3rd year (of reign) all immunities (parihāra),
not
being subjected to the payment of any antarāya (taxes).
(L. 12.) In accordance with the order (thus) issued and drawn up by Vēḷāṉ
Madu-
rāntagaṉ who writes our orders and bearing the signature of
Vēḷāṉ Kaṇḍarādichchaṉ,
our Chief Secretary (Ōlaināyagaṉ), as orally
instructed by the āṇatti of Paramēśvaraṉ
Araṅgaṉ alias
Irumuḍiśōḻa-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of Kōṉūr, Kōyil Mayilai
alias
Madurāntaka-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of Śiṟṟiṅgaṇ and
Kōdukulavaṉ Śāttaṉ
alias Parakēsari-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of
Paruttikkuḍi who look after our affairs
(karumam-ārāyum);) and by the
vāykēḻvi) of the Puravuvari (officers) Taṇḍi-Pūdi
alias
Śembiyaṉ Uttaramantri, the headman (talaimagaṉ) of
Iraiyāṉkuḍi, Parañ-
jōdi-Nīlaṉ alias
Anantavikrama-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of Neṟkuṉṟam and
Araiyaṉ
Kaṟpagam alias Vīrābharaṇa-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of Kīraik-
kaḷḷūr, the two vēli of Kīḻaḍakuvilai land
(situated) in your nāḍu, has been
given away for the
maintenance of the flower-garden (nandavāṉappuṟam), and registered
in the account
books as a tax-free dēvadāna from the 3rd year (of Our reign), with its
hamlets
circumambulated.
(L. 21.) In the 7th year and 240th day (of Our reign), when we were in the front
hall
(kūḍam) of (our) palace (vīḍu) within the camp
at Pichchaṉkōyil on the northern
side of Kaḍambūr, Parakēsari
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ who looks after our business
informed us:——“Uḍaiyapirāṭṭiyār
Śembiyaṉ-Mādēviyār was pleased to
construct of stone, under the sacred name of the
glorious Gaṇḍarāditya, the temple of
Mahādēva (Śiva) of
Tirunallam which is a brahmadēya of Veṇṇāḍu. She
was
(also) pleased to regulate the expenses of this god on a scale higher than before.
She
was further pleased to provide a feeding-house (śālā) in this (temple) for
(the merit of her)
husband (uḍaiyār), so that twenty-five Brāhmanas may be fed
daily as long as the moon and
the sun (endure).”
(L. 26.) “For the necessary paddy to meet the regulated expenses (nibandam) of
this
god, the pañchavāra paddy of six hundred kalam from the twelve vēli of land
of
Pūṅguḍi, an old dēvadāna (village) of this god, which had been formerly
fixed to be
deducted from (the income of) the god and given (to us) and the
pañchavāra paddy of two
hundred kalam from the four vēli of land of
Muśiṭṭaikkuḍi which had (also) been fixed
to be deducted from (the
income of) the god and given (to us), were graciously given over to
this god alone
and from the sixth year (of reign) had (their) tenants removed, were
made
tax-free, and were entered in the accounts (as such). (It is again found that) the
paddy which
this god has been getting as per pledges (aḍaippaḍi) from the old
dēvadāna (lands) together
with this eight hundred kalam of paddy does not
suffice to meet the regulated expenses
which Her Majesty has been pleased to make and that a
further (quantity of) six hundred and
fifty-two kalam, (one) tūṇi and (one)
padakku of paddy is required. (Besides), for feeding
twenty-five
Brāhmaṇas in the feeding house (śālā) which was established in this (temple)
for
(the merit of) the Uḍaiyār (her husband) is required, for one year, nine
hundred and thirty-
seven kalaṃ and (one) tūṇi and (one)
padakku of paddy for vegetables, firewood, ghee, curds,
different spices, betel-leaves
and nuts, including (the pay of) cooks, at the rate of (one)
kuṟuṇi and two
nāḻi of paddy per day for each person. The total quantity of paddy (thus
further
required) for the regulated expenses is (one) thousand five hundred and
ninety
kalam. For this may be granted the twelve vēli of Iḷanalam land
in Veṇṇāḍu
as a dēvadāna and śālābhōga, and be (so)
entered in the account-books as tax-free from the
piśāṉ of the 7th year (of
reign) so that there-may be an income by pledge or lease of
(one)
thousand and five hundred and ninety kalam of paddy from it.”
(L. 37.) We (being thus informed), ordered that the twelve vēli of land of
Iḷanalam
in Veṇṇāḍu shall have its previous owners replaced and its
tenants removed; that
from the piśāṉ of the 7th year (of Our reign), (this
land) inclusive of kārāṇmai and
mīyāṭchi, shall be made a tax-free
dēvadāna and śālābhōga; that this village•••
••• shall receive all
immunities (parihāra), shall be tax-free so that it shall not pay
any kind of tax
(antarāya), and shall be (so) entered in the accounts.
(L. 41.) In accordance with the issued order drawn up by Śembaṉ Aruḷaṉ Utta-
magīti who writes Our orders and under the signatures of Vēḷāṉ
Gaṇḍarādichchaṉ
alias Mīṉavaṉ-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ and Vēḷāṉ
Aṇṇāvaṉ our Chief Secretaries (Ōlaināyaga)
and (orally) instructed by
the āṇatti of Parakēsari-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ who looks after
Our affairs and
by the vāykēḻvi of the Puravuvari (officers) Śembiyaṉ Uttara-
mantri, Vīrābaraṇa-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, Aḍigaḷ Nakkaṉ, the
headman
(kiḻavaṉ) of Pavvattiri, Ārūraṉ Udayadivākaraṉ of
Pēraraiśūr and
Śēndaṉ Arakkuḍi of Koṭpūr, the twelve
vēli of land of Iḷanalam in your
nāḍu which have been entered in the
accounts as a tax-free dēvadāna and śālābhōga from
the paśāṉ of
the 7th year (of Our reign) shall have its hamlets circumambulated; (and
for this
purpose) we give Parakēsari Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, Rāmabhaṭṭa
of Ādaṉūr,
Tāḻi-Bhaṭṭa of Koḍuṅgai and the Puravuvari
Śembiyaṉ
Uttaramantri to well (your number). You shall, in company with these
persons,
mark out the boundaries, take round the female elephant, circumambulate the
hamlets,
plant stones and milk-bush and prepare the written deed.
(L. 49.) A royal order with the above wording having reached the residents of the
district
(nāṭṭōm) in the 7th year of (the reign of) king
Parakēsarivarman, we, the
residents of the district, saw the royal order
(coming), went to meet (it), worshipped,
received and placed (the order)
on our heads, marked out the boundary, led round the female
elephant and circumambulated the
hamlets of the land of Kīḻaḍakuvilai of which (the
boundaries are):——
(L. 50.) The eastern boundary commences from the head of the channel running
southwards for
irrigating Koṟṟaṅguḍi in Veṇṇāḍu——it being (a branch) of
the
channel which irrigates Vaḍakaṇṇamaṅgalam in the same nāḍu. Allowing
the mēnaḍai
water of this channel to irrigate, it
(i.e., the boundary line) passes along the existing course in
a southerly direction in
the middle of it, joins the boundary of Koṟṟaṅguḍi and including
the half of this
channel, (it thus far lies) to the west of the boundary of Tirunallam.
From
this (point), it proceeds up to the western embankment (of the channel) and passes in
a
westerly direction and (then) in a southerly direction along the existing boundary
of
Koṟṟaṅguḍi (and thus far lies) to the north and west (of it). It
passes (again) eastwards
and southwards along this existing boundary and joins the spot,
on the western embankment
of the tank dug out by Pūttoṇḍaṉ in the land of
Koṟṟaṅguḍi where the dyke
on the northern boundary of Iḷanalam empties
itself, (and thus far lies) to the west of
the boundary of Koṟṟaṅguḍi.
(L. 56.) The southern boundary passes in a westerly direction along this existing dyke
of
numerous windings in the middle of it; and joins the south-east corner of the field
called
Śanakkāl of Tirunallam, (and thus far lies) to the north of the
boundary line of
Iḷanalam.
(L. 57.) The western boundary passes northwards along the existing eastern boundary
of the
field called Śanakkāl and joins the channel which runs to irrigate (the lands
of)
Vaḍakannamaṅgalam, (and thus far lies) to the east (of
Śanakkāl).
(L. 59.) The northern boundary passes eastwards along this existing channel
(of
Vaḍakaṇṇamaṅgalam) in the middle of it, joins the channel which flows
from
this southwards to irrigate (the lands of) Koṟṟaṅguḍi••• , (and
thus far
lies) to the south of the field called Maṇṇaichchey••• of
Tirunallam.
(These are) the two vēli of land of
Kīḻaḍakuvilai (thus) comprised in the above described
four big
boundaries.
(L. 61.) The eastern boundary of Iḷanalam, which is the dēvadāna and
śālābhōga of
this god (is as follows):——.••• the western embankment of the
tank dug
out by Pūttoṇḍaṉ in the land (belonging to)
Koṟṟaṅguḍi in Veṇṇāḍu•
•••• commencing from the spot••• of the
southern boundary
of Kīḻaḍakuvilai, and passing southwards close upon the western
embankment of
this tank and eastwards close upon (its) southern embankment, (it thus
far lies) to the west
and to the south (of the tank). From this point (it
again) passes southwards and eastwards
along the existing western boundary of this
Koṟṟaṅguḍi and joining the western
boundary of (the field of)
Kaḍu[gu]vār which is a dēvadāna in this nāḍu••
•• (it thus far lies
to) the west and to the south of the boundary of Koṟṟaṅguḍi
••• this, . .•• passes southwards along the existing boundary, joins
the channel of
Pūṅguḍi which forms the northern boundary of the land (belonging
to)
Paravaikkuḍi, a brahmadēya of this nāḍu (and thus far lies)
to the west of the western
boundary of the field (called) Kaḍuguvār.•••
passes westwards in the
middle of it allowing the flow of the mēnaḍai water to
irrigate the villages which (have to)
receive water from the channel of
Pūṅguḍi, joins the boundary of Tirunallam, (and
thus far lies to)
the north of the boundary of Paravaikkuḍi including half of the above-
said channel. From this (point it) goes up to the north bank, passes northwards
along the
existing boundary of Tirunallam, and (thus far lies to) the east
(of it); (then) passing
westwards along the said existing boundary, joins the spot where
the channel irrigating
Iḷanalam terminates (?), passes westwards and southwards at
the middle of this channel
as it goes, and joins the channel of
Pūṅguḍi which forms the northern boundary of
Paravaikkuḍi, (and thus
far lies to) the north and west of the boundary of
Tirunallam.
(L. 76.) The western boundary passes westwards and north-westwards along
this
Pūṅguḍi channel at its middle as it goes, joins the boundary of
Tirunallam
including half of this channel, (and thus far lies to the) north and
east of the boundary of
Paravaikkuḍi. (Then) passing northwards along this
channel at its middle, as it goes,
(it) joins the channel flowing to
Vaḍakaṇṇamaṅgalam for irrigating (its lands),
(and thus far lies to the)
east of the boundary of Tirunallam. (Then) from here allowing
the flow of the
mēṉaḍai water of this channel, (it) passes along the middle of the channel
of
Vaḍakaṇṇamaṅgalam north wards, reaches the eastern embankment, and (thus
far
lies to the) east including half of this channel.
(L. 84.) The northern boundary passes eastwards along the ridge (varambu) of
the
southern boundary of the land belonging to Paramēśvaraṉ Kuṉṟaṉ and
Śiṅgaṉ
Chandraśēgaraṉ of Tirunallam, joins the nattam
(village-site) called Tiru-
nallattuchchēri on the northern side of the
village-site of Iḷanalam, (and thus far
lies to the) south (of it).
From this (point it) proceeds south of the vidai of the
western
boundary of the flower-garden (known as) Śembiyaṉmādēvi belonging
to (the temple
of) Mahādēva (Śiva) of Tirunallam
(situated) in the said chēri and (then) east of the
vidai of
(its) southern boundary, (and thus far lies to the) south (of it); (it then)
passes north-
wards along the middle of the street which forms the eastern boundary
of this flower-
garden, reaches the south-west corner of the tank on the northern
side of Iḷanalam,
passes in a north-easterly direction in the middle of this tank,
joins the north-eastern corner,
(and thus far lies to the) east of the boundary of
Tirunallam including half of this tank.
From this (point it) passes north wards
in the same direction as the path (on the) ridge which
goes to Tirunallam,
(and thus far lies to the) east (of it). From here (it) passes east-
wards along the existing ridge of the southern boundary of the land called
Maṭṭaimūṉ-
ṟumā (belonging) to (the god)
Mahādēva (Śiva) of Tirunallam, (and thus far lies to
the)
south (of it). From this (point it) passes southwards along the ridge as it goes, on
the
western boundary of the field called Śaṇakkāl in Tirunallam, (and
thus far lies) to the
west (of it). It (then) passes eastwards along the
ridge as it goes, on the southern boundary
of this, reaches the south-western corner of the
land of Kīḻaḍakuvilai which was a
flower garden property, (and thus far
lies) to the south of the boundary of Tirunallam.
From here (it) passes
eastwards as it goes, along the middle of the dyke which forms the
southern boundary of the
land of Kīḻaḍakuvilai, joins the spot where it first started on
the western
embankment of the tank dug out by Pūttoṇḍaṉ in the land of Koṟṟaṅ-
guḍi, and (thus far lies) to the south of the boundary of the land of
Kīḻaḍakuvilai,
including half of the dyke. These (are) the twelve
vēli of land of Iḷanalam included
within the four big boundaries thus
specified.
(L.99.) These two villages thus (defined) including village-sites, houses,
house-sites,
open spaces, waste-land where cattle graze, tanks, threshing-floors, ant-hills,
halls (?), jungle,
pīḍiligai, barren grounds, saltish grounds, hollow grounds,
reservoirs, dykes, creaks, rivers,
river-beds, pits where fish exist, hollows where honey is
gathered, trees growing up and wells
sunk below, with every kind (of
land) where the iguana runs or the tortoise crawls,
without excluding any portion of land
included (in the boundaries), replacing (its) previous
owners and removing
tenants, were granted tax-free as dēvadāna, nandavāṉappuṟa and
śālābhōga
inclusive of kārāṇmai and mīyāṭchi.
(L. 104.) The (following is the) written declaration (vyavasthai) for the grant
(thus
made):——These lands shall (enjoy the privilege of) being irrigated by
channels dug out as (per
rules) for the distribution of water. Others shall not cut and
dig out diversions from these
channels nor put up small piccotas, nor bail water by baskets,
nor obstruct (the flow) with
cross-banks. The water (thus made) available must
not be wasted; that water must be
economically used. Storied buildings and mansions may be
erected with burnt tiles
(bricks ?); step-reservoirs might be sunk; coconuts might be planted
in groves; artemissia,
sweet marjoram, andropogon muriatum, champaka, red lilies, mango,
jack, coconut, palmyra
and other fruit-yielding trees might be planted••• ; the coconut,
areca and
palmyra (trees) thus planted, shall not be climbed (i.e.,
tapped) by toddy-drawers; (and) big
oil-presses might be set up. (The following
are) the immunities granted for (the lands) thus
declared:——fee for governing the
district (nāḍāṭchi), fee for governing the village (ūrāṭ-
chi), the toll of a nāḻi on each basket
(vaṭṭināḻi), (pitānāḻi),
marriage-fee
(kaṇṇālakkāṇam), the fee on washerman's stone
(vaṇṇārappāṟai), the fee on the
potter (kuśakkāṇam),
fee on brokers, the fee on the goldsmith (taṭṭārappāṭṭam),
fee on
(bazaars of ?) betel-leaves (ilaikkūlam), the cloth on (each) loom,
fee for
(maintaining) justice (maṉṟupāḍu), māviṟai, (fee for
stopping) fire-accidents (tīyeri),
(fee on) good cow
(nallā), (fee on) good bull (nallerudu), (fee for) district
patrol,
ūḍupōkku, (fee for) carrying bows (viṟpiḍi),
vālamañjāḍi, tolls, tax on ferries
(ōḍakkūli), tax on water
(nīrkūli), (fee on) toddy-drawers (īḻampūṭchi), tax
on shepherds (iḍaippāṭṭam), aṭṭukkiṟai,
ūrkaḻañju and all other (income)
which the king could take and enjoy, shall
no longer be taken by the king but shall be
received only by the Mahādēva
(Śiva) of the sacred stone temple of Tirunallam.
(L. 114.) The thus-described declaration and exemptions being obtained, we (the
residents
of the country and the king's officers) led round the female elephant, planted stones
and
milk-bush and drew up the document. This is the signature of (me)
Mīṉavaṉ
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ.
(L. 116.) In the 8th year and 143rd day (of the reign) of king Parakēsari-
varman, when His Majesty was pleased to be seated in the first floor of the
mansion
within (his) camp-palace at Kāraikkāṭṭu-Paṉaiyūr, He was pleased
to hear (a
request) for the regulation of expenses of the dēvadāna villages, of
the Tirunallam
(temple). (He was pleased to order thus) “Three kaḻañju,
(one) mañjāḍi and (one) kuṉṟi
of gold and thirty-nine kalam, (one)
padakku and four nāḻi of pañchavāra (paddy)——the
tax
(nilavōpādi) accruing on land (measuring) two (vēli) and a half,
four-twentieths, three-
eightieths and one by three-hundred and twentieth + 1/320 of
one-twentieth, one-
fortieth and one by three hundred and twentieth, which is a
dēvadāna of Tirunal-
lam and a brahmadēya in
Veṇṇāḍu, as part of the seventy vēli of land according to
the old
(account) books of this Tirunallam (village), may, from the 8th year (of
Our
reign), be deducted from the gold and the pañchavāra (paddy) which this
Tirunallam
has been paying as tax in the past; the excess of paddy from
Iḷanalam, a dēvadāna
of this god in this nāḍu, which will remain
after meeting the expenses provided for, (shall
be utilised) to feed forty persons
(in all) by adding fifteen Brāhmaṇas to the twenty-five
Brāhmanas
(already) fed in the śālā of this god; and one camphor-lamp and one
sacred
perpetual lamp shall also burn in (the temple of) the god of this
Tirunallam.” The entry
in the accounts in this wise being graciously ordered (by
the king), (the order) was written
by the Mandiravōlai (officer)
Śembiyaṉ and was issued with the signatures of the Ōlainā-
yagam
(officers) Mīṉavaṉ Mūvēndavēḷāṉ and Vēḷāṉ Aṇṇāttaḍigal, at
the
direction of the officer Kōdukulavaṉ Śāttaṉ alias Parakēsari
Mūvēṉda-
vēḷāṉ of Paruttikkuḍi, so that (in pursuance of
the above order) it may be entered in
the accounts; (the following persons), viz.,
the Puravuvari (officers) Ārūraṉ Udayadi-
vākaraṉ of
Pēraraiśūr and Aḍigaḷ Nakkaṉ the headman of Pavvattiri;
the
Varippottagam (officer) Tāḻi Chandraśēkharaṉ of Tirunallūr; the
Mugaveṭṭi
(officer) Rājādityaṉ of Mukkurumbil; the
Kaṇgāṇivarippottagam (officer) Viḷ-
laippāṅgiḻāṉ Niṟaiyaṉ
Araṅgaṉ, the Varippottagakaṇakku
(officer)••
••Tiruvāñjiyamuḍaiyāṉ, the Variyiliḍu (officer)
Śūraṉ Aṇiyaṉ and the
(Paṭṭōlai (officer) Gaṇapuravaṉ, being
present, (it was ordered) in the eighth year and
(one) hundred and fifty-first
day, that out of the seventy vēli of land according to the old
account books of
Tirunallam, a brahmadēya in Veṇṇāḍu, the land which is
(in
extent) two (vēli) and a half, four-twentieths, three-eightieths, one by
three hundred and
twentieth + 1/320 of one-twentieth, one-fortieth and one by three hundred and
twentieth
and is a dēvadāna of Tirunallam under the enjoyment of the god
being made tax-free
in favour of this god, may be deducted (from the accounts) from the
8th year (of reign).
(Also) may be deducted••• three kaḻañju (one) mañjāḍi
and (one) kuṉṟi of
gold, the pañchavāra (paddy)••• kalam, (one) padakku and
four
nāḻi••••• (thus this) land (measuring) two (vēli) and a half,
four-
twentieths, three-eightieths, one by three hundred and twentieth + 1/320
of•••
•••• and one by three hundred and twentieth••• of land••
•••••
Make these lands of Tirunallam••• including lands••••
tax•• and lands paying•••• Having
(thus) been pleased
(to order) (the lands) as are in the enjoyment of the god in
this Hall, tax-free••
. one-eightieth, one hundred and sixtieth + 1/320 of one fourth, of half
mā (and)
one hundred and sixtieth (and) one by three hundred and twentieth——in
all——the land of
this Tirunallam (viz.) being nine••• three-hundred and twentieth +
1/320
of half mā (and) one-eightieth, the (following) expenditure
(nibhandam) from (the income
of) the lands of Muśuṭṭaikuḍi and
Iḷanallam which are the Brahmadēya of
Veṇṇāḍu••••• to the god for the
sacred morning offerings.
(Line 1.) (One) kuṟuṇi of rice; four nāḻi (of rice) for a dish of rice mixed
with
pulse (payaṟṟuppōṉagam), (one) kuṟuṇi (of rice) for midday
(offerings), (one) kuṟuṇi (of
rice) for the night (offering) and four
nāḻi (of rice) for midnight (offerings); altogether,
for (this) (one)
tūṇi of rice, (were provided) two tūṇi and one padakku of superior
paddy
(śeṉṉel) at five (measures of paddy) per two (measures of rice),
including the wages of
servants (for husking it); (one)
kuṟuṇi and four nāḻi of paddy, for four nāḻi of cleaned
split pulse
for the dish of rice mixed with pulse (offered) in the early part of the day;
two
nāḻi of paddy for two palams of sugar to be offered (with) the dish
of rice mixed with pulse;
five nāḻi of paddy for•• fruit cut (and
offered along) with the dish of rice mixed
with pulse; (one) tūṇi of paddy, for
(one) uḻakku and one āḻākku of ghee for (offerings in)
the early part
of the day, for one uḻakku and one āḻākku (of ghee) for the midday, night
and
midnight (offerings) and for one nāḻi of ghee•• things for fried-curry; six
nāḻi of
paddy for two nāḻi of cleaned split pulse for kummāyam (offered) on the four occasions (of
worship); (one) kuṟuṇi
and four nāḻi of paddy for (providing) four curries in all (viz.,)
[one
vegetable curry], one boiled curry (puḻukku), one curry mixed with tamarind
(puḷiṅgari)
and one fried curry (porikkari), including (the cost of)
asafaetida, sugar and tamarind; .
••four nāḻi of paddy, for four nāḻi of curd
(offered) on four occasions (of worship);
one kuṟuṇi and two
nāḻi of paddy for•• and two bundles (paṟṟu) of betel leaf; two
nāḻi
of paddy for (supplying) fuel for cooking the sacred food and two nāḻi of paddy for
two
palam of turmeric•• for smearing (the image) on the four occasions (of the
day).
Thus for•• three [kalam], two tūṇi and one kuṟuṇi of paddy
for a year at••
two tūṇi, one padakku and four nāḻi (a day) (the following
lands were assigned):——
(L. 10.) The land (called) Maṇṇichchey in Tirunallam
(measuring) nine-
twentieths, three-eighths, one by one hundred and sixtieth
+ 1/320 of seven-twentieths,
three-eightieths, one by one hundred and sixtieth, one by three
hundred and twentieth, one
by one hundred and sixtieth, half•• + 1/320 of two-twentieths,
one-eightieth, one
by one hundred and sixtieth, one by three hundred and twentieth + 1/320 of
seven-
twentieths, one-eightieth and one by three hundred and twentieth; (the
land) on the south
bank of Kuṇḍuvāy (measuring) eight-twentieths + 1/320
of half, three-twentieths and three-
eightieths; (land)•• of the
(channel) Subrahmaṇya-vāykkāl (measuring) one-
twentieth,
one-fortieth, one by one hundred and sixtieth, one by three hundred and twentieth
+ 1/320 of
half and one by one hundred and sixtieth; (land) lying to the east of
Parpanedi
(measuring) one-twentieth, one by three hundred and twentieth + 1/320 of half,
one-twentieth
and three-eightieths; (land) at Turutti (measuring)
seven-twentieths, one by one hundred
and sixtieth, one by three hundred and twentieth + 1/320
of four-twentieths + 1/320
of•• one and a half.
(L. 12.) For (providing) (one) hundred and eighty kalams of paddy for each year,
at
(one) tūṇi and (one) padakku every day for four palams of sandal•• on
four occasions (of
worship)•• with sacred sandal paste made of balls (the following
lands were assigned):
(the land) Tiruttōṇippuram of Tirunallam
(measuring) one-quarter and three-eightieths;
(the land) Śivadēvaṉ
(measuring) four-twentieths, one-eightieth, one by one hundred and
sixtieth, one by
three hundred and twentieth + 1/320 of three-twentieths; (the land)
Nāraṇa
(measuring) three-eightieths; (the land) of the village (measuring)
one-eightieth
+ 1/320 of three quarters, four-twentieths, three-eightieths and one by
three-hundred and
twentieth; (the land) at Turutti (measuring)
six-twentieths, three-eightieths + 1/320 of
three quarter and one-twentieth.
(L. 15.) For sixty kalam of paddy every year at one padakku each day for
(provid-
ing) incense (was assigned land) at Turutti of
Tirunallam (measuring) nine-twentieths, one
by three hundred and twentieth +
1/320 of three quarters, and one by three hundred and
twentieth. (The following persons)
placed sacred perpetual lamps (in the temple): Hārita
Kuṉṟa Nakkaṉ of Tirunallam, one (lamp);
Pālāśiriyaṉ Nārāyaṇaṉ Vaḍu-
gaṉ, one (lamp);
Paṭṭanakki wife of the Brāhmaṇa Pālāśiriyaṉ Dāmōdiraṉ Bhās-
kara Bhaṭṭaṉ, half (lamp); Āritaṉ Charitaṉ• one
(lamp) Ārita N6akkaṉ••
one (lamp);••• alias Parakēsari
Viḻuppēraraiyaṉ the headman of•
•• one (lamp);•• Nāgiriyaṉ Ādittaṉ,
one (lamp) (and) [Uga] eḻuppaḷi,
one (lamp); five sacred perpetual
lamps which (the king ?) was pleased to place. In all for
(these) twelve and a
half (lamps)•••••• oil daily will have to be
burnt. Three uḻākku of oil for
[two] (lamps ?) (of) Aṇukka••• in the three
conjunctions (of the day); four
nāḻi of oil daily for (burning) the cluster of lamps (consisting)
of one
hundred and twenty-eight (lights); oil for śrībali•••• ; For
providing (one)
nāḻi and one uḻakku of oil daily for [two] lamps•••••
two for midday
(service) and fourteen for the night (service); (Thus) in all, for nine
nāḻi
and (one) āḻākku of oil (was provided) (one) thousand and
ninety-five kalam of paddy for each
year, at one tūṇi (of paddy) for (one)
nāḻi of oil••• (one) padakku of paddy for
(providing) daily (one)
uri of ghee of good smell for one sacred perpetual lamp; two tūṇi
(one) kuṟuṇi
and (one) padakku of paddy for seven mañjāḍi and (one) kuṉṟi of
camphor•
••••• three hundred and seventy kalam of paddy for each year, at
two
tūṇi and three kuṟuṇi each day. In all (for providing) (one)
thousand four hundred and
twenty-five kalam of paddy••••• northern portion of
Strī••
channel of Tirunallam, (measuring) one quarter, one-fortieth one by three
hundred and
twentieth + 1/320 of three quarters, two-twentieths, one-fortieth and one by one
hundred
and sixtieth; (land) in Kuśappēṟṟu (measuring)
seven-twentieths, one by three hundred
and twentieth + 1/320 of three quarters and
one-twentieth; (land) on the west side of
Kāmakkōḍi (measuring)
three-twentieths, one-eightieth + 1/320 of three-quarter and
one-eighth; two lands
(taḍi) in Turutti together (measuring) six-twentieths,
one-fortieth,
one by one hundred and sixtieth + 1/320 of three-twentieths, one-eightieth and
one by
one hundred and sixtieth; (land) east of Vēppañjuṟṟu
(measuring) four-twentieths,
+ 1/320 of six-twentieths, three-eightieths, one by one
hundred and sixtieth and one by
three hundred and twentieth; (land) in
Iḷanaḷḷam (measuring) two and a quarter and
one-fortieth, (land) in
Muśiṭṭaikkuḍi (measuring) three and seven-twentieths.
(L. 28.) For seventy kalam of paddy required each year for celebrating the great
bali
on each day of the sacred (asterism) Jyēshṭhā
which was the sacred (natal) star of queen
Śembiyaṉ
Mādēviyār who obtained in her blessed womb the glorious Madhu-
rāntakadēva alias Uttama-Chōḷa, (the following lands were
assigned):——(land)
in Turutti of Tirunallam (measuring)
nine-twentieths, one by three hundred and
twentieth + 1/320 of one quarter, and one by three
hundred and twentieth.
(L. 31.) For one thousand and five hundred kalam of paddy required every year
at one
kuṟuṇi and two nāḻi each for feeding forty Brāhmaṇas in the temple of the god
(āḻvār),
including (the cost of) vegetables, fuel, ghee, butter-milk,
different spices, betel-leaves,
arecanuts and other necessary expenses (viśam), (was assigned land measuring) nine vēli in
Iḷanallam.
(L. 35.) For one hundred and twenty kalam of paddy (every year) at one
tūṇi each
day for the worshipping priest, including (the cost of) clothing,
(was assigned) half, four-
twentieths and one-fortieth (of land) at
Iḷanallam.
(L. 37.) For six hundred kalam of paddy each year to meet the expenses of
the
festivals, Mārgaḻi-Tiruvādirai and Vaigāśi-Viśāgam (was assigned) at
Muśiṭṭaikkuḍi
(land measuring) one and a half and three-twentieths and at
Pūṅguḍi two, one-twentieth
and one-eightieth.
(L. 40.) For twenty-two kalam, one tūṇi and one padakku of paddy each
year at
six nāḻi per day for the Brāhmaṇas who crushed the sacred sandal, including
(the cost of)
clothing (was assigned land) in Pūṅguḍi
(measuring) three-twentieths, one-eightieth, one
by one hundred and sixtieth and one by
three-hundred and twentieth.
(L. 42.) For five (Brāhmaṇa) servants (māṇi) required, to
hold the canopy and
render necessary service by the temple priests
(tirukkōyiluḍaiyārgaḷ) who had to render
necessary service to the sacred interior
(tiruvuṇṇāḻigai) and hold the canopy, (were assigned the
following lands):——(the
land) in the eastern portion (kīḻūr) of Tirunallam
(measuring)
six-twentieths, one-fortieth, one by one hundred and sixtieth and one by
three hundred
and twentieth + 1/320 of three-quarters, three-twentieths, three-eightieths and
one by one
hundred and sixtieth; (the land) in Kuśappēṟu (measuring)
one half, three-eightieths,
one by three hundred and twentieth + 1/320 of one half and
two-twentieths; and (land) at
Pūṅguḍi (measuring) six-twentieths and
three-eightieths.
(L. 46.) For sixty-seven kalam, (one) tūṇi and (one) padakku of paddy
each year
at three nāḻi every day for each of three (servants) who pick up
flowers for the sacred
temple and three who string them together, (was assigned land) at
Pūṅguḍi (measuring)
one half, one-eightieth and one by three hundred and
twentieth.
(L. 48.) For forty-five kalam of paddy each year at four nāḻi per day for
each
of three (servants) who sweep and smear with cowdung the sacred (temple), (was
assigned land)
at Pūṅguḍi, (measuring) six-twentieths, three-eightieths
and one by one hundred and
sixtieth.
(L. 49.) For the musicians (who sound) two śaṇḍai, one timilai, one
śegaṇḍigai,
one karaḍigai, two pairs of kaimaṇi, one pair of
cymbals, four maddaḷam and two talaippaṟai
(were assigned the following
lands); (the land) east of Kāmakkōḍi in Tirunallam
(measuring)
four-twentieths, one-eightieth, + 1/320 of three-quarters and one-eighth; (land) to
the
east of the (temple) wall (measuring) one-twentieth, one-fortieth, one by one hundred
and
sixtieth, one by three hundred and twentieth + 1/320 of seven-twentieths and
one-eightieth;
(land) east of the Piḍāri temple including the (tank)
Mēlaikkuḷam (and measuring)
seven-twentieths, one-eightieth + 1/320 of half,
one-twentieth, one by one hundred and sixtieth,
and one by three hundred and twentieth; (the
land) Kuḷaviḷāgam (measuring) nine-
twentieths and
one-eightieth; (land) in Śeṅgōḍai (measuring) two-twentieths, one by
one
hundred and sixtieth, one by three hundred and twentieth + 1/320 of one-twentieth and
one
by one hundred and sixtieth; (land) in the eastern division of (the channel)
Subrahmaṇya-
vāykkāl (measuring) (one)-twentieth,
(one)-eightieth, + 1/320 of three-quarters, three-
twentieths, one-fortieth and one
by three hundred and twentieth; (land) at Pūṅguḍi (measur-
ing) three-quarters, three-twentieths, one-eightieth and one by three hundred and
twentieth.
(L. 56.) For four persons who blow the kāḷam (were assigned): (land) in the
western
division of the (channel) Koṟṟaṅguḍi-vāykkāl of Tirunallam
(measuring)
three-twentieths, one-fortieth, one by one hundred and
sixtieth + 1/320 of six-twentieths,
one-eightieth and one by three hundred and twentieth;
(land) south of the temple of Kāḍugāḷ
(measuring) (one)-eighth, one
by one hundred and sixtieth, one by three hundred and twentieth
+ 1/320 of three-quarters,
four-twentieths, one-fortieth and one by one hundred and sixtieth.
(L. 58.) For two persons who blow the conch, (were assigned land) in
Śeṅgōḍai
at Tirunallam (measuring) four-twentieths,
three-eightieths, one by one hundred and
sixtieth + 1/320 of two-twentieths and
three-eightieths; (and land) east of the (temple)
wall (measuring) one by
one hundred and sixtieth + 1/320 of eight-twentieths.
(L. 59.) For one hundred and eighty kalam of paddy each year at (one) tūṇi
and
(one) padakku every day, including the cost of clothing, for three men who guard the
sacred
images, (was assigned land) at Pūṅguḍi (measuring) one,
seven-twentieths, one-eightieth, one
by one hundred and sixtieth and one by three hundred and
twentieth.
(L. 61.) For one hundred and eighty kalam of paddy each year at (one) tūṇi
and
(one) padakku every day, for two persons who recite the Tiruppadigam (hymns) (was
assigned
land) at Pūṅguḍi (measuring) one, seven-twentieths,
one-eightieth, one by one hundred and
sixtieth and one by three hundred and twentieth.
(L. 62.) For sixty kalam of paddy per year at (one) kuṟuṇi every day for
each
of two Brāhmaṇas who performed the sacred (duty of) kōyil-vāriyam (was assigned
land)
at Pūṅguḍi (measuring) nine-twentieths and one by one hundred and
sixtieth.
(L. 63.) For sixty kalam of paddy per year at one padakku every day, for
one
accountant (of the) potter (caste) (was assigned land) at Pūṅguḍi
(measuring) nine-twentieths
and one by one-hundred and sixtieth.
(L. 65.) For twenty-two kalam, (one) tūṇi and padakku of paddy per year at
six
nāḻi each day for the potter who supplied pots (daily), including (those
required for) the monthly
bathing (of the god) (was assigned land) at
Pūṅguḍi (measuring) three-twentieths, one-
eightieth, one by
one-hundred and sixtieth and one by three hundred and twentieth.
(L. 66.) For eleven kalam and three kuṟuṇi of paddy per year at three
nāḻi
every day for the vaṇṇattāṉ (?)••• the sacred cloths, (was assigned
land) at
Pūṅguḍi (measuring) one-twentieth, one-fortieth, one by one
hundred and sixtieth and
one by three hundred and twentieth.
(L. 67.) For thirty kalam of paddy per year at (one) kuṟuṇi each day for
one
Brāhmaṇa who brings water from (the river) Kāvērī, (was given
land) at Pūṅguḍi (measur-
ing) four-twentieths, one-fortieth
and one by three hundred and twentieth.
(L. 69.) For ninety kalam of paddy each year at three kuṟuṇi every day for
one
(Superintendent) who supervises the sacred (temple) transactions
(śrīkārya) under orders of
the king (was assigned land) at Pūṅguḍi
(measuring) half, three-twentieths, one-fortieth,
one by one hundred and sixtieth and
one by three hundred and twentieth.
(L. 70.) For two hundred kalam of paddy every year (to be spent) on
repairs
(pudukkuppuṟam), (was assigned land) at Pūṅguḍi (measuring)
one and a half and
one fortieth.
(L. 71.) For three hundred and sixty kalam of paddy every year for the
monthly
performance of the (sacred) bath and for (the ceremonies during) eclipses
(was provided land)
at Pūṅguḍi (measuring) two and
three-quarters.
(L. 72.) For sixty-four kalam of paddy every year for four pairs of cloth to
be
graciously worn (by the images) (was given land) at Pūṅguḍi
(measuring) nine-twentieths
and three-eightieths.
(L. 73.) For sixty-four kalam of paddy each year for the sacred bath
(namanikai),
the canopy, the sacred canopy over the bed, for the (annual)
purificatory (ceremony with)
water (jala-pavitra ?) and for the sacred towel
(was assigned land) at Pūṅguḍi (measuring)
nine-twentieths and
three-eightieths.
(L. 75.) For fifteen kalam of paddy per year at four nāḻi every day to
the
astrologer who recites the changes (in the movements of the stars and
planets) every day and
carries (with him) the calendar (nāḷōlai) in the
temple (was assigned land) at Pūṅguḍi
(measuring) two-twentieths and
one-eightieth.
(L. 76.) For ninety kalam of paddy per year including (the cost of) clothing
at
one kuṟuṇi a day for each of three men who water the sacred flower-garden
called
śrī-Gaṇḍarādityaṉ (was given land) at Kīḻaḍakuvilai
(measuring) seven-
twentieths.
(L. 78.) For sixty kalam of paddy per year at (one) kuṟuṇi a day including
(the cost
of) clothing as per agreement, for each of two men who water the sacred
flower-garden
called Śembiyaṉmādēvi (was assigned land) at
Kīḻaḍakuvilai (measuring)
four-twentieths.
(L. 79.) One quarter (of land) at Pūṅguḍi to Tillaiyāchārya who
did
the work of the wooden-house (kāṭṭāgara); one-eighth
(land) at Pūṅguḍi to the car-
penter; two-twentieths (of
land) at Pūṅguḍi to the blacksmith; one-eighth (land)
at
Pūṅguḍi to•••••• in the temple.
(L. 80.) For the sacred (rice) oblations to (the image) Tripuravijayar
(was given
land) in Kuśappēṟu at Tirunallam (measuring)
one-twentieth, one-fortieth, one
by three hundred and twentieth + 1/320 of eight-twentieths,
three-eightieths and one by
three hundred and twentieth; and the plot (of land) lying on
the south of (the shrine of)
Umayā-Piḍāri west of the temple of
Kāḍugāḷ, (measuring) two-twentieths, three-
eightieths, one by
one hundred and sixtieth + 1/320 of half and two-twentieths.
(L. 82.) For the sacred (rice) oblationsto (the image) Vr̥shabhavāhana
(was
assigned) in Kuśappēṟu at Tirunallam (land, measuring)
(one) twentieth,
(one)-eightieth, one by one hundred and sixtieth + 1/320 of half,
one by one hundred
and sixtieth and one by three hundred and twentieth; and two taḍi in
this (same)
Kuśappēṟu together (measuring) one-eighth, one by one
hundred and sixtieth + 1/320
of three-quarters, one-twentieth, one-eightieth and one by three
hundred and twentieth.
(L. 84.) For the sacred (rice) oblations to (the image of) Gaṇapati
(were assigned):
(land) in the eastern portion (kīḻūr) of Tirunallam
(measuring) four-twentieths, one-
eightieth, one by one hundred and sixtieth
+ 1/320 of half, two-twentieths, one-eightieth,
and one by three hundred and twentieth; and
(land) at Turutti (measuring) one-twentieth
and odd.
(L. 85.) For bathing (the images) with the five articles (land was
assigned) at
Tirunallam on the west side of the temple of Kāḍugāḷ
(measuring) one-fortieth,
three-eightieths, one by one hundred and
sixtieth + 1/320 of half and one-eighth. The
houses on the north side of the sacred
flower-garden called Śembiyaṉmādēvi (measure)
two-twentieths,
three-eightieths, one by three-hundred and twentieth + 1/320 of four-
twentieths and
one by one hundred and sixtieth; the tank on the north, at Iḷanallam
together with
the land (attached to it) at Tirunallam (measures) one-eighth; the
sacred
flower-garden called śrī-Gaṇḍarādityaṉ at Tirunallam
(measures) (one) quarter,
(one) eightieth, one by one hundred and sixtieth, one by three
hundred and twentieth
+ 1/320 of one-twentieth and three-eightieths; the sacred flower-garden
in the eastern
portion (kīḻūr) (of Tirunallam), called Uttamaśōḻaṉ
(measures) three-twentieths, one-
eightieth, one by three hundred and
twentieth + 1/320 of one-eighth, three-twentieths,
one-eightieth, one by one hundred and
sixtieth and one by three hundred and twentieth.
(L. 88). The house of the two persons who recite the Tiruppadigam (measures) one
by
three hundred and twentieth••••••; the two houses of the
temple-priests
(tirukkōyiluḍaiyār) together (measures) one by one hundred and sixtieth
+
1/320 of eight-twentieths; the house of the (temple) musicians (measures)
one-eightieth, one
by three hundred and twentieth + 1/320 of nine-twentieths; to the south of
this, the house
in which the temple-manager resides (measures) one by one hundred and
sixtieth + 1/320 of
one-fortieth and one by three hundred and twentieth. The temple quarter
(maḍaviḷāgam)
in which the temple servants live, (is) the old rent-free
dēvadāna land lying-within (the
boundaries) (viz.), west of (the shrine
of) Umayā-Piḍāri, north of the areca (-growing
land) (kamugu), east of
the cultivated land (śeruvu) and south of the tank of
Kāḍugāḷ.
(Another) temple quarter (maḍaviḷāgam) in which the
temple servants live, (is) the old tax-
free dēvādāna land
(reclaimed) by filling up the tank, and situated within (the boundaries)
(viz.,)
west of the areca (-growing land), north of the channel, east of the
Āḻvārkuḷam
(tank) and south of the sacred surrounding hall
(tiruchchurṟṟālai).
(L. 93.) One half-lamp has to be burnt (in this temple) by the assembly of
Tirunal-
lam from the gold (they have) received; four kāśu
(are) to be paid every year in the hands
of the temple-priests by the barbers of this
village, for (maintaining) this lamp on behalf of
the assembly.
(L. 95.) Three sacred perpetual lamps (are) to be burnt (in this temple) by
the
temple-priests of this village for the gold••• from Māḍilaṉ
Kaḷvaṉ
Geruḍaṉ alias Tammaḍi Nambi of this village, from
Māḍalaṉ Kuṉṟa
Nakkaṉ, from Hāritaṉ Kuṉṟaṉ Paramēśvaraṉ and from
Hāritaṉ
Kuṉṟaṉ Śiṅgaṉ.
(L. 98). Three-eightieths + 1/320 of four•• to the north of the sub-channel
which branches
off from the western side of the (main ?) channel, east of the (temple) wall
at
Tirunallam (was assigned) for••• of Piḷḷaiyār (i.e.,
Gaṇēśa), every day.
(L. 100.) Having (thus) made, this land (measuring) one-twentieth, one by
one
hundred and sixtieth••• and one-eightieth tax-free, we received 20 kāśu
from
the treasury of this god, given by the temple servants. Thus (the money) in all
received
(by us) (is) 100 kāśu. Having received this (one) hundred kāśu, we, the
members
of the assembly of Tirunallam, agreed to collect and pay ourselves the taxes
due
on these lands (such) as the kuḍimai payable at the door of the palace,
ūriḍuvari•
•••••• , veṭṭi and muṭṭai, made•••• tax-free
as long as the
moon and the sun (last) and had (the order) engraved on stone in favour of
this
god. May (the assembly) all Māhēśvaras protect (this charity)!
The subjoined record informs us that certain lands were made tax-free by the great
assembly
of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in the 2nd year of king
Partma
(i.e., Pārthivēndra)-Mahārāja, ‘who took the head
of Vīra-Pāṇḍya’.
The virāma or puḷḷi is marked almost throughout and where the double consonants
are
combined with the ē and ō signs, this puḷḷi is omitted.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 2nd year of (the reign of) king Partma (i.e.,
Pārthi-
vēndra)-Mahārāja who took the head of
Vīra-Pāṇḍya•••••
Uttaramēruchaturvē[dimaṅgalam*] (situated) in its
(own) subdivision in Kāliyūr-
kōṭṭam. Two hundred and forty
kuḻi of second rate (land) in the first śadukkam (situated)
to the west
of (the path called) [Utta]ramēru-vadi•••; five hundred and
sixty kuḻi
of first rate (land) in this same place•••; in this same place
•••• of first rate areca
(land) in the fifth śadukkam (situated) to the west
of (the
path called) Amaṉināraṇa-vadi of the fifteenth kaṇṇāṟu••••
We
(the members) of the big assembly ordered (to be) [tax-free]•• Those who
obstruct
this (charity) (shall be liable to pay) a fine of 25 kaḻañju of gold to the
seat
of justice••••• I, Śivadāsaṉ Brahmapriyaṉ, an
arbitrator
(madhyastha) of this village, being in the assembly wrote (this) at
the command of the
members of the assembly. The sacred watch of the image of this god
and•••
. we (the residents) of the village (ūrōm) agreed that we shall not
receive any kind of taxes
••• shall themselves pay to this god every kind (of tax).
Those who act
against this••• Gaṅgā (the Ganges)•••
This record registers another transaction of the assembly with regard to certain
lands of
the Lord of Vr̥ndāvana (i.e., Kr̥shṇa) in
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam in the 3rd year of
Pārthivēndrādhipativarman, ‘who took the head
of Pāṇḍya’.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of Pārthivēndrādhipativarman,
who
took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), (this is) the writing of us (the
members) of the great
assembly of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in its own
subdivision in Kāliyūr-
kōṭṭam. The following are the lands given to
the lord of (the temple of) the glorious
Vr̥ndāvana of our village for
śrībali, sacred current expenses, perpetual lamp and
archchanābhōga:——
(L. 5.) 480 kuḻi of first rate (land) in the eleventh and twelfth squares
(śadukkam)
(situated) to the east of (the path called)
Pallavanāraṇa-vadi in the fourth kaṇṇāṟu to
the south of (the channel
called) Śrīdēvi-vāykkāl; 456 kuḻi of first rate (land) in
the
ninth square (situated) to the east of (the path called)
Pallavanāraṇa-vadi in the
fourth kaṇṇāṟu to the south of (the channel
called) Śrīdēvi-vāykkāl;•••
This is also a land-transaction made by the assembly of Uttaramēlūr-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam on behalf of the temple of Tiruppulivalam in the 3rd year of
Pārthi-
vēndrādhipativarman, who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya.
Tiruppulivalam
herein mentioned must be the same as Tiruppulivaṉam, a village
situated about three
miles from Uttaramallūr.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of (the reign of)
Pārthivēndrādhi-
pativarman, who took the head of
Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this is) the writing of us (the members)
of the great
assembly of Uttaramēlūr-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its
own
subdivision in Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam. (The following are) the lands which were
given
to the god (perumānaḍigaḷ) of Tiruppulivalam of our village for
archchanābhōga and the
sacred current expenses:——
(L. 2.) two hundred and ten kuḻi in the first śadukkam (situated) west of
(the path
called) Paramēśvara-vadi of the tenth kaṇṇāṟu north of
the village; 380 kuḻi of first
rate (land) in the fourth śadukkam
(situated) east of (the channel) Vilakku-vāykkāl of
the third
kaṇṇāṟu north of (the channel) Śrīdēvi-vāykkāl; in the same place,
480 kuḻi
of first rate (land) in the second śadukkam (situated) east of
Vilakku-vāykkāl of the third
kaṇṇāṟu; 720 kuḻi of first rate
(land) in the fifth śadukkam (situated) east of (the path called)
Mālpiḍugu-vadi of the fifteenth kaṇṇāṟu north of (the lane
called) Subrahmaṇya-
nārāśam; 370 kuḻi of third rate
(land) in the fifth śadukkam (situated) west of (the path
called)
Tirunāraṇa-vadi in the seventh kaṇṇāṟu south of (the channel ?)
Pulivalam-
vāy; in the same place, 450 kuḻi of third rate
(land) in the second śadukkam of the eighth
kaṇṇāṟu; 1,070
(kuli) of second rate (land) (situated) in the eighth śadukkam west of
(the
path called) Tirunārana-vadi in the sixth kannāṟu south of
Pulivalavāy•
•••
This record is dated in the 3rd year and 173rd day of Pārthivēndrādhipati-
varman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king). Here again the
assembly of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam declared certain lands tax-free in
favour
of a temple after receiving pūrvāchāram from Śandiraṉ
Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ alias
Nuḷamba-Māyilaṭṭiyār, a resident of
Kandapurattupēṭṭai.
(Line 1.)•• In the 3rd year and 173rd day of (the reign of) Pārthi-
vēndrādhipativarman, who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king),
(this is) the
writing of us (the members) of the great assembly of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam, (a village) in its own
subdivision in Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam. (The follow-
ing are) the lands
given to• ṇaya-bhaṭṭārigaḷ of our village for sacred offerings
and worship:——
(L. 2.) 201. kuli of fourth rate (land) in the third śadukkam (situated)
to the east of (the
path called) Māṟapiḍugu-vadi in the [twenty]-third
kaṇṇāṟu north of (the lane called)
Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam; four
hundred and eighty kuli of first rate (land) in the
eleventh śadukkam
(situated) to the east of (the path called) Māṟapiḍugu-vadi in
the
eleventh kaṇṇāṟu north of (the lane called)
Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam; in this (same)
place, 240 kuḻi of first rate
(land) of the tenth śadukkam . 540 kuḻi of first rate (land) in
the
fourth śadukkam east of (the path called) Māṟapiḍugu-vadi of the
fifteenth kannāṟu
north of (the lane called) Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam:
in all, this śey-land of 4,080••
(measuring) three-twentieths, (one)
eightieth, half (?) and one by one hundred and sixtieth
Śandiraṉ Elunūṟṟuvaṉ
alias Nuḷamba Māyilaṭṭi in Kandapurattu-
pēṭṭai•••
pūrvāchāram of veṭṭi, etc., of the great (tank) Vayiramēga-
taṭāka of our village•• every kind of iṟai, echchōṟu, veṭṭi, and
amañji, we declared
tax-free after having received on all these lands
pūrvāchāram from Śandiraṉ Eḻu-
nūṟṟuvaṉ alias
Nuḷamba Māyilaṭṭiyār (residing) in Kandapurattu-
pēṭṭai. Those who act or speak against this shall incur the sins committed by
those
(sinners) between Gaṅgā and Kumari. We of the great assembly
(also) gave an
agreement that those who deviate from this shall pay a fine of 25
kaḻañju of gold to the
council of justice. Under orders of the assembly, I
madhyasthan•• [Sa]ṟkuṟi
Tiruvaḍigaḷ wrote (this).
This record refers to a number of committees which comprised the great assembly
of
Kāviripākkam alias Amaninārāyaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam.
These
were saṁvatsara-vāriyam, tōṭṭa-vāriyam, ēri-vāriyam, kaḻaṉi-vāriyam,
pañchavāra-vāriyam,
kaṇakku-vāriyam, kaliṅgu-vāriyam and taḍivaḻi-vāriyam.
Besides these, the assembly
included a general body of bhaṭṭas (learned Brāhmaṇas)
of the village, the ‘ruler’ (i.e., the
headman) of the village and the overseer. Perhaps
the two last-mentioned personages were
the representatives of Government in the village
assembly. An elaborate description of
the formation of the village assemblies during the time
of Parāntaka I. is given in
the two Uttaramallūr inscriptions published by
Rai Bahadur V. Venkayya in the
Archaeological Survey Report for 1904-05.
In the 3rd year of king Pārthivēndrādivarman, the village assembly
received a
petition from one of the trustees of the temple stating that a garden and a field
which were
the archanābhōga of the god of Tirukkarapuram had been lying waste,
being
silted up by sand by the breaches in the river. The assembly directed the
kaḻaṉi-vāriyam
committee to grant 1,400 kuḻi of land from the village
mañjikkam which was lying
untaxed. The term mañjikkam perhaps corresponds to
the present poramboke and the right
vested in the village assemblies to dispose of such
land deserves to be specially noted.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year and the 39th day (of the reign) of
king
Pārthivēndrādivarman, the great assembly of Kāviripākkam
alias
Amaninārāyaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in
Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam,
consisting of the great men of the annual-supervision committee
(samvatsaravāriyam) for
this year, the great men of the garden-supervision committee
(tōṭṭa-vāriyam), the great men
of the tank-supervision committee
(ēri-vāriyam), the great men of the wet fields-supervision
committee
(kaḻani-vāriyam), the great men of (the suburb ?) Vaḍa-Vīranāraṇa;
the
great men of the pañcha-vāra committee (pañchavāra-vāriyam), the great
men of the accounts-
supervision committee (kaṇakku-vāriyam), the great men
of the sluice-supervision committee
(kaliṅgu-vāriyam), the great men of the
fields-supervision committee (taḍivaḻi-vāriyam), the
bhaṭṭas, viśishṭas
and others of the big assembly together with Pallavaṉ Brahmāda-
rāyaṉ,
the ruler of the village and the overseer Arumbākiḻāṉ, having met together
in the
abhishēka-maṇḍapa of the big temple of this village.
(L. 4.) Māgaṇḍanaṉ, a Śiva-Brāhmaṇa of this temple (sthāna), petitioned
that
the garden and the field which were the archchanābhōga of the god, the lord of
Tiruk-
karapura, were lying waste, being silted up with sand by breaches in
the river. The
members of the assembly directed that the great men of the wet field-supervision
committee
(holding office) this year shall themselves (grant) this one thousand
four hundred kuḻi (of land)
(measured) by the wet field-measure (kaḻaṉi-kōl)
out of the mañjikkam land of the village,
(in lieu of) the land which is the
archchanābhōga of the lord of this Tirukarapura
and is lying waste being
silted up, shall set up stones (for boundaries) and have (the order)
engraved on
stone. In pursuance of the order (tirumugam) which the assembly was
(thus)
pleased to make, we the great men of the wet field-supervision committee gave the
(following)
land as archchanābhōga to the lord of Tirukkarapura:——
(L. 7.) Four hundred kuḻi of land, (measured) by the wet field-measuring
rod,
comprised within the (following) four boundaries:——the eastern boundary of
(this) land, which
not being taxed, lies as the mañjikkam of the village to the
south of the (channel) Mahāda-
vāykāl in the northern fields of
Ōchchēri, a hamlet of this village, (is) to
the west of the land of
Sōmāśi of Māṅgāḍu; the southern boundary (is) to the
north of the high ground which has been lying as village mañjikkam; the
western bound-
ary (is) to the east of (the land called)
Udamādampaṭṭi of the lord of
Tirumūlaṭṭāṉam in (the temple of)
Tirupaṉṟīśvaram and the northern
boundary (is) to the south of the
(channel called) Māhāda-vāykāl.
(L. 9.) Four hundred kuḻi south of this, (measured) by the wet field-measuring
rod,——a
village mañjikkam land not taxed and (situated) on the north side of
(the channel called)
Tirunāraṇa-vāykāl in the wet-field of the high ground
(called) Śirukarugēśuva
which was also a village mañjikkam——and
comprised within the (following) four boundaries:——
(viz.,) the eastern boundary
(which is) to the west of (the channel) Naḍaikāl which
runs closely to
the west of the land belonging to Aṅgārai Mādēva-bhaṭṭa; the
southern boundary
(which is) to the north of the Tirunāraṇa-vāykāl; the western
boundary
(which is) to the east of the land of Aiyaṉ Perumāṉ and the northern
boundary
(which is) to the south (?) of the land of
Muḍumbai-Porkūḷi.
(L. 11.) Again, six hundred kuḻi on the south side of this (Tirunāraṇa-
vāykāl) channel (measured) by the wet field-measuring rod, of (one)
mā of land which
was also lying as village mañjikkam not paying any tax,
(included within) the (following)
four boundaries (viz.,):——the eastern
boundary (which is) to the west of the land which paid
no taxes; the southern boundary
(which is) to the north of (the field called) Sōmāśi-
bhūmi which belonged to Avaṭṭaikiḻavaṉ and of the kunḍil to
the east of it;
the western boundary (which is) to the east of••• (the field
called) Kāḷaya
Sōmāśi-bhūmi and to the south of the channel (i.e.,
Tirunāraṇa-vāykāl).
(L. 12.) Altogether these one thousand four hundred kuli (of land) we, the great
men
of the wet-field-supervision committee (doing duty) for this year•••
members of the
assembly, gave as tax-free archchanābhōga as long as the moon and the
sun
(last) engraving it on stone and fixing (boundary) stones, to the god
(perumānaḍigaḷ) of this
Tirukarapura for (providing) daily one sacred
meal of two nāḷi of rice, for performing
worship at the three periods (of the
day) and (for) lighting a lamp.
(L. 13.) This is the signature of me Maṇimaṅgalam-uḍaiyāṉ Gaṅgā-
dhara
Māyilaṭṭi, the accountant of the wet field-supervision committee for this year,
who
wrote this stone inscription under orders, being (myself) one of the assembly
(kuṟi).
I, the accountant•• and madhyasthaṉ Vāmana•• Ēḻāyiravaṉ
wrote
this under orders being (myself) one of the assembly (kuṟi).
This record is dated in the 3rd year and the 119th day of Pārthivēndrādhi-
pātivarman, who took the head of Pāṇḍya and registers that the great
assembly
of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam declared certain lands of the
temple
of Gōvardhana of that village, tax-free.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year and 119th day of (the reign
of)
Pārthivēndrādhipativarman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya
(king), (this
is) the writing of us (the members) of the great assembly of
Uttaramēru-chatur-
vēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its own
subdivision (taṉ-kūṟṟu) in Kāliyūr-
kōṭṭam.
(L. 2.) The (following) lands were given to the god (perumāṉaḍigaḷ) of the
sacred
Gōvardhana of our village (viz.,):——240 kuḻi of second rate
(land) in the fifth square
(śadukkam) west of (the path called)
Amanināraṇa-vadi, of the first kaṇṇāṟu, north of
(the path called)
Vayiramēga-vadi; in the same place, 480 kuḻi of second rate (land)
in
the fourth square (śadukkam) of the second kaṇṇāṟu; in the same place, 160
kuḻi of first
rate (land) in the first square (śadukkam) of the first
kaṇṇāṟu; in the same place, 280 kuḻi
of second rate (land); in the
same place, 60 kuḻi of first rate (land) in the second
square
(śadukkam); in the same place, 90 kuḻi of second rate (land) in
the second square
(śadukkam); in the same place, 220 kuḻi of second rate
(land) in the second square (śaduk-
kam); 160 kuḻi of first
rate (land) in the first square (śadukkam) west of (the path
called)
Amanināraṇa-vadi of the sixth kaṇṇāṟu, south of (the path
called) Vayiramēga-
vadi; 120 kuḻi of second rate
(land) in the third square (śadukkam) west of (the path
called)
Uttaramēru-vadi of the second kaṇṇāṟu, north of (the path called)
Vayira-
mēga-vadi. (Thus) these• 570 square
kuḻi• of land in all equal to
•• , we declared free of (all)
taxes such as [vēdi]ṉai, iṟai, echchōṟu, veṭṭi and
amañji, for
(providing) sacred offerings, śrībali, sacred worship and sacred lamps, to
this
god•• Śandiraṉ Arunūṟṟuvaṉ alias Ēḻāyirava Mā••
in
Kandapurattu-pēṭṭai.
(L. 6.) We (the members) of the great assembly ordered that those who speak or
act
against this shall be liable to be punished each with a fine of twenty-five poṉ by
the
Śraddhāmantas themselves and shall incur the sins•• between Gaṅgā (the
Ganges)
and Kumari (Cape Comorin). I, madhyastaṉ Śeṟkuṟi
Uttaramēru-chatur-
vēdimaṅgala-Uttamaṉ, wrote (this) under orders of
the great men, being (myself)
one of the assembly.
(L. 7.) Of the lands given to this same god as a gift from the great assembly
(the
following is the extent):——First rate land (measuring) 120 kuḻi, in
the second śadukkam to the
west of (the path called) Amanināraṇa-vadi
of the first kaṇṇāṟu, north of (the
path called) Vayiramēga-vadi;
in this same place, second rate land (measuring)
3,110 kuḻi;
in all, land (measuring)• 60 kuḻi, added to good (?) land (measuring)
.
300 kuḻi land (measuring)•• being the excess. The classified land
(thus) given
to this god (measures)•• Having received, so as to
pay up the taxes on this
land, pūrvāchāra from the merchant Śendiraṉ
Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ alias Nuḷamba-
Māyilaṭṭi of•••
pēṭṭai, we, the members of the great assembly
of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, declared that on these lands no taxes of
any
kind such as iṟai, echchōṟu, veṭṭi, amañji, would be shown (in the registers)
and gave
them away tax-free (accordingly).
(L. 10.) I, the arbitrator (madhyastha) Terkuri Uttaramērumaṅgalōt-
tamaṉ wrote this, under orders of the assembly, being mvself (one) of the
assembly.
This is a similar gift made again in the 3rd year of Pārthivēndra Āditya-
varman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, to the temples of
Tiruvāyppāḍi
and Tiruvuṉṉiyūr in
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam. The usual
pūrvāchāram was given by
Śandiraṉ Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ alias Nuḷamba Māyi-
laṭṭi.
The name of the king Pārthivēndra-Ādityavarman, while it
undoubtedly refers to
Pārthivēndravarman, may establish the king's possible
connexion with the Chōla
Ādityavarman (i.e., Āditya II.).
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year (of the reign) of Pārthivēndra-
Ādityavarman, who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this is) the
writing of us
(the members) of the great assembly of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,
(a village) in its own subdivision in
Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam.
(L. 2.) The (following) lands were given to the god (perumāṉaḍigaḷ) of
Tiruvāyp-
pāḍi of our village for the sacred current expenses
(tiruchchaṉṉaḍai), sacred lamp, śrībali and
archchanābhōga:——202
kuḻi of first rate areca-land (kamugu) in the fifth square (śadukkam)
west
of (the path called) Avanināraṇa-vadi, in the sixth kaṇṇāṟu,
south of (the path called)
Vayiramēga-vadi; 480 kuḻi of first rate
(land) in the second square (śadukkam) west
of (the path called)
Avanināraṇa-vadi in the seventh kaṇṇāṟu in the same place;
820
kuḻi of first rate (land) in the first and second squares east of (the path
called)
Viḍēlviḍugu-vadi of the fourth kaṇṇāṟu, south of (the
path called) Vayiramēga-
vadi; altogether, one thousand five hundred
and two (kuḻi) of land equivalent to
••• of land. (Again)
four hundred and eighty kuḻi equivalent to• of
first rate land in the
third square (śadukkam) west of (the path called) Paramēśvara-
vadi in the fourteenth kaṇṇāṟu, north of (the lane called)
Subramaṇya-nārāśam,
which was given in the name of “the five hundred”
(ainūṟṟuvar) by the arbitrator
(madhyasthaṉ)
Alaṅkāramitraṉ for the sacred current expenses (in the temple) of the
god at
Tiruvuṉṉiyūr; together••• of land. Having received pūrvā-
chāram from Śandiraṉ Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ alias Nuḷamba
Māyilaṭṭi for (these)
lands and agreeing that we shall not show on these lands
any kind of (tax), iṟai, echchōṟu,
veṭṭi and amañji we (the members of
the assembly) gave (them to these temples) exempting (them)
from taxes for
all time till the moon and the sun exist. From those who violate this and
show (these
lands) as taxable, the temple servants (dēvaraḍiyār) shall themselves collect
a
fine of twenty-five kaḻañju of gold to be credited to the court of justice whenever
demanded.
(L. 8.) Those who oppose this charity shall incur the sins of those who have
committed
(sins) between Gaṅgā (the Ganges) and Kumari (Cape Comorin).
We
(the members) of the great assembly have (thus) settled this grant. I,
madhyasthaṉ Śiva-
dāsaṉ Āyiratteṇṇūṟṟuva
Brahmapriyaṉ, wrote (this) under the orders of
the assembly. Prosperity !
In the 3rd year of Pārthivēndrādivarman, who took the head of Vīra-
Pāṇḍya, the assembly of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam declared
certain
lands of the goddess Durgā-Bhaṭṭārakī of that village to be tax-free, on
receiving
as pūrvāchāram the interest which accrued to that temple both from the
documents held
in the name of the goddess and from those held in the name of the assembly of
Dāmō-
darachchēri as, perhaps, its trustee.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! (In) the 3rd year (of the reign) of
Pārthivēndrā-
divarman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya,
(this is) the writing of us (the
members) of the great assembly of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village)
of its own subdivision
(kūṟu), in Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam.
(L. 2.) The (following) lands were given to Dūrgā-Bhaṭṭārakī of our
village
for the sacred current expenses, perpetual lamp, archchanābhōga and
śrībali:——
(L. 3.) 480 kuḻi of first rate (land) on the north side of the third square
(śadukkam,)
east of (the path called) Pallavanāraṇa-vadi in the
seventh kaṇṇāṟu, south of
Śrīdēvi-vāykkāl; 480 kuḻi of first
rate (land) on the west side of the third square
(śadukkam) east of (the path
called) Māṟapiḍugu-vadi of the ninth kaṇṇāṟu in the
same place; 400
kuḻi on the east side of the first square (śadukkam) west of (the path
called)
Viḍēlviḍugu-vadi of the sixteenth kaṇṇāṟu, north of (the
lane called) Subrah-
maṇya-nārāśam; 225 kuḻi on the west
side of the northern half (dugam ?) of the
fourth square (śadukkam) west of
(the path called) Paramēśvara-vadi of the seventh
kaṇṇāṟu, south
of the village. We (the members) of this assembly, having received
as
pūrvāchāram the interest in gold accruing to this Bhaṭṭārakī from
documents
(kai-eḻuttu ?) with Her and the documents with (the members of) the
assembly of Dāmō-
darachchēri, made the (above) 1,585
kuḻi in the aggregate, tax-free ordering (their)
exemption from all kinds of
taxes.
(L. 7.) I, madhyasthaṉ Vīranārāyaṇa Brahmapriyaṉ wrote this grant
by
order (of the assembly).
This again is a transaction made by the big assembly of Uttaramērūr-chatur-
vēdimaṅgalam made in the 3rd year of Pārthivendrādivarman who
took
the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya. It consisted in making tax-free certain lands of the
temple of
Kurukshētradēva, on receiving pūrvāchāram from Śandiraṉ
Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ
alias Nuḷamba-Māyilaṭṭi, residing in
Kandapurattupēṭṭai. This indi-
vidual is known from No. 24 of 1898
printed below to have been a merchant of Raṇa-
vīrappāḍi in
Conjeeveram. It is doubtful therefore, if Kandapurattu-
pēṭṭai
was not another name of Raṇavīrappāḍi. Kurukshētradēva is not a
familiar name in
Hindu theogony but might refer to Kr̥shṇa who played the chief part
in the great war
of Kurukshētra and was the author of the famous Bhagavadgītā.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year (of the reign) of Pārthivēnd-
rādivarman, who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), (this is)
the writing of us (the
members) of the great assembly of
Uttaramērūr-chaturvēdimaṅgalam:——(The
following are) the lands given
tax-free as long as the moon and the sun (last), to the
glorious
Kurukshētradēva of our village (in order that they may) suitably be
applied for
causing one tirukkaṇamaḍai to be
cooked (and offered to the god) every day.
(L. 2.) Three hundred kuḻi of first rate areca-land (kamugu), in the fifth square
(śadukkam)
west of (the path called) Amaṉināraṇa-vadi of the
fifteenth kaṇṇāṟu, north of (the
path called) Vayiramēga-vadi
(and) forty kuḻi of first rate (land) in the same place.
In all, on this
three hundred and forty kuḻi (of land), we agreed not to levy any kind of
tax (such
as) iṟai, echchōṟu, veṭṭi and amañji. Those who injure this shall incur the
sins
of those who have committed (sins) between Gaṅgā and
Kumari.
(L. 5.) We (the members of) the great assembly ordered the gift of these two
mānya
(lands) to be made tax-fee, having received pūrvāchāram from
Śandaraṉ Eḻunūṟ-
ṟuvaṉ alias
Nuḷamba-Māyilaṭṭi (residing) in Kandapurattu-pēṭṭai.
I, the
arbitrator (madhyasthaṉ) Terkuri Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalōt-
tamaṉ being one of the (members of the) assembly, wrote (this) at
the bidding of the
great men. Prosperity !
This document records a gift of land made by certain Brāhmaṇas in the 3rd year
of
Pārthivendrādhipativarman for commenting upon, i.e., explaining, the
science
of grammar (Vyākaraṇa-śāstra).
In Tiruvoṟṟiyūr near Madras, a similar endowment was made during the time of
king
Kulōttuṅga III. for explaining the science of grammar and a hall called
vyākaraṇa-
maṇḍapa was specially built for that purpose.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of Pārthivēndrādhipativarman who
took the
head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this is) the writing of us (the members) of the
big
assembly of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its own
sub-
division, in Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam. The following are the lands granted
as vyākhyāvr̥tti,
for (the maintenance of) those who comment (i.e.,
lecture) on the science of grammar in our
village:——480 kuḻi of third rate
(land) given by Bhadraṅkadu Vāsudēva-Bhaṭṭa
Sōmāśiyār (Sōmayājin) in
the second square (śadukkam) to the east of (the path
called)
Mārapiḍugu-vadi of the twenty-third kaṇṇāṟu, north of (the
lane called) Subrah-
maṇya-Nārāśam; 720 kuḻi of first rate
(land) given by Ōdimukil Mādhava-
Bhaṭṭa, in the second and
third squares, to the west of (the path called) Paramēś-
vara-vadi
in the nineteenth kaṇṇāṟu on the south side of the village; 220 kuḻi
of
first rate (land) given by Turpil Naraśiṅga Kramavittaṉ in the
same
place; 15 kuḻi of channel that irrigates these (lands); Noṭṭūr
Paṭṭaya-Krama-
vittar and Nandiśāmi-Pōśar.
This record states that in the 3rd year of Pārthivēndrādhipativarman
who took
the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, certain lands belonging to the village which did
not
fetch any tax, were given free of taxes by the village assembly to a temple
at
Uttaramērūr-chaturvēdimaṅgalam.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of (the reign of)
Pārthivēndrādhi-
pativarman who took the head of
Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this is) the writing of us
(the members) of the big
assembly of Uttaramērūr-chaturvēdimaṅgalam.
The following lands from among the
lands of our village which, not paying any tax are
(the common property) of the village,
were given free of all taxes as long as the moon and the
sun (last) for sacred lamps,
sacred offerings and for worship of the god (perumāṉaḍigaḷ)
Śrīla•• of our
village:——
(L. 3.) 470 kuḻi in the first śadukkam (situated) to the east of (the path
called)
Māṟapiḍugu-vadi of the fifth kaṇṇāṟu to the south of (the
channel called) Śrīdēvi-
vāykkāl; 552 kuḻi in the fifth
śadukkam (situated) to the east of (the path called)
Paramēśvara-vadi
of the fourth kaṇṇāṟu to the north of the village; 452 kuḻi in
the second
śadukkam (situated) to the east of (the path called) Mārapiḍugu-vadi
of
the third kaṇṇāṟu to the south of (the channel called)
Śrīdēvi-vāykkāl; in the same
place 120 kuḻi in the first śadukkam
(situated) to the east of the above-said vadi of the
fifth kaṇṇāṟu; in
all for the quarter land
chāram from Śandiraṉ Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ alias Nuḷamba
Māyilaṭṭiyār of
Kandapurattu-pēṭṭai and ordered these lands to be free
from any kind of tax
such as iṟai, echchōṟu, veṭṭi, amañji. Those who say ‘Let
this perish’ shall incur the sins
committed (by sinners living) between Gaṅgā
(the Ganges) and Kumari (Cape
Comorin).
This is a record of the lands owned by the temple of Tirumāliruñjōlai
at
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, drawn up in the 3rd year
of
Pārthivēndrādhipativarman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya.
(Line 1). Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of (the reign of)
Pārthivēndrādhi-
pativarman who took the head of
Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this is) the writing of us (the
members) of the big
assembly of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam••
in Kāliyūr-[kōṭṭam].
(The following are) the lands of the god in (the temple
of)
Tirumāliruñjōlai in our village:——
(L. 2.) 360 kuḻi of first rate (land) in the first śadukkam east of
(the path called)
Māṟapiḍugu-vadi in the tenth kaṇṇāṟu, south of
(the channel) Śrīdēvi-vāyk-
kāl; in the same place, 7(3/4)
kuḻi of first rate channel——(?) (land) in the first (śaddukkam) of
the
eleventh kaṇṇāṟu; 370 kuḻi of first rate land in the first square of the
eleventh kaṇṇāṟu;
240 kuḻi of first rate (land) in the same place;
and 130 kuḻi of first rate areca (land) in the
fifth square (śaddukkam),
west of (the path called) Paramēśvara-vadi•••
north of (the lane
called) Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam. In all 1,107(3/4) kuḻi of culti-
vated (?) land (tūkuli) equal to•••
This inscription records that in the 3rd year of king Pārthivēndrādhipati-
varman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, certain lands were given by
the great
assembly of Uttaramēlūr-chaturvēdimaṅgalam to the god
Mahāvishṇu
of the Sōmanēri temple of Uttaramallūr, for lamps,
offerings and worship.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of (the reign of) Pārthivēnd-
rādhipativarman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this is)
the writing
of us (the members) of the big assembly of
Uttaramēlūr-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,
(a village) in its own subdivision in
Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam. The following lands were
granted for sacred offerings, sacred
lamps and archanābhōga to (the temple of) Mahāvishṇu
at
Sōmanēri in our village:——
(L. 2.) 160 kuḻi of first rate (land) in the seventh śadukkam, (situated)
to the east of
(the path called) Māṟapiḍugu-vadi of the twelfth
kaṇṇāṟu to the north of (the
channel called) Śrīdēvi-vāykkāl;
80 kuḻi of first (rate land) in the same place; in the
same place, 120
kuḻi of first (rate land) in the first śadukkam, (situated) to the east of
(the
path called) Palla[va]nāraṇa-vadi of the eleventh kaṇṇāṛu;
410 kuḻi of first
(rate land) in the third śadukkam (situated) to the
west of (the path called) Viḍēl-
viḍugu-vadi of the first
kaṇṇāṟu to the north of Vayiramēga-vadi; 240 kuḻi
of first
(rate land) in the third śadukkam (situated) to the east of (the path called)
Palla-
vanāraṇa-vadi of the third kaṇṇāṟu to the south of
(the channel called) Śrīdēvi-
vāykkāl; 2•• of second rate
(land) in the first śadukkam (situated) to the west of
(the
path called) Uttaramēru-vadi of the first kaṇṇāṟu to the south of
Vayira-
mēga-vadi; and 480 kuḻi of second rate (land)••
and•••
(and) 240 kuḻi of first rate (land) in the first śadukkam
(situated) to the east of (the
path called) Pallavanāraṇa-vadi of the•••
kaṇṇāṟu to [the north] of
(the channel called)
Śrīdēvi-vāykkāl.
(L. 6.) We, (the members) of the big assembly having received pūrvāchāram
from
Śandiraṉ Eḻunūṟṟuva Nuḷamba-Māyilaṭṭi for the above land,
ordered
it to be free from all taxes as long as the moon and the sun (last). We shall
not show
any kind of (tax), such as iṟai, echchōṟu, amañji, veṭṭi against
this (land). We (the members)
of the big assembly (also) ordered that if
(any such taxes are) shown (against it), each
person (so showing) shall be
liable to pay a fine of twenty-five kaḻañju of gold in the court
of justice
(dharmāsana).
This mutilated inscription dated in the 3rd year of [Pār]thivēndravarman
mentions
the Brahman assembly (sabhā) of Ilai-Vallam in Dāmar-kōṭṭam
and
the measure called Ūragattu-niṉṟār, by which oil was evidently measured out
for
maintaining a lamp in the temple of Gōvindapāḍi-Āḷvār.
Ūragattu-niṉṟār
must refer to the Vishṇu temple of
Ulagaḷanda-Perumāḷ at Conjeeveram
whose name according to the Vaishṇava
scriptures (Nālāyiraprabandham) was Ūragam.
(Line 1.)••••• Nārāyaṇa whose innermost heart was
moved by devotion for the feet
of the husband of Śrī (i.e., Vishṇu) [made]
to•••••
Gōvi[ndapāḍi]••• in the Brahman
assembly (sabhā) of [Ila]-Valla in
Dāmar-kōṭṭa.
(L. 2.) In the 3rd year of•••• [Pār]thivēndravarman
we (the members) of
the assembly of Ilai-Vallam in Dāmar-kōṭṭam••
•••• for the gold received
by us from Nārāyaṇa-Kramavittaṉ
alias
Vaidumbarāditta-Brahmādirājaṉ of Īkkāṭṭu-[kōṭṭam]••
•••• we
(the members) of the assembly [agreed]••• oil till the
moon and the sun (last) by
the nāḻi (measure) which was equal to the measure (kāl) (called
after the god) Ūragattu-niṉṟār, to (the temple of) the
glorious Gōvindapāḍi-
Āḷvār.
(L. 5.) If we failed (to continue the charity) by not pouring (the oil), we shall
incur the
sins committed by the sinners between Gaṅgā and Kumari. If we
deviated from
this••••• we unanimously give our consent to be fined.•
••••• Even after
paying this fine, we shall pour out the oil without
stopping it. This oil shall be supplied
every month by us•••
This record is dated in the 3rd year of Pārthivēndravarman and registers
a gift
of money by the merchants for a sleeping cot presented by queen Arumoḻi-
naṅgai to the temple of Tiruvūral-Āḷvār. Mention has been made, in
Nos. 49
and 52 of 1898 printed below, of Tribhuvana-Mahādēviyār, another queen
of
Pārthivēndra. Villavaṉ-Mādēviyār still another queen of his, is
mentioned
in No. 193 below.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the [3]rd year of (the reign of) king Pārthivēndravar-
man, we the merchants (nagarattōm) gave gold that would secure annually
nine mañjāḍi
by means of interest in a lump-sum from the third (year) as long
as the moon and
the sun (endure), for one sacred sleeping cot given by
Arumoḻinaṅgaiyār, wife
of the king (uḍaiyār), to (the temple of)
Tiruvūral-Āḷvār at Takkōlam.
This inscription is dated in the 3rd year of Pārthivēndrādhipati-
varman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, and records a gift of land
to the temple
of Ayyaṉ, the great Śāstā of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,
for current expenses, a perpetual lamp,
śrībali and archchanābhōga. Ayyaṉ or Śāstā is a
popular village god; see
South-Indian Gods and Goddesses, page 229 f.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year and the 50th day (of the reign)
of
Pārthivēndrādhipativarman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya,
(this
is) the writing of us (the members) of the great assembly of Uttaramēru-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its own subdivision in
Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam.
The following are the lands given to (the temple of)
Ayyaṉ, the great Śāstā, on the
south side of our village for the sacred
current expenses (tiruchcheṉṉaḍai), a perpetual
lamp, śrībali and
worship.
(L. 2.) Eight hundred and forty kuḻi of first rate (land) which forms the third
pāḍagam
in the first square, west of (the path called)
Paramēśvara-vadi of the first kaṇṇāṟu
(situated) to the south of the
village; 400 kuḻi of first rate (land) of the third square to the
west of
(the path called) Paramēśvara-vadi in the second and third kaṇṇāṟu on
the
south side of the village; 360 kuḻi of first rate (land) of the fourth and
fifth squares to the west
of (the path called) Paramēśvara-vadi in the second
kaṇṇāṟu on the south side of the
village; in all 1,600 kuḻi of land equal to
long as the
moon and the sun last, having received pūrvāchāram from Śāttaṉ Brahma-
kuṭṭaṉ of Puḷiyaṅguḍi and agreeing that we do not show (as
due) against (them)
any kind of (tax such as) iṟai, echchōṟu, veṭṭi and
amañji.
(L. 5.) Those who deviate from this and show the taxes (as due) shall pay a fine of
This document of the 3rd year of Pārthivēndrādhipativarman who took
the head of
Vīra-Pāṇḍya, registers a gift of land for worship and offerings
to
Mahādēva (Śiva) of the temple at Kumaṇpāḍi, a hamlet of
Uttaramallūr.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of (the reign of) Pārthivēnd-
rādhipativarman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this is)
the writing of us
(the members) of the great assembly of
Uttaramēlūr-chaṭurvēdimaṅgalam,
(a village) in its own subdivision in
Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam. The lands given to the
Mahādēva (Śiva) of the
sacred temple (śrīkōyil) on the east side at
Kumaṇpāḍi,
(a suburb) of our village, to provide for worship and sacred
offerings (are as below):——
(L. 2.) 240 kuḻi of first rate (land) in the second square (śadukkam)
west of (the
path called) Viḍēlviḍugu-vadi of the sixth kaṇṇāṟu
to the south of (the path called)
Vayiramēga-vadi; 415 kuḻi of first
rate (land) in the eighth square (śadukkam), east
of (the path called)
Māṟapiḍugu-vadi of the sixteenth kannāṟu (situated) to the north
of
(the lane called) Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam; 440 (kuḻi) of fourth rate
(land) in
the sixth square to the east of the path which goes straight to the
Kāvaṉūr tank of
the sixteenth kaṇṇāṟu (situated) to the north of (the
lane) Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam.
In all, we gave (these) 1,095 (kuḻi)
freed of taxes, having received pūrvāchāram from
Śandaraṉ Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ
alias Nuḷamba Māyilaṭṭi. We (also) decreed
them tax-free agreeing
not to exact iṟai, echchōṟu, veṭṭi and amañji.
(L. 6.) Those who obstruct this (deed) shall incur the sin committed (by
the
sinners) between Gaṅgā (the Ganges) and Kumari (Cape Comorin) and
shall pay a fine
of 25 kaḻañju of gold at the court of justice (danmādana,
dharmāsana). I, Puliya-
Śivaṉ alias•••
wrote (this) by order of the great assembly I•
•••• wrote (this)•• by order of•• assembly.
The inscription records that in the 3rd year of Pārthivēndrādivarman who
took
the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, the members of the assembly of Uttaramēlūr-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam made a gift of land to the goddess Jyēshṭhā at
Kumaṇpāḍi, a suburb of this village, for the maintenance of
worship and sacred
offerings.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year of (the reign of)
Pārthivēndrādivarman
who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, we (the
members) of the assembly of Uttara-
mēlūr-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a
village) in its own subdivision in Kāliyūr-
kōṭṭam wrote
(thus):——The land given for the maintenance of worship (archanābhōga) and
for sacred offerings of (the goddess) Jyēshṭhā in
Kumaṇpāḍi of our village (is as
follows):——408 (kuḻi) of first rate
(land) in the third square (śadukkam) to the west of (the
path called)
Kōla-vadi in the fourth kaṇṇāṟu••• (situated) south of the
high-level
channel (mugaṭṭu-kāl); 480 kuḻi of (the lane called)
Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam;
and to the north of this, first rate (land)
(measuring) 260 kuḻi in the ninth square to the
south of the path leading straight
to the Kāvaṉūr tank, in the eighteenth kaṇṇāṟu.
We, (the members)
of the great assembly, exempted (all) this land from tax and declared
it tax-free. We,
(the members) of the great assembly, having received pūrvāchāram
from
Māyilaṭṭi declared (the land) tax-free. Those who cause obstruction (to
this) shall incur the
sins of those who commit (sinful acts) between
Gaṅgā (the Ganges) and Kumari
(Cape Comorin).
The assembly of Uttaramērūr-chaturvēdimaṅgalam received the
usual
pūrvāchāram from Śandiraṉ Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ Nuḷamba-Māyilaṭṭi,
a
merchant of Raṇavīrappāḍi in Kāñchīpura and exempted taxes on
certain
lands which they had given to a priest of the temple, in the fourth year (of the
reign) of
Pārthivēndrādhipativarman who took the head of
Vīra-Pāṇḍya.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year of (the reign of) Pārthi-
vēndrādhipativarman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this
is) the writing
of us (the members) of the great assembly of
Uttaramērūr-chaturvēdimaṅgalam
(situated) in its (own) subdivision
(kūṟu) in Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam. The land given to
Ātrayaṉ
Ta[t*]ta-bha[ṭ*]ṭaṉ who performs the worship of the god (perumāṉaḍigaḷ) in the
big
hall (periya-maṇḍapa) of our village, for archanābhōga, sacred offerings
and sacred lamps
(is as follows):——
(L. 3.) Six hundred kuḻi of first rate (land) in the second square
(śadukkam) and in
the third square west of (the path called)
Viḍēlviḍugu-vadi of the first kaṇṇāṟu, north
of (the path called)
Vayiramēga-vadi; also every sort of land which formed the
one share assigned (by
us) to Kandāḍai Poṉṉaiyakramavitta Sōmāśiyār
Ambalattaḍigaḷ. We (the
members) of the great assembly having received pūrvāchā-
ram for this
land from Śandiraṉ Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ Nuḷamba Māyilaṭṭi, a
merchant (residing
in) Raṇavīrappāḍi in Kāñchīpura, ordered (it to be
made)
tax-free. We shall not enter (in books) amañji, veṭṭi, iṟai, echchōṟu or
any other kind (of
tax); we (the members) of the great assembly (further)
ordered that those who act against
this shall be liable to a fine of twenty-five
kaḻañju of gold in the court of justice and that
they shall incur the sins of the
sinners (residing) between Gaṅgai (the Ganges) and
Kumari (Cape
Comorin).
This record is dated in the 4th year of Pārthivēndrādhipativarman
who took the
head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya and registers a gift of land to the temple
of
Subrahmaṇya-bhaṭṭāra at Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam
by
Śandiraṉ Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ alias Nuḷamba Māyilaṭṭi, a merchant
of Raṇa-
vīrappāḍi in Kāñchīpura. Raṇavīrappāḍi is
already known from the
Madras Museum plates of Uttama-Chōḷa to have been a hamlet of
Kāñchīpura
(Conjeeveram). The donor is mentioned in other inscriptions of
Uttaramallūr in
connexion with several other charities in that place.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year of (the reign of) Pārthi-
vēndrādhipativarman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this
is) the
writing of us (the members) of the great assembly of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam, (a village) in its own
subdivision in Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam:——The land
which Śandiraṉ
Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ alias Nuḷamba Māyilaṭṭi, a merchant
of
Raṇavīrappāḍi in Kāñchīpura, purchased from us and granted as
śrībali-
bhōga for sounding śrībali (in the temple of)
Subrahmaṇya-bhaṭṭāra of our village
(is what follows):——240 kuḻi of
third rate (land) in the first śadukkam, east of (the
path called)
Māṟapiḍugu-vadi of the thirteenth kaṇṇāṟu, north of (the channel
called)
Śridēvi-vāykkāl; in the same place 540 (kuḻi) of fourth rate
(land) and in the same
place 180 (kuḻi) of sixth rate (land).
(L. 3.) We shall not enter against these lands (in our books) any kind of
assessment
echchōṟu, amañji, veṭṭi, etc. We (the members of) the big
assembly unanimoulsy give our
consent to collect a fine of twenty kaḻañju of gold in
the court of justice from those who
obstruct this (charity) and declare that (those
who deviate from this) shall incur the sins
committed by sinners (in the land)
between Gaṅgā and Kumari.
(L. 5.) The land given by this (same) person for (the ceremony connected with)
waking
up the image from bed (paḷḷi-eḻuchchi) (is):——Seven hundred and twenty
kuḻi (comprised)
of three pāḍagam in the first and sixth squares north of
(the channel) Sarasvatī-
vāykkāl of the second
kaṇṇāṟu, west of (the path called) Paramēśvara-vadi.
We (the
members) of the assembly exempted (this land) from taxes and had (the gift
deed)
written on stone.
This inscription records that in the 4th year of king Pārthivēndrādhipati-
varman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), a gift of land
was made by
a merchant for offerings to the image of Gaṇapati, in the temple of
(the goddess)
Kōnērinaṅgai at Kumaṇpāḍi, a hamlet of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year of (the reign of) Pārthivēndrādhi-
pativarman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), (this is) [the
writing] of us (the
members) of the great assembly of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village)
in its own subdivision in
Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam. (The following is) the land given by a
merchant•• of the
south bazaar for [sacred] offerings to (the god) Gaṇapati in
the temple of
(the goddess) Kōnērinaṅgai at Kumaṇpāḍi of our
village:——180
kuḻi of first rate (land) in the fourth śadukkam to the
east of (the path called) Paramēś-
vara-vadi of the fourth
kaṇṇāṟu, south of the village.
This record registers a gift of 96 sheep for burning a perpetual lamp near the god-
dess Durgā-Bhaṭāri in the temple of Tiruvūral-Āḻvār at
Takkōlam
in the 4th year of Pārthivēndravarman, by a native of
Mārāyapāḍi. The
latter territorial division also called Mahārājappāḍi
or Mārjavāḍi comprised the
eastern portion of the Kolar district and parts of the
Cuddapah and Chittoor districts.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivēndravar-
man, Kēśuvaiyaṉ alias Pallavaṉ Brahmādarāyaṉ, son of
Tāḻakoṭṭi-
gāmuṇḍasvāmi of Mārāyapāḍi, gave 96 sheep
for one perpetual lamp to
(the goddess) Durgā-Bhaṭāri who is pleased to
stand in the temple of Tiruvūral-
Āḻvār at Takkōlam. I,
Kumaraṉ alias Vīroṇukka Maṉṟāḍi, son of Madhu-
rāntaka Kaḍuttalai Maṉṟāḍi, shall measure out the ghee of these
(sheep).
This fragmentary record is of special interest as it is written in archaic Tamil charac-
ters. It refers to Kalikēsari-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, a dēvadāna
village in
Puḻaḷkōṭṭam, which may probably be the surname of
Tirumullaivāyil where
the inscription is found. The king
Pārthivēndravarman mentioned here is also
perhaps different from and earlier than
the Pārthivēndrādhipativarman to whom
the records of this group belong.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 5th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivēndravar-
man, (the following) is the sale deed
of Kalikēsari-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, a
dēvadāna in its (own) subdivision (kūṟu)
in
Puḻar-kōṭṭam••••
This record supplies interesting information about a bond dealing with money
transactions.
It states that two brothers having lent money to the villagers of
Mīyvaḻi
Tāyaṉūr, in the fifth year of Pārthivēndravarman, received
their dues back
with interest but could not so endorse on the original document which was now
lost. Hence
they declared that the document, if it should ever come out, must be considered ‘a
dead
document,’ i.e., become null and void.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 5th year (of the reign) of king Pārthi-
vēndravarman, the following was put into writing and given with consent to the
residents (ūrār) of Mīyvaḻi Tāyaṉūr in
Śiṅgapura-nāḍu by the two indivi-
duals Tīraṉ Mūdayyaṉ,
the chief of Mērkuḍi in Umbaḷa-nāḍu and his
younger brother Tīraṉ
Ulagaḍigaḷ:——
(L. 3.) Having deposited thirty kaḻañju of gold with these (and) being
entitled
to receive forty-five kaḻañju of gold, we received this gold
completely••••
The (original) document being lost, we two Tīraṉ Mūdayyaṉ
and Tīraṉ Ulagaḍi-
gaḷ together declare••••• that that document, if it
is discovered at any future
time, shall become a dead document.
This inscription registers a gift of 96 sheep by Kāḷi Naṅgai, a native
of
Mīyvaḻi-Tāyaṉūr, for burning a lamp in the temple of Mahādēva of
Taṇakka-
malai, in the 5th year of Pārthivēndravarman.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 5th year (of the reign) of Pārthivēndravarman,
I,
Kāḷi Naṅgai, the wife of Amarakōṉ Kiḻavaṉ Kaṟaikkaṇḍaṉ of
Mīyvaḻi
Tāyaṉūr in Śiṅgapura-nāḍu, gave 96 big sheep which neither
die nor grow
old for (supplying) daily one uḻakku of ghee to burn a perpetual
lamp (in the temple of)
Mahādēva (Śiva) of Taṇakkamalai in
this village. I, Kāḷi Naṅgai, left
these in charge of the residents of
Tāyaṉūr to last as long as the moon and sun.
This shall be under the protection of
all Māhēśvaras.
In the 5th year of Pārthivēndrādhipativarman who took the head of
Vīra
Pāṇḍya, the members of the assembly of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam gave certain lands in their village as Vishaharabhōga for the
maintenance
of a physician who removed (snake ?) poison. Inasmuch as at the end of line
5 it is
stipulated that he who has obtained the order of the members of the assembly shall
alone
enjoy the land, it is probable that the lands in question were assigned only to experts
in that
profession.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 5th year of (the reign of) Pārthivēn-
drādhipativarman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this is)
the writing
of us (the members) of the big assembly of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam.
The following are the lands granted as
Vishaharabhōga in our village, free of all taxes,
as long as the moon and the sun
last:——
(L. 2.) 480 kuḻi of third rate (land) (comprised) in the 17th and the 12th
squares
(śadukkam) to the east of (the path called)
Pallavanārāyaṇa-vadi of the 4th
kaṇṇāṟu (situated) to the south of
(the channel called) Śrīdēvi-vāykkāl; 300 kuḻi
of first rate
(land) belonging to the 8th śadukkam west of Māṟapiḍugu-vadi of
the
4th kaṇṇāṟu (situated) to the north of (the lane called)
Subrahmaṇya-nārā-
śam; 500 kuḻi of third rate (land)
belonging to the 5th śadukkam to the east of (the
channel called)
Bhagavati-vāykkāl of the first kaṇṇāṟu (situated) to the north of
(the
channel called) Śrīdēvi-vāykkāl; in all, the classified land
comprised in these
is 1,280 (kuḻi).
(L. 4.) We gave this land (measuring)•••••• of land,
as
Vishaharabhōga, without subjecting it to any kind of taxes——such as echchōru,
veṭṭi or
amañji. Any one who refers to the land as taxable shall be liable to pay
a fine of
The record states that in the 5th year of king Pārthivēndravarman a
certain
Nīlakaṇḍaraiyaṉ Aṇṇāvaṉ Nāṭṭaḍigaḷ gave, on the occasion of a
solar eclipse,
1(1/2) paṭṭi of land to the god Mahādēva of
Taṇakkamalai for conducting śrībali, on
behalf of Nīlagaṅgaraiyaṉ
Aṇṇāvaṉ Nāṭṭaḍigal who was perhaps his brother.
Śrībali is a ceremony
performed by sounding drums and throwing cooked rice and flowers
all round the temple. The
inscription provides for five men to sound the different musical
instruments used on the
occasion.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 5th year of king Pārthivēndravarman, at the
request of
the residents of Mīyvaḻi-Tāyaṉūr in Śiṅgapura-nāḍu, I, the
glorious
Nīlakaṇḍaraiyaṉ Aṇṇāvaṉ Nāṭṭadigaḷ gave, for
(the merit of) the glorious
Nīlagaṅgaraiyaṉ Aṇṇāvaṉ Nāṭṭaḍigaḷ on
the occasion of a solar eclipse and
to last as long as the moon and sun, to the god
Mahādēva (Śiva) of Taṇakkamalai
one paṭṭi of land in
(the field called) Teṉkāṟpaṭṭi of this village and half (paṭṭi)
of
land including the western division, in Tarippaṭṭi, as a śrībali-bhōga
(in order that
the (śrībali) may be sounded by five men. Tīraṉ Mūdaiyaṉ,
the chief of Mērkuḍi
in Umbaḷa-nāḍu and his younger brother Tīraṉ
Ulagaḍigaḷ paid gold to
the residents (of the village), took complete possession
by purchase of this 1(1/2) paṭṭi of land
and had it made tax-free. We two, Tīraṉ
Mūdaiyaṉ and Tīraṉ Ulagaḍigaḷ
carried out the śrībali-bhōga in
the manner (described). This (charity) shall be under the
protection of all
Māhēśvaras.
This inscription records a transaction made in the 5th year of king Pārthivēn-
drādivarman by the assembly of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,
making certain lands granted to the temple of
Tiruvuṉṉiyūr, for tiruchcheṉṉaḍai
and a sacred lamp, tax-free.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 5th year of (the reign of) Pārthivēndrādi-
varman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), we the members
of the assembly
of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its
(own) subdivision (kūṟu)
in Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam wrote (thus).
The (following) land was given for the sacred
current expenses
(tiruchcheṉṉaḍai) and a sacred lamp of the god (perumāṉaḍigaḷ) in
(the
temple of) Tiruvuṉṉiyūr of our village:——
(Ll. 1 to 4.) Four hundred and eighty kuḻi of first rate (land) in the second
śadukkam,
to the west of (the path called) Paramēśvara-vadi of the
fourteenth kāṇṇāṟu
(situated) to the north of Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam; in
the same place, two hundred
and twenty kuḻi of first rate (land) in the first
śadukkam (situated) to the east of Para-
mēśvara-vadi of the
fifteenth kaṇṇāṟu; (and) three hundred and sixty kuḻi of first
rate
(land) in the fifth and sixth śadukkam to the east of Māṟapiḍugu-vadi of
the
11th kaṇṇāṟu (situated) to the south of (the channel called)
Śrīdēvi-vāykkal; in all,
the land (granted) was three mā one
kāṇi and one mundirigai. Having received pūrvā-
chāram
from Śandraṉ Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ alias Nuḷamba Māyilaṭṭi, we
the
members of the assembly of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam made
(these
lands) tax-free as long as the moon and the sun (last), binding ourselves not
to
collect iṛai, echchōṟu and veṭṭi and (also stipulating) that those
who abrogate this and point
out (the lands) as taxable, shall be liable
to pay a fine of twenty-five kaḻañju of gold.
I,
Brahmapriyaṉ, the madhyastha and a member of the assembly, being directed
by
them wrote (this). Prosperity !
This inscription records a gift of gold for burning a sacred lamp, in the 6th year of
king
Parakēsari Vēndrādivarman, by a resident of Talaiśayana-
puram
alias Taiyūr.
Vēndrādivarman is probably the same as Pārthivēndrādi-
varman. The adjunct Parakēsari shows that he was either a Chōḷa king
or
a Chōḷa subordinate. The title may further enable us to connect Pārthivēndrādi-
varman with Āditya (II.)-Karikāla, which is not very unlikely.
Talaisa4yanam is the name of the Vishṇu temple at Mahābali-
puram referred to in the Nālāyiraprabandham. Taiyūr is No. 52
on the Madras
survey map of the Chingleput taluk, about 12 miles north-west of
Mahābalipuram.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 6th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsari-
Vēndrādivarman, we (the members) of the assembly and the residents of the
village
(ūrōm) of Tiruviḍavandai, a dēvadāna of
Paḍuvūr-nāḍu in Āmūr-
kōṭṭam, wrote (thus):——
(L. 3.) From Tiruvaḍigaḷ Vaikundaṉ, the headman of Vaiyōḍu (and
a
(resident) of Talaiśayanapuram alias Taiyūr (situated)
in this kōṭṭam and in
its (own) subdivision, we received 12 kaḻañju
of gold by weight and bound ourselves to
apply the interest on this gold for
measuring out ninety nāḻi of liquid ghee each year. From
this ghee,
we shall cause one sacred lamp to burn (using) one uḻakku of ghee every day
as
long as the moon and the sun (last). We shall burn this one lamp without
discontinuing
(it). We the members of the assembly and the residents of the village
shall measure
out ninety nāḻi of liquid ghee each year. If with this (ghee) we
do not maintain the (said)
lamp, we agree to pay a daily fine of a quarter-poṉ (of
gold) to the Dharmāsana. Those
who say “nay” to this shall incur the sins committed
by persons in the seven hundred
kādam between the river Gaṅgā (the Ganges)
and Kumari (Cape Comorin). The
sacred feet of those who protect this charity (shall
be) on my head. Do not forget charity !
This record registers that in the 6th year of king Pārthivēndravarman
the
assembly of Kuṟaṭṭūr alias Parāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam
sold
1,350 kuḻi of mañjikkam land to the temple of Tiruvalidāyil and
made it tax-free.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 6th year (of the reign) of king Pārthi-
vēndravarman, we (the members) of the assembly of Kuṟaṭṭūr
alias the
prosperous Parāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in
Ambattūrēri-
kīḻnāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Puḻal-kōṭṭam, being (engaged in) selling the land,
the mañjikkam of
the assembly in the southern fields of our village, sold tax-free
to the (god)
Mahādēva (Śiva) of Tiruvalidāyil, (a village) in
Tuḍamuṇi-
nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Puliyūr-kōṭṭam
1,350 kuḻi of land (measured) by the
rod of sixteen spans and comprised within
the following four boundaries, viz.,:——east
side: west of the channel through which the
water of the Ambattūr tank flows to
Koṉṟūr; south side: north of the
channel through which the water of the•••
Ambattūr tank flows to
Villipākkam and Koṉṟūr; west side: the mañjikkam
(land) belonging
to the sabhā; and north side: the mañjikkam (land) belonging to the
sabhā.
Having fully received the due sale amount on this (land), we (the
members) of the assembly
sold (it) tax-free to the (god) Mahādēva
(Śiva) at Tiruvalidāyil. The Mahādēva
of Tiruvalidāyil
also received by purchase after paying up fully the due amount of
sale, the land comprised
within these four boundaries not excluding (any portion of) the
land contained therein.
The right for the water of the tank and that for the channel
through which the water flows
shall belong to this land in the same way (after sale) as
(it did) when we
possessed it. We have received fully the sale money agreed upon,
removed the tax and sold
(it) tax-free.
(L. 19.) If this be violated, we agree to pay when demanded a penalty of one
kaḻañju
of gold daily to the king to be credited as a fund to the court of justice. We
(the
members) of the assembly (further agree) that even after paying this penalty
(maṉṟupāḍu),
we shall obviate any hindrance that might be caused to this land from
the king ruling our
village. I, the elderly headman of this village Niṉṟai
Nūṟṟeṇma-bhaṭṭaṉ (myself)
being a member of the assembly, wrote
(this) by order of the sabhā. I, Naraśiṅga-
bhaṭṭaṉ, a
member of the Tiruvalidāyil assembly (kūṭṭam), bear witness to this.
I,
Dāmōdara-bhaṭṭaṉ of the Nuḷappiyāṟṟūr assembly, bear witness
to
this. I, Divākara-bhaṭṭaṉ of the Koṉṟūr assembly, bear witness to
this. Toṅ-
galaṅkiḻāṉ Tiruvoṟṟiyūraṉ gave a lamp-stand for burning
(the lamp), from
(the produce of) this land. Having received (the produce
from) this land, we the great
men of the interior (of the temple) agreed to burn one
perpetual lamp as long as the moon
and the sun (last). This (charity) is
(placed) under the protection of all Māhēśvaras.
This inscription records a gift of land by Śandraṉ Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ
alias
Nuḷamba Māyilaṭṭi, a resident of the hamlet of
Raṇavīrappāḍi in
Kāñchīpuram, to the temple of Tiruvuṉṉaūr
(i.e., Tiruvuṉṉiyūr of No. 179
above) at Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimangalam, in
the 6th year of Pārthi-
vēndrādhipativarman, who took the head of the
Pāṇḍya (king).
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 6th year of (the reign of) Pārthivēn-
drādhipativarman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), (this
is) the writing
of us (the members) of the assembly of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,
(a village) in its (own) subdivision
in Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam. The following are the lands
which Śandraṉ
Eḻunūṟṟuvaṉ alias Nuḷamba Māyilaṭṭi of Raṇavīrap-
pāḍi, (a hamlet) of Kāñchīpuram acquired for
śrībalibhōga out of the lands lying
waste
ṉaḍigaḷ) of Tiruvuṉṉaūr:——
(L. 3.) 240 kuḻi of second rate (land) of the first śadukkam (situated)
to the west
of (the path called) Paramēśvara-vadi in the fourteenth
kaṇṇāṟu, north of (the lane
called) Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam; 240
kuḻi of second rate (land) of the eighth śadukkam,
west of the path
which went straight to the (tank) Kāvaṉūr-ēri in the
eighteenth
kaṇṇāṟu, north of (the lane called)
Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam; 300 kuḻi of fourth
rate
(land) of the sixth śadukkam east of (the path called)
Pallavanāraṇa-vadi in
the sixteenth kaṇṇāṟu, south of the channel
Śrīdēvi-vāykkāl; and 240 kuḻi of second
rate (land) of the ninth
and tenth śadukkam, east of (the path called) Māṟapiḍugu-
vadi in the seventeenth kaṇṇāṟu, north of (the lane called)
Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam.
(Ll. 1 and 2 of note.) 480 kuḻi of second rate (land) in the sixth square
(situated) to
the east of (the path called) Pallavanāraṇavadi in the
twenty-second kaṇṇāṟu, west
of (the lane called)
Subrahmaṇya-nārāśam. In all, these (are) seven pāḍagam (of
land).
We (the members) of the assembly of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam
having
received pūrvāchāram from this person, declared that no tax, echchōṟu, veṭṭi
and amañji
shall be shown (in the account books) by us against these lands as
long as the moon and the
sun (exist) and had (this) engraved on stone. I, the
arbitrator, Śivadāsaṉ Brahma-
priyaṉ, wrote (this) under orders
of the great men, being myself in the assembly.
In the 7th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivē[ndrādhipativarman]
who
took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), the assembly of
[Uttaramēru-cha]tur-
vēdimaṅgalam declared some lands of the temple of
Kurukshētra at that village
tax-free, on receiving pūrvāchāram from a
certain Ammāṭṭi Śiṟṟambalavaṉ of
Perumpaṭṭaṉam in
Paṭṭaṉa-nāḍu. The temple of Kurukshētra has been
already referred to in
No. 160 above.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 7th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivē[ndrā-
dhipativarman], who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), (this
is) [the writing] of
us (the members) of the great assembly of
[Uttaramēru-cha]turvēdimaṅgalam
in its own subdivision in
Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam. The following is the land which we (the
members) of the
assembly gave tax-free to the lord of (the temple of) Kurukshētra of
our
village after receiving pūrvāchāram from Ammāṭṭi Śiṟṟambalavaṉ••
of
Perumpaṭṭaṉam in Paṭṭaṉa-nāḍu•••••••
••west of (the path
called) Uttaramēru-vadi in the twelfth kaṇṇāṟu, north of
(the path
called) Vayiramēga-vadi••••
This record registers a gift of sheep for a lamp to the temple of Tiruvūṟal-
Āḻvār by a certain Kumaraḍi-naṅgai in the 7th year of king
Pārthi-
vēndrādhipativarman.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 7th year (of the reign) of king Pārthivēndrādhi-
pativarman, Kumaraḍi-naṅgai, daughter of Nandiri-naṅgai,
daughter
of Dēvaṉār of Tiruvūṟal, (a suburb) of
Takkōlam, gave ninety-six sheep which
would neither die nor grow old, to the god
(āḻvār) of Tiruvūṟal for a perpetual lamp.
Paiyaṉ Tiruvūṟal
was the shepherd who took charge (of these ninety-six sheep) and
agreed to supply daily
one uḻakku of liquid ghee
those who protect
this charity shall be on (my) head.
This inscription registers a gift of 93 sheep for burning a perpetual lamp in the temple
of
Varāhadēva at Tiruviḍavandai by a native of
Talaiśayaṉapuram
alias Taiyyūr, in the 8th year of king
Pārthivēndrādivarman.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 8th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivēndrādi-
varman, I, Ānikiḻāṉ of Talaiśayaṉappuram alias
Taiyūr (situated) in
this (i.e., Āmūr-)kōṭṭam
and in its (own) subdivision, gave ninety-three sheep which
neither die nor grow old for
one sacred perpetual lamp set up by Nambaṉ Mañjaṉ
alias
Ugavārippēraiyaṉ to (last) as long as the moon and the sun, in (the temple
of)
the glorious Varāhadēva at Tiruviḍavandai (which was) a
dēvadāna (village) in
Paḍuvūr-nāḍu (a subdivision) of
Āmūr-kōṭṭam. I, Viḷakkaṉ Kaḍanāḍaṉ,
a shepherd (maṉṟāḍi) living
in Tiruviḍavandai, having received these ninety-three
sheep, bind myself to measure
out daily (one) uḻakku of ghee. We (the members) of the
assembly of
Tiruviḍavandai shall have this sacred perpetual lamp supervised
by
Kaḍuṅgaṇaiyaṉ and shall see that it is maintained. Whoso (of us) acts
against
this charity shall incur the sins committed by sinners (living) in the seven
hundred kādam
(of land) between Gaṅgā (the Ganges) and Kumari (Cape
Comorin). The sacred feet
of those who protect this charity (shall) be on my head.
Two residents of Talaiśayaṉapuram alias Taiyūr made a present of
fifteen
kaḻañju of gold to the image of Maṇavāḷapperumāḷ which they had
caused to be
cast, for the temple of Varāhasvāmin at Tiruviḍavandai (the
modern Tiru-
vaḍandai). The assembly of the village received the money in
the 8th year of king
Rājamārāyar and agreed to pay an annual interest of 56
kāḍi of paddy on that amount.
Rājamārāyar who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya could be no other
than
Pārthivēndravarman. No. 152 above, from Uttaramallūr, calls the same
king
Partma-Mahārāja who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 8th year (of the reign) of king Rājamā-
rāyar who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this is) the writing
of us (the members)
of the assembly and the residents of Tiruviḍavandai, a
dēvadāna in Paḍuvūr-
nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Āmūr-kōṭṭam.
(L. 2.) The two (individuals) Vaiyyōḍu-kiḻāṉ Vaikundaḍigaḷ and
his
younger brother Tāḻi Erumāṉ of Talaiśayaṉapuram alias
Taiyyūr gave
•••• of gold, to the image of Maṇavāḷapperumāḷ which both
of them had
caused to be cast for (the temple of) the glorious
Varāhasvāmin at Tiruviḍavandai.
We (the assembly and the residents)
have received this fifteen kaḻañju of gold; and in payment
of interest on this gold,
we agree to measure out by the eight-nāḻi measure (kāl) in the
months of
Paṅguṉi and Śittirai, fifty-six kāḍi of well-winnowed kuṭṭai-paddy free
from
moisture and chaff, in accordance (with the stipulation) that this
(quantity) of paddy is to be
measured every year as long as the moon and the sun
(last), at (the rate of) five nāḻi every
day. For each year of default
we admit (the default ?) and agree to measure out the fifty-six
kāḍi of
kuṭṭai-paddy (of that year) (on some future occasion).
(L. 7.) If this be violated (we) agree to pay as fine one-eighth poṉ daily, to
the king
demanding it, for being credited to the court of justice. (Even) after paying
the fine this
paddy shall be measured out without failure. Those who raise (any)
objection to this shall
incur the sins committed by the sinners between
Gaṅgā and Kumari. May the
sacred feet of those who protect this charity
rest on my head. We, the two divisions (viz.,)
the assembly (sabhaiyōm) and the
residents (ūrōm) of Tiruviḍavandai mentioned
above gave this grant with our
united consent.
In the 9th year of king Pārthivēndravarman, the residents (ūrōm)
of
Aṇai-Akkaraippūdūr made tax-free certain lands which had been already dedicated
to the śrīkōyil of Ādityadēva in that village, which was
owned by Vaikhānasaṉ
Kalinīkki-bhaṭṭa.
We have here the residents (ūrōm) taking the place of sabhaiyōm of other
inscriptions.
A technical distinction was perhaps made between these two bodies.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 9th year (of the reign) of king Pārthivēndra-
varman, we the residents (ūrōm) of Aṇai-Akkaraippūdūr made
tax-free the four
taḍi of land and the well without excluding (any) in-lying
land (and) gave (as) archchanā-
bhōga to this Ādityadēva,
as long as the moon and the sun (exist), in the village-site
(nattam) of
Puḻidikkālneṭṭūr which had been (already) given as archchanābhōga
to
(the temple of) Ādityadēva of (i.e., worshipped by)
Vaikhānasaṉ Kalinīkki-
bhaṭṭa of our village, by Śēruppōśaṉ
Eḻuvaṉ, (his) brothers and (his) junior uncle.
We gave (further) as
archchanābhōga to this god (the fields) Dēvakuṭṭai and
Uṇaṅgaṟppiḍi
in the cultivable land of our village and a house south of this sacred
temple (śrīkōyil).
(To) Kalinīkki-bhaṭṭa who worships this god.••
This inscription is dated in the 9th year of Pārthivēndrādhipativarman
and
records a gift of land as taṇṇippaṭṭi by the residents of
Kāṭṭūr to the ambalam
constructed by Paṭṭaiyaṉār, the chief
superintendent of the order of perundaram.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 9th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivēndrādhi-
pativarman, Paṭṭaiyaṉār, the chief superintendent of perundaram, having
con-
structed the temple (ambalam) of this village, we the residents of the
village (ūrōm) of
Kāṭṭūr in Paiyūr-kōṭṭam sold and gave as
taṇṇippaṭṭi seven mā of land com-
prised of two taḍi in the western (portion) of (the field called) Amaṇambōgam
alias
Pālērikkaḻuval, which with four mā and five hundred and fifty
of kaḻuval (land
situated) to the north of the ērippaṭṭi of (the tank
called) Kīḻai-ēri, (forms) one half
and one mā of land. He who destroys this (charity) shall incur the sins committed in the
seven
hundred kādam (of land lying) between Gaṅgā (the Ganges) and
Kumari
(Cape Comorin.) The sacred feet of him who protects this charity shall be on
(my) head.
It is recorded in this inscription that in the 9th year of king Pārthivendrā-
dhipativarman, a certain Lōkamahārāya gave 90 sheep
for a perpetual lamp
to the temple of Lōkamahārāya-Tiruchchiṟṟambalattāḷvār at
Maḻa-
laimaṅgalam in Maṇaiyir-kōṭṭam.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 9th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivēndrādhi-
pativarman, 90 sheep which neither die nor grow old were given by
Lōkamahā-
rāyar for a perpetual lamp, to (the temple of)
Lōkamahārāyat-Tiruchchiṟ-
ṟambalattāḷvār at
Maḻalaimaṅgalam in Maṇaiyir-kōṭṭam. Having
received these sheep, the
shepherds of this village Moṭṭai Aṅgāḍi and Nambi,
the son of
Iḷamaimaṉ Siṟaiyaḍikki, shall pour out the ghee (required) for
this
lamp.
This record belongs to the 10th year of Pārthivēndrādhi[pati]varman
and
registers a gift of 92 kaḻañju of gold for providing paddy for sacred offerings to
the
image of Kaligai-viṭaṅka in the temple of Tiruvūṟaldēva, by the
donor
mentioned in No. 184 above. The gold was received by the assembly of Rājamārt-
tāṇḍachaturvēdimaṅgalam, a hamlet of Tiruvūṟalpuram (i.e.,
Takkō-
lam) in Maṇaiyir-kōṭṭam and fetched an interest of 92
kāḍi of paddy per year.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 10th year (of the reign) of king Pārthi-
vēndrādhivarman, we (the members) of the assembly of
Rājamārttāṇḍa-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its
(own) subdivision in Tiruvūṟalpuram
of Maṇaiyir-kōṭṭam, have
received from Kumaraḍi-Naṅgai, daughter of
Nandiri-Naṅgai, who is the
daughter of Dēvaṉār of Tiruvūṟal,
ninety-two
kaḻañju of gold weighed by the standard weight
(dharmakaṭṭaḷai-eḍarpuram). For these
ninety-two kaḻañju
of gold we (the members) of the assembly of Rājamārttāṇḍa-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam agreed to measure every year without failure, in our
village,
as long as the moon and the sun (last), ninety-two kāḍi of paddy
(measured) by the marakkāl
(called) kavarāmoḻi by which the paddy for the
sacred daily expenses
and the (paddy of) pañchavāram due
from us to Tiruvūṟal-dēva, are measured, adding
it to the sacred (paddy) for
current daily expenses and (dividing it) into three parts in
the
manner in which (paddy) for the current sacred daily expenses of
Tiruvūṟal-dēva
is done, for sacred offerings as long as the moon and the sun
(last), to (the image of)
Kaligai-Viṭaṅkar set up in the sleeping hall
(called) Raṇaśiṅgavīrar
within (the temple of)
Tiruvūṟal-dēva, by this Kumaraḍi-Naṅgai.
(L. 26.) I, Kumaraḍi-Naṅgai, daughter of Nandiri-Naṅgai, endowed
gold
in this manner, stipulating that these ninety-two kāḍi of paddy be measured by
(the
measure called) kavarāmoḻi for (providing) two sacred offerings to
Kaligai-Viṭaṅkar.
The sacred feet of those who protect this charity (shall)
be on my head.
This document records that the assembly of Veḷichchēri exempted taxes on a
land
granted for the sacred daily offering to the Saptamātr̥s of this
village, by a
native of [Ma]ḻa-nāḍu in Śōḻa-nāḍu. The worship of the
Seven Mothers and the
designation of the priests who called themselves Mātr̥śivas
deserve special attention.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 10th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivēndrādhi-
pativarman, we (the members) of the big assembly of Veḷichchēri
in Puliyūr-
kōṭṭam (wrote this):——Tiruveṭpūr-uḍaiyāṉ
Tēvaḍigaḷ of Tiruveṭpūr in
[Ma]ḻa-nāḍu, (a subdivision)
of Śōḻa-nāḍu provided for one sacred offering each
day (to continue) as
long as the moon to the Saptamātr̥s of our village. For this he
purchased and gave
two hundred kuḻi of land which comprised four taḍis (and was
called)
Pūdipākkaṉśeruvu, a paddy field on the southern side of this village and
(also) land (kuḻi)
(measuring) five hundred and thirty-one and a half and half
kāṇi in (the field called) Iraṇḍēṟṟi.
We (the members) of the big
assembly ordered the exemption of all taxes (on these lands)
and made (them)
tax-free. We the Mātr̥śivas who own this sacred temple (śrīkōil)
shall
ourselves take possession of these lands and shall offer one sacred offering daily (to
the
goddesses). Kāḷiya-bhaṭṭar having effected this (transaction) had
it engraved (on
stone).
This inscription records a gift of 96 sheep for a lamp to the temple of the
prosperous
Gōvindapāḍi, made in the 10th year of Pārthivēndrādivarman,
who took the
head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 10th year of (the reign of) king
Pārthivēndrādivarman
who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, I••••
Nāgaṉ Vāṇarājaṉ
Aḷagamaiyaṉ gave, as long as the moon and sun (last),
ninety-six sheep which will
neither die nor grow old, for one perpetual lamp to the prosperous
god of Gōvindapāḍi
in•• (a subdivision) of Dāmar-kōṭṭam. This
charity (shall be under the)
protection of the Śrīvaishṇavas.
This document records that the village assembly of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam or Uttaramallūr-chaturvēdimaṅgalam freed from taxes
certain
lands given to an image, which Villavaṉ-Mahādēviyār,
queen of Pārthivēn-
drādhipativarman, had set up in the temple of the
god of Tiruvayōdhyai
in this village. The members of the assembly received
pūrvāchāram from the queen before
they made the lands tax-free.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 11th year (and) the 324th day of (the
reign
of) king Pārthivēndrādhipativarman, we (the members) of the big
assembly
of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its (own)
subdivision in
Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam (wrote thus). The (following) lands
were given by Villavaṉ-
Mahādēviyār, the queen of the lord
(i.e., the king), for the image and for the śrīkōvil,
which she had set up to
the god (perumāṉaḍigaḷ) of Tiruvayōdhyai in our village
and for
śrībali and archanābhōga:——one thousand seven hundred and sixty kuḻi in
all, of first
rate (land) in the fourth, fifth and sixth śadukkam (situated)
north of (the channel called)
Sarasvati-vāykkāl of the first
kaṇṇāṟu to the west of (the path called) Uttara-
mēru-vadi; seven hundred and forty kuḻi of first rate (land) in
the fifth śadukkam of the
second kaṇṇāṟu (situated) to the west of (the
path called) Amaninārāyaṇa-vadi south
of (the path called)
Vayiramēga-vadi; (and) four hundred and twenty kuḻi of first
rate
(land) in the second śadukkam to the west of (the path called)
Avaninārā-
yaṇavadi of the fourth kaṇṇāṟu (situated) to the
south of (the path called) Vayira-
mēgavadi.
(L. 2.) We, (the members) of the big assembly, having received pūrvāchāram
from
queen Villavaṉ-Mahādēviyār ordered the total (extent) of
(these) two thousand nine
hundred and twenty kuḻi (of land) to be free from
taxes as long as the moon and sun (last).
The śraddhāmantas
themselves shall impose a fine of twenty-five kaḻañju of gold
on
those who obstruct this charity. The dust of the sacred feet of those who protect
this
charity shall be on the glorious crown of Villavaṉ-Mahādēviyār who
founded
this charity. Those who are opposed to this charity shall incur the sins of those who
have
committed (sins) between Gangā and Kumari. We, (the
members) of the big assembly
of Uttaramallūr-chaturvēdimaṅgalam having made
(the lands) tax-free,
had this donation engraved on stone. I, Śivadāsaṉ
Aiyāyirattirunūṟṟuva-
Brahmapriyaṉ, the arbitrator, being (present)
in the big assembly, wrote (this) at the
command of the big assembly. Prosperity !
In this record we are informed that in the 12th year and the 326th day of the reign
of
Pārthivēndrādhipativarman certain lands were given by queen Tribhu-
vaṉa-Mahādēviyār for sounding drums at the Śrībali ceremony and at
the waking
up of the images from bed (paḷḷi-eḷuchchi) in the temple of
Śrīveli-Vishṇugr̥ha
which had been constructed by Koṅgaraiyar at
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 12th year and 326th day of (the reign of)
king
Pārthivēndrādhipativarman, queen, Tribhuvana-Mahādēviyār, pur-
chased from the ryots of Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam and gave
the
following lands for sounding (drums) at the Śrībali (ceremony) to the god
(in the temple) of
Śrīveli-Vishṇugr̥ha which Koṅgaraiyar had
constructed in this village:——
(L. 2.) 810 (kuḻi) in the first śadukkam (situated) to the west of (the path
called)
Uttaramēru-vadi of the fifth kaṇṇāṟu to the south of (the
channel called) Subrah-
maṇya-vāykkāl; 120 (kuḻi) of the
second śadukkam in the same place; 760 (kuḻi) in
the third śadukkam in
the same place; 240 (kuḻi) in the fourth śadukkam in the same place;
453
(kuḻi) in the third śadukkam of the 4th kaṇṇāṟu in the same place; and
112 (kuḻi) in
the fourth śadukkam in the same place. For (these) 2,495
kuḻi in all, we (the members) of
the big assembly of
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, having received pūrvā-
chāram
from queen Tribhuvana-Mahādēviyār, deducted the taxes as long the
moon and the sun
(last), and ordered (the lands) to be tax-free. In order to sound
(drums)
at the three sandhis of the day (i.e., morning, midday and
evening) during the Śrībali (ceremony)
and at the waking up (of the
image) from bed, out of (the income accruing from) these lands,
we gave (these
lands) as śrībalipuṟam, freed from (the payment of) taxes and had (this
edict)
engraved on stone.
(L. 7.) The śraddhāmantas shall themselves impose a fine of twenty-five
kaḻañju
of gold on each person who obstructs this charity. (Even after) paying
this fine, they
shall not obstruct this charity. Those who obstruct shall incur the sins
committed
by sinners (living) between Gaṅgā (the Ganges) and Kumari
(Cape Comorin). They
(i.e., the members of the assembly) shall not show any kind of tax,
echchōṟu, veṭṭi and amañji
against these lands. We (the members) of
the big assembly of Uttaramēru-chatur-
vēdimaṅgalam, thus made
(the lands) tax-free and had (the edict) engraved on stone.
I, Śivadāsaṉ
Ayyāyirattirunūṟṟuva Brahmapriyaṉ, an arbitrator
(madhyasthaṉ) of this
village, and one of the (members of the) assembly, wrote this at the
command (of the
assembly). Prosperity !
This inscription records that in the 13th year of king Pārthivēndrādhipati-
varman, his queen Tribhuvana-Mahādēviyār gave 192 sheep for
two
perpetual lamps to be burnt in the shrine of Veḷḷaimūrtti-Perumānaḍigaḷ
in
the temple of Koṅgaraiyar at Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam.
We
know from the previous inscription that this Koṅgaraiyar built at Uttara-
mēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam the Vishṇu temple named
Śrīveli-Vishṇu-
gr̥ha.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 13th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivēndrādhi-
pativarman, the queen consort Tribhuvaṉa-Mahādēviyār gave for two
per-
petual lamps to (the god) Veḷḷaimūrti-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ in
the śrīkōil of Koṅga-
raiyar at
Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in its (own) subdivi-
sion in Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam, 96 sheep which neither die nor grow old placing
them in
charge of the cultivators (veḷḷāḷar) of the different quarters
(paṉmaichchēri) (of this village) on
condition that they would themselves protect and
maintain (the lamps) as long as the moon
and the sun (endure). (She again gave)
96 sheep which neither die nor grow old in charge
of the merchants of the middle bazaar
(naḍuvilaṅgāḍi) who also agreed to protect and
maintain (the lamps) as long
as the moon and the sun (endure). These same would (thus)
protect the sheep
(given on account) of these two lamps and cause to be measured out daily
without fail
one uri of ghee for (maintaining) the perpetual lamps. This gift was placed
under
the supervision (kaḍaikāṭchi) (of these two communities). If the sheep thus
presented
are not supervised, the temple servants (dēvaraḍiyār) themselves••• of
one
mañjāḍi of gold daily to (i.e., on behalf of) the then-reigning king.
The inscription states that in the 13th year of king Pārthivēndrādivarman,
Śiṅgaḷa
Vīranāraṇaṉ, a native of the Chōḷa country, made a gift of 90 sheep
for
burning a perpetual lamp in the temple of Mahādēva (Śiva) at Tirumullai-
vāyil, a dēvadāna village in Puḻaṟ-kōṭṭam.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 13th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivēndrādi-
varman, Śiṅgaḷa Vīranāraṇaṉ of Viḷattūr, the headman of
Viḷattūr
in Āvūr-kūṟṟam, (a subdivision) of
Śōḻa-nāḍu, deposited (to last) as long as the moon
(exists) 90
sheep which neither die nor grow old (to provide) for one perpetual lamp to be
burnt
(in the temple of) the god Mahādēva (Śiva) at Tirumullaivāyil,
a
dēvadāna in Veḷḷaiyūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision of)
Puḻaṟ-kōṭṭam. The sacred
feet of him that protects this gift shall rest on my
head.
This record, which is dated in the 13th year of Pārthivēndrādivarman who
took
the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, registers a gift of twenty-five kaḻañju of gold
marked
and weighed by the standard weight (dharmakaṭṭaḷai-tuḷai-niṟai) for burning
two lamps in
the temple of Śiva at Tirumālpēṟu. The assembly of
Paṭṭālam alias Eḻunūṟ-
ṟuva-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in
Dāmar-nāḍu accepted the gold and agreed
to maintain the two lamps from the interest
thereon. It is interesting to note that the
lamps were the gift of
Vijjavai-Mahādēviyār or Vajjavaiyār who was related
to Nandivarman
Kāḍupaṭṭigaḷ, perhaps, as his queen. Nandivarman
Kāḍupaṭṭigaḷ is
clearly a Pallava name; but we cannot definitely identify the king
nor fix his relationship to
the ruling sovereign Pārthivēndrādivarman.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 13th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivēndrādi-
varman who took the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, (this is) the writing
of us, (the
members) of the assembly of Paṭṭālam alias
Eḻunūṟṟuva-chaturvēdimaṅga-
lam in Dāmar-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of Dāmar-kōṭṭam. We have received from
Vajjavaiyār,
daughter of Vallamaṉār, twenty-five kaḻañju of gold of the standard
weight
and mark (dharmakaṭṭaḷai-tuḷai-niṟai) and for interest on this gold we [stand
surety
for]••• one of the two sacred lamps (in the temple) of Mahādēva
(Śiva) of
Tirumālpēṟu of this (same) kōṭṭam•••• one for (the
merit of)
Vijjavai-Mahādēviyār••• Nandipanma Kāḍupaṭṭi[gaḷ].
We
(the members) of the assembly of Paṭṭālam alias
Eḻunūṟṟuva-chaturvēdi-
maṅgalam agree to supply without failure•••
moon••• oil•
•• equal (in capacity) to••• for (burning) these two lamps. It
(the supply
of) this oil is stopped (we) agree to pay as fine (maṉṟu)
one-eighth poṉ daily at the court
of justice••• agree to pay as fine five poṉ
daily and to give two meals daily to
the persons in charge of the sacred inner enclosure, for
burning the oil. We (the members)
of the assembly of Paṭṭālam alias
Eḻunūṟṟuva-chaturvēdimaṅgalam
had this gift engraved on stone with (our)
full consent.
Maṉṉaṉ Kaṇṇaṉ alias Kāmāmōga-Vāraṇappēraraiyaṉ, an
elephant
mahout of king Pārthivēndrādivarman, purchased in the 13th year of the
king some
land at Śiṟṟiyāṟṟūr from the temple of Gōvindapāḍi and
assigned it for feeding a
Brāhmaṇa in the maṭha which was evidently attached to that
temple.
Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 13th year of (the reign of) king Pārthivēndrādivar-
man, I, Maṉṉaṉ Kaṇṇaṉ alias
Kāmāmōga-Vāraṇappēraraiyaṉ, an ele-
phant mahout who rides behind
the king (perumāḷ), purchased from the god two thousand
kuḻi (measured) by the
rod of Śiṟṟiyāṟṟūr out of (the land) Vaḍavāyēttam
in
Śiṟṟiyāṟṟūr in Mēlappaḷugūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Maṇayil-kōṭṭam,
which the prosperous god (āḻvār) of
Gōvindapāḍi had purchased, and gave (the land)
for feeding daily one
Brāhmaṇa with sumptuous meal in the maṭha as long as the moon and
the sun
(endure), to (i.e., under the care of) Vaishṇavadāsa who was managing
the
temple business (śrīkārya) of the prosperous god (perumāṉaḍigaḷ) that
was pleased to stand
at Gōvindapāḍi in Valla-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of Dāmar-kōṭṭam. This charity
is placed under the protection of
the śrī-Vaishṇavas.
This record of the 2nd year of king Parakēsarivarman who took the head
of
Vīra-Pāṇḍya, has to be attributed to Āditya (II.)——Karikāla, whose
defeat of the
Pāṇḍya king while he was yet a boy is mentioned in the Tiruvālaṅgāḍu
plates printed in the
sequel. His father Sundarachōḷa-Parāntaka II. is already
described as having
driven a Pāṇḍya king into the forest. This must be the early
Vīra-Pāṇḍya whose Vatteḻuttu
inscriptions are found in the Tinnevelly district and in
which he claims in his turn to have
taken the head of the Chōḷa.
Nandivarma-maṅgalam was evidently an earlier
name of the modern Uyyakkoṇḍāṉ
Tirumalai and must have been so called after
the Pallava king Nandivarman. The
temple of Kaṟkuḍi is mentioned in the hymns
of the Dēvāram.
(Line 1.) In the 2nd year (of the reign) of king Parakēsarivarman who
took
the head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya, Irungōḷakkōṉ alias
Pugaḻvippiragaṇḍaṉ
Avanivallaṉ gave ninety sheep which neither die nor grow old
for burning one
perpetual lamp, as long as the moon and the sun (last), to the god
Paramēśvara
(Śiva) of Tiruk-Kaṟkuḍi in
Nandipanmamaṅgalam, a brahmadēya on the
southern bank (of the Kāvērī
river).
(Ll. 12-16.) We, the servants of the god (dēvarkanmi), have received (these)
ninety
(sheep) and have agreed to burn the lamp with one uḻakku of ghee every
day, measured
by the uḻakku marked with the trident. This (gift) is (placed
under) the protection of all
Māhēśvaras.
This record, which belongs to the 3rd year of the reign of king Parakēsarivar-
man who took the head of the Pāṇḍya, registers a grant of land by
purchase by the
chief Śiṟṟiṅgaṇuḍaiyāṉ Kōyilmayilai alias
Parāntaka Mūvēnda-
vēḷāṉ for expounding the system of
Prabhākara. This teacher was the founder of
a new school of Mīmāmsā
philosophy which was greatly popular for some time in the south.
The record under review is
itself strong evidence of the popularity of the creed. A Telugu
book called
Sakalārthasāgara makes Prabhākara, one of the pupils of Kumārila-
Bhaṭṭa. He was also widely known as Prabhākara-guru and was the teacher of
Śāli-
kanātha. Consequently Prabhākara's period must have been about
the beginning of the
8th century A.D. See also Madras Epigraphical Report for 1912, page
65.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year (of the reign) of king Parakēsari-
varman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), we the great men
of the Mūlapaṟaḍai
(assembly) of Tirukkuḍamūkkil, a dēvadāna of
Vaḍagarai Pāmbūr-nāḍu sold
to Śiṟṟiṅgaṇuḍaiyāṉ Kōyilmayilai
alias Parāntaka-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ
of Śiṟṟiṅgaṇ in
Iṅgaṇāḍu, two mā out of the twenty-four vēli of land which we
own
as abhishēkadakshiṇā from the king, in the village of Mēṟkāviri in
Iṉṉambar-
nāḍu as a bhaṭṭavr̥tti, for expounding
Prabhākaram.
(L. 10.) (The following are) the boundaries (of this land). The eastern boundary
is to
the west of the land sold (by us) as śālābhōga. The southern boundary
is to the north of the
lands of Mēṟkāviri. The western boundary is to the east of
the lands of us, the vendors.
The northern boundary is to the south of the lands of us, the
vendors.
(L. 15.) I, Parāntaka Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, gave the land thus enclosed by the
four
big boundaries above specified on the same terms as those that obtained when
(I)
purchased (it) from the members of the Mūlapaṟaḍai as a
bhaṭṭavr̥tti so as to endure till
the moon and the sun.
(L. 19.) This is (placed) under the protection of the Almighty god Vishṇu. This
is the writing of Parāntaka.
This record is dated in the 4th year of Parakēsarivarman who took the head
of the
Pāṇḍya king. The donor was a woman-servant who was living in a quarter
of
Tañjāvūr and was connected with queen Uḍaiyapirāṭṭiyār Kiḻāṉaḍigaḷ,
mother of
Āṉaimēṟṟuñjiṉār. This name Āṉaimēṟṟuñjiṉār has been
identified with
prince Rājāditya, one of the brothers of
Āditya-Karikāla's grandfather Ariñjaya
(Madras Epigraphical Report
for 1912, page 62).
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year (of the reign) of king Parakēsari-
varman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), Dēvayaṉ
Puḻalakkaṉ alias
Avaṉiśikhāmaṇi, a palace-woman (living) in
(the quarter called) kīḻaivēḷam of
Uḍaiyapirāṭṭiyār Kiḻānaḍigaḷ,
the mother of Āṉaimēṟṟuñjiṉār, at
Tañjāvūr in
Tañjāvūr-kūṟṟam, gave one lamp-stand for a perpetual lamp to
the god
Paramēśvara (Śiva) of Tirukkīḻkōṭṭam at
Tirukkuḍamūkkil,
a dēvadāna in Vaḍa garai-Pāmbūr-nāḍu.
(L. 9.) (She also) gave ninety sheep for burning this perpetual lamp daily as long
as
the moon and the sun (endure) with one uḻakku of ghee. The shepherd
Maṉṟaṉ
Kuṇamāri of this village received 45 (out of these ninety) sheep
and receiving (these)
forty-five agreed to measure out three nāḻi and three
uḻākku of ghee for one month at one
āḻākku every day and the shepherd
Ayalañji Maṉṟaṉ of this village received 45
sheep agreeing to measure out for the
sacred lamp three nāḻi and three āḻākku of ghee for
one month at one
āḻākku every day. In this way•••••
The record is dated in the 4th year of the reign of Parakēsarivarman who
took the
head of the Pāṇḍya king and provides for the dance called Āriyakkūttu
by
Kīrttimaṟaikkāḍaṉ alias Tiruvēḷai-aṟaichchākkai, in the
temple of
Tiruviḍaimarudil. The theatrical hall where the temple servants, the
merchants
and the king's officer Kōyilmayilai alias Parāntaka
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ met
together to decide this question appears to suggest that the
Āriyakkūttu dance must have
been a regular dramatic performance in which dancing and
singing were evidently given a
prominent place. Śākkaikūttu which is referred to in
some other inscriptions of the time of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa was evidently another
variety of a dramatic dance (see Madras
Epigraphical Report for 1915, page 98, paragraph
27).
Āriyam and Tamiḻ are mentioned as the two recognised varieties of dance, in
the
commentary of Aḍiyārkkunallār on text lines 12-25 of Chapter III of
Śilappadigāram (see
Mahā. V. Swaminatha Ayyar's edition, page 63). That these must
have been also accom-
panied by music is inferred from a reference made to these
very two terms in a Tanjore
inscription of Rājarāja I. (South-Indian
Inscriptions, Vol. II, page 299, sections 428-
492).
The king Parakēsarivarman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya king must
evidently
be Āditya (II.)——Karikāla, the son of Sundara-Chōḷa
Parāntaka II. The name
Śiṟṟiṅgaṇ-Uḍaiyāṉ Kōyilmayilai alias
Parāntaka Mūvēndavēḷāṉ appears
in No. 200 above. Hi sname also occurs
frequently in the records of Uttama-Chōḷa
Madhurāntaka as
Madhurāntaka-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year of (the reign of) king Parakēsari-
varman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), the officer
(adhikāri) Śiṟṟiṅga-
ṇudaiyāṉ Kōyil Mayilai alias
Parāntaka Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, who supervises
the temple affairs (śrīkārya),
the members of the assembly of Tiraimūr, the merchants
(nagarattār) and the
temple servants (dēvakanmi) of Tiruviḍaimarudil, having assembled
in the
theatre-hall (nāṭaka-śālai), ordered that provision may be made for performing
the
(dance known as) Āriyakkūttu in the presence of the lord of the sacred
Mūlasthāṉa
(temple) at Tiruviḍaimarudil, to
Kīrttimaṟaikkāḍaṉ alias Tiruvēḷai-Aṟaich-
chākkai.
Having received (one) vēli of land inclusive of the land (called)
Paṉaichchēripattu in
Viḷaṅguḍi which was a dēvadāna (village) of
this god (he) shall, from the year opposite to
this year (of reign), perform one
dance (kūttu) on the sacred festival of Tai-Pūśam; shall
perform three dances
commencing from the day after the bathing (of the god); and shall
perform three dances
commencing from the day after (the festival of) Vaigāśi-Tiruvādirai.
In all, he shall
perform these seven dances here (i.e., in this theatre-hall) and shall receive
for
maintenance (koṟṟu) fourteen kalam of paddy from the treasury. If this
paddy is not spent
(thus), the stipulated paddy and maintenance shall be doubled,
(and) from that year••
••
The officer Śiṟṟiṅgaṇuḍaiyāṉ Parāntaka Mūvēndavēḷāṉ who has
been
mentioned in the previous records (Nos. 200 and 202) is stated to have enquired into
the temple
affairs and to have enhanced the scale of offerings from the unpaid balance of
paddy collected
from the assembly of Tiraimūr which was a dēvadāna village of the
temple.
The record belongs to the 4th year and the 170th day of the reign of Para-
kēsarivarman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya king.
As shown in the Madras Epigraphical Report for 1916, page 118, paragraph 15, the
days
given after the regnal year of the king have to be taken as those that expired after
the
completion of that year.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year and the 170th day (of the reign) of
king
Parakēsarivarman who took the head of the Pāṇḍya (king), the
officer Śiṟṟiṅ-
gaṇuḍaiyāṉ Kōyilmayilai alias
Parāntaka-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ examining
in the front hall of the temple of the lord of
Tiruviḍaimarudil the sacred temple
business of the lord of Tiruviḍaimarudil
heard the terms of the documents (relating)
to the dēvadāna and brahmadēya
(village) Tiraimūr which was a dēvadāna of the lord
of
Tiruviḍaimarudil, and found out that the dēvadāna of Tiraimūr
was stated in
the documents to be a kuḍinīkki village (i.e., one freed from
tenancy rights) and that
the dēvadāna-brahmadēya village of Tiraimūr
according to the (above) documents had to
measure out two hundred and fifty-six
kalam of pañchavdra paddy. (But) hearing the
paḍimāṟṟu
(customary scale) of expenses of the temple (he) found that for the paḍimāṟṟu
only
one hundred and sixty kalam (of paddy) was being measured out. Also (it was
asserted) that
the dēvadāna (village) Tiraimūr of 20 vēli was
not a kuḍinīkki and that only eight hundred
kalam (of paddy) were being
measured. He then asked the (original) document which made
Tiraimūr into a
dēvadāna (village) to be produced (before him), heard it (and found)
in
this document that (the village) was stated to be kudinīkki (i.e.,
freed from tenancy rights)
and that this land of 20 vēli, according to the deed••• in
the 3rd year (of the
reign) of this same (king), (was to have measured out) two
thousand and eight hundred kalam
of paddy by the measure (called)
Tiruviḍaimarudaṉ according to the deed of contract
(aḍai-ōlai). Since
(thus) the assembly of Tiraimūr, the dēvadāna-brahmadēya
(village)
of this god, has been measuring out one hundred and sixty kalam only of
panchavāra
paddy in the past while, according to the document examined, it is found
that two hundred
and fifty-six kalam of paddy have to be measured out (under this
head), the thus (accumulated
balance) was converted into a capital
and after hearing the existing scale of expenses in
presence of this god, it was ordered that a
higher scale of expenses (may be adopted).
(The following) is the
list of current daily expenses, drawn up according to the (increased)
scale,••• of
Tiraimūr and the merchants (nagarattār) of Tiruviḍai-
marudil being present, under the orders of the officer
Śiṟṟiṅgaṇuḍaiyāṉ Kōyil
Mayilai alias
Parāntaka-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ who scrutinizes the sacred temple business.
(L. 4.) Twelve nāḻi of pounded rice of superior paddy for the sacred
rice-offering
to the god in the early morning; fifteen nāḻi for the sacred
rice-offering at midday; and
one nāḻi [of rice] for the bali at midday; twelve
nāḻi for the sacred rice-offering in the
night and [one nāḻi] of rice for the
bali at night; eight measures for the sacred rice-offering
at midnight. To (the
god) Piḷḷaiyār Gaṇapati, two measures for the sacred rice-offering
in the
early morning; two measures for the sacred rice-offering at midday; thus in all
•••••
fifty-three nāḻi for the [sacred] rice-offering••• and
(one) tūṇi, (one)
padakku and five nāḻi of rice••• four nāḻi and one uri
daily of
good dhall and one uri of dhall for Piḷḷaiyār. The sundry spices
(required)
every day (were): (one) āḻākku of pepper and (one) uḻakku
of mustard; the daily
vegetable-offering (consisted of) one
kāykkaṟi-amudu, one puḷiṅgaṟi-amudu and (one)
porikkaṟi-amudu; four
and a half palam of sugar-offering daily; twenty plantain fruits
every day; (one)
nāḻi and (one) uri of ghee offering daily; eight nāḻi of curd offering
daily;
a daily offering of eighty areca-nuts; three paṟṟu of choice betel-leaf
offering; chunam-
(nīṟṟu) offering; and salt-offering. This is how the
scale of expenses was drawn up. May
this be under the protection of all Māhēśvaras as
long as the moon and the sun (endure)!
This is dated in the 5th year of Parakēsarivarman who took the head of
the
Pāṇḍya king and records a gift of gold by a female-servant of the palace, who
was living
in the quarter of Tañjāvūr called Paḻaiya-vēḷam, for feeding
a śivayōgin in the
temple of Tirukkīḻ-kōṭṭam in
Tirukkuḍamūkkil. The names Tiruk-
kuḍamūkkil and
Tirukkīḻ-kōṭṭam occur in the Dēvāram and refer respectively
to
Kumbakōṇam and the Nāgēśvara temple. Śivayōgin is a technical term
and is
explained in a recent commentary on the Kriyākramadyōtikā as the name of a
Śaiva
worshipper who “at the approach of death bathes his body in ashes, utters certain
Śaiva
mantras and worships the liṅga on his chest.”
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 5th year (of the reign) of king
Parakēsarivar-
man who took the head of the Pāṇḍya
(king), Pērayaṉ Tribhuvanasundari,
a palace-woman (peṇḍāṭṭi)
(living) in the (quarter called) Paḻaiya-vēḷam at
Tañjāvūr
in Tañjāvūr-kūṟṟam, deposited 85 (pieces) of
superfine gold for feeding (a śivayōgin)
with one plate of sumptuous meal in the
temple of the great lord of Tirukkīḻ-kōṭṭam
at Tirukkuḍamūkkil, a
dēvadāna (village) in Vaḍagarai Pāmbūr-nāḍu.
(L. 8.) For this (gold), we, the big men of the mūlaparuḍai (assembly), sold to
this lady
the land in Mēlkāviri which we had acquired as abhishēkadakshiṇā
and had (already)
sold to this god.
(L. 13.) This six mā of cultivable land whose eastern boundary was to the west of
the
land granted for a lamp by Kāḍaṉ Āchchaṉ, to the north of the land of this
same
god, to the east of the land of this same god and to the south of the
demarcation
ridge in the tank,——this six mā of cultivable land thus (marked out)
shall be utilised for
feeding, till the moon and the sun (endure), one
Śivayōgin with five vegetables, one piḍi of
ghee, plantain fruits, and curds
sweetened with sugar.
The subjoined set of copper-plates discovered so early as September 1905, has been
fully
described in the Director-General's Archaeological Survey Report for 1903-04, pp.
233-5.
Its contents are discussed in the Madras Epigraphical Report for 1916, Part II,
paragraphs
11 to 20. The plates and the massive seal on which they are hung
weigh 8 maunds,
2 visses and 20 palams and are thus nearly three times as heavy as the
Paiṭhaṇ record
of A.D. 1272 pronounced by Dr. Fleet to be an epigraphic curiosity in respect
of its
weight. The Tiruvālaṅgāḍu plates consist of thirty-one
copper-sheets; whereas
the so-called larger Leyden plates of the same dynasty already
published contain only
twenty-one. The former supply also more information
about the early Chōḷa kings than
the latter. An earlier set of Chōḷa
copper-plates issued by king Uttama-Chōḷa
Madhurāntaka, the grand-uncle of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I., has been published
above. A set of still
earlier copper-plates was recently discovered by Mr. T.A. Gopinatha
Rao at Anbil. They belong
to the time of Sundara-Chōḷa Parāntaka II., the
father of Rājarāja I.,
and are being edited by him in the Epigraphia Indica.
The Sanskrit and Tamil portions of the Tiruvālaṅgāḍu grant were written
at
different periods, as has been already pointed out by Mr. Venkayya,——the latter at
the
time to which the inscription refers itself and the former about at least a decade
later.
A detached inscription written in continuation of the Sanskrit portion on sheet
Xa and
continued on (Xb), is stated by Mr. Venkayya to be a later addition. It registers a
grant made to the shrine of the goddess at
Tiruvālaṅgāḍu, perhaps contem-
poraneously with the grant of
Paḻaiyaṉūr to the temple of Mahādēva (Śiva)
of that place, but
put into writing long after. The characters of the detached record
are paleographically
at least one or even two centuries later than the characters
of the Paḻaiyaṉūr
grant and it is difficult to explain why a gift made to the
shrine of the goddess in the 6th
year of Rājēndra-Chōḷa I. must have been
kept without being reduced to writing for
such a long period. In this connexion it
deserves to be noted that separate shrines of
goddesses in Śiva temples are, generally, of
much later origin than the original Śiva temples
themselves and that in the stone inscrip-
tions registered on the walls of the
Tiruvālaṅgāḍu temple the shrine of the goddess
is referred to for the first time
only in a record of the 10th year of Tribhuvana-
chakravartin
Rājādhirāja II., i.e., in A.D. 1173——clearly 155 years after the
date of the
subjoined copper-plate grant.
The tradition of the place Tiruvālaṅgāḍu intimately connects it with
Ammai
or Kāraikkāl-Ammai, a great devotee of Śiva who, under the orders of
that god,
put on a dreary emaciated appearance and worshipped his dancing form at
Tiruvālaṅ-
gāḍu. The name Ammai-Nāchchiyār which occurs in
the detached inscription
on plate XVI as a name of the goddess of the temple does not so appear
in the stone
records of Tiruvālaṅgāḍu. No. 469 of the Madras Epigraphical
Collection for
1905 calls her Periya-Nāchchiyār; in another record her name
occurs as Vaṇ-
ḍārkuḻal Nāchchiyār (No. 497 of 1905), which is still
current in its Sanskrit
form Bhramarālakāmbā. The god himself is named
Ammaiyappa in
v. 129. He was perhaps so named on account of his being kind as a father
to his
devotee Ammai or Kāraikkāl-Ammai. Both the names
Paḻaiyaṉūr (or
Paḻaṉai) and Tiruvālaṅgāḍu occur in the
Dēvāram hymns. In the hymn
sung by Sundaramūrti-Nāyaṉār the goddess is
referred to as Vaṇḍār-
kuḻali-Umainaṅgai and the god himself as
Paḻaiyaṉūr-Ammā. It is not
impossible that in the names Ammaiyappaṉ and
Ammai-Nāchchiyār,
Ammā is synonymous with the god of Tiruvālaṅgāḍu.
The story of Kāraik-
kāl-Ammai is not referred to in the Dēvāram
so called. But the eleventh Tirumuṟai
of the sacred collection which describes the god
at Tiruvālaṅgāḍu was the com-
position of Kāraikkāl-Ammai
herself and the place of honour is given to it as
The praśasti of the Chōḷa family conveyed by the Sanskrit portion of the
grant (vv.
1 to 137) consists of 271 lines and is mostly Puranic. In verse 4
are introduced the Sun
and Manu, the latter of whom was produced from the Sun by
concentration of mind.
His son was Ikshvāku (v. 5); his son Vikukshi (v. 6);
his son Purañjaya (v. 7)
surnamed Kakutstha (v. 8); his son
Kakshīvat (v. 9) and his son Aryaman
(v. 10). In this family
was born Analapratāpa (v. 11); in his family was born
Vēna; and his son
born from the right arm was Pr̥thu (vv. 12 and 13). In his
family was born
Dhundhumāra, so called on account of his having killed the demon
Dhundhu (v.
14). In (his) family was born Yuvanāśva (v. 15); his son was
Māndhātr̥
who ruled the earth as far as the Lōkālōka mountain (v. 16); his son
was
Muchukunda who, by killing the demon Kālayavana, pleased the
god
Mukunda, i.e., Vishṇu (v. 17). In (his) family was born
king Vaḷabha who
founded the city of Vaḷabhī (v. 18);
his son was Pr̥thulāksha who set the moun-
tain Mandara whirling
in the ocean for securing nectar (v. 19); his son was Pārthiva-
chuḍāmaṇi (v. 20). In (his) family was born Dīrghabāhu (v.
21) and then came
Chandrajit (v. 22); his son was
Sāṅkr̥ti who became the emperor at the close
of the Kr̥ta age (v. 23). In that
family was born Pañchapa (v. 24); in his family
was born
Satyavrata who conquered Kāśirāja, the king of Vāraṇāsi
(i.e.,
Benares) (v. 25) and acquired the title Rudrajit (v. 26) by conquering
Rudra in
battle. In that family was born Śibi; an ornament of his family was king
Marutta
who was an immediate predecessor of the Pāṇḍavas
(vv. 27 and 28). In his family was
born Dushyanta; his son was Bharata and
his son was Chōḷa after whose name
the Solar race on this earth became known as
Chōḷa (v. 29) and who ruled the Chōḷa
country which was abundantly rich
(v. 30). Chōḷavarman's son was Rāja-
kēsarivarman and
Rājakēsarin's son was Parakēsarin (vv. 30 and 31).
These two names were
used as titles alternately by the Chōḷa kings in the order of their
coronation (v.
32). Parakēsarin's son was Chitraratha; his son was Chit-
rāśva and his son, Chitradhanvan (v. 33). It is stated that this last
king Chitra-
dhanvan brought into his dominions the river
Kavērakanyakā, i.e., Kāvērī, just
as Bhagīratha brought into the
earth Gaṅgā, the river of the gods (v. 35). In
that family was born
Suraguru entitled Mr̥tyujit (v. 36). In his family was
born
Chitraratha who bore the title Vyāghrakētu after his banner on which
was the
figure of a tiger. He also bore as an ornament on his head the flowers of the
dhātakī (v. 37).
His son was Narēndrapati who became king
at the end of the Trētā age. His son was
king Vasu entitled Uparichara on
account of his having received a celestial car from
Indra by which he moved about in all
directions (v. 39). In his family was born Viśva-
jit at the close of the
Dvāpara age (v. 40). Thus verses 4 to 40 supply names of kings
who ruled in the Kr̥ta,
Trētā and the Dvāpara ages and as such can hardly be of any
interest to the student of
history, excepting perhaps the euponymous name Chōḷa and
the titles
Rājakēsarivarman and Parakēsarin of the Trētā age.
Coming to the rulers of the Kali age, the first king mentioned is
Perunatkiḷḷi
who was born in this same family and was highly learned (v. 41). In his
race was born
Kalikāla who renovated the town of Kāñchī with gold and
established his fame
by constructing flood-embankments for the river Kāvērī. The
poet explains the name
Kalikāla as ‘the god of Death (Kāla)’ either to the
Kali age or to the elephants
(kari) of his enemies (v. 42). Evidently here, the
tradition recorded in Tamil literature
that the name Karikāla ‘the burnt-leg’ was
derived from an accident which happened to
the king while yet he was a boy, was either not
known or was purposely ignored by the
and deep devotion to Śiva are
described in verse 43. The story of Kōchcheṅgaṇṇāṉ is
found in the
Periyapurāṇam under the name Kōchcheṅgaṭchōḻa-Nāyaṉār. He is
there
stated to have been the son of Śubhadēva and Kamalāvatī and to
have
constructed many Śiva temples in the Chōḷa country. The classic Tamil poem
Kaḷavaḻi,
which is devoted to the history of his life, describes his defeat of the
Chēra king at
Kaḻumalam. In the family of Kōchcheṅgaṇṇāṉ was
born Vijayālaya
who took possession of Tañchāpurī (i.e., Tanjore)
and there consecrated the goddess
Niśumbhasūdanī (vv. 44-46). With
Vijayālaya commences a regular genealogy
of the Chōḷas whose capital was
Tanjore. The earlier Chōḷas of literature whose
traditional capital was
Uṟaiyūr and who preceded Vijayālaya must have been in a
decadent condition
serving in some subordinate capacity under the powerful Pallavas. A
Telugu branch of them
ruling perhaps independently over a small tract of country in the
Cuddapah district called
Chuḷiye, is referred to by Hiuen Tsiang. Vijayālaya ‘the
abode of Victory’
must have revived the fallen Chōḷa line and taken Tanjore either
directly from the
Pallavas or from their feudatories who were then occupying that part
of the
country. His son Ādityavarman conquered the Pallava king
Aparājita
in battle and took possession of his country (vv. 47-49). This was the
Toṇḍai-
maṇḍalam which Āditya is known to have subdued. His son Parāntaka was a
devotee of Śiva. He drove the Pāṇḍya king
into the sea and carried his conquests even into
Siṁhaḷa (Ceylon) (vv. 50-52). This
explains the titles Madirai-koṇḍa and Madu-
raiyum-Īḻamum-konḍa often found added to the name of Parāntaka in
inscrip-
tions. This Parāntaka is further stated to have built the golden
hall called dabhrasabhā
(at Chidambaram) and thereby excelled Kubēra, the
friend of Śiva (v. 53). The larger
Leyden plates, on the other hand, state that he only
covered it with gold. His son Rājā-
ditya defeated king
Kr̥shṇarāja in battle and went to heaven (v. 54). The
reference here is evidently
to the battle of Takkōlam in which the Rāshṭrakūṭa
king
Kr̥shṇa III. and his Gaṅga feudatory Būtuga jointly defeated and
killed Rājāditya
who was fighting from the back of an elephant as stated in the
Leyden grant. The summary
way in which Rājāditya has been disposed of by the author
of the Tiruvālaṅgāḍu
plates shows that probably he did not succeed to the throne,
although the Leyden plates
explicitly state that after the death of Parāntaka,
Rājāditya “ruled” the kingdom.
Rājāditya's brother,
Gaṇḍarāditya next became king (v. 54). The Leyden plates
say of him that he
produced a son called Madhurāntaka and founded a town after his
own
name on the northern bank of the river Kāvērī. The next king mentioned is
Arin-
dama (v. 55) whose exact relationship to Gaṇḍarāditya is
not specified. But it is
known from the Leyden plates and from other inscriptions that
Arindama (Ariñjaya,
Ariñjiga or Arikulakēsari) was the third son
of Parāntaka. His rule was
evidently neither famous nor long. From the
Mēlpāḍi inscription published at page 26f
of this volume, we learn that
Rājārāja I. erected the Śiva temple called Aṟiñjīśvara
(the modern
Chōḷēśvara) as a paḷḷippaḍai (tomb-shrine) to his grandfather
Ariñjaya
who was also known as Āṟṟūr-tuñjinadēva. Āṟṟūr where
Ariñjaya appears
to have died must be distinct from Toṇḍaimāṉ-Āṟṟūr
where Āditya I. is stated
to have died (Madras Epigraphical Report for 1907,
page 71, paragraphs 29 and 30).
Then came Sundara-Chōḷa or Sundara-Chōḷa
Parāntaka (II.) who was very
famous. Five verses (56 to 60) are devoted to his praise. Of
Sundara-Chōḷa the
Leyden plates state that at a place called Chēvūra he
fought a great battle and caused
rivers of blood to flow. This Sundara-Chōḷa's son
was Aruṇmoḻivarma
(vv. 61-63). After the death of Sundara-Chōḷa (v. 64)
his wife Vāṉavaṉ-
Mahādēvī is stated to have abandoned her people and
followed her husband to
heaven (vv. 65 and 66). His son Āditya next ruled the earth,
killed the Pāṇḍya king in
battle and placed his head high. up as a pillar of victory in his
capital (vv. 67 and 68). This
Pāṇḍya king is stated in the Leyden plates to be
Vīra-Pāṇḍya. We also learn
from the same plates that Āditya II. had the
other name Karikāla. Immediately
after the death of Āditya,
Aruṇmoḻivarmaṉ (called Rājarāja in the Leyden
grant) was requested by his
subjects to succeed to the throne but he desired it not
while his paternal uncle still coveted
his dominions (v. 69). This statement which
indicates a probable dispute about the succession
to the throne immediately after
Āditya-Karikāla (II.) is not referred to in the
Leyden plates. These latter state
that Madhurāntaka, the son of
Gaṇḍarāditya, succeeded straightway after the
death of Āditya. Perhaps we
have to give credence to the information furnished in the
Tiruvālaṅgāḍu plates and
accept that while by right the succession was Rāja-
rāja's, he
voluntarily permitted his uncle Madhurāntaka to rule the kingdom,
on the
understanding that he would himself be chosen for the office of the heir-apparent
(v. 70).
Madhurāntaka ruled the kingdom virtuously as a pious devotee of Śiva
(v. 71). After
Madhurāntaka, Aruṇmoḻivarmaṉ was installed in the administra-
tion of
the kingdom amidst the rejoicings of his people (v. 72). His digvijaya or the con-
quest of the quarters and the tulābhāra, i.e., ‘weighing oneself against gold’
are mentioned in
verses 74 and 75. The conquest of the quarters began with the south (v. 76).
Rājarāja
conquered first the Pāṇḍya (king) Amarabhujaṅga while his
commandant (daṇḍanātha)
captured the impregnable fortress of Viḷinda whose
moat was the sea (vv. 78 and 79)
The latter officer also crossed the ocean by ships and
destroyed the lord of Laṅkā (Ceylon)
(v. 80). Aruṇmoḻivarmaṉ's
ocean-like army next defeated Satyāśrya who fied
away to avoid misery. “Being
produced of Taila (oil) this (slipping away) was but natural
in him” (v. 81) says
the poet, thereby indicating that Satyāśraya who was defeated
by Rājarāja
was the son of Taila II. He also killed the faultless Āndhra king
Bhīma for
the mere reason that the latter had killed by a powerful club a certain
Rājarāja,
his namesake, who was an expert in war (v. 82). This statement makes
it clear that
Rājarāja unnecessarily interfered in the politics of the Āndhra country,
by killing
a king called Bhīma. This Bhīma and the Rājarāja killed by him have
not been identified. Rājarāja next conquered the [Kēraḷa]
country which was the
creation of Rāma (i.e., Paraśurāma) and also
subdued in battle successively the
Gaṅga, Kaliṅga, Vaṅga, Magadha, Āraṭṭa, Oḍḍa,
Saurāshṭraka,
Chāḷukya, and other kings (v. 84). This list of Rājarāja's
conquests, though
by no means impossible, is yet exaggerated when it includes names like those
of
Magadha and Saurāshṭraka. According to the Leyden plates
Rājarāja I. was
known by the title Rājāśraya. Rājarāja's son was
Madhurāntaka (v. 85)
who backed up by a powerful army turned his attention to the
conquest of the quarters
(digvijaya) (v. 89). This king called Uttama-Chōḷa
(II.) started to the south as
usual with a desire to conquer the Pāṇḍya
king (v. 90). The commander of his
forces (daṇḍanātha) so struck the Pāṇḍya that
the latter ran away from the land of
Agastya and sought refuge in the Malaya hill (v.
91). After taking possession of many
a pure lustrous pearl of the Pāṇḍya king (v. 92),
Madhurāntaka placed there
his own son Chōḷa-Pāṇḍya for the protection
of the Pāṇḍya country and started
westward (v. 93). For the first time in its history,
Kēraḷa, which was impregnable and
unconquered, was entirely annihilated (vv. 94 to
97). The king after this returned to his
capital and started afresh for the conquest of the
north (v. 98), having again appointed
his son Chōḷa-Pāṇḍya to
protect the western country (v. 99). Rājēndra-
Chōḷa entered
Kāñchī (i.e., Conjeeveram) in his march against Jayasiṁha of
the
Taila family, the lord of the Chāḷukyas (vv. 99——100). He thoroughly
routed
him and his forces, thereby causing the ladies of the Raṭṭa kingdom to shed
tears
(vv. 101-107). Rājēndra-Chōḷa returned again to his
capital (v. 108). With the
idea of bringing the river Gaṅgā into his own country
through the strength of his
arm he ordered his commander to subdue the kings
occupying the banks of that river
(vv. 109-110). From v. 113 it is inferred that
Rājēndra-Chōḷa also held the title
Vikrama-Chōḷa. The first king
conquered was Indraratha of the Lunar race
(v. 114).; next, Raṇaśūra was
robbed of his prosperity and then Dharmapāla. The
commander of the Chōḷa
army reached the Gaṅgā and got the most sacred water of
that river carried to his master
Madhurāntaka (vv. 116-117). Meantime Rājēn-
dra Chōḷa himself
reached the river Gōdāvarī to meet his able General who had
just brought the water of the
Ganges, after having defeated Mahīpāla on the way
(vv. 118-119). Here,
Rājēndra-Chōḷa is stated to have killed the wicked king
of Oḍḍa and to
have accepted as tribute from the surviving claimant, many rutting
elephants
(v. 120). His next compaign was against Kaṭāha (v. 123). He then
constructed in his capital the tank called Chōḷagaṅgam which was
composed of the
waters of the Gaṅgā river, and established it there as a memorial pillar of
his victory
(v. 124). These conquests of Rājēndra-Chōḷa are mostly recorded in the
historical
introductions to his Tamil inscriptions dated from and after the 13th year of his
reign.
It may here be noted that the Tamil introduction given in lines 131 to
142 below is
naturally the shorter one, since it belongs to the 6th year of the king's reign;
and since it
does not include a list of all the conquests mentioned above, it has been
suggested
that the Sanskrit portion of the grant which includes the conquests of the later
years must
be a subsequent addition.
Being encamped at Muḍigoṇḍaśōḻapuram, king Madhurāntaka deputed
his
minister Jananātha, the son of Rāma, in the 6th year of his reign, to grant
the
village of Paḻaiyūra to the temple of Śiva [at Tiruvālaṅgāḍu] (v.
125). This
Jananātha is stated to have been a minister of Madhurāntaka and
a crest jewel
of the Chāḷukyas (v. 127). The village Purāṉagrāma,
(i.e., Paḻaiyūra quoted
above), which was granted to the god Śiva
named Ammaiyappa, was the ornament
of the province of
Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Chōḷa-maṇḍalam and was situated in the dis-
trict
Pāśchātyagiri (vv. 128-129). It was also called
Tiruvālaṅgāḍu and was
bounded on three sides by
Siṁhaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam and on the
fourth by
Nityavinōda-chaturvēdimaṅgalam (vv. 130-131). The śrīmukha or
the royal
order conveying the grant was written by Uttamaśōḻa-Tamiḻadaraiyaṉ.
Tirukkāḷatti
Pichchaṉ made the request (vijñapti) on behalf of the temple and Araṉ-
eṟi, son of Māyāna, a native of Maṅgalavāyil and of the
fourth caste, did the business
of taking round the female elephant (kariṇībhramaṇa),
etc., under orders of Jananātha
(vv. 132-135). The learned poet
Nārāyaṇa, son of Śaṅkara and a devotee of Vishṇu,
composed the grant
(v. 136). Tirukkāḷatti Pichchaṉ and Araneri, sons of
Māyāna, do
not appear in the Tamil portion of the grant described below. Jananātha
of the
Sanskr̥t portion is identical with Narākkaṇ Mārāyaṉ Jananāthaṉ
alias
Rājēndraśōḻa-Brahmādhirājaṉ who together with three other
officers of the
king issued the order to execute the grant of Paḻaiyaṉūr to the
Śiva temple of
Tiruvālaṅgāḍu. Uttamaśōḻa-Tamiḻadaraiyaṉ is identical with
Nārā-
yaṇaṉ-kaṟṟaḷi alias
Uttamaśōḻa-Tamiḻadaraiyaṉ mentioned in l. 276 of
the Tamil portion.
The Tamil portion of the grant consists of 524 lines engraved on twenty-one
copper-plates.
The first 145 lines are actually taken up by the order issued under the
authority of the king
by his ministers and other officers. The next 281 lines contain a
detailed description of the
boundary line. The last 98 lines state the conditions and
privileges with which the village was
granted as a dēvadāna to the temple and
supply the names of the artisans who engraved
the grant. The order was addressed to
the headmen of the districts, the headmen of the
brahmadēya villages and the residents
(ūrār) of the dēvadāna,
paḷḷichchanda, kaṇimuṟṟūṭṭu, veṭṭippēṟu and
aṟa-chchālābhōgam
villages in Mēṉmalai-Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu, a
subdivision of Jayaṅgoṇḍaśōḻa-
maṇḍalam. This classification seems
apparently to distinguish the revenue villages
of the State from those granted to Brāhmaṇas,
temples, Jaina shrines, Jaina
teachers, and service-inams and
charitable feeding houses. The king being seated
in his private room on the upper storey of his
palace at Muḍigoṇḍaśōḻapuram
ordered that Paḻaiyaṉūr
in Mēṉmalai Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu which originally
was a brahmadēya of the
assembly of Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam
in Naḍuviṉmalai
Perumūr-nāḍu should from the 6th year and the 88th day of
his reign, cease to be a
brahmadēya and be included under veḷḷāṉ-vagai villages. He also
ordered that
in consequence the tax 598 kaḻañju and one kuṉṟi of gold which it was
paying
with Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam must now be reduced but
that unlike other
veḷḷāṉ-vagai villages, it must be made to pay as of old the permanent
tax
(in kind) of 3238 kalam 7 kuṟuṇi and 5 nāḻi of paddy together with 193
kaḻañju, 1 mañjāḍi
and 1 mā of gold, including paḷḷi and be given
over as a dēvadāna to the temple of
Mahādēva at
Tiruvālaṅgāḍu.
Two executive
officers passed the order that the royal writ may be entered in the
account books just as it had
been signed and issued by the four secretaries
(Ōlai-nāyakam) on the strength of a letter
received from the officer who wrote the
orders of the king, evidently under his direct dictation.
This order was further supported by
the approval and signature of three chief executive
officers. Accordingly on the 90th day of
the same year, two officers of the department of
taxes
pottaka-kaṇakku, variyiliṭu,
paṭṭōlai
entries were made
in the registers.
Two other officers and a third, perhaps a non-official, were also appointed to
superintend
the ceremony of going round the granted village and its hamlets accompanied by a
female
elephant (
we are told that the residents of the district who
had also received a royal order to co-operate
with the above said officers in walking round the
hamlets accompanied by the female
elephant, in planting boundary stones and milk-bush and in
drawing up the gift deed,
met together, went in advance to receive the royal order
heads and making due obeisance to it, walked round the
hamlets of Paḻaiyaṉūr. A
short eulogy of the king in Tamil is here inserted in
lines 131 to 142. The king is stated to
have conquered with his great war-like army
Iḍaittuṟai-nāḍu, Vanavāsi of exten-
sive forests,
Koḷḷippākkai and Maṇṇaikkaḍakkam, to have captured the crowns
of the
king and queen of Īḻam (Ceylon), the beautiful crown and other jewels which
the
Pāṇḍya king had deposited with the king of Īḻam (Ceylon), the whole island of
Īḻa-
maṇḍalam, the crown and the garland of the Kēraḷa king and many
‘ancient islands’ in
the sea. Iḍaittuṟai-nāḍu which was for a long time identified
with the country
comprising the small taluk of Yeḍatore in Mysore, has now been satisfactorily
proved
by Dr. Fleet to be the Raichūr doab. Koḷḷippākkai has
been identified by
Mr. Lewis Rice with Kulpak in the Nizam's Dominions. It is not unlikely also that
Maṇṇaikkaḍakkam grouped with the two
above names, may have to be identified
with Mānyakhēṭa (Māḷkhēḍ) in the Nizam's
Dominions though hitherto it has been
taken to be Maṇṇe in the Mysore State.
Rājēndra-Chōḷa's seizure of the crowns
of the Pāṇḍya, Ceylon and Kēraḷa kings
must have earned for him the title Muḍi-
goṇḍa Chōḷa which title he
appears to have commemorated by founding the town
called Muḍigoṇḍachōḷapuram.
The circumambulation of the village by the officers and the district people, accompanied
by
the female elephant is detailed in the point-to-point description of the boundary line,
which
commences with l. 145. The eastern boundary touched the villages, Perumūr,
Kūḷapāḍi, Nāraipāḍi, Maṅgalam and Maṇaiyil, all of which
are stated to have
been hamlets of Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam. The southern boundary
similarly touched the villages
Maṇṇālaiyamaṅgalam and Toḻugūr which were also
hamlets of
Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam and Kūṭṭukkumuṇḍūr
which was a
hamlet of Nittavinōda-chaturvēdimaṅgalam. Incidentally in
the
description of this boundary line, reference is made to the high road leading from
Tirup-
pāśūr to Mērppāḍi alias
Rājāśrayapuram which is of much interest, if by
high-road
men and wheeled traffic. The
western boundary touched the villages of Kīrainallūr,
Śakkaranallūr,
Kāraippākkam, Midugūr——all hamlets of Śiṅgaḷān-
taka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam and Āṉaippākkam and Mullaivāyil,
hamlets
of Nittavinōdachaturvēdimaṅgalam. The northern boundary touched
the
villages of Uppūr, Gaṅgaṉērippaṭṭu, Pōḷipākkam and
Kayaṟpākkam
which were also hamlets of
Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam.
The inscription closes with a list of privileges (parihāra) which, being a
royal
prerogative, were transferred from the king to the temple of Tiruvālaṅgāḍu,
on the
village Paḻaiyaṉūr being converted into a dēvadāna. The list
consisted of several fees,
taxes and tolls such as nāḍāṭchi, ūrāṭchi, vaṭṭiṉāḻi,
pidānāḻi, vaṇṇāra-pāṟai, kaṇṇālakkāṇam,
kuśakkāṇam, iḍaipāṭṭam, tari-iṟai,
taragu (or taragu-pāṭṭam), taṭṭār-pāṭṭam, maṉṟu-pāḍu,
māviṟai,
tīyeṟi, viṟpiḍi, vālamañjāḍi, nallāvu, nallerudu, nāḍukāval, ūḍupōkku,
ilaikkūlam,
nīrkūli, ulgu and ōḍakkūli. As I have stated elsewhere it is
doubtful if all these terms
have to be taken as referring to regular sources of revenue to the
State or are to be
considered mostly as obligatory services which the king alone could enforce
on the people for
his personal enjoyment. The list is not exhaustive. The Kāśākuḍi plates
mention under
parihāras a larger number of items. There also it is stated that the
palace resigned them
in favour of the donee. The Leyden plates repeat almost
all these terms under parihāras
but mention tarippuḍavai instead of
tari-iṟai and add the new term āṭṭukkiṟai. The
Vēlūrpāḷaiyam and the
Taṇḍandōṭṭam plates published above add the terms puṟavu-poṉ,
tirumukkāṇam,
taṭṭukkāyam, īḻampūṭchi, iḍaippūṭchi (perhaps same as iḍaippāṭṭam),
kūlam
(perhaps same as ilaikkūlam), pāṟaikkāṇam
paṭṭinaśeri, ulaviyakkūli, ūreṭṭu, aṅgāḍikkūli,
kaḍaiyaḍaikkay and uppu-kōrchchaigai. A set of vyavasthās
(i.e., conditions of grant)
were also imposed on the donee. Here again the exact import
of these conditions
has not been properly understood. Some have taken it to be only permissive
rights
just like the privileges mentioned above, granted to the donee; but it would
look
apparently to be different when we see that permission to build houses of bricks,
to
dig wells, to plant coconut trees in rows, or to plant sweet-scented verbina, may
not
generally have required a license. Still such are the conditions (vyavasthā)
mentioned
viz., that mansions and large edifices shall be built of burnt
bricks; wells and
reservoirs shall be dug; coconut trees shall be planted in groves; maruvu,
dama-
nagam, iruvēli, śeṇbagam, red-lilies, mango, jack, coconut, areca and
such other trees
shall be put in and planted; large oil-presses shall be set up and that
toddy-
drawers shall not climb the coconut and palmyra trees within the boundaries
of the
granted village. One or two other vyavasthas regarding the irrigation of lands
also
deserve to be noted. Usually the distribution of water for irrigation in each village
appears
to have been fixed by some common understanding. This allotted quantity of water,
the
grant states, shall be utilised by digging canals. Cultivators to whom the canal is
not
intended shall not cut open branch channels from it, nor bund up the water, nor
raise it by
small piccotas, nor bale it out by baskets; and those who have the
right shall make the most
economical use of the water without wasting it. Canals
flowing across other
villages to irrigate the lands of this village and vice versa
shall be permitted to flow
over the boundary line and to cast up silt. Besides, the
embankments of tanks
shall be allowed to be raised within their limits, so that they may
hold the maximum quantity
of water.
The grant thus set forth was given effect to by the district people (nāṭṭōm)
of
Paḻaiyaṉūr, an officer of the department of taxes and two others, one of whom
according
to l. 120 was an executive officer of the king. The same was also done by the
assembly of
Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, represented by the
Karaṇattāṉ of that
village; by the villagers (ūrōm) of
Paḻaiyaṉūr and the assembly of Nittavinōda-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam.
The grant was entered in the accounts in the 7th year and the 155th day of the
king's reign,
there being present on the occasion the officers already mentioned, together
with some others.
Four Sanskrit verses with which the inscription ends supply the
names of the four sculptors of
Kāñchīpura who belonged to the Hōvya or Ōvī
family, viz.,
Ārāvamurta (i.e., Tamil Ārāvamudu) his two brothers
Raṅga
and Dāmōdara and his son Purushōttama.
There are three dates given in the Tamil portion of the inscription. The first which
occurs
in line 6 was the eighty-eighth day of the sixth year when perhaps the king orally
ordered the
release of Paḻaiyaṉūr from being a brahmadēya of Śiṅgaḷān-
taka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, its inclusion as a veḷḷāṉ-vagai and a
dēvadāna, and
its permanent settlement. The second date, viz., the ninetieth
day of the sixth year
which occurs in line 62, was actually the day on which the written order
was issued
under the signature of the several officers of the king and was perhaps also entered
in
the books of the issuing office. The third date which occurs in line 517 and is one
year
and 65 days later than the second date was evidently the date on which the grant
was
executed and the necessary entries made in the account books of the villages
concerned.
The long delay in the execution of the king's order must have been due either to
the
complicated system of administration or to the details of procedure adopted in
separating
Paḻaiyaṉūr from Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam.
(Verse 1.) May bashful Bhavāni (Pārvati) who, seeing her (own) form
(reflected)
in the gem on the hood of the king of serpents (which forms) the
necklace of Śrī-
kaṇṭha (Śiva), (and) (suspecting) it (to
be) another woman, looks askance, excited and
jealous, at her husband who, with a heart
all-desirous of (her) embrace, prays (for it)
bowing at (her) feet, grant
you uninterrupted prosperity !
(V. 2.) May that pond in which the royal swan of heroism sports; the sun
(which
delights) the lotuses (viz.,) the learned; the sole caravan-leader of the
vast crowd of
travellers on the two routes (viz.,) (the temporal), where the results
(of actions) are seen,
and (the transcendental), where the results are not seen;
the supreme ruler of all royal
races; the ocean where the multitude of gems (viz.,) all
virtues, has its birth;——the
Chōḷa family——rule for ever the circle of the earth, redressing
the grievances of all !
(V. 3.) The letters (of the alphabet) limited in number are only fifty;
(whereas)
the virtues of (the kings of) the Solar race are resplendent
beyond number. How can
I describe these (virtues) with those (letters) ? Oh !
Mother Sarasvati ! secure for me
(the help of) other letters (lipi)
(also).
(V. 4.) The eye of the three worlds was the Sun from whom sprang the
sprouts
of all (families of) kings. From him (i.e., the Sun) was born by
concentration
(manana), Manu, the first of kings whose name became
(thus) conformable to (its)
meaning.
(V. 5.) Great Ikshvāku was born (as) his son; of him, in
great battles the enemies
of gods (i.e., the dānavas) were greatly afraid. The three
worlds, though completely
immersed in the ocean of his spotless fame, (still) enjoyed
extreme delight.
(V. 6.) (Then) came forth his son, the heroic Vikukshi, who
was the husband
of the youthful Earth adorned by the girdle (viz.,) the waves of all
(surrounding) oceans,
(and) whose lotus feet were resplendent by the lustre
(proceeding from) the diadems of
many crowds of bowing kings.
(V. 7.) To him was born as son the king named Purañjaya, whose abundant
prowess
and heroism were well known and the expansive white parasol of whose blooming
fame, having
spread over the whole surface of the entire universe, was (still found to be)
in excess.
(V. 8.) This mine of prowess, because (he) sat upon the hump of Hari (i.e.,
Indra)
who had assumed the form of a bull, (and) killed in battle the warriors of
the enemies
of gods, bore on this account the name Kakutstha
(i.e., one who sits on the hump).
(V. 9.) (People) say that his son Kakshīvat was a king of unopposed
power,
whose fame was sung by the celestial singers (gandharva) in the houses of gods;
and
the light of the moon (viz.,) the reflection of his spotless white parasol,
extinguished the
fatigue (of the people) on the surface of (this) earth.
(V. 10.) His son was Aryyamā, the lord of the earth, who obtained the
Lakshmī
(of victory) by stirring the ocean of his enemy (forces) with the
churning rod of his
mountain (-like) arm; (and) whose greatness was pre-eminently
extolled.
(V. 11.) In his family was born the king (named) Analapratāpa, whose mag-
nanimity was well known in the world, and the fire of whose prowess sprang forth
from
his tree (-like) shoulders rubbing against the bow-string, and
destroyed (his) enemies.
(V. 12.) The full-moon (in swelling) the ocean of his (i.e.,
Analapratāpa's)
family was Vēna, the foremost of kings. His son was king
Pr̥thu, whose prosperity
was great, who was the chief of rulers, (and) who, like
heroism incarnate for putting
down injustice (in this world), came forth (clad)
in mail, wearing a diadem of gems and
holding a bow of matchless strength
with the string (drawn) and the arrow (set) from
Vēna's right arm which
was churned (for that purpose) by chiefs of ascetics.
(V. 14.) In this family was born a king who, having killed the demon Dhundhu
of
enormous strength, (bore) on earth the name Dhundhumāra. This
king also
(having become) the sole resort of virtues, ruled the whole earth.
(V. 15.) In that family was born king Yuvanāśva who had no second
(to him)
in austerity, celebrity, truth and (other) good qualities; all people
well understood his
prowess to be a rampart-wall in protecting the whole world, ever increasing
on all sides.
(V. 16.) The son of that (king), whose greatness was widespread (and) who
was
respected by (those) who were (themselves) deserving of respect, was
Māndhātr̥, the
master of courage, wisdom, love, prosperity and
learning. (He), the birth-place of
mercy, ruled for a long time the earth as far as the
Lōkālōka mountain as (if he
were) the embodiment of the
protective power itself.
(V. 17.) Begotten (of him) was his son (known as) king Muchukunda, who
kept (himself) awake in the duty of protecting the camp of the army of
gods which was
attacked by the forces of powerful demons; who was engrossed in the sleep
obtained
(as boon) through the grace of the lord of gods (i.e., Indra) and whose
eyes, opening
in anger, immediately consumed the crafty demon Kālayavana and
(thus) pleased
Mukunda (Vishṇu).
(V. 18.) In that family was also born he of immense prosperity who was a
store-house of
celebrated heroism, whose name was known (to the world) as Vaḷabha,
who
offered up (his) enemies as moths to the flames of (his) arrows and founded (the
city of)
Vaḷabhī.
(V. 19.) To him was born (the king) named Pr̥thulāksha, who,
at the request
of crowds of gods and demons, set whirling in the ocean the huge mountain
Mandara
for (the purpose of) securing nectar.
(V. 20.) To him was born a son (known as) Pārthivachūḍāmaṇi, who was
a
mine of power and who, while Mukunda (Vishṇu) was giving the gods a drink
of nectar,
destroyed the army of the demons (who were disturbing).
(V. 21.) Dīrghabāhu, the foremost of the virtuous and a jewel of that race,
then
became the paramount sovereign. Learned men say that the fire of his prowess
quenched
the grievances of the virtuous.
(V. 22.) He, king Chandrajit, the parental home of the goddess of
victory,
conquered the unconquerable army of the enemies of gods and (also) the Moon
who
had carried away the wife of his teacher (Br̥haspati).
(V. 23.) His son Sāṁkr̥ti became the emperor at the close of the Kr̥ta
age.
That he highly reddened (i.e., pleased) the earth with the (white)
rays of the moon of (his)
fame is (indeed) strange.
(V. 24.) A jewel in that family was the king known as Pañchapa the
victorious,
who, by the excellence of his body, surpassed the five-arrowed (Cupid) and vied
(in pros-
perity) with the lord of the heaven (i.e., Indra).
(V. 25.) In his family was (born) Satyavrata who, being
ordered by (his) father
to protect the horse which was let loose for the
horse-sacrifice, conquered, by (virtue of
his superior) strength, Kāśirāja,
the king of Vāraṇāśī (i.e., Benares).
(V. 26.) (Seeing that he) conquered Rudra in a battle where a multitude of
arrows
proceeding from the bows of opposite parties struck (one another) and produced
flames,
the assemblage of gods proclaimed “thou art Rudrajit (the conqueror of
Rudra).”
(V. 27.) The jewel of that prosperous family was king Śibi, the son
of Uśīnara,
who, out of compassion in protecting the pigeon which was threatened
(to be killed) by
a falcon, gave up attachment for his own body. An ornament in his
family was king
Marutta, who was famous in (this) world. With
the riches that were used and left
over (as balance, after the performance) of his
sacrifice, the Pāṇḍavas performed (their)
sacrifice.
(V. 28.) (People) say that Dushyanta was an ornament of the race of this
(king).
His son was Daushyanti (i.e., born of Dushyanta)
Bharata. To him was born a
son named Chōḷa after whom the
Solar race on this earth became illustrious.
(V. 29.) Him (i.e., the king Chōḷa), learned men describe as the generous lord
of
gods (i.e., Indra) who incarnated on earth (on seeing that) the glory of his
town (i.e.,
Amarāvatī) was humbled by the varied and lustrous riches of the
Chōḷa country.
(V. 30.) Chōḷavarman's son was Rājakēsarivarman (‘the lion
among
kings’) who split asunder with (his) nails (viz., crooked knives) the
elephants (viz., his
enemies) and (was) the cage (wherein resided the
goddess) of prosperity.
(V. 31.) Rājakēsarin's son was king Parakēsarin by whose
fire-like anger
the enemies’ forces were consumed.
(V. 32.) Thenceforward these two names indicative of (their) suzerainty were alter-
nately borne by the Chōḷa (kings) in the order of their coronation.
(V. 33.) Parakēsarin's son was king Chitraratha; his son
(was)
Chitrāśva; to him (was born) king Chitradhanvan.
(V. 34.) Heaps of wealth brought by kings from all quarters (of the world)
were
poured out in front of him and by him in turn (they were scattered)
instantaneously
(before) supplicants.
(V. 35.) Having come to know that king Bhagīratha engrossed in penance
brought
down (from heaven) the river of gods (i.e., Gaṅgā) (to earth), this king
(also) desirous
of fame brought her (i.e., Gaṅgā) to his
dominions under the name Kavērakanyakā
(i.e., Kāvērī).
(V. 36.) In that family was (born) Suraguru who was the
hereditary abode of
the maiden, the Lakshmī of victory. This king having conquered by
his glory the
god of Death in his own territory acquired the name
Mr̥tyujit.
(V. 37.) In his race was born king Chitrartha called Vyāghrakētu
from his banner-cloth bearing (the figure of) a tiger, who was a store of
great heroism
and who wore as an ornament on his head the flowers of the dhātakī (Grislea
Tomentosa).
(V. 38.) The Trēta-age having come to a close, a son of this king known
as
Narēndrapati became the ruler. The diadems of (subordinate) kings dropped
down their
gems; (because their) fastenings had become loosened by the constant rolling
at his footstool.
(V. 39.) From him was produced the head-jewel of the powerful Solar race,
(king)
Vasu, who was the cause of the destruction of the demons (and)
who (known) by the
significant surname of Uparichara moved in
any direction he liked in a celestial car
which was presented (to him) by the lord of
gods (i.e., Indra).
(V. 40.) At the end of the Dvāpara (-age) was born in the family of this
head-
jewel of kings a conqueror of all hostile kings named Viśvajit.
(V. 41.) In his race was born Perunatkiḷḷi who was the receptacle
of all
sciences, the abode of (the goddess of) Prosperity, who was worshipped by the
diadems of
all the rulers of the earth which were set with rows of precious gems.
(V. 42.) In this (king's) family was born he, the leader of all the lords of the
earth,
the foremost of the great on account of his virtues, the king who renovated (the town
of) Kāñchī with gold, who had established his glorious fame by
constructing embank-
ments of the Kāvērī
(river) and whom (people) called Kalikāla because
(he) was
(the god of) Death to the elephants (kari) (of his enemies) as
also to the Kali (-age).
(V. 43.) In the family of that (king) of extensive glory was born the
emperor
Kōchcheṅgaṇṇāṉ who bore on his arm the earth (extending) as far
as the Lōkālōka
mountain, whose tremulous eyes were as blue as
the petal of the blue lily (and) the bondage
of (whose) spider-body was cut off by (his) devotion to Śambhu (i.e., Śiva) the
conqueror
of (the demon) Tripura.
(V. 44.) In the illustrious family of that (king) was born Vijayālaya of
praise-
worthy prowess, whose footstool was battered by the diadems in the rush for
precedence
(ahamahamikā) of kings desirous of prostrating.
(V. 45.) He, the light of the Solar race, took possession of (the town)
Tañchāpurī
(i.e., Tanjore) which was picturesque to the sight, was as
beautiful as Aḷakā (the chief
town of Kubēra), had reached the sky (by
its high turrets) and the white-wash of (whose)
mansions (appeared like) the
scented cosmetic (applied to the body), just as he would seize
(by the hand) his
own wife who has beautiful eyes, graceful curls, a cloth covering (her
body), and sandal
paste as (white as) lime, in order to sport with her.
(V. 46.) Having next consecrated (there) (the image of) Niśumbhasūdanī whose
lotus-feet are worshipped by gods and demons, (he) by the grace of
that (goddess) bore just
(as easily) as a garland (the weight of) the
(whole) earth resplendent with (her) garment of
the four oceans.
(V. 47.) (After him), (his) son king Ādityavarman, the asylum of the wise,
a
Dhishaṇa (Br̥haspati) (in learning), energetic, always bent upon removing
evil and
adhering (himself) to the path of the righteous, protected the earth.
(V. 48.) The earth having sought refuge under the shadow of his matchless white
parasol did
not experience on any occasion, the pain caused by the heat (of misery).
(V. 49.) Having conquered in battle the Pallava (king) Aparājita who
possessed
a brilliant army though (he was in name) aparājita (i.e., the
unconquered) he (i.e., Āditya)
took possession of his (i. e., Aparājita's)
beloved country and thus fulfilled the object
(of his desire).
(V. 50.) His son was Parāntaka (i.e., the destroyer of (his) enemies,
whose
name was full of meaning, who was a bee at the two lotus-feet of Purāntaka
(i.e.,
Śiva) and who was as (it were) the embodiment of the boundless joy of
(his) subjects.
(V. 51.) Encircled by the fire of whose prowess the Pāṇḍya king at once entered the
sea,
as if intent upon quenching that affliction in haste, abandoning (his) royal glory
and
(his) hereditary dominion.
(V. 52.) The fire of whose anger after burning (his) enemies quenched not in
the
waters of the sea (but) subsided (only) by the tears of the wives of the
Simhaḷa (king)
who was cut to pieces and killed by (his) weapons.
(V. 53.) He built for Purāri (Śiva), who was before (this) on the silver
mountain
(Kailāsa), a golden house called Dabhra-Sabhā and (thus) put to
shame his (i.e.,
Śiva's) friend, the lord of wealth (Kubēra) by (his) immense
riches.
(V. 54.) His son Rājāditya defeated Kr̥shṇarāja in battle and went
to
heaven. His brother named Gaṇḍarāditya, whose feet were worshipped by the
rows
of diadems (worn on the heads) of the rulers of the earth, became king.
(V. 55.) Arindama (i.e., the destroyer of enemies) bearing
indeed a name which was
full of meaning, became the best of kings; and dense forests became the
abode of kings,
who fled from his anger.
(V. 56.) From him was born the king known as Parāntaka who received
glowing
prowess from the sun, profoundness from the ocean, great heroism from Hari
(Vishṇu)
the abode of strength, an incomparable body from Kāma (Cupid), prosperity
from
Vishṇu and from the moon a splendour pleasant to the eye.
(V. 57.) The mass of people believe this king to be Manu, who, out of love for
the
(good) conduct which was set forth by himself, has come to the earth once again to
establish
his law which had become lax under the influence of the Kali (age).
(V. 58.) While that emperor Sundara was ruling the circle of the earth, the
syllable
hā(indicative of sorrow) was heard by people only in words like
hāra.
(V. 59.) This (king), who was almost (the god of) Death to the Kali (age),
considered
the circle of the earth to be a more becoming jewel to (his) two
serpent-(like) shoulders
than golden armlets brilliant with flawless stones
(gems).
(V. 60.) The courtyard about the portals (of his palace) was covered with the dust
of
gold-pieces which (having) dropped down during the great confusion (ensuing on the
occasion)
of (the giving away of) unlimited charities, were crushed to powder by the
hoofs of horses.
(V. 61.) His son Aruṇmoḻivarmā was born (like another)
Murāri (Vishṇu)
supporting on his two arms, long like the prāsa (weapon),
the glorious (goddess) Śrī
(Lakshmī) who closely embraced the whole of
(his) body, and bearing on the palms
(of his hands), the śaṅkha and
chakra in the form of auspicious marks.
(V. 62.) The eyes of people fully delighted in the extraordinary moon (viz.,
his
body) (which maintained) great pure lustre in both the fortnights
(paksha) [or was of pure
descent on both sides (maternally and
paternally)] and presented a very big (i.e., complete),
orb (always)
[or had an extensive kingdom to rule].
(V. 63.) The Nāga-women danced on the occasion of the birth of this emperor
saying
“this (king) in all probability shall relieve our husband (i.e.,
Ādiśēsha) of the weight of
the earth on his head.”
(V. 64.) King Sundara-Chōḷa of great prowess went to heaven, requested
(as it
were) by the assemblage of gods to protect (it) immediately from the attack of
the
armies of demons and demi-gods.
(V. 65.) “I am determined to follow my lord Sundara (i.e., the beautiful)
before
(he) is coveted by the celestial damsels,” so saying zealously, his devoted queen
the
glorious Vānavaṉmahādēvī, a very Arundhatī in (her) manifold
good qualities,
abandoned her own people and followed him as [night] the day
to heaven, afraid as it
were of the allurement (of her husband) by celestial nymphs and
(desirous consequently of)
being near (him) even there.
(V. 67.) After him, his son named Āditya ruled the earth. He, who excelled
the
mind-born (Cupid) in his (superior) beauty, killed the Pāṇḍya king in
battle.
(V. 68.) Having deposited in his (capital) town the lofty pillar of victory
(viz.,) the
head of the Pāṇḍya king, Āditya disappeared (from
this world) with a desire to
see heaven.
(V. 69.) (Though) requested by the subjects (to occupy the Chōḷa throne), in
order to
destroy the persistently blinding darkness of the powerful Kali (age),
Aruṇmoḻivarman
who understood the essence of royal conduct, desired not the kingdom
for himself even in
(his) mind, while his paternal uncle coveted his (i.e.,
Aruṇmoḻivarman's) dominions.
(V. 70.) Having ascertained by the marks (on his body) that Aruṇmoḻi was
the
lotus-eyed (Vishṇu) himself, the able protector of the three worlds that had
incarnated
(on earth), Madhurāntaka installed him in the office of
heir-apparent, and (himself)
bore the burden of (ruling) the earth.
(V. 71.) Applying (his) mind to (the devotion of) Śarva (Śiva),
utilising (his) wealth
in the act of performing His worship, (employing) all
(his) retinue in the construction of
houses (i.e., temples) for Him, and
directing (his) subjects to (regularly) perform His
festive processions,
(showing his) wrath (only) in the killing of enemies and (distributing
his)
riches among virtuous Brāhmaṇas, that king (Madhurāntaka) bore on
(his) broad
shoulder, the (weight of the) earth.
(V. 72.) Aruṇmoḻivarman was himself then installed in the
administration of
the kingdom (as if) to wash away the stain of the earth caused by the
Kali (-age) of his
body (bathed by the water during the ceremony of
installation); and the ends of the
quarters heavily roared with the tumultuous sounds of
the war-drums, rows of bells and
bugles, kettle drums, tambourines and conches.
(V. 73.) (Surely) the milky ocean formed itself into a circle in the shape of
(his)
white parasol in the sky and came to see his (own) daughter Śrī
(Lakshmī) resting on
the chest of this (king).
(V. 74.) Indeed ! the ladies of (the lords of) the quarters, who were taken
captives
during the digvijaya (i.e., the conquest of the quarters), rendered
(their) service to
this victorious monarch with chowries (made) of (his)
fame, lustrous as the shining
moon-beams.
(V. 75.) Although, in the tulābhāra (ceremony), the king was weighed against gold-
pieces in the scales (tulā), he was still (found) a-tula (i.e.,
unequalled). (Hence), it is
difficult to comprehend the greatness of the great.
(V. 76.) This king——a pile of matchless prosperity, majesty, learning, strength of
arm,
prowess, heroism and courage——invaded and conquered in order, (all) the
quarters
commencing with the direction of Triśaṅku (i.e., the south).
(V. 77.) The moon as if to afford protection to the Pāṇḍya king born in his
own
family, and thinking (unto himself) “I am also a rāja (king),” became the
white parasol of
this (king) who was intent upon conquering that (southern)
quarter.
(V. 78.) (King) Amarabhujaṅga being seized, (other) dissolute kings,
whose rule
was secretly mischievous, being much afraid of him at heart, wished to hide
(themselves)
somewhere (just like serpents with sliding crooked bodies).
(V. 79.) The commandant of (this) ornament of the Solar race, the hereditary home
of
(the goddess of) victory, captured (the town of) Viḷinda whose moat
was the sea, whose
extensive ramparts were glorious and high (and) which was impregnable
to the enemy
warriors.
(V. 80.) The lord of the Rāghavas (i.e., Rāma) constructing a bridge across
the
water of the ocean with (the assistance of) able monkeys, killed with great
difficulty the
king of Laṅkā (i.e., Rāvana) with sharp-edged arrows;
(but), this terrible General of
that (king Aruṇmoḻivarman) crossed the ocean by
ships and burnt the Lord of Laṅkā
(Ceylon). Hence Rāma is (surely) surpassed
by this (Chōḷa General).
(V. 81.) This is strange that though Satyāśraya fled to avoid misery from
the
attack of his (i.e., Aruṇmoḻivarman's) ocean-like army (still) misery found
a (permanent)
abode in him. But this is not strange, that his flight is due to
(i.e., is the result of his)
birth from Taila.
(V. 82.) “Since Rājarāja, an expert in war, of the (same) name as myself,
has
been killed by a powerful club, I shall, therefore, kill that Andhra (king)
called Bhīma
though (he may be) faultless.” So saying he
(Aruṇmoḻivarman) killed him
(i.e., Bhīma) with a mace.
(V. 83.) Having conquered the country,——the creation of Rāma (i.e.,
Paraśurāma)
whose beloved vow was to annihilate the whole of the Kshatra (race),——(the
country) which
was adorned with pious people, was matchless and inaccessible on account of
the mountains
and the ocean, he caused abundant joy to all kings that held a bow (in their
hands),
(and made) his commands shine on the rows of the diadems of all rulers of the
earth.
(V. 84.) Having subdued in battle the Gaṅga, Kalinga, Vaṅga, Magadha,
Āraṭṭa, Oḍḍa, Saurāshṭra, Chāḷukya and other kings, and having received
homage
from them, the glorious Rājarāja——a rising sun in opening the groups of
lotuses,
viz., the faces of crowds of learned men, ruled the earth whose girdle is the water
of
all oceans.
(V. 85.) To this ruler of men was born a son, Madhurāntaka, whose limbs bore
all
the (distinguishing) marks of earth-rulers, who resembled a different
Manmatha
(mind-born) who had defied the angry roar of Hara
(Śiva).
(V. 86.) Wonder ! While he of great prowess, was protecting this earth ever follow-
ing the ways of the good, the eyes of his wives openly transgressed the path (laid
down by)
the śruti (i.e., the Vēdas).
(V. 87.) The fierce Sun, viz., the prowess of Madhurāntaka, stood pervading
the
whole space (comprised) within the circuit of the quarters. It is strange that
(this Sun)
reduced to ashes all the kings who stood aloof (from him)
(i.e., those who were his enemies)
but relieved the affliction of all kings who were
near (i.e., those who sought refuge in him).
(V. 88.) Strange it is that the disc of the moon (rāja-maṇḍala, i.e., the circle of
kings)
setting in the waters of the ocean of his sword, does not rise (again). This is
still more
strange that (subsequently) it (i.e., the disc of the moon) continues
to remain in the sky with
(its) brilliant lustre.
(V. 89.) (This) famous (and) heroic lord of men intent upon doing meritorious
deeds
with large quantities of money acquired by (the strength of) his own arm, turned
his atten-
tion to the conquest of the quarters (digvijaya), backed up by a
powerful army.
(V. 90.) Accordingly, he the unequalled king Uttama-Chōḷa first started to
the
(southern) quarter marked by (the asterism) Triśaṅku, with a
desire to conquer the
Pāṇḍya king, after having arranged for the protection of his own
capital.
(V. 91.) The commander of forces (daṇḍanātha) of this crest-jewel of the
Solar race
(i.e., Madhurāntaka), struck the Pāṇḍya king
who had a powerful army. (And)
the Pāṇḍya leaving his own country which was
the residence of (the sage) Agastya,
from fear (of
Madhurāntaka), sought refuge in the Malaya hill.
(V. 92.) (Then) the politic son of Rājarāja took possession of the lustrous
pure pearls
which looked like the seeds (out of which grew) the spotless fame of the
Pāṇḍya king.
(V. 93.) Having placed there his own son, the glorious Chōḷa-Pāṇḍya, for
the
protection of his (i.e., the Pāṇḍya's) country, the light of the
Solar race started
for the conquest of the western region.
(V. 94.) Having heard of the humiliation which the rulers of the earth were sub-
jected to by (the sage) Bhārgava (i.e., Paraśurama) on the
battlefield, (and) not
being able to meet him (i.e., Bhārgava) (in
battle) on earth, that proud king
(Madhurāntaka) set his mind upon conquering the country
called after him.
(V. 95.) Excepting, Paramēśvara (Śiva) who else in this
(world) could even
contemplate in his mind to humiliate that country which is protected
by the glory of
(Bhārgava) the crest-jewel of the Bhr̥gu-race and which
since then (i.e., the
time of Bhārgava) has not been injured by enemies ?
(V. 96.) Madhurāntaka fearlessly crossed the Sahya (mountain) (and)
immedi-
ately) attacked the lord of the Kēraḷa (country) together
with his forces. Then a fierce
battle took place which wrought ruin upon (several)
kings.
(V. 97.) Having conquered the Kēraḷa king and having annihilated the
country
protected by the austerities of the chief of the Bhr̥gus, that prince, the abode of
prosperity,
turned towards his own capital (which looked) as if (it were) dancing
(in joy) with (its upraised)
hands, viz., brilliant fluttering flag-cloths
and whispering welcome by (its) sweetly
(jingling) waist-belts of
(damsels) with unsteady eyes.
(V. 98.) Then the great king, a light in the lineage of Śibi, started for
the
conquest of the region of Vaiśravaṇa (Kubēra) (i.e., the North), of
which the triple
(ash-) mark (on the forehead) is the silver mountain (and) where
Śiva is residing on
the Kailāsa (mountain).
(V. 99.) Having appointed his own son the glorious Chōḷa-Pāṇḍya to protect
the
western country, he the very god of Death (Kāla) to the Taila-family (i.e., the
Western
Chāḷukyas) entered (the town of) Kāñchī, which was like
the waist-band (kāñchī) of
the goddess-earth.
(V. 100.) Observing that the lord of the Chāḷukyas, king Jayasiṁha
was
the seat of the (sinful) Kali (-age),
Rājēndra-Chōḷa——himself the destroyer of the
Kali-(age)——started first to
conquer him (i.e., Jayasiṁha) alone.
(V. 101.) It may be no wonder that the fire of his anger burst into a flame as it
came
into contact with the descendant of Taila. This is
(more) strange that it consumed the
enemy-fuel, having crossed the great waters of the
ocean.
(V. 102.) While this king with anger was engaged in vanquishing Jayasiṁha-
rāja, very strangely (indeed), the fire of grief of the Raṭṭa
ladies burst into a flame,
washed by the tears (trickling) from (their) eyes.
(V. 103.) The sides of the ample breasts of the ladies of the Raṭṭa king who
was
cut to pieces by his fierce General, (though rendered) destitute of ornaments (on
account of
their widowhood) (nevertheless) became brilliant and beautiful as before with
shining pearls,
viz., the drops of their tears.
(V. 104.) The forces of Chōḷēndrasiṁha and Jayasiṁha fought an
intensive
battle, each (side) kindling the anger of the other, wherein the fire
generated by the tusks
of huge infuriated elephants dashing (against each other), burnt
all the banners.
(V. 105.) That lord of Raṭṭarāshṭra (i.e., Jayasiṁha) in order to escape
from
the fire of the terrible rage of the ornament of the Solar race (i.e.,
Rājēndra-Chōḷa)
took to his heels with fear, abandoning all (his) family riches and
reputation.
(V. 106.) Afraid of the anger of the ornament of the Vaḷabha race (i.e.,
of
Rājēndra-Chōḷa) to whom fame was dear, the rest of the enemy's forces quickly
sought
refuge in forests and mountain-caves as did (also) the dust (raised by) his
(i.e.,
Rājēndra-Chōḷa's) (pursuing) army.
(V. 107.) The army of Raṭṭarāja hemmed in on all sides by the
continuous
downpour of arrows, (and) beleaguered by the heroes in the army of the
ornament of the
Solar race, was (completely) destroyed just as a range of
clouds tossed about by the
force of furious winds.
(V. 108.) Having defeated Raṭṭarāja with (his) forces, the son of
Rājarāja,
well-versed in polity and attended by all his numerous virtues such as
courage, prowess
and victory, got (back) to (his) (capital) town.
(V. 109.) This light of the Solar race, laughing at Bhagīratha who had
brought
down the Gaṅgā (to the earth from heaven) by the power of
(his) austerities, wished to
sanctify his own country with the waters of the
Gaṅgā (i.e., the river Ganges)
carried thither through the strength of
(his) arm.
(V. 110.) Accordingly (he) ordered the commander of the army who had
powerful
battalions (under his control), who was the resort of heroism (and) the
foremost of
diplomats,——to subdue the enemy kings occupying (the country on) the banks
of that
(river).
(V. 111.) Before him, as from the slopes of the Himalayas, marched a very large army
like
the tremendous volume of the waters of the Gaṅgā with wavy rows of moving
horses,
causing all the quarters to resound with its confused clamour.
(V. 112.) The van of his army crossed the rivers by way of bridges formed by herds
of
elephants. The rest of the army (crossed the same) on foot, (because) the waters in
the
meantime had dried up being used by elephants, horses and men.
(V. 113.) The soldiers of Vikrama-Chōḷa having reached the points of the
compass
(first) by the dust raised by crowds of elephants, horses and foot-men, quickly
entered
(next) the country of hostile kings.
(V. 114.) That general of the ornament of the Solar race first conquered Indra-
ratha (and) captured the country of that jewel of the Lunar race
who met him (on
the battlefield) with very powerful elephants, horses and innumerable
foot-soldiers.
(V. 115.) The white parasol of that king, the jewel of the Lunar race, fell (to
the
ground) its (supporting) staff and top being cut (asunder) in battle by
sharp arrows, as if
the disc of the moon (fell), distressed by the defeat (of her
descendant).
(V. 116.) Then having robbed Raṇaśūra of his prosperity he entered the exten-
sive dominions of Dharmapāla. (And) conquering him too, this General
of the king
of Śibis (i.e., of Rājēndra-Chōḷa) reached the
celestial river (Gaṅgā).
(V. 117.) The (daṇḍanāyaka) then immediately got the most sacred waters of
that
(river) carried to his master Madhurāntaka by the subjugated chiefs on
the banks of
that (Gaṅgā river).
(V. 118.) (Meantime) Rājēndra-Chōḷa (himself) with a desire to
conquer (enemy
kings) reached the river Gōdāvarī and by the scented
cosmetics on his body (washed
away) during a playful bath in the waters (of that
river) caused her (i.e., the Gōdāvarī
river) to be suspected (of
enjoyment with a stranger) by the lord of rivers (i.e., the
ocean).
(V. 119.) The powerful General had (just then) got the waters of the
Gaṅgā
carried to his master (Rājēndra-Chōḷa), after having defeated
Mahīpāla and
having taken possession of his fame, splendour and precious gems.
(V. 120.) The heroic king killed in battle (the lord of) Oḍḍa who was carrying
on
the orders of the king of the Kali (-age), together with
(his) younger brother and (his)
army and then forcibly took possession of
(his) rutting elephants.
(V. 121.) There, the king with his own hand (and) from the (back of the)
elephant
mounted by himself, killed a mad elephant that ran at him with its trunk raised.
(V. 122.) He (then) entered his own (capital) town, which by its prosperity
despised
all the merits of the abode of the gods,——his lotus feet (all along) being
worshipped by the
kings of high birth who had been subdued (by him).
(V. 123.) Having conquered Kaṭāha with (the help of) his valiant forces
that
had crossed the ocean, (and) having made all kings bow down (before him)
this (king)
(Rājēndra-Chōḷa) protected the whole earth for a long time.
(V. 124.) (This) lord constructed in his own dominions as a pillar of victory (a
tank)
known by repute as Chōḷagaṅgam which was composed of the waters of the
Ganges.
(V. 125.) This glorious and highly prosperous king Madhurāntaka staying in
the
town called śrī-Muḍigoṇḍachōḷapura, deputed with pleasure the illustrious
and
virtuous Jananātha, the son of Rāma, in the sixth year (of his reign),
(ordering)
him to have the prosperous village of Paḻayūr granted to the enemy of
(the demon)
Andhaka (i.e., Śiva).
(V. 126.) Wise men call him (i.e., Jananātha) who was the chief of the learned,
a
Dhishaṇa (Br̥haspati) come down (to the earth) from heaven in order
to
establish in the world once again the path of righteousness (set up) by him
(before), (but)
which was (now) tottering under the force of the Kali
(-age).
(V. 127.) He was the minister of the glorious (king) Madhurāntaka,
as
Br̥haspati (is) of Śakra (Indra), the foremost of the
learned who directed his
intelligence to go always along the path of virtue, who was the
crest-jewel of the
Chāḷukyas (Chāḷukyachūḍāmaṇi), who (like) the
rising sun, caused the groups of
the lotus (-like) faces of all learned men to bloom
(with joy), (and) who was the storehouse
of virtues and the birth-place of
compassion.
(V. 128.) That son of Rāma (i.e., Jananātha) gave this village to
the
god of gods Śaṅkara, the enemy of the (three) cities, known by name
Ammayyappa
who had his abode in (the village) called Purāṇagrāma
(i.e., Paḻayaṉūr in Tamil)
which was the ornament of
Jayaṅgoṇḍa-chōḷamaṇḍala and was situated within
(the district)
Pāśchātyagiri.
(V. 130.) The village Simhaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgala formed the
boundary of
that (village) on the east, south and front.
(V. 131.) (The village) known as Nityavinōda-chaturvēdimaṅgala was
the
boundary of (this) village called Tiruvālaṅgāḍ[u], on its back-side (i.e.,
west).
(V. 132.) The royal order (śrīmukha) was written by Uttamachōḷa-Tamiḻ-
adaraiya. Tirukkāḷatti Pichcha made the request (vijñapti), in this
(grant).
The wise and illustrious Araṉēṟi, the son of Māyāna, a
full-moon (in gladdening)
the ocean, viz., the village named Maṅgalavāyil, born
of the fourth-caste (chaturthānvaya),
which was pure on either side (i.e., both
on the paternal and the maternal), did, under
orders of Jananātha (the rest
of) the business, such as, the taking round of the female
elephant (kariṇī-bhramaṇa),
etc.
(V. 136.) The learned poet Nārāyaṇa, son of Śaṅkara (and) a
devotee of
the Enemy of (the demon) Mura (i.e., Vishṇu), composed this
grant.
(V. 137.) May Rājēndra-Chōḷa be victorious all over the earth, whose many
gem
(-like) virtues step beyond the bounds of the egg of the three worlds; (the number
of)
whose enemies is not sufficiently (large) for the (full) display of
(his) splendid heroism;
who (like) an ocean is the birth-place of all innumerable
gem (-like) virtues; for (the grasp
of) whose intelligence sciences (as they
now exist) are limited (in number); who being solicited
gives to the crowd of
supplicants super-abundant wealth; and who is the birth-place of
prosperity !
(Line 1.) Kōnēri-inmai-koṇḍāṉ staying in the
Śaṉi-maṇḍapa of Muḍi-
goṇḍaśōḻapuram:——in the
sixth year and one hundred and twentieth day of
Our reign,
Mahādēva-Piḍāraṉ having requested Us to grant a dēvadāna to
(the
goddess) Ammai-Nāchchiyār in the temple of the lord
Tiruvālaṅgāḍuḍai-
yār at Paḻaiyaṉūr in
Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Maṇaviṟ-
kōṭṭam in Jayaṅgoṇḍa-śōḻamaṇḍalam, We gave as a tax-free
dēvadāna land
of the god
half (vēli) of land in
Ammaiśēri, (a village) in Kīḻ-Kaṟṟiyūr-nāḍu, (a
subdivision)
of Īkkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam, including wet, dry and nattam
(lands); and of eleven (vēli)
of land in Śēṭṭamaṅgalam including
nattam, river-bed and dry (lands), to
(the
goddess)-Ammai-Nāchchiyār, having removed from this day the old name
and
the previous owners (of these lands).
(L. 16.) We (further) ordered that it may thus be entered in the registers,
engraved
on copper and written on stone. For this statement (of Ours), (this is) the
writing
(i.e., the signature) of Our Secretary
śōḻa Tamiḻadaraiyaṉ of Tuḷār, (a
village) in Tiruvaḻundūr-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of
Uyyakkoṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu.
(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! (This is the order) of Kōnērinmaikoṇḍāṉ to
the head-
men of districts (nāṭṭār), the headmen of brahmadēya
(villages), and the residents of villages
veṭṭippēṟṟu, and old aṟachchālābhōga, in Mēlmalai
Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu of Jayaṅ-
goṇḍa-śōḻamaṇḍalam. In the
sixth year and the eighty-eighth day of Our (reign),
when We were in the secret
apartment (maṟaiviḍam) on the southern side of the upper
storey (called)
Madurāntakadēvaṉ within our palace at Muḍigoṇḍaśōḻa-
puram, (it being decided) to give to the members of the assembly of
Śiṅgaḷāntaka-
chaturvēdimaṅgalam, in
Naḍuvilmalai-Perumūr-nāḍu, a village in
exchange for Paḻaiyaṉūr in
Mēlmalai-Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu which was a brahma-
dēya of the
assembly of this Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, We ordered
that this
Paḻaiyaṉūr be (now) separated; that the gold, viz., five hundred and
ninety-
eight kaḻañju and one kuṉṟi (hitherto), levied as tax from
this village and from Śiṅgaḷānta-
ka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam together,
shall, from the sixth year, be deducted from
the said
Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam; that this village (i.e.,
Paḻaiyaṉūr)
shall discontinue being a brahmadēya, from the (said) sixth year
(and) (thus) ceasing to be a
brahmadēya it shall become veḷḷāṉ-vagai
(cultivators' portion); that this village not making
the payment of taxes in the manner in
which the villages which are veḷḷāṉ-vagai pay, shall,
(however) pay year
after year from the sixth year as permanent tax (niṉr̥ṟai) three thousand
two hundred
and eighty-eight kalam, seven kuṟuṇi and five nāḻi of paddy and one
hundred
and ninety-three kaḻañju, (one) mañjāḍi and one mā of gold
as paid before by this village
inclusive of paḷḷi; and that it shall be so taxed and
entered in the accounts.
(L. 26.) Our (chief) executive officers (karumamārāyum),
Udayadivākaraṉ
Tillaiyāḷi alias Rājarāja-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of
Kāñchivāyil in Pērā-
vūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Uyyakkoṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu and Māṇikkaṉ
Eḍuttapādam alias
Śōḻamūvēndavēḷāṉ of Tēvaṉguḍi in this (same) nāḍu;
the
arbitrators (naḍuvirukkum) Kandāḍai Tiruveṇkāḍa-bhaṭṭaṉ of
śrī-Vīra-
nārāyaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, a free village in
Rājēndrasiṁha-
vaḷanāḍu and Narākkaṇ-Mārāyaṉ
Jananāthaṉ alias Rājēndraśōḻa-
Brahmādhirājaṉ of
Kēraḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in Veṇṇāḍu,
(a subdivision) of
Uyyakkoṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu having informed that Our written
(order) be entered in the
account books just as (it) has been signed and issued by our
Secretaries
(Ōlai-nāyagam) Īrāyiravaṉ Pallavayaṉ alias Uttamaśōḻa-Palla-
varaiyaṉ of Araiśūr in Pāmbuṇi-kūṟṟam (a
subdivision) of Nittavinōda-
vaḷanāḍu, Kr̥shṇaṉ Rāmaṉ
alias Rājēndraśōḻa-Brahmamārāyaṉ
of
Kēraḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in Veṇṇāḍu (a subdivision)
of Uyyak-
koṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu, Araiyaṉ Śīkaṇḍaṉ alias
Mīṉavaṉ-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ
the headman of Kuṟumbil in
Ambar-nāḍu (a subdivision) of this (same) nāḍu
and
Dvēdaigōmapurattu Dāmōdara-bhaṭṭaṉ of Kaḍalaṅguḍi
in
Kuṟukkai-nāḍu (a subdivision) of Rājēndrasiṁha-vaḷanāḍu,
on (the
strength of) the letter of Nārāyaṇaṉ Kaṟṟaḷi alias
Uttamaśōḻa Tamiḻa-
daraiyaṉ of Tuḷār in
Tiruvaḻundūr-nāḍu (a subdivision) of Uyyak-
koṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu who writes our orders; and our (chief) executive officers
Tattaṉ
Śēndaṉ alias Rājēndraśōḻa-Aṇukkappallavaraiyaṉ, the
headman of
Vayalūr in Veṇṅāḍu (a subdivision) of
Uyyakkoṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu Vēḷāṉ
Kūttaṉ alias Irumaḍiśōḻa
Viḻupparaiyaṉ of Ūrikuḍi in Iṅgaṇāḍu
(a subdivision) of
Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu and Kāḍaṉ Karuṇākaraṉ alias
Abhimānamēru-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of Tīyaṉkuḍi in
Tiruvārūr-kūṟṟam
(a subdivision) of
Kshatriyaśikhāmaṇi-vaḷanāḍu having supported what has
been already said by the
above persons——
(L. 49.) in the sixth year and the ninetieth day of Our (reign),
Vēṭchikiḻāṉ
Śōlai Kumaraṉ, (a resident) of the city of
Kachchippēḍu in Eyil-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of
Eyiṟ-kōṭṭam (which was a district) of Jayaṅgoṇḍaśōḻa-maṇ-
ḍalam and Mūrtti-Vīdiviḍaṅgaṉ of Kachchiram in
Ārvala-kūṟṟam,
(a subdivision) of Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu, who
belong to the department of taxes
(puravuvari tiṇaikkaḷam); the varippottagam
(officer) Pagavaṉ Aṅgi of Kachchiram
in Ārvala-kūṟṟam,
(a subdivision) of Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu; the muga-
veṭṭi
(officer) Teṟṟi Veṇkāḍaṉ of Ālaṅguḍi; the varippottagakkaṇakku
(officers)
Dāmōdiraṉ Śīrāḷaṉ of Tugavūr and Karumāṇikkaṉ
Śaṟpaṉ; the
variyiliḍu (officer) Śūlapāṇi Arumoḻi of
Kōnūr in Kāndāna-nāḍu, (a sub
division) of
Rājarāja-vaḷanāḍu; the paṭṭōlai (officers) Vāmana-Narāyaṇaṉ
of
Eyiṉūr in Marugal-nādu, (a subdivision) of
Kshatriyaśikhāmaṇi-vaḷa-
nāḍu, Māṉaṉ Kambaṉ, the headman of
Vallam and Āchchaṉ Aṅgāḍi of
Ulakkaiyūr; and the
kīḻmugaveṭṭi (officers) Dēvaḍi Kamalaṉ, Aiyāraṉ
Dēvargaṇḍaṉ and
Kūttāḍi Nānūṟṟuvaṉ, being present the following entries
were made:——
“Paḻaiyaṉūr in Mēṉmalai-Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu has become a
veḷḷāṉ-vagai
village from the sixth year (of reign), having (thence)
ceased to be a brahmadēya of the
assembly of
Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēḍimaṅgalam in Naḍuviṉmalai-
Perumūr-nāḍu. On the day when We were in the private apartment on the
southern
side of the upper storey (karumāḷigai) (called) Madurāntakadēvaṉ
within our
palace at Muḍigoṇḍaśōḻapuram, We declared that this
Paḻaiyaṉūr in Mēl-
malai-Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of Jayaṅgoṇḍa-śōḻamaṇḍalam
should from the (said)
sixth year cease to be veḷḷāṉ-vagai and that the tax fixed for this
village
(Paḻaiyaṉūr) including paḷḷi, viz., three thousand two hundred and eighty-
eight kalam, seven kuṟuṇi and five nāḻi of paddy and one
hundred and ninety-three kaḻañju,
(one) mañjāḍi and one mā of gold should,
from the (said) sixth year be the permanently
settled tax payable year after year (by
the village) to meet the requirements of this Mahā-
dēva of
Paḻaiyaṉūr-Tiruvālaṅgādu and that it should be (so) registered in
the
account books as a dēvadāna.
“Our executive officers Udaiyadivākaraṉ Tillaiyāḷi alias Rājarāja-
Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of Kāñchivāyil in Pērāvūr-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of
Uyyakkoṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu and Māṇikkaṉ Eḍuttapādam
alias Śōḻamū-
vēndavēḷāṉ of Dēvaṉkuḍi in the
(same) nāḍu; and the arbitrators Kandāḍai
Tiruveṇkāḍa-bhaṭṭaṉ of
śrī Vīranārāyaṇa-chaturvēdimaṅgalam
(which was) a free village in
Rājēndraśiṅga-vaḷanāḍu and Narākkaṇ-Mārā-
yaṉ
Jananāthaṉ alias Rājēndraśōḻa-Brahmādhirājaṉ of Kēraḷānta-
kachaturvēdimaṅgalam in Veṇṇāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Uyyakkoṇḍār-
vaḷanāḍu, having informed that Our written
(order) should be entered in the account
books just as (it) has been signed and
issued by Our secretaries Īrāyiravaṉ Palla-
vayaṉ alias
Uttamaśōḻa-Pallavaraiyaṉ of Araiśūr in
Pāmbuṇi-kūṟṟam,
(a subdivision) of Nittavinōda-vaḷanāḍu,
Kr̥shṇaṉ Rāmaṉ alias Rājēn-
draśōḻa-Brahmamārāyaṉ
of Kēraḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in
Vennāḍu, (a subdivision)
of Uyyakkoṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu, Araiyaṉ Śīkaṇḍaṉ
alias
Mīṉavaṉ-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, the headman of Kuṟumbil in
Ambar-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of the (same) nāḍu and
Dvēdaigōmapurattu Dāmōdara-bhaṭṭaṉ
of Kaḍalaṅguḍi in
Kuṟukkai-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Rājēndraśiṅga-
vaḷanāḍu, on (the strength of) the letter of Nārāyaṇaṉ
Kaṟṟaḷi alias Uttama-
śōḻa-Tamiḻadaraiyaṉ of
Tuḷār in Tiruvaḻundūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision)
of
Uyyakkoṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu who writes our orders; and Our (chief)
executive
officers Tattaṉ Śēndaṉ alias
Rājēndraśōḻa-Aṇukkappallavariyaṉ, the
headman of Vayalūr in
Veṇṇāḍu, (a subdivision) of Uyyakkoṇḍār-vaḷa-
nāḍu,
Vēḷāṉ Kūttaṉ alias Irumaḍiśōḻa-Viḻupparaiyaṉ of
Ūrikuḍi
in Iṅgaṇ-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu and Kāḍaṉ
Karuṇākaraṉ alias
Abhimānamēru-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of Tīyaṉkuḍi
in
Tiruvārūr-kūṟṟam, (a subdivision) of
Kshatriyaśikhāmaṇi-vaḷanāḍu,
having supported what has been already said by the
above (persons)——Vēṭchikiḻāṉ Śōlai
Kumaraṉ, (a resident) of the
city of Kachchippēḍu in Eyil-nāḍu, (a subdivision)
of
Eyir-kōṭṭam (which was a district) of Jayaṅgoṇḍaśōḻa-maṇḍalam
and
Mūrtivīdiviḍaṅgaṉ of Kachchiram in Ārvala-kūṟṟam, (a
subdivision)
of Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu, who belonged to the department of
taxes; the
varippottagam (officer) Pagavaṉ Aṅgi of Kachchiram in
Ārvala-kūṟṟam,
(a subdivision) of Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu; the
mugavetti (officer) Teṟṟi Veṇ-
kāḍaṉ of Ālaṅguḍi;
the varippottagakkaṇakku (officers) Dāmōdiraṉ Śīrāḷaṉ
of
Tugavūr and Karumāṇikkaṉ Śaṟppaṉ; the variyiliḍu (officer)
Śūla-
pāṇi Arumoḻi of Kōnūr in Kāndāṉa-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Rājarāja-
vaḷanāḍu; the paṭṭōlai
(officers) Vāmaṉa-Nārāyaṇaṉ of Eyiṉūr in Maru-
galnāḍu, (a subdivision) of Kshatriyaśikhāmaṇi-vaḷanāḍu,
Māṉaṉ
Kambaṉ, the headman of Vallam and Āchchaṉ Aṅgāḍi of
Ulakkaiyūr;
the kiḻmugaveṭṭi (officers) Dēvaḍi Kamalaṉ, Aiyāṟaṉ
Dēva rgaṇḍaṉ and
Kūttāḍi Nāṉūṟṟuvaṉ, being present, entered in the
accounts, in the 6th year and the
ninetieth day of Our (reign) that
Paḻaiyaṉūr in Mēlmalai-Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu
was given as
dēvadāna from the (said) sixth year.
(L. 118.) “We nominated
Udayamārtāṇḍa-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of Śiṟṟāmūr in
Vaṇḍāḻaivēḷūr-
kūṟṟam, (a subdivision) of
Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu in Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, who
is our executive officer
in Jayaṅgoṇḍaśōḻa-maṇḍalam; Māṉaṉ Arayēṟṟu-
bhaṭṭaṉ, the
headman of Maḻiśaikāṭṭu Maḻiśai in Māṅgāḍu-nāḍu,
(a sub-
division) of Puliyūr-kōṭṭam (which was a
district) of Jayaṅgoṇḍaśōḻa-maṇ-
ḍalam, who belongs to the
department of taxes and Śēndapirāṉbhaṭṭaṉ of Śiṟu-
nāṇalūr in Rājarāja-chaturvēdimaṅgalam (which was) a free
village of
Jayaṅgoṇḍaśōḻa-maṇḍalam, to superintend (the ceremony of)
going round the
hamlets (accompanied) by a female elephant.”
(L. 128.) We the representatives of the several districts (nāṭkīḻnāṭṭōm),
received
the royal order (tirumugam) with the wording “you too be (present) with
these (above
named) persons, point out the boundaries, walk round the hamlets
accompanied by the
female elephant, have the (boundary) stones and milk-bush planted and
the deed drawn
up,” in the sixth year (of the reign) of king Parakēsarivarman
alias the glorious
Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva “who in the course of (his)
prosperous reign while fortune,
fixing (her abode in him) was increasing
(and) while the goddess of the great earth, the
goddess of victory in battle and the
matchless goddess of fame rejoiced in having become his
great queens,——took with (his)
great war-like army (the countries), Iḍaituṟai-nāḍu,
Vanavāśi, whose
unbroken hedge of forests was extensive; Koḷḷippākkai,
whose (fort) walls
were surrounded by śuḷḷi (trees) and Maṇṇaikkaḍakkam, whose
strength
(i.e., fortifications) was unapproachable; the crown of the war-like king of
Īḻam
(surrounded by) the sea, the exceedingly beautiful crown of the queen of that
(king)
there, the beautiful crown and Indra's necklace which the king of the
south (i.e., the
Pāṇḍya) had previously deposited with that (king of
Īḻam); the whole of Īḻa-maṇ-
ḍalam on the transparent
sea; the crown praised by many and the garland (emitting)
beautiful rays,——family
treasures which the (kings of) Kēraḷa of brilliant armies right-
fully wore; and many ancient islands, whose old and great guard was the sea which
roars
with conches.”
(L. 143.) On seeing the royal order, we, the (chief) men of the district went
out
(respectfully), received and placed (it) on (our) heads and
accompanying the female
elephant, walked round the hamlets (of Paḻaiyaṉūr).
(L. 145.) The eastern boundary of Paḻaiyaṉūr lies to the west of (the
line)
which commences at (its) north-east corner (at the spot) where the
western boundary of
Perumūr in Perumūr-nāḍu, which is a hamlet of
Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chatur-
vēdimaṅgalam in
Naḍuviṉmalai-Perumūr-nāḍu, touches the southern boun-
dary of
Kūḷapāḍi in the same nāḍu, (also) a hamlet of the said village
(Śiṅga-
ḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam) and where stands a mound with the
kaḍambu
(tree); and leaving this (point) to the left,
(it) passes southwards along the existing western
boundary of the said (village
of) Perumūr, and reaches the vaṉṉi tree standing at
the
north-west corner of Nāraipāḍi in the same nāḍu (which is also) a
hamlet of the above-
named village. (Further it lies) to the west of (the
line) which, leaving this (point) on the left
passes southwards along the existing
western boundary of Nāraipāḍi as far as the spot
where the western boundary of
Nāraipāḍi joins the north-east corner of Maṅgalam
in
Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu, (which is also) a hamlet of the above-mentioned village,
and
touches a pit with the ugā (tree) standing on its western bank.
(Further it lies) to the north
of (the line) which, leaving this (point)
on the left side, passes north-westwards and (then)
westwards along the existing
northern boundary of this (village of) Maṅgalam until (it)
reaches the
pond called Kuṟunduṟai (which lies) on the boundary (of Maṅgalam)
and
irrigates Paḻaiyaṉūr, Perumūr and Maṅgalam. (Further it lies) to the
west
of (the line), which, leaving this (pond) on the right side and allowing
passage for the
upper flow of the water (over the boundary line) of
the pond, goes south-westwards and
southwards along the eastern bank of this pond as far as the
ant-hill lying on the
eastern bank of this pond. (Further it lies) to the west of
(the line) which, leaving this on the
right side, passes along the eastern bank of this
(pond), (first) in a southerly direction and
(then) in a south-westerly direction
until it reaches the kaḍambu (tree) standing on the eastern
bank of this (pond).
(Further it lies) to the west and south of (the line) which, leaving this
on the right side, passes southwards (then) eastwards and (then) in a
north-easterly direction,
until (it) reaches the ant-hill with the margosa (tree)
standing on the eastern bank of this
pond. (Further it lies) to the south and west of
(the line) which, leaving this on the right
side, passes eastwards (then)
southwards and south-westwards along the eastern bank of
this (pond), until it reaches
the pirāy (tree) standing on the eastern bank of this
(pond).
(Further it lies) to the south and west of (the line) which, leaving this
pirāy (tree) on the right
side, passes eastwards, (then) southwards,
(then) in a south-westerly (direction), (then)
southwards, and (lastly)
eastwards, on the eastern bank of this (pond) along the existing
boundary until
(it) reaches the ant-hill with the ugā (tree) standing on the western bound-
ary of Maṅgalam. (Further it lies) to the west of (the line)
which, leaving this on the
right side, passes southwards, (then) in a south-westerly
(direction), along the existing
boundary on the eastern bank of this pond, and reaches
the spot where the south-western
corner of Maṅgalam joins the northern boundary of
Maṇaiyil in Maṇaiyil-nāḍu,
(also) a hamlet of the above-mentioned
(Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṇgalam)
village. (Further it lies) to the west
of (the line) which passes in a south-westerly (direction),
(then)
southwards, (and again) in a south-westerly (direction) and (then) southwards,
on the
eastern bank of this (pond) along the existing northern boundary of this
(village of)
Maṇaiyil until (it) reaches the ant-hill with the ugā
(tree) standing on the eastern
bank of this pond.
(L. 184.) The southern boundary (of Paḻaiyaṉūr) lies to the west and north
of
(the line) which, leaving this ant-hill on the right side, passes southwards and
(then) in
a south-westerly direction along the existing northern boundary of
Maṇaiyil until (it)
reaches the path leading to Paḻaiyaṉūr from
Maṇaiyil. (Further it lies) to the north
and west of (the line) which,
cutting through this path passes in a south-westerly direction
and (then) southwards
along the existing boundary until (it) reaches the veḷuṅgu tree
standing on
this boundary. (Further it lies) to the north of (the line) which, leaving this
to
the left, passes in a south-westerly direction along this existing boundary until
(it) reaches
the spot where the north-western corner of Maṇaiyil joins the
north-eastern corner of
Maṇṇālaiyamaṅgalam in Maṇaiyil-nāḍu, a hamlet
of the above (-named)
village. (Further it lies) to the north of (the
line) which passes westwards and (then) in a
south-westerly direction along the
existing northern boundary of this Maṇṇālaiya-
maṅgalam until
(it) reaches the wood-apple (tree) standing on this boundary. (Further
it
lies) to the north of (the line) which, leaving this to the left, touches on this
boundary the
high road leading to Mēṟpāḍi alias Rājāśrayapuram
from Tiruppāśūr, and
(then) passes westwards in a south-westerly direction
and (then) westwards along this (same)
high road on the existing boundary, until
(it) reaches the pit called Kaḍambaṉkuḷi on this
boundary. (Further it
lies) to the north of (the line) which, leaving this pit on the right side,
passes
in a south-westerly direction, (then) westwards and (then) in a south-westerly
direction
along this (same) existing boundary until (it) reaches the ant-hill
with the sacred post on
this boundary. (Further it lies) to the north
of (the line) which, leaving this on the right
side, passes in a south-westerly
direction on this high road along the existing boundary
until (it) reaches the
ātti (tree) standing at this spot where the north-western corner
of
Maṇṇālaiyamaṅgalam joins the north-eastern corner of Toḻugūr in
Paḻaiyaṉūr-
nāḍu, a hamlet of the above (named) village.
(Further it lies) to the north of (the line)
which, leaving this
on the left side, passes in a south-westerly direction on the existing
northern boundary of
Toḻugūr along this high road until (it) reaches the karuvēl (tree)
standing on this boundary. (Further it lies) to the north of
(the line) which, leaving this on
the left side, passes in a westerly direction on this
existing boundary until (it) reaches the
bank of the channel for flood-(water)
(veḷḷakkāṉ karai) put up to prevent inundation on the
outer embankment of (the
tank) at Paḻaiyaṉūr (called) Jananāthapputtēri.
(Further
it lies) to the north of (the line) which cuts through this bank and getting up,
passes
westwards and (then) in a south-westerly direction on this high road along the
existing
boundary until (it) reaches the vēmbu (tree) standing on this boundary.
(Further it lies) to the
north of (the line) which, leaving this on the left
side, passes in a westerly direction on this
high road along the existing boundary until
(it) reaches a mound on this boundary. (Further
it lies) to the north of (the
line) which, leaving this on the left side, passes westwards and
(then) in a
south-westerly direction on the existing boundary, until (it) reaches the
margosa
(tree) called Tiruvālaṅgāḍaṉ standing on the northern boundary of
Toḻugūr. (Further it
lies) to the north of (the line) which, leaving
this on the left side, passes in a south-westerly
direction on this high road along the
existing boundary until (it) reaches the circular pit on
this boundary. (Further it
lies) to the north of (the line) which, leaving this pit on the
left side, passes
westwards and (then) in a south-westerly direction on the existing boundary
until
(it) reaches the margosa (tree) standing at the spot where the north-western corner
of
Toḻugūr joins the eastern boundary of Kāṭṭukkumuṇḍūr, a hamlet of
Nitta-
vinōda-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in
Mēlmalai-Mēlūr-nāḍu.
(L. 237.) The western boundary of (Paḻaiyaṉūr) lies to the east of
(the
line), which passes northwards along the existing eastern boundary of
Kāṭṭuk-
kumuṇḍūr until it reaches the ant-hill with the ugā
(tree) standing on this
boundary. (Further it lies) to the east of (the line)
which, leaving this on the right side,
passes northwards along the existing boundary until it
reaches the channel called
Kurunduṟai which flows from Kāṭṭukkumuṇḍūr to
the tank at Paḻaiyaṉūr.
(Further it lies) to the east of (the line)
which, cutting through this channel passes in a north-
easterly direction and
(then) northwards along the existing boundary until it reaches the
pit called
Kaṟkuḻi (i.e., the stone-pit) at the spot where the north-eastern corner
of
Kāṭṭukkumuṇḍūr and the south-western corner of Kīrainallūr in
Paḻaiya-
ṉūr-nāḍu which is a hamlet of
Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in
Naḍuvilmalai-Perumūr-nāḍu touch
(each other). (Further it lies) to the east and
south of (the line) which,
leaving this pit on the right side, passes in a north-easterly
direction and (then)
eastwards along the existing southern boundary of this (village
of)
Kīrainallūr until it reaches the rock with the mark of a double fish, lying
on the
southern boundary of Kīrainallūr. (Further it lies) to the south and
east of (the line)
which, leaving this on the left side, passes eastwards and
(then) in a north-easterly direction
along this existing boundary until it reaches the
ugā (tree) standing close to the western side
of the boundary stone on the south-east
corner of Kīrainallūr. (Further it lies) to the
south and east of (the
line) which, leaving this to the left, passes eastwards and (then) in
a
north-easterly direction along the existing eastern boundary of this (village of)
Kīrainallūr
until it reaches the spot where the north-eastern corner of
Kīrainallūr and the south-
eastern corner of Śakkaranallūr
which is a hamlet of the above-said village (Śiṅgaḷā-
ntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam) touch (each other). (Further it lies) to the
east of (the
line) which passes in a north-easterly direction along the
existing eastern boundary of this
Śakkaranallūr until it reaches the boundary stone
standing on this boundary. (Further
it lies) to the east of (the line) which,
leaving this on the left side, passes in a north-westerly
direction along this existing
boundary until it reaches the pit with the ugā (tree) standing on
this boundary.
(Further it lies) to the east of (the line) which, leaving this pit to the left,
passes
in a north-westerly direction, (then) northwards and (then again) in a
north-westerly direction
along this existing boundary until it reaches the pit with the
ātti (tree) on this boundary.
(Further it lies) to the east of (the line)
which, leaving this pit on the left side, passes in
a north-westerly direction along this
existing boundary until it reaches the pit called
Veḷḷaikkuḻi on this boundary.
(Further it lies) to the east of (the line) which, leaving
this on the left side,
passes in a north-westerly direction, (then) northwards and (then again)
in a
north-westerly direction along this existing boundary until it reaches the rock with
a
margosa (tree) on this boundary. (Further it lies) to the east of (the line)
which, leaving
this on the left side passes in a north-westerly direction along this existing
boundary
until it reaches the tree called Uśilai standing at the spot
where the northern boundary
of Śakkaranallūr and the south-eastern corner of
Kāraippākkam, a hamlet of
the above (said) village, join. (Further it
lies) to the east of (the line) which, leaving this on
the right side, passes in a
north-westerly direction and (then) northwards along the existing
eastern boundary of
this (village of) Kāraippākkam until it reaches the margosa
(tree)
standing on this boundary. (Further it lies) to the east of (the line) which,
leaving
this on the right side, passes northwards and (then) in a north-westerly
direction along
this existing boundary until it reaches the tamarind (tree) standing on
this boundary.
(Further it lies) to the north of (the line) which, leaving this
on the right side, passes
westwards along the existing northern boundary of
Kāraippākkam until it reaches
the veḷuṅgu tree standing at the spot where
the north-western corner of Kāraippākkam
joins the north-eastern corner of
Midugūr in Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu, a hamlet of
the above (said)
village. (Further it lies) to the north of (the line) which, leaving this on
the
left side passes in a north-westerly direction along the existing northern boundary of
this
(village of) Midugūr until it reaches the veḷuṅgu tree standing on this
boundary.
(Further it lies) to the north of (the line) which, leaving this on the
left side, passes in a westerly
and (then) in a south-westerly direction along this
existing boundary until it reaches the
boundary stone marked with double fish standing at the
spot where the northern boundary-
corner of Midugūr, the north-eastern
corner of Mullaivāyil, a hamlet of Nitta-
vinōda-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, and the south-eastern corner of
Āṉaippākkam,
a hamlet of the above (said) village, meet (together).
(Further it lies) to the east of (the line)
which, leaving this on the left side,
passes northwards along the existing eastern boundary of
this (village of)
Āṉaippākkam until it reaches the tree called vaṉmarai
standing on this
boundary. (Further it lies) to the east of (the line) which,
leaving this on the left side, passes
northwards and (then) in a north-easterly
direction along the existing boundary until it reaches
the veḷvēl
(tree) standing on this boundary. (Further it lies) to the east of (the line)
which,
leaving this on the right side, passes northwards and (then) in a north-easterly
direction
along this existing boundary until it reaches the ant-hill with the
śemmaṇichchai (tree)
standing on this boundary. (Further it
lies) to the east of (the line) which, leaving this on the
left side,
passes northwards and (then) in a north-easterly direction along the existing
boundary
until it reaches the ant-hill standing on this boundary. (And further it lies) to
the
east of (the line) which, leaving this on the right side, passes northwards along
this
existing boundary until it reaches the ebony tree standing on this boundary.
(L. 307.) The northern boundary (of Paḻaiyaṉūr) lies to the south of
(the
line) which, leaving this ebony tree on the left side, passes eastwards
along this existing
boundary until it reaches the ant-hill with the ilandai tree standing at the spot
where the north-eastern corner of
Āṉaippākkam joins the south-western corner of
Uppūr in
Perumūr-nāḍu, a hamlet of Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅ-
galam in Naḍuvilmali-Perumūr-nāḍu. (Further it lies) to the
south of (the
line) which, leaving this ant-hill on the right side, passes in a
south-easterly direction
along the existing southern boundary of Uppūr until it
reaches the veḷuṅgu tree
standing on this boundary. (Further it lies) to the
south and east of (the line) which,
leaving this on the left side, passes in a
north-easterly direction and (then) north-
wards along the existing boundary
until it reaches the tree called vaṉkaṇai standing on this
boundary. (Further it
lies) to the south of (the line) which, leaving this on the right side,
passes
eastwards and (then) in a south-easterly direction along the existing boundary until
it
reaches the tamarind (tree) standing on this boundary. (Further it lies) to the west
of
(the line) which, leaving this on the left side, passes southwards along the existing
boundary
until it reaches the ant-hill with the kārai (tree) standing
on this boundary. (Further it
lies) to the west and south of (the line) which,
leaving this to the right, passes south-
wards and (then) in a south-easterly
direction along this existing boundary until it reaches
the tree called śemmaṇichchai
standing at the spot where the southern boundary of Uppūr
joins the north-western
corner of Kaṅgaṉērippaṭṭu, a hamlet of the above (said)
village.
(Further it lies) to the west of (the line) which, leaving this on the left side,
passes
southwards along the existing western boundary of Kaṅgaṉērippaṭṭu until it
reaches
the ant-hill standing on this boundary. (Further it lies) to the west and south
of (the line)
which, leaving this on the left side, passes southwards and (then)
in a south-easterly
direction along this existing boundary until it reaches the
veḷuṅgu tree standing on
this boundary. (Further it lies) to the south of
(the line) which, leaving this on the left
side, passes eastwards and (then) in a
south-easterly direction along this existing
boundary until it reaches the rock with the
ugā (tree) standing on this boundary.
(Further it lies) to the west and south of
(the line) which, leaving this on the left side,
passes southwards and (then) in
a south-easterly direction along this existing boundary
until it reaches the tamarind tree with
rock standing on this boundary. (Further it lies)
to the west and south of (the
line) which, leaving this on the left side, passes
southwards and (then) in a
south-easterly direction along this existing boundary until
it reaches the hedge (teṟṟi
?) called Śeñjiyār-teṟṟi on the southern boundary of Kaṅga-
ṉērippaṭṭu. (Further it lies) to the south of (the line) which,
passes eastwards along
the existing southern boundary of Kaṅgaṉērippaṭṭu until it
reaches the fresh water
tank of Kaṅgaṉērippaṭṭu. (Further it lies) to the
south of (the line) which, leaving
this on the left side, passes eastwards and
(then) in a north-easterly direction along
this existing boundary until it reaches the
wood-apple (tree) standing on this boundary.
(Further it lies) to the south of
(the line) which, leaving this on the left side, passes
eastwards and (then) in a
south-easterly direction along this existing boundary until it
reaches the
ātti tree standing at the spot where the south-eastern corner of Kaṅga-
ṉērippaṭṭu joins the north-western corner of Pōḷipākkam in
Paḻaiyaṉūr-
nāḍu, a hamlet of the above (said) village.
(Further it lies) to the south of (the line) which,
leaving this on the right
side, passes eastwards along the existing western boundary
of this Pōḷipākkam until
it reaches the bank of the tank called Kaṅgaṉēri.
(Further it lies) to the south of
(the line) which, cutting through this bank and allow-
ing the upper flow of
water of this tank, gets up (the bank) in a south-easterly
direction (and passes)
until it reaches the old channel which proceeding from the sluice
of (Kaṅgaṉēri)
irrigates Paḻaiyaṉūr, Pōḷipākkam and Kayaṟpākkam. (Fur-
ther it lies) to the south of (the line) which, cutting through this channel
and allow-
ing the upper flow of water, passes in a south-easterly direction along
the existing
boundary until it reaches the Amaṉgavāykkāl which
flows from the Kaṅgaṉēri
(tank). (Further it lies) to the west and south of (the
line) which, cutting through this,
passes southwards and (then) eastwards along the
existing western boundary of Pōḷi-
pākkam until it reaches the ant-hill
with the pullāndi (tree) standing on this bound-
ary. (Further it
lies) to the south of (the line) which, leaving this on the right side,
passes
eastwards along this existing boundary until it reaches the old channel
irrigating
Paḻaiyaṉūr and Pōḷipākkam. (Further it lies) to the
west of (the line) which, cutting
through this channel and allowing the water to flow
over, passes southwards along this
existing boundary until it reaches the ant-hill with the
margosa (tree) standing on this
boundary. (Further it lies) to the west of
(the line) which, leaving this on the right side
passes southwards along this existing
boundary until it reaches the high-level channel
mēṭṭuvāykkāl flowing from the
sluice of (the tank) Kaṅgaṉēri. (Further it lies) to the north
of (the line)
which, allowing the water of this channel to flow over cuts through it, and passes
in a
south-westerly direction along this existing boundary until it reaches the margosa
(tree)
standing on this boundary. (Further it lies) to the west of (the line)
which, leaving this on the
left side, passes southwards along the existing boundary until it
reaches the path leading to
Paḻaiyaṉūr from Kaṅgaṉēri. (Further it lies) to the
south of (the line) which, following this
same path, passes along the existing boundary
in a south-easterly direction (until it) reaches
the tamarind (tree) called
Kumaraṉpuḷi standing on the southern boundary of Pōḷipākkam.
(Further
it lies) to the south of (the line) which, leaving this on the right side, follows
this
same path along the existing boundary in a south-easterly direction and then turns and
goes
in a north-easterly direction. (Further it lies) to the east of (the line)
which, cutting across
this path, passes northwards along the existing boundary until it reaches
the tank called
Kūḷivāṇiyaṉ-ēri on this boundary. (Further it lies) to the
east of (the line) which, leaving
this tank on the right side, passes northwards along
the existing eastern boundary of
Pōḷipākkam until it reaches the eastern bank of
the sacred bathing tank in front of the
temple of Mahādēva at
Pōḷipākkam. (Further it lies) to the east of (the line)
which,
leaving this on the left side, passes northwards along the existing boundary until it
reaches
the western bank of the well called Moṭṭaikkiṇaru on this boundary. (Further it
lies) to
the east of (the line) which, leaving this well on the right side, passes
northwards along the
existing boundary until it reaches the margosa (tree) standing on
this boundary. (Further it
lies) to the south of (the line) which, leaving this
on the left side, passes eastwards and (then)
in a north-easterly direction along the
existing boundary until it reaches the ant-hill standing
on the eastern ridge of the field
called Nochcikkaḻuval on this boundary. (Further it lies) to
the
south of (the line) which, leaving this on the left side, passes eastwards along the
existing
boundary until it reaches the ant-hill standing in the south-western corner of
Kayaṟpāk-
kam. (Further it lies) to the south of (the line)
which, leaving this on the left side, passes
eastwards and then in a north-easterly direction
and (then again) eastwards along the existing
southern boundary of this (village
of) Kayaṟpākkam until it reaches the veḷuṅgu tree
standing on this
boundary. (Further it lies) to the south of (the line) which, leaving this on
the
left side, passes eastwards along the existing boundary until it reaches the ant-hill stand-
ing on this boundary. (Further it lies) to the east and south of (the
line) which, leaving this
on the right side, passes northwards and then eastwar is along
the existing boundary until
it reaches the stout margosa (tree) standing on this
boundary. (Further it lies) to the west
and south of (the line) which, leaving
this margosa on the left side, passes southwards and
eastwards along the existing
boundary until it reaches the mound with the margosa (tree)
standing on this boundary.
(Further it lies) to the east and south of (the line) which,
leaving this mound
on the right side, passes northwards and (then) eastwards along the
existing boundary
until it reaches the well called Amaṇpaṭṭi-kiṇaru at the spot where
the
south-eastern corner of Kayaṟpākkam joins the south-western corner of Kūḷa-
pāḍi in Perumūr-nāḍu, a hamlet of the above (said) village.
(Further it lies) to
the south of (the line) which, leaving this well on the
right side, passes in a north-easterly
direction and (then) eastwards along the existing
southern boundary of this Kūḷa-
pāḍi, until it reaches the pond called
Kuṟunduṟai-maḍu. (Further it lies) to the
south of (the line) which, allowing
the upper flow of water of this (pond), cuts this right
across and (then) getting
up, passes in a north-easterly direction and then eastwards
along the existing boundary until
it reaches the ant-hill with the ugā (tree) standing
on this boundary. (Further it
lies) to the south of (the line) which, leaving this ant-hill on
the right side,
passes in a north-easterly direction and (then) eastwards along the existing
southern
boundary of Kūḷapāḍi until it reaches the ant-hill with the ugā (tree)
standing
on this boundary. And (further) leaving this on the right side, (the
boundary) passes
eastwards along the existing southern boundary of Kūḷapāḍi
and reaches the spot
where it first started.
(L. 426.) (The following are) the privileges (parihāra) secured (by the
temple) on
getting as dēvadāna, all the land situated within the four great
boundaries herein thus
declared including wet lands, dry lands, villages, village-sites,
houses, house-gardens,
open fields, waster (lands set apart) for
grazing cattle, tanks, cow-pens, ant-hills, hedges,
forest-lands,
piḍiligai, barren lands, brackish lands, streams, channels cut through fields,
rivers,
arable lands near rivers, (deep) pits (of water) where fish exist, hollows
where
honey is stored, trees growing up, wells sunk below, tanks, ponds, lakes, collections
of
water below lake (bunds),——without excluding any existing land which is either
covered
with water or rolled by the harrow, (the land) where iguanas run or the
tortoises
creep:——nāḍāṭchi (fee for the administration of the district), ūrāṭchi (fee
for the admin-
istration of the village), nāḻi (of grain) on (every)
basket, pudānāḻi, (fee on) washer-
men's stones,
marriage-fees, fees on potters and shepherds, tax on looms, brokerage
tax on goldsmiths,
maṉṟupāḍu, māviṟai, tīyeri, viṟpiḍi, vālamañjāḍi, good cow, good bull,
fee for the watch of the district (nāḍukāval), ūḍupōkku, ilaikkūlam,
water-tax, tolls,
fees on ferries and every (other) fee including such as the king could
take and enjoy,
shall not (henceforth) be received by the king (but) shall be
received by this god
only. For having thus obtained (the land), the following conditions
(vyavasthai) are
imposed:——(the lands) of this village shall be irrigated by
canals dug (proportionately)
as per water assigned (from those canals); others
(who are not tenants of the dēva-
dāna lands) shall not be permitted to cut
branches from these canals (kuṟangaṟu), dam
(the passage of water) across, put
up small piccottas, or bale (out) water in bas-
kets. The water (thus)
assigned shall not be wasted. Such water shall be (appro-
priately) used for
irrigation (after) being regulated. Channels and springs passing
across the lands of
other villages to irrigate (the lands of) this village, shall (be per-
mitted to) flow over (the boundary line) and to cast up (silt).
Channels and springs passing
across the lands of this village to irrigate (the lands of)
outside villages, shall (also be permit-
ted) to flow over and cast up
(silt); mansions and large edifices shall be built of burnt tiles
(bricks ?);
reservoirs and wells shall be dug; coconut (trees) shall be planted in
groves;
maruvu, damanagam, iruvēli, śeṇbagam, red lilies and mango, jack, coconut,
areca and
such other useful trees of various descriptions, shall be put in and planted;
large
oil-presses shall be set up; the Īḻavas (toddy-drawers) shall not (be
permitted to) climb
the coconut and palmyra (trees) within the surrounding
boundaries of this village; the
embankments of the tanks of this village shall be permitted to
be raised within their
(own) limits (to any suitable height) so as to hold the
utmost quantity of water that may be
let into those (tanks).
(L. 458.) Having taken round the female elephant and circumambulated the
hamlets and having
planted (boundary) stones and milk-bush, we, the people (nāṭṭōm)
of
Paḻaiyaṉūr in Mēlmalai-Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu, drew up and gave
the
charity-deed
from the sixth year (of reign), subject to the privileges and
conditions set forth above.
This is the signature of me, Maḻiśai-kiḻān Mānaṉ
Aṟiyēṟu of Maḻiśai-
nāḍu in
Māṅgāḍu-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Puliyūr-kōṭṭam in
Jayaṅ-
goṇḍaśōḻa-maṇḍalam, who belonged to the department of taxes
and who being
present with the people (of Paḻaiyaṉūr), (was one of the
persons) who led round the
female elephant and drew up and presented the charity-deed. This
is the signature of
me, Perumāṉ-Ambalattāḍi alias
Udaiyamārttāṇḍa-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ
of Śiṟṟāmūr in
Vaṇḍāḻaivēḷūr-kūṟṟam, (a subdivision) of Arumoḻidēva-
vaḷanāḍu who thus got the charity-deed to be drawn up after taking the
female
elephant round. This is the signature of me, Bhāradvāji Nārāyaṇaṉ Śēnda-
pirāṉ Bhaṭṭa of Śiṟunāṉalūr, a resident of the glorious
Arumoḻidēvachchēri
in Rājarāja-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, who got thus the female
elephant taken
round and the charity-deed drawn up. Thus, we (the members) of the
assembly of
Śiṅgaḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in Naḍuvilmalai-Perumūr-
nādu, marked and showed the boundaries and going round with the female
elephant,
planted the (boundary) stones and milk-bush for the dēvadāna and drew
up and presented
the charity-deed. This is the signature of me, the arbitrator Āyiravaṉ
Araṅgaṉ
alias Śiṅgaḷāntaka Danmappiriyaṉ, the karaṇattāṉ
of this village. We the
villagers (ūrōm) of Paḻaiyaṉūr in
Mēṉmalai-Paḻaiyaṉūr-nāḍu, marked
and showed the boundaries, thus, and going
round with the female elephant, planted
the (boundary) stones and milk-bush and drew up
and presented the charity-deed,
for the dēvadāna. This is the signature of me the
Śivabrāhmaṇaṉ Kāśyapaṉ Pūdi
Tiruvoṟṟiyūraḍigaḷ, the
karaṇattāṉ of this village, who wrote this under the
orders of the villagers. We
(the members of) the assembly of Nittavinōda-chatur-
vēdimaṅgalam
in Mēṉmalai-Mēlūr-nāḍu marked and showed thus the
boundaries and going round
with the female elephant, planted (boundary) stones and
milk-bush for the
dēvadāna and drew up and presented the charity-deed. This is the
signature of me, the
arbitrator Āyiravaṉ Ayyaṉ Perumāṉ alias
Śrīkr̥shṇaṉ
Uttamappiriyaṉ who is the karaṇattāṉ of this village.
(L. 484) Narākkaṇ-Mārāyaṉ Jananāthaṉ alias Rājēndraśōḻa-
Brahmādhirāja of Kēraḷāntaka-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in Veṇ-
ṇāḍu, (a subdivision) of Uyyakkoṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu; the
magistrate (adhikāri)
Tattaṉ Śēndaṉār alias
Rājēndraśōḻa-Aṇukka-Pallavaraiyaṉ, the head-
man of
Vayalūr in Veṇṇāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Uyyakkkoṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu;
Udaiyadivākaraṉ Tillaiyāḷiyār alias
Rājarāja-Mūvēndavēḷār of
Kāñchivāyil in Pērāvūr-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Uyyakoṇḍār-vaḷanāḍu;
Māṇikkaṉ Eḍuttapādam
alias Śōḻa-Mūvēndavēḷār of Parakēśarinallūr,
in
Tiruvindaḷūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Rājēndraśiṅga-vaḷanāḍu;
and
Veṇṇāyil Kūttaṉār of Iḍaikkuḍi in Eriyūr-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of
Pāṇḍikulāśaṉi-vaḷanāḍu, having ordered that it should be
entered in the accounts
as issued (with the above signatures); Kāḷi
Ēkāmbaraṉ of Pichchipākkam in
Puriśai-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of Maṇaiyiṟ-kōṭṭam in Jayaṅgoṇḍa-śōḻa-
maṇḍalam, the superintendent of the department of taxes;
Mūrti-Vīdi-viḍaṅgaṉ
of Kachchiram, in Ārvala-kūṟṟam, (a
subdivision) of Arumoḻidēva-vaḷa-
nāḍu; Kuvāṇai Śīrāḷaṉ,
the headman of Koṭṭaiyūr in Mīśeṅgiḷiyūr-nāḍu,
(a
subdivision) of Pāṇḍikulāśaṉi-vaḷanāḍu; Kāñjaṉ Koṇḍayaṉ of
Kāma-
damaṅgalam in Puṟakkiḷiyūr-nāḍu, (a
subdivision) of the same nāḍu; and
Kuṇamadaṉ Āchchaṉ of
Śiṉṟiyaṉpākkam in Paṉaiyūr-nāḍu, (a subdivi-
sion)
of Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam——all of the department of taxes;
the
varippottagam (officers) Pagavaṉ Aṅgi of Kaichchiram in
Ārvala-kūṟṟam,
(a subdivision) of Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu; and
Kuḍitāṅgi Aravaṇaiyāṉ
of Kārikuḍi in Iḍaiyāṟṟu-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Pāṇḍikulāśaṉi-vaḷa-
nāḍu; the
mugaveṭṭi (officers) Śūlapāṇi Arumoḻi of Kōṉūr in
Kāndāṉa-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of Rājarāja-vaḷanāḍu; Śiṅgaṉ
Aravaṇaiyāṉ, the head-
man of Śe
in
Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam; Arumbākkiḻāṉ Vaigundaṉ Kāḍāḍi
of
Nuṅgambākkam in Puliyūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Puliyūr-kōṭṭam;
Araiyamāṉ Araṅgaṉ Piśaṅgaṉ of Naṟṟāyanallūr in
Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-nāḍu,
(a subdivision) of
Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam; the varippottagakkaṇakku (officer)
Āchchaṉ
Aṅgāḍi, of Ulakkaiyūr in Śāra-nāḍu (a
subdivision) of Īḍūr-kōṭṭam; the
(variyilīḍu (officers) Mūli
Udaiyadivākaraṉ of Ōdalpāḍi in Taichchaṉūr-nāḍu
the southern
division of Paṅgaḷa-nāḍu; Māṇikkaṉ Durandaraṉ of Kaṟavūr
in
Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of
Ūṟṟukkāṭṭu-kōṭṭam; and Tēvaḍi Kamalaṉ
of Mūṅgiṟkuḍi
in Tiruvārūr-kūṟṟam, (a subdivision) of Kshatriyaśikhāmaṇi-
vaḷanāḍu; and the kīḻmugaveṭṭi (officers) Aiyāraṉ
Dēvarkaṇḍaṉ, Sōmarāśar
Dēvaṉ, Paṭṭaṉ Śīkkāli, Vēḷāṉ Perumāṉ, Śeṭṭi
Tiruvaḍigaḷ, Ūraṉ Ēraṉ.
Kūttāḍi Nānūṟṟuvaṉ and
Irunūṟṟaimbadiṉmaṉ Araṭṭurai, being
present, had it entered in the accounts in
the seventh year and the (one) hundred and
fifty-fifth day (of the reign of the
king).
(L. 518) Four sculptors born at Kāñchīpura, ornaments of the race
of
Hōvya, wrote this eulogy (praśasti):——the high-minded
Ārāvamurta who, though
born of Kr̥shṇā, was not of sullied
(kr̥shṇa) conduct; his two younger brothers who
bore the names Raṅga and
Dāmōdara; and (his) son, the famous Purushōt-
tama, who
was a bee at the pair of the lotus feet of (god) Purushōttama
(i.e.,
Vishnu). By these four persons who were well versed in the various forms of
mechanical
art, who had their birth at the great (city of) Kāñchīpura, who
were wise and who
were born in the Ōvī family, this edict was clearly engraved.
These are two of the four sets of Pāṇḍya copper plate grants discovered so far and
are
herein published for the first time. The Vēḷvikuḍi grant of Parāntaka Neḍuñjaḍaiyaṉ
has
been edited by me in the Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XVII, pp. 291 to 309 and the
Madras
Museum Plates of Jaṭilavarman, by the late Rai Bahadur V. Venkayya in the Indian
Antiquary,
Vol. XXII, pp. 57 to 75. These four, studied together, furnish a genealogy of
the Pāṇḍyas
from the early king Kaḍuṅgōṉ, who is said to have flourished at the close of
the first
Śaṅgam of Tamiḻ poets, down to Rājasiṁha-Pāṇḍya, the
contemporary of the Chōḷa king
Parāntaka I, who reigned at the commencement of the 10th
century A.D. With the invasion
of the latter into the Pāṇḍya country and his capture of
Madura, which earned for him the
title ‘Madiraikoṇḍa’, the early Pāṇḍya power seems to
have come to an end, and made
room, for the next two centuries at least, for the unchallenged
sway of the Chōḷas over the
whole of Southern India.
The two grants under consideration have been thoroughly reported in the Annual Report
on
Epigraphy for 1906-1907, pp. 62 ff. Speaking of their provenance, Mr. Venkayya states
“the
plates are reported to have been found about 20 or 25 years ago (now nearly forty
years) while
digging for the foundation of the kitchen in the Vishṇu temple at Śiṉṉamaṉūr
in the Periyakuḷam taluka of the Madura district, and have since been purchased
for deposit
in the Madras Museum, from their owner Mr. Rajam Ayyar.”
The bigger of the two sets consists of seven copper plates, measuring approximately 10"
by
3(3/8)". The thin rims which they once seem to have had, are now completely worn out.
The
plates are numbered on their obverse sides, with the Tamiḻ numerals 2 to 8 close to the
right
side of the ring hole, thus showing that the first plate, whose obverse must have borne
the
number 1, is now lost. The last plate ending with the word Kaṟkuḷattil, also shows
that
one or more plates which contained the last portion of the grant are lost. The ring
which
held the plates together and which, judging by the size of the ring holes in the middle
of the
left margin of each plate, must have been a little less than 3/8" in thickness, is
missing. The
existing seven plates weigh 390 tolas.
The smaller set consists of three thin plates without rims, viz. the first, second and
the
last, with one or more plates of two written sides, missing between the second and the
last.
The first and the last plates are not numbered as in the larger set. The ring with which
the
plates were held together is lost. The ring-hole is not, as usual, bored in
the middle of the
left margin, but at the left bottom or the left top corner, according as the
written side of the
plate is odd or even——the sheets being meant evidently to be read by
turning over the leaf,
as in a palm-leaf manuscript without the necessity of actually removing
the plate from the
ring. The plates measure 8(11/12)" by 3" and the three plates, together,
weigh 51 tolas.
Both sets of plates use the Grantha alphabet wherever Sanskrit verses and Sanskrit
words
occur and the Tamiḻ Vaṭṭeḻuttu where the Tamiḻ language is employed. The palaeo-
graphy of the smaller set of plates does not differ much from that of the Madras
Musuem
plates of Parāntaka Neḍuñjaḍaiyaṉ, who, as I have stated already in my paper on
the
Vēḷvikuḍi grant, has to be identified with the donor of the latter and therefore also
with
Māṟajañjaḍaiyaṉ of the Āṉaimalai inscription.
The remark made by Mr. Venkayya that the Madras Museum plates and the smaller
Siṉṉamaṉūr
plates are nearer in point of time to the larger Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates than they are
to the
Vēḷvikuḍi grant, has been already examined by me in the light of the palaeography
of the
plates under publication. I have noticed that the difference in the formation of the
Grantha
characters of the Vēḷvikuḍi, the Madras Museum and the smaller Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates
all of
which in my opinion belong to the same period, should be due to their having been
written at
different periods later than their Vaṭṭeḻuttu portions. In the matter of their
Vaṭṭeḻuttu
writing, the smaller and the bigger Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates are far separated by time
and the
palaeographical differences are apparent. The formation of the initial vowel a, the
e-
mark in consonants, the letters na, ma, and ya,——of which
the two latter, it is surprising to find,
resemble the ma and ya of the
Vēḷvikuḍi and the Āṉaimalai inscriptions,——show marked
differences. The differences which
the smaller Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates and the Madras Museum
plates present, except in the
formation of the letter ya, are very slight. They are almost
nil. Consequently, Mr.
Venkayya's identification of the second king Arikēsari Asamasaman
Māṟavarman mentioned in
the smaller Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates with Māṟavarman Pallava-
bhañjana of the
Madras Museum plates and that of his son——his unnamed son who was
victorious at Marudūr——with
Jaṭilavarman Neḍuñjaḍaiyaṉ of the same plates, becomes
untenable even on the grounds of
palaeography. This point will become clearer in the sequel
where the identification of the
kings mentioned in the smaller and the bigger Śiṉṉamaṉūr
plates is discussed.
The Sanskrit portion of the bigger Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates begins with a fragmentary verse
in
which the king (perhaps Pāṇḍya) boasts of having subdued the ocean——an attribute which
the
mythical Pāṇḍya kings generally assumed in consequence, perhaps, of their
sea-bordering
kingdom, their naval power, and their sea-borne trade, from the earliest
historical times.
From him were descended the kings known as Pāṇḍyas (v. 2) ‘who engraved
their edicts on the
Himalaya mountain’ and whose family-priest was the sage Agastya (v. 3). One
of the
Pāṇḍya kings is said to have occupied the throne of Indra (v. 4) and another to have
shared
it with that god, and still another, to have caused the Ten-Headed (i.e.,
Rāvaṇa of Laṅkā)
to sue for peace (v. 5). One was a conqueror of the epic hero Arjuna (v.
7). Verse 8
refers to a king who cut off his own head in order to protect
that of his master and also to a
certain Sundara-Pāṇḍya who had mastered all the sciences.
Many kings of this family had
performed Vēdic sacrifices Rājasūya and
Aśvamēdha (v. 9).
In this family was born king Arikēsarin. His son was Jaṭila; his son Rājasiṁha (II);
his
son Varaguṇa (I); and his son Śrī-Māṟa entitled Śrīvallabha (v. 10). Śrī-Māṟa
conquered
Māyā-Pāṇḍya, the kings of Kēraḷa and Siṁhaḷa, the Pallava and the Vallabha
(v. 11).
His son was Parāntaka the younger brother of Varaguṇa II (v. 12), who fought a
battle at
Kharagiri and captured Ugra (v. 13). His wife was Vāṉavaṉmahādēvī (v. 15) and
their
son was Rājasiṁha (III), the banner (both) of the solar and the lunar races (vv. 16 and
17).
A favourite of this king was the Brāhman Parāntaka, the son of Śrēshṭhiśarman,
the
grandson of the Vēdic scholar Bhāskara (v. 21) and the great-grandson of Śrēshṭhin,
a
Seṅguṭi-Kauśika of Puttūr (vv. 20 and 21). The ancestors of this Parāntaka were
the
followers of Āgnivēśya-kalpa——evidently the science of medicine——and his maternal
grand-
father was the famous Ūraśarman of the Maudgalya lineage, of
Syandanagrāma. To
Śrēshṭhiśarman, king Parāntaka Vīranārayaṇa had given the village of
Maṇiyāchi, sur-
named Tiśaichchuḍarmaṅgala in Vaḍa-Kaḷavaḻi-nāḍu. The
ruling king Rājasiṁha (III)
gave to the Brāhman Parāntaka. In the 16th year of his reign,
while encamped at Chūḻal
in Rājasiṁha-kuḷakkiḻ, the agrahāra Naṟcheygai-Puttūr
surnamed Mandaragaurava-
maṅgalam in Aḷa-nāḍu.
The vijñapti of the grant was the councillor and poet Jaṭila (v. 33) of the
Atri-gōtra,
while the ājñapti was Kūṟṟaṅgōṉ, a servant of king Māṟavarman (v.
34). The kuḍikāval
was Nakkaṅkumāṉ, son of the headman of Kūra in
Kīḻ-Vēmba-nāḍu, who was a minister
and the chief of the elephant forces. Nakkaṅ-Kāḍa,
Kōṉ-Vēḷāṉ and Paṭārañ-Chōlai were
three officers who witnessed the demarcation of the
boundary line. Verse 37 supplies for the
king the surname Abhimānamēru.
The composer of the praśasti was Vāsudēva, a friend of Madhuraguṇa and the
elder
brother of Vishṇu (v. 38).
The Tamil portion which begins with line 76 also praises the Pāṇḍya kings
who belonged to
the lunar race and bore the crest of the double fish, had Agastya as
their family preceptor and
counted the god (Śiva) as one of their family members. Many
other incidents, mostly mythical,
are also registered of some of the early kings: such as,
(1) churning the ocean for nectar; (2)
bathing in the waters of the four oceans in a single
day; (3) going round the earth; (4)
sending embassy to the gods on many occasions; (5)
taking away the necklace of Pākaśāsana
(Indra); (6) mastering the Tamiḻ language of the
south; (7) driving away the sea by throwing a
javelin; (8) giving a thousand golden
hills (Mēru) in charity; (9) founding the town of
Madura and erecting a wall round it;
(10) studying Tamiḻ and Sanskrit (vaḍa-moḻi) as
even to excel Paṇḍits; (11) leading elephants
in the Bhārata war against the Mahārathas;
(12) relieving Vijaya (Arjuna) from the
curse of Vasu; (13) engraving the victorious symbols of
the fish, the tiger, and the bow on
the top of the Northern mountain, i.e., the
Himalayas; (14) getting huge giants to work for
them in building many tanks; (15) cutting off
the heads of two kings in the battles fought
at Chitramayari and Talaiyālaṅgāṉam; (16)
getting the Mahābhārata translated into
Tamiḻ; and (17) establishing the Tamiḻ Śaṅgam in
the town of Madura. After these kings
had passed away, there came a king named Parāṅkuśa who
saw the back of (i.e., defeated)
the Chēra king at Nelvēli and the Pallava king at
Śaṅkaramaṅgai. His grandson was
Rājasiṁha, after whom came a king named
Varaguṇa-Mahārāja. The exact relationship of
this Varaguṇa-Mahārāja to his predecessor
Rājasiṁha has not been recorded. Rājasiṁha's
son was Parachakrakōlāhala who was
successful in battles fought at Kuṇṇūr, Śiṅgaḷam
(Ceylon) and Viḻiñam
and who at Kuḍamūkkil won a deadly battle against the combined
armies of the Gaṅga, Pallava,
Chōḷa, Kaliṅga, Magadha and other kings. Next came
Varaguṇavarman, whose relationship to
Parachakrakōlāhala is also not specified. His
younger brother was Parāntakaṉ Śaḍaiyaṉ,
who fought battles at Śennilam, Kharagiri and
Peṇṇāgaḍam in the Koṅgu country. To him and
his queen Vāṉavaṉmahādēvī was born
Rājasiṁha surnamed Vikaṭavāḍava and
Mandaragaurava. This latter fought a battle at
Ulappinimaṅgalam, drove the king of Tañjai
(Tanjore) in a battle fought at Naippūr, won a
battle at Koḍumbai, burnt the town of Vañji
on the northern bank of the Poṉṉi (Kāvērī)
river and destroyed the lord of the southern
Tañjai country at Nāval.
In the 14th year opposite to the second year of his reign (i.e., the 16th year as stated
in
the Sanskrit portion), this Rājasiṁha, while he was encamped at Chūḻal, a town founded
by
himself in the district of Rājaśiṅgapperuṅguḷakkīḻ or Rājasiṁhakuḷakkīḻ, granted
to the
Brāhman Parāntaka, the village Naṟcheygai-Puttūr in Aḷa-nāḍu, re-naming it
Mandaragau-
ravaṃaṅgalam. As in the Sanskrit portion, lines 147 to 155 seem to
record that Bhāskaran-
Śeṭṭi (Śrēshṭhiśarman of the Sanskrit portion) the
son of Bhāskara and the foremost of the
Ombāḻvas of the Āgnivēśya-kalpa and the
Komara-Kauśika-gōtra (Śeṅguṭi-Kauśika
of the Sanskrit portion) dwelling in Puttūr, in
the Mīyguṇḍāṟu (district) of
Koḻuvūr-kūṟṟam (division), had received from Parāntaka
Vīranārāyaṇa, the village of
Tiśaichchuḍarmaṅgalam in the Vaḍakaḷavaḻi-nāḍu
(province). From the Sanskrit passage,
we learn that Maṇiyāchi, which may be identified with
the well-known junction station on
the South Indian Railway, was surnamed
Tiśaichchuḍarmaṅgalam. The viṇṇappam (vijñapti
in Sanskrit) i.e.,
the one who made the formal request to the king, was, according to the
Tamiḻ portion, a
certain Śaḍaiyapirāṉ-Bhaṭṭasōmayājin of Pullamaṅgalam in Śōḻa-nāḍu: and
the
ājñapti, as in the Śanskrit portion, was Kūṟṟaṅgōṉ, a native of Vēmbaṟṟūr in
Kaḷavaḻi-
nāḍu. Kumāṉ or Nakkan-Kumāṉ (as he is called in
Sanskrit) of the village of Kūra in
Kīḻ-Vēmba-nāḍu, was the kuḍikāval-nāyakaṉ
or the chief revenue officer. The three officers,
who, according to the Sanskrit portion, were
to witness the demarcation of the boundary
line, are stated in the Tamiḻ portion, to have been
the kaṇakkar or accountants, the demar-
cation itself being done by the
nāṭṭār, i.e., the district people of Aḷa-nāḍu. Of the bound-
aries,
the eastern boundary was the Śuruḷi-āṟu (river). The southern boundary of the
village
granted, which commences at the end of the eighth plate, must have been continued
on the next,
which is however missing.
Compared with the Vēḷvikuḍi plates of Neḍuñjaḍaiyaṉ, we find that the account
given
in the bigger Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates includes, as it should, many later Pāṇḍya kings.
The mild
Purāṇic tradition of the Vēḷvikuḍi plates connecting the Pāṇḍyas with Agastya,
the
churning of the milk ocean, and the sharing with Indra of half his throne and
necklace,
grows here into a big list with seven or eight other extra items added to it. Some of
these
are interesting. For instance, the going round the earth, and the bathing in the waters
of
the four oceans in a single day, are feats attributed to Vāli, king of the monkeys. Again,
calling the aid of huge giants to build tanks in the Pāṇḍya land also
seems to suggest the
near connection which the Pāṇḍya country had with Ceylon, the land of
Rāvaṇa. The driving
away of the sea by throwing a javelin is perhaps a reminiscence of a
similar feat ascrib-
ed to the epic hero Rāma. The leading of elephants against the
Mahārathas in the Bhārata
war is a fact which is commemorated also in literature, of the
Chēra king Śeṅguṭṭuvaṉ,
who is said to have fed the soldiers in the
Mahābhārata war. Some of the other attributes,
however, are of much historical value. The
mastery over the Tamiḻ language of the south, the
foundation of the town of Madura and the
erection of a wall round it, the studying of Tamiḻ
and Sanskrit as even to excel Paṇḍits,
the initiating of the translation of the Mahābhārata
into Tamiḻ and the establishing of the
Tamiḻ Śaṅgam (academy) in the town of Madura——
these, clearly indicate the close connection
the Pāṇḍya kings had with the development of
the Tamiḻ language and the foundation of the
town of Madura. The battles of Chitramuyari
and Talaiyālaṅgāṉam mentioned of one of the
unnamed Pāṇḍya kings must be a reference to
Neḍuñjeḻiyaṉ who is spoken of in literature
as the hero who gained success in the battle of
Talaiyalāṅgāṉam by defeating the Chōḷa
and the Chēra kings. Our plates add that
the heads of these two kings were actually cut off
and this was not in one battle as literature
suggests, but in two, viz., Chitramuyari
and Talaiyālaṅgāṉam.
The genealogies of the Pāṇḍya kings as given in the Sanskrit and Tamiḻ portions
differ
widely; but still as both refer to the same grant, which was made in the sixteenth year
of
the same king, there cannot be any room for doubt. Consequently, the statements of
the
Sanskrit and the Tamiḻ portions have to be supplemented one with the other, in
order
to obtain a complete genealogy (see Table D in the attached sheet of genealogical
tables).
The smaller Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates, after the usual invocation to god
Purushōttama
(Vishṇu) (v. 1), confer a benediction on the family of the Moon, in which were
born the
(Pāṇḍya) kings who crushed the pride of the enemies of gods (v. 2).
In that family of the Moon, after many kings of great deeds had expired, came forth a
son of
Jayantavarman, the great king (paramēśvara) Arikēsari Asamasaman Alaṅghya-
vikrama Akālakāla Māṟavarman. His son was one who fought battles at Marudūr and
Ku-
vaḷaimalai. Here comes a break and one or two plates on which the genealogy
should have
been continued, are lost. What is left on the last plate treats only of the
description of the
boundary line of the granted land or village, and mentions the Bhagavatī
temple of Koṟṟaṉ-
puttūr. The āṇatti) of the grant was Tāyaṉ
Śiṅgaṉ, the uttaramantri of Kuṇḍūr in Kuṇḍūr-
kūṟṟam of
Aṇḍa-nāḍu. The puraṅkāval of this village was eighty-five kalams (of
paddy).
The king himself, as in the Vēḷvikuḍi plates (ll. 151-152), made a declaration and
caused the
copper-plate grant to be executed. It may be noted that Koṟṟaṉputtūr mentioned
above,
also figures among the boundaries of Vēḷvikuḍi. The record was written (or witnessed)
by
Arikēsari, son of Pāṇḍi-Perumbaṇaikkāraṉ who also wrote the Madras Museum plates.
Before proceeding further, it is necessary to have clearly before us the genealogical
tables
supplied by the four Pāṇḍya copper-plate grants, viz., (A) the Vēḷvikuḍi grant,
(B)
the Madras Museum plates, (C) the smaller Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates and (D) the bigger
Śiṉṉama-
ṉūr plates, severally. For convenience of reference, it will be noted
that the numbers given
to the kings in the Vēḷvikuḍi table are repeated in the other tables
in cases where, for
reasons explained in the sequel, the kings are identical.
The description of the three kings given in the smaller Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates enables us
to
identify at once the last who fought the battle at Marudūr with (5) Śaḍaiyaṉ Raṇadhīra
of the
Vēḷvikuḍi plates and his father with (4) Arikēsari Asamasaman Māṟavarman of the
same.
From this it further follows that Jayantavarman the father of Arikēsari Asamasaman
must
be identified with (3) Śeḻiyaṉ Śēndaṉ. Mr. K.V.Subrahmanya Ayyar suggests
that
Jayantavarman is perhaps a Sanskritized form of Śēndaṉ. Thus the three kings referred
to in
the smaller Śiṉṉamaṉūr record, must be Nos. (3), (4) and (5) of Mr. Venkayya's
genealogical
table given at page 54 of part II of the Madras Epigraphical Report for
1908. It is, therefore,
difficult to see how or why Rai Bahadur V. Venkayya must have been
inclined to attribute
the smaller Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates to Parāntaka Vīranārāyaṇa
Śaḍaiyaṉ of the bigger Śiṉṉama-
ṉūr plates (D), who comes three generations
after (7) of the Vēḷvikudi grant, especially after
seeing that the three names mentioned in
the smaller set are evidently only the first
three names of what might have been a longer
genealogy, similar to that of the Vēḷvikuḍi
grant or the bigger Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates. The
Madras Museum plates of Jaṭilavarman and the
smaller Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates,
palaeographically, are almost of the same period, and if, as
proved in my paper on the
Vēḷvikuḍi grant, the donor of the Madras Museum plates is
identical with the donor of the
Vēḷvikuḍi grant, it follows that the donor of the smaller
Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates too must be
either Parāntaka Neḍuñjaḍaiyaṉ of the Vēḷvikuḍi grant or
an immediate successor of his.
So, the missing plate or plates after the second in the
smaller Śiṉṉamaṉūr set should have
contained the names of (5) Śaḍaiyaṉ Raṇadhīra,
(6) Tērmāṟaṉ, (7) Parāntaka
Neḍuñjaḍaiyaṉ and perhaps also his successor Rājasiṁha II.
It is very disappointing that
these plates are lost; else, we would have had enough material
to compare the genealogies and
to identify the names.
In comparing next, the historical Pāṇḍya genealogy derived from the bigger Śiṉṉama-
ṉūr plates with that of the Vēḻvikuḍi grant, one has to be guided not only by the
common
names and titles of kings belonging to about the same age, but also by the common
battles
fought and the common enemies conquered by them——though it is not impossible that
these
may be repeated in history. Palaeographical similarities no doubt often help in the
identifi-
cation of names but sometimes they also fail when the particular
inscription from which we
draw the inference happens to be a copy of some older document,
written in a latter hand.
Applying these methods we find that the first king Arikēsari of the
bigger Śiṉṉamaṉūr
plates, who is said to have fought the battle of Nelvēli against a
Chēra king, will at first
appear to be the same as Arikēsari Māṟavarman (No. 4) of the
Vēḷvikuḍi grant whose enemy
at Nelvēli was a certain Vilvēli (perhaps a
Chēra). But Arikēsari of (A) did not, however,
fight with the Pallava king as did Arikēsari
mentioned in (D). The battle of Śaṅkara-
maṅgai where Parāṅkuśa Arikēsari of
(D) defeated the Pallavas is not mentioned of No.
4 in (A) but Tērmāṟaṉ (No. 6) a grandson
of Arikēsari (No. 4) is clearly said to have
crushed the Pallava power. Again, the title
Parāṅkuśa, given to Arikēsari in the Tamiḻ
portion of (D) makes it difficult to connect
him with the first Arikēsari Māṟavarman (No.
4) of the Vēḷvikuḍi plates. So, it has to be
assumed, at least hypothetically, that a second
battle was fought at Nelvēli by Parāṅkuśa
Arikēsari, like the first by his grandfather,
Asamasaman Arikēsari, against the very same or
a different Chēra king. The fact that
Parāṅkuśa Arikēsari's grandson is called Rājasiṁha
in (D) suggests the possibility of
Arikēsari himself being also called
Rājasiṁha, which title we actually find for the first time
given to Tērmāṟaṉ in the
Vēḷvikuḍi plates. Thus, the battle of Śaṅkaramaṅgai and the
defeat of Pallavamalla and a
possible second battle at Nelvēli are the only common
factors that might enable us to connect
the genealogy of the bigger Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates
with that of the Vēḷvikuḍi grant.
Parāṅkuśa Arikēsari must therefore be No. 6
Tērmāṟaṉ, the contemporary of Pallavamalla
(Cir. A.D. 760) as we learn from the
Vēḷvikuḍi grant. If this is admitted, Tērmāṟaṉ (No.
6) of (A) must be presumed to have
also had the titles Arikēsarin and Parāṅkuśa, to have
defeated the Pallavas at Śaṅ-
karamaṅgai before actually crushing Pallavamalla in
the battles at Kuḻumbūr and Periyalūr
and to have fought a second battle at Nelvēli against
an unnamed Chēra.
Of king Jaṭila, the second in the genealogical list (D) given above, nothing is stated
in
the plates in the Sanskrit portion, the Tamiḻ portion omitting his name altogether.
On the
hypothesis, however, of Arikēsari Parāṅkuśa being identical with Tērmāṟaṉ of
the
Vēḷvikuḍi grant, Jaṭila will have to be identified with (No. 7) Parāntaka
Neḍuñjaḍaiyaṉ,
the donor of the Vēḷvikuḍi grant——it being inexplicable, however, why
this king of whom
we hear so much in the Vēḷvikuḍi and in the Madras Museum plates, should
have been
mentioned without any remarks in the Sanskrit portion and omitted altogether in the
Tamiḻ
portion. The other kings who follow are later names in the Pāṇḍya genealogy and
their
achievements are detailed in the genealogical table (D) given above.
The successor of Jaṭila was Rājasiṁha (II) of whom nothing is stated. After
him
came Varaguṇa or Varaguṇa-Mahārāja of great prowess who was separated by two
generations
or roughly 50 years from Tērmāṟaṉ (No. 6 of A) the contemporary of Pallavamalla
Nandi-
varman already mentioned. Consequently, he should have flourished about the
beginning of the
9th century A.D. Though very scanty information is supplied about this king by
the bigger
Śiṉṉamaṉūr plates, still he is familiar to students of epigraphy and we know of
very many
references in inscriptions to Varaguṇa or Varaguṇa-Mahārāja,
sometimes also called
Māṟañjaḍaiyaṉ. We learn, e.g., that Varaguṇa, for the first time,
carried his conquests
north ward into the Chōḷa country against Iḍavai on
which occasion also he should perhaps
have destroyed the fortified walls of Vēmbil
(Vēmbaṟṟūr). Varaguṇa thence pushed
further north into the Toṇḍai-nāḍu making there a
grant from his camp at Araiśūr, a
village on the banks of the Pennar to the temple of
Erichchā-Uḍaiyār at Ambāsamudram in
the Tinnevelly district. Again, an inscription at
Kaḻugumalai, also in the Tinnevelly
district, supports the above statement
by referring to an expedition of the king (herein called
only Māṟañjaḍaiyaṉ) against
Arividūrkkōṭṭai and casually mentions the village Pūndaṇmali
(i.e., Poonamalli) in
Toṇḍai-nāḍu. The Tiruviśalūr inscription dated in the 4th year of the
reign of
Varaguṇa-Mahārāja might also belong to this same king. The Aivarmalai ins-
cription which supplies the initial date Śaka 784 or A.D. 862 to Varaguṇa must refer
to the
later Varaguṇavarman who was the grandson of Varaguṇa I. An inscription
from Tiru-
veḷḷaṟai which is dated in his 13th year, and where the king is called
Māṟañjaḍaiyaṉ
supplies astronomical details for the verification of the date. The actual
calculation,
worked out by Mr. Sewell at page 253 of Ep. Ind., Vol. XI, fits in with the
13th year of
this Varaguṇavarman II, viz., Monday the 22nd November, A.D. 874. This is the
second
sure date in the Pāṇḍya chronology, the first being A.D. 769-70 (or thereabouts) of
the
Āṉamalai inscription, for king Maṟañjaḍaiyaṉ Parāntaka, Neḍuñjaḍaiyaṉ, the donor
of the
Vēḷvikuḍi grant and of the Madras Museum plates. Thus the initial date of Varaguṇa
II
got from the Aivarmalai inscription, is A.D. 862 and the nearest possible date of
Parāntaka
Neḍuñjaḍaiyaṉ is A.D. 770. The difference between these two dates i.e. 92
years,
suggests at least four generations and Rai Bahadur Venkayya has, accordingly in his
ge-
nealogical table of the Pāṇḍyas given at page 54 of his Annual Report on
Epigraphy for
1908, Part II, taken the Varaguṇa of the Aivarmalai inscription to be the
second of
that name who, according to the Udayēndiram plates, killed the Gaṅga king
Pr̥thvīpati I
in the battle at Śrīpurambiyam or Tiruppurambiyam near Kumbhakōṇam, being
himself
subsequently defeated by the last Pallava king Aparājita or Aparājitavikramavar-
man son of Nr̥patuṅga. Leaving alone the second Varaguṇavarman for
the present, it
may be stated that in the time of Varaguṇa-Mahārāja I the Pāṇḍya dominion
was largely
extended as to include in it the Chōḷa and the Pallava country right up to the
bank of the
Pennār in Toṇḍai-nāḍu. This invasion could not have been allowed to pass
without severe
resistance by the kings concerned, viz., the Chōḷas and the Pallavas, and
consequently,
we see that in the next reign king Śrīvallabha (10) had to fight fierce
battles, three of them
being at Kuḍamūkkil, i.e., Kumbhakōṇam in the heart of the Chōḷa
country, against
perhaps the allied Chōḷas, Gaṅgas and Pallavas. This was
perhaps the commencement of the
struggle. It perhaps ended only with the defeat of Varaguṇa
II, by the Pallava king
Aparājita at Śrīpurambiyam, near Kumbhakōṇam, where his Gaṅga
ally Pr̥thivīpati I
also died. The Chōḷa enemies of the Pāṇḍyas, now turned against
their allies,
the Pallavas Rājakēsarivarman Āditya I overran the Toṅḍai-nāḍu in the
north
and occupied it. But the Pāṇḍya king Rājasiṁha III (No. 13), the son
of
Parāntaka Śaḍaiyaṉ, defeated the king of Tañjai (Tanjore) at Naippūr, fought a
battle
at Koḍumbai (Koḍumbāḷūr) the seat of one of the powerful Chōḷa subordinates,
burnt
Vañji and destroyed the king of southern Tañjai (perhaps another subordinate of the
Chōḷas)
at Nāval. Āditya's son Parāntaka I defeated this Rājasiṁha-Pāṇḍya, the nephew
of Va-
raguṇa II and captured the Pāṇḍya capital Madura, thereby acquiring for
himself the well-
known title Madiraikoṇḍa. The mention of Māyā-Pāṇḍya as in
rebellious union against
Śrīvallabha (10) and that of Ugra (perhaps also a Pāṇḍya king)
against Parāntaka Vīranā-
rāyaṇa Śaḍaiyaṉ (12) show internal dissensions in
the Pāṇḍya family which must have been
the cause of their eventual downfall. The Pāṇḍya
king Parāntaka appears to have
courted the friendship of the rising powerful Chōḷa and to
have married Vāṉavaṉmahā-
dēvī, evidently a Chōḷa princess as the title the flag of both the lunar and the solar
races' borne by his
son Rājasiṁha clearly shows.
Of the topographical and other proper names mentioned in both the sets of
Śiṉṉamaṉūr
plates, viz., Chitramuyari, Talaiyālaṅgānam, Nelvēli, Śaṅkaramaṅgai,
Kuṇṇūr, Śiṅgaḷam,
Viḻiñam, Kuḍamūkkil, Śeṉṉilam, Kharagiri, Peṇṇāgaḍam,
Koṅgu, Ulappinimaṅgalam,
Tañjai, Naippūr, Koḍumbai, Vañji [on the northern bank of the
Poṉṉi (Kāvērī)
river], Nāval, Chūḻal, Rājasiṅgapperuṅguḷakkīḻ,
Naṟcheygaiputtūr, Aḷa-nāḍu, Puttūr,
Mīyguṇḍāṟu, Koḻuvūr-kūṟṟam, Maṇiyāchi or
Tiśaichchuḍarmaṅgalam, Vaḍa-Kaḷavaḻi-
nāḍu, Pullamaṅgalam, Śōḻa-nāḍu,
Vēmbaṟṟūr in Kaḷavaḻi-nāḍu, Kūra in Kīḻ-Vēmba-nāḍu,
Śuruḷi-āṟu (river),
Marudūr, Kuvaḷaimalai, Koṟṟaṉputtūr, Kuṇḍūr and Aṇḍa-nāḍu, almost all
are familiar
and known to us from inscriptions. The first two are not identified, the second
being known
only to literature. Kuḍamūkkil is Kumbhakōṇam; Viḻiñam is a port in the
Travancore State;
Śiṅgaḷam is Ceylon; Peṇṇāgaḍam is a village in the Tanjore District;
Koṅgu comprises
the modern districts of Salem and Coimbatore; Tañjai is the well-known
Tanjore; Koḍumbai is
Koḍumbāḷūr in the Pudukkōṭṭai State. Rājaśiṅgakuḷakkīḻ may be
identified with
Rājaśiṅgamaṅgalam in the Śivagaṅga Zamīndāri. It is called Varaguṇa-
maṅgalam in its inscriptions. Naṟcheygaiputtūr must be identical with
Śiṉṉamaṉūr in the
Periyakuḷam taluk where these plates were obtained. The stone
inscriptions of the place,
however, show that it bore the name Arikēsarinallūr and was a
brahmadēya in Aḷa-nāḍu, a
subdivision of Pāṇḍi-maṇḍalam. A
hamlet of it was Koṟṟaṉputtūr, identical, perhaps, with
the native village of the
donee. Mention is also made in stone inscriptions of the
places
Mandaragauravamaṅgalam and Arapadaśēkharamaṅgalam, which had assemblies similar
to
that of Arikēsarinallūr that met together in a common place, evidently showing that
these
places were not far distant from each other. Aḷa-nāḍu is the
territorial division in which
Śiṉṉamaṉūr was situated. Kōttārpoḻil-Puttūr is identical
with Tirupputtūr in the Ramnad
district and is the headquarters of a taluk. From No. 90 of the
Madras Epigraphical
collection for 1908, we learn that it was situated in Mīguṇḍāṟu in
Koḻuvūr-kūṟṟam, which
is the description given of Kōttārpoḻil-Puttūr in these plates.
Pullamaṅgalam is a village
in the Pāpanāśam taluk of the Tanjore district. It was situated
in Kilār-kūṟṟam.
Kīḻ-Vēmba-nāḍu is a subdivision of the Pāṇḍya country in which
Tinnevelly was situated.
As such, the village of Kūra must be looked for near about
Tinnevelly. Śuruḷiyāṟu is the
river that takes its rise from the Śuruḷi-malai, 7 miles
from Cumbum in the Periyakuḷam
taluk of the Madura district, and flows past Cumbum and
Śiṉṉamaṉūr and joins the Vaigai.
Aṇḍa-nāḍu is that territorial division of the
Pāṇḍya country in which Periyakōṭṭai in the
Dindigul taluk was. Hence Kuṇḍūr and
Koṟṟaṉputtūr must be traced out in that locality.
[Metres: Vv. 1 and 30, Upajāti; V. 2, Vaiśvadēvī; Vv. 3, 4, 5, 8 and 31,
Upēndra-
vajrā; Vv. 6, 7, 13, 27 and 38, Pushpitāgrā; Vv. 9, 11,
14, 16 and 23, Śālini; Vv. 12 and
32, Drutavilambitam; Vv. 15, 22, 26, 28, 29,
34 and 36, Anushṭubh; Vv. 25, 33 and 35,
Indravajrā; V. 24,
Mandākrāntā; Vv. 10 and 20, Śārdūlavikriḍitam; V. 21,
Sragdharā;
and Vv. 17, 18, 19 and 37, Vasantatilakā].
(Verse. 1.) The ocean, in whose rows of bounding disturbed waves, as in a dancing
hall, are
(seen) like gems the sun, the stars and the moon, even when agitated at the end
of the
Kalpa, bore the form of his foot-stool.
(V. 2.) (Victorious) was the family of him whose prowess had filled the earth and
was
a sun (in destroying) the night (viz.) the great heroism of its enemies. The
kings of great
glory and merited fame born in this (family), held the earth as their
legally married wife.
(V. 3.) Of the kings born in this (family) who had destroyed all enemy kings and
had
their edicts established on the snowy mountain, the priest was the venerable Agastya.
(V. 4.) One (of the kings) born here, whose wealth was his honour, and who had
killed
the powerful demons in a battle between the gods and the demons, sat alone on the
throne
of the Lord of the gods (i.e.), Indra) in heaven brought down (to
earth).
(V. 5.) Another wise king of right conduct, was an ambassador to secure victory for
the
gods; and (still) another of unopposed commands, caused the Ten-headed
giant
(i.e., Rāvaṇa) to sue for peace.
(V. 6.) (Again), in that family was born a king who was the husband of (Gaṅgā)
the
daughter of the friend of Nara (Arjuna) (i.e., Vishṇu), who (like Śiva)
had three eyes
(trilōchana) whose virtue was praised by the three worlds, a
matchless king who stirred the
ocean and was a pupil of Agastya.
(V. 7.) (Another) born in that (family) was adorned with the necklace of
Hari
(i.e., Indra) (which he had) captured (from him)
after breaking (his) wristlet on the head
of the Lord of gods (i.e.,
Indra); still (another) king born in that (family)
conquered
Vijaya (i.e., Arjuna) and was the conflagration at the end of time to
the cotton (namely)
the army of the lord of the Kurus.
(V. 8.) Another (king) born in that (family) cut off his own head in order to save
his
master; and (a king) named Sundara-Pāṇḍya born in this (family)
was a helmsman
in the ocean of all Śāstras.
(V. 9.) Countless number of emperors and kings born in this race attained godhood
having
performed numberless Rājasūya and Aśvamēdha sacrifices. Which mortal
could
describe them thoroughly ?
(V. 10.) In that family was born king Arikēsari, the home of glory, who
had
controlled his passions. His son (was) Jaṭila. His son (was) the
glorious (and) virtuous
king Rājasiṁha. His son (was) the wise
Varaguṇa of great prowess. His son (was)
king Śrī-Māra whose fame
was delightful to hear and who was the invincible lord
of wealth (Śrīvallabha).
(V. 11.) He (i.e., Śrī-Māra) the matchless hero, the beloved of his subjects,
having
conquered in battle Māyā-Pāṇḍya, the Kēraḷa, the king of
Siṁhaḷa, the
Pallava and the Vallabha, protected the earth under
(his) one umbrella.
(V. 12.) His son, the younger brother of king Varaguṇa, was the virtuous
king
Parāntaka, whose lotus-feet were brightened by the spreading lustre of the
sun-like
gems in the crowns of (prostrating) kings.
(V. 13.) He quickly captured in a battle near Kharagiri the powerful (king)
Ugra
who possessed a herd of strong elephants whose tusks were red with the blood of enemy
kings
with an army (which was) the only sword (held) in hand.
(V. 14.) This emperor, himself of meritorious fame, caused the circle of the earth to
be
filled with holy boundless Brāhmin settlements, numerous temples and
countless tanks.
(V. 15.) The wife of that king was the glorious Vānavanmahādēvī, as
Śrī
(was) of Śrīnivāsa (i.e., Vishṇu) and as
Paulōmī (Śachī) (was) of Śatakratu
(Indra).
(V. 16.) Of this queen was born to him, who was the abode of prosperity, the son,
king
Rājasimha who was the repository of intelligence, valour, stability, courage,
nobility and
liberality and who successfully scared away the heroism of (his)
enemies.
(V. 17.) Having obtained him, the banner of (both) the (solar) (and the lunar)
races,
who caused the utmost grief to the host of enemy kings, satisfaction to the crowds
of
supplicants and fame (to reach) all directions, the earth (now) became
(truly) possessed of a
king.
(V. 18.) The requests of all supplicants are not enough for (i.e., to satisfy) his
liberality;
nor the enemies for his prowess; nor all the worlds for (his) lustrous fame;
nor (again) the
words of the Master of Words (i.e., Br̥haspati) for praising
(his) virtues.
(V. 19.) Dignified as Bharata, he rules the earth filling all Brahmans with
endless
wealth, the enemies with ruin which fully deprives (them) of (their)
wealth and the ten
quarters with faultless fame.
(V. 20.) A great favourite of this lord, the king, was the glorious son of the
illustrious
Śrēshṭhiśarman, who was famous by the well-known name
Parāntaka, who was
born in the Kauśika lineage, was possessed of wealth
which was learning, who was the
best of the upright and of famous descent, who was widely
known, wise, dutiful and
virtuous, of excellent character and highly modest.
(V. 21.) This (Parāntaka) who was ever devoted for the good of others, who was the
ocean
(into which emptied itself) the river of learning and who was the Pārijāta
(celestial) tree
(in fulfilling) the desires of all classes of wise men, was the
grandson of him who was named
Bhāskara, the sole repository of the Trayī
(Vēdas), and the great-grandson of him
named Śrēshṭhin who was the purest of the
Śeṅkuṭi-Kauśikas of great religious
austerity born in Puttūr, a mine of
knowledge and modesty and the home of prosperity.
(V. 22.) His ancestors who had reached the (other) end of Vēdic (learning)
established
on this earth the extensive work called Kalpa written by
Āgnivēśya.
(V. 23.) His maternal grandfather was the famous Ūraśarman, the chief of
the
residents of Syandana-grāma, of the Maudgalya (lineage), who was of high
birth
and noble character, illustrious, intelligent, famous and a prop of virtue.
(V. 24.) Knowledge, noble conduct, wealth, modesty, praiseworthy riches, a conscience
ever
attached to the lotus-feet of the lord of Lakshmī (Vishṇu), a descent ever high
and
pure, permanent fame and superior intelligence——these were the rule in the family of
him
(i.e., Ūrasarman) whose fame was widely known.
(Vv. 25——27.) His (i.e., Parāntaka's) father, the wise and illustrious Śrēshṭhi-
śarman, whose conduct was pure, who was as powerful and glorious as
Pitāmaha
(Brahma) who was the one resort of modesty, intelligent, good
and of noble descent whose
fame was pleasant to hear and who was the leader of the wise,
received from the heroic (king)
Parāntaka, lord Vīranārāyaṇa of
meritorious fame and an ornament of the
Pāṇḍya race, the Brahman village
(agrahāra) named Maṇiyāchi of unfailing fertility,
(which was) a
famous agrahāra (situated) in Vaḍa-Kaḷavaḷi-rāshṭra
re-naming
(it) Tiśaichchuḍarmaṅgala.
(Vv. 28——32.) The same god-like king of unfailing prosperity, who pleased the whole
circle
of the earth and satisfied (his) subjects, who destroyed the host of enemies, who was
the
banner of polity, whose prowess was (equal to) that of Śakra (i.e.,
Indra) and who removed
the troubles (of the people) on the circle of the earth, in
the 16th year of his reign,
while camping in the famous village named
Chūḻal situated in the territorial division
(rāshṭra) called
Rājasiṁhakuḷakkīḻ, gave with libations of water, to the
Brahman,
Parāntakaśarman, the whole of the matchless and excellent agrahāra
named
Naṟcheygai-Puttūr situated in Aḷa-nāḍu which was famous with its
(second)
name Mandaragauravamaṅgalam, as a brahmadēya property,
together with (its)
kārāṇmai and miyāṭchi and with (its) four
boundaries marked off by the circumambulation
of the female elephant.
(V. 33.) The vijñapti of this (grant) was the minister Jaṭila of respectable
descent
and a storehouse of prosperity who was the councillor of the king and a poet of the
Atri-
gōtra, who had performed (Vēdic) sacrifices.
(V. 34.) The ājñapti of this (grant) was the servant of that crest-jewel of
warriors,
the illustrious Māravarman, who was descended of a pure family and was
called
Kūṟṟaṅgōṉ.
(V. 35.) A minister of the king, born at (the village of) Kūra, the son of a
nobleman
of Kīḻ-Vēmba-nāḍu and known by the famous name Nakkaṅkumāṉ,
was the
master of the female elephant and the warden
(kuḍikāval).
(V. 36.) Also Nakkaṅ-Kāḍa, Kōn-Vēḷān and he, called
Paṭārañ-Chōla
——these (three) accountants were appointed (to supervise) the
circumambulation of the female
elephant.
(V. 37.) Worshipped by all rulers, this (king) Abhimānamēru prostrates
(himself)
every day before all future kings with palms folded (over his head)
(and saying) “Oh! pure-
minded kings! Protect (this) my gift!”
(V. 38.) Vāsudēva, the friend of Madhuraguṇa and the elder brother
of
Vishṇu who had studied the whole (science of) literature and was the birth
place of
modesty and intelligence, composed this matchless praśasti.
(Line 76.) Hail ! Prosperity ! May the prosperous family of the Pāṇḍyas live
long——
(the family) which came forth commencing with the white Moon enthroned
on the brilliant
plaited hair of Hara (i.e., Śiva), and born
(from the milk ocean) along with (the goddess of)
prosperity, the pure ambrosia,
the Kaustubha (gem) of lustre like that of the Sun's and
that single elephant (the
Airāvata) of flowing rut;——a fit object of praise for the people of the
four quarters which
possesses the four (divisions) of the earth; which was justly extolled
by
Bhāradvāja and other (sages); which was beyond the reach of enemies;
whose
commands bore (the seal of) the double fish; which had for its family
priest (the sage)
Agastya of unequalled glory; which has been in existence through
aeons and which
counts (among its members) the one ever-lasting Being.
(L. 84.) After many great kings and emperors born in this (family) who ruled right
up
to the boundaries of the heavens, (such as) he who churned the billowy ocean and
obtained
nectar; he who bathed in a single day in the four oceans, causing
admiration to the people
of the four (divisions of) the earth, who with a crown
(bedecked) with gems of faultless
lustre, wore (also) an anklet of white conch;
he who went round the globe of the
earth; he who sent ambassadors on several occasions to the
gods of matchless victory; he who
carried away the garland of Pākaśāsana
(i.e., Indra); he who, appearing with ornaments
of valuable gems, mastered the
Tamil (language) of the south; he who by throwing
a sharp-edged
javelin caused the quick return of the sea; acquired the name Pūḻiyaṉ;
who gave
away thousands (of gifts) of the golden hill (Mēru); he who stood firmly in the
field (of
battle) at Pāḻi and obtained the name Pañchavaṉ; he who founded
the
prosperous city of Madura and built (a surrounding) wall for it; he
who
with the supreme intelligence of his mind, was profoundly versed in the
beautiful
Tamil and Sanskrit and became the foremost among scholars; he who led the
elephants
in the Bhārata (war) so as to destroy the great charioteers in a
hill-battle; he who relieved
Vijaya (Arjuna) from the curse of Vasu;
he who drove (his enemies) to the forest so that
they might be scorched up and destroyed
(there) and had the blameless (royal emblems) of the
big fish, the tiger and
the bow engraved on the top of the Northern Mountain
(i.e., the Himālayas); he
who, securing the services of huge giants, restored many tanks
and relieved the country from
disease and pinching hunger; he who with a dreadful sword
cut off the heads of two kings that
advanced against him in the battles at Chitrmuyari
and Talaiyālaṅgānam and
stopped the dance of their (two) headless trunks and he
who had the Mahābhārata
translated in to Tamiḻ and had established
the “Śaṅgam” in the town of
Madhura. had ruled the circle of the earth and
had passed away.
(L. 104.) Then (came) Parāṅkuśa, the king of the Pañchavas
(i.e., Pāṇḍyas)
who saw the back of the Chēra king (Villavan) at
Nelvēli and that of the Pallava
(king) at Śaṅkaramaṅgai of
extensive pleasure gardens. His grandson (was) Rāja-
siṁha, the
lord of kings. (Next came) king Varaguṇa-Mahārāja whose
feet
(wearing) anklets are worshipped by monarchs. His son was
Parachakrakōlāhala,
who bore the burden of the earth, who wore (a victorious garland
of) never-fading vāgai
(flowers) at
Kuṇṇūr, (surrounded by) gardens of delightful fragrance, at Śiṅgaḷam
and
at Viḻiñam; who firmly wielded his sceptre and who shining with the prowess of
the Sun
and shooting from (his) bow-string sharp and deadly arrows on Gaṅga,
Pallava,
Chōḷa, Kaliṅga, Magadha and other (kings) that came to give battle and
opposed
(him) at Kuḍamūkkil of fragrant and blooming flower-gardens and made
them bathe
in a big river of blood.
(L. 113.) (Next came) Varaguṇavarman, the lord of kings, whose feet
were
worshipped by kings (wearing) jingling anklets on their legs, and who by
(his) beautiful
long arms resembling hills, made the earth his own.
(L. 115.) His younger brother, the glorious warrior Parāntakaṉ Śaḍaiyaṉ,
the
king whose conduct (followed the rules prescribed by) Manu, who wore many
golden
ornaments, who put on a golden crown decorated with gems; who showered arrows from
(his)
powerful bow so that the elephant troops whose (long) trunks touched the earth,
the horse
battalions and the infantry (of the enemies) fell on the earth at (the battle
of) Śeṉṉilam;
who captured at Kharagiri crowds of files of powerful
elephants of enemy (kings) and
won a battle at Nilambēr; who had destroyed the
extensive Peṇṇāgaḍam, who with
the help of a single powerful prancing horse, won
battles in the extensive Koṅgu (country);
who performed many (gifts of)
dēvadāna (lands) and restored many brahmadēya (grants)
and who subdued the whole
of India (Nāvaltīvu), having also gone to heaven.
(L. 123.) The first son of the goddess of the (lotus) flower (i.e., Lakshmī)
called
Vānavaṉmahādēvi, was he the king of the Mīṉavar, (i.e., the
Pāṇḍyas)
Rājasiṁha Vikaṭavāḍavaṉ, who having himself borne
(easily) by the strength of
his broad shoulders, the great burden of the circle of the
earth which the lord of serpents
(i.e., Śēsha) bears with much difficulty by his thousand
heads, became distinguished as
“the strong-armed that relieved the serpent Lord of (the pain
of) carrying the earth”;
who at Ulappinimaṅgalam pierced the bodies of the
enemies that attacked (him),
and gave (their) blood, the superior
(position) of becoming the scented cosmetics of the
gooddess Earth, who sounded his drum
when the king of the Tañjai (country) (full of)
water flowing from sluices,
ran away surrendering his arms, at Naippūr which was
filled with
mountain-like battalions; who commenced his battle at the big
city of Koḍum-
bai where the assembled (enemy's) forces, vast like
the roaring ocean, dispersed suffering
affliction; whose looks caused (the town of)
Vañji with walls surrounded on all sides by
flower-gardens (and situated) on the
northern bank of the Kāvērī (Poṉṉi) abounding in
water to be consigned to
flames, and whose eyes which became red (with anger) made to
dance the headless bodies
of the heroes that opposed him; who like Kumāra (Skanda) of the
high cockflag,
swelled with rage and displayed the strength of (his) galloping steeds by
destroying in
the battle at the beautiful and well watered town of Nāval the crowds of
elephants,
horses and foot-men of the lord of the southern Tañjai (country).
(His)
victorious flag reaching the sky, his sceptre wielded (right) up to the ends
of quarters,
acquiring the bridled horse, the chief mountain and the blood-red garland, was
enjoying the
pleasure of Mahēndra with his prosperous sons worshipping at his feet,
the king Vika-
ṭavāḍava, the lord of Prosperity, who marked the chief of
mountains with his fish
emblem, the crest-jewel of kings, this lord of the south
(Teṉṉaṉ), of many brilliant virtues
having founded with pleasure in every direction
numberless brahmadēyas, numberless
dēvadānas, and numberless
paḷḷichchandam.
(L. 143.) Being pleased to stay in the town of Chūḻal (situated) in
Rājaśingap-
peruṅguḷam, abounding in wreath of water-lilies and
resembling the noisy ocean
which was formerly founded by himself——in the 14th year opposite the
2nd year of his
reign, the Brāhman Bhāskaran-Śeṭṭi who was like the lotus-born
(Brahmā) and was
praised by all, the son of the virtuous Bhāskara, the chief of the
noble and illustrious race
of the Śeṭṭis, the foremost of Ombāḻvas of
the Āgnivēśya-kalpa and the
Komara-Kauśika-gōtra (living) in the village
Kōttārpoḻil named Puttūr
in the watery
Miyguṇḍāṟu (district) (which was included) in the big (district of)
Koḻu-
vūr-kūṟṟam, having obtained as ēkabhōga the
brahmadēya consisting of the place (called)
Tiśaichchuḍarmaṅgalam in
Vaḍa-Kaḷavaḻi-nāḍu, by the grace of the
Pāṇḍya king the glorious
Parāntakaṉ śrī-Vīranāraṇaṉ.
(L. 155.) The chief of kings mentioned above, the illustrious Rājasiṁha-
varman, the sovereign whose umbrella touched the sky, desirous of doing some good
to
Parāntaka the famous son of Bhāskaran Śeṭṭi (i.e., Śeṭṭi son of
Bhāskara) who walked
in the path of the virtuous, a Kauśika of Śeṅguḍi
(surrounded by) a forest of lotuses,
the friend of the created beings and the home of good
qualities, was pleased to kindly confer
as ēkabhōga-brahmadēya together with
kārāṇmai and mīyāṭchi (the village) Naṟcheygai-
Puttūr in Aḷa-nāḍu of beautiful streams of cool water which he was
pleased to found
calling it Mandaragauravamaṅgalam after his own name.
(L. 162.) The viṇṇappam (of this grant) was Śaḍaiyapirāṉ Bhaṭṭasōma-
yājin of Pullamaṅgalam in Śōḻā-nāḍu; the ājñapti
(āṇai-āl) (of the grant)
was Kūṟṟaṅgōṉ of Vēmbaṟṟūr in
Kaḷavaḻi-nāḍu; the chief warden (Kuḍi-
kāval-nāyakan) was
Kumān of Kūra in Kīḻ-Vēmba-nāḍu and the accountants
were
Nakkaṉ-Kāḍaṉ of Śiṟu-Śevūr in
Tirukkānappēr-kūṟṟam,
Paṭārañ-Chōlai of Tuñjalūr in
Naḍuviṟ-kūṟṟam (a sub-division) of
Miḻalaik-kūṟṟam and
Kōṉ-Vēḷāṉ of Peruṅgākkūr (near) Kaḻāttirukkai.
(L. 167.) The residents (nāṭṭār) of Aḻā-nāḍu being appointed to mark the
boundary
line, the female elephant was led around and (the following) four big boundaries were
thus
(marked). The eastern boundary (was) to the west of Śuruḷiyāṟu; the southern
bound-
ary (was)•••• in Karkuḷam.
(V. 1.) Hail! May Purushōttama (i.e., Vishṇu) who wears his
characteristic
weapons and whose hairs stand on end in the rapture of an
embrace from the arms of
Padmā (i.e., Lakshmī), profusely grant us knowledge,
fame and prosperity.
(V. 2.) May the family prosper long, that which is produced from the nectar-rayed
(Moon), in
which were born kings who crushed the pride of the enemies of gods (i.e.,
demons).
(L. 3.) After a number of kings of the Pāṇḍya family of endless fame
(born)
in the race of the Moon,——who drew their bow to cut off the heads of
crowds of Asuras on
the battle-front, to prevent the destruction of
Ākhaṇḍala (i.e., Indra); who decorated
the adamantine crest of the Northern
Mountain (i.e., the Himalayas) with the (royal) sign
of the beautiful carp; who bathed
their ears with the sweet Tamiḻ of Kumbhōdbhava
(i.e., Agastya),
residing on the top of the Southern Mountain; who wore the necklace
of
Harihaya (i.e., Indra) and sat with him on one half of his throne; who
raised (their) arms
showering many (arrows) from (their) quivers on the
sacred crown of Śurivaḷaiyavaṉ; who
threw the javelin in order to drive back the
(encroaching) sea; performed a thousand
sacrifices; exacted service from crowds of
goblins; released the expanse of Earth of (her)
common possession (by kings);
bestowed on supplicants a thousand elephants and did
many (other) astounding deeds——had
passed away;
(L. 14.) there was seated on the (Pāṇḍya) throne like Vāsava (Indra), the king,
the
great lord Māravarmaṉ,——who being the son of Jayantavarmaṉ whose great
fame
was sung by the world, burst forth causing the heads of hostile kings to tremble, (his)
many
characteristic titles (such as) Arikēsari, Asamasamaṉ,
Alaṅghyavikramaṉ
and Akālakālaṉ, being ravishingly proclaimed by the whole
world, a host of enemy
kings prostrating, released the extensive Earth of (its) common
possession (by other kings),
resolved to act in the fashion of the thunder cloud in
raining gold on Brāhmaṇas and
removed their distress; ascended the Tulābhāra with
pleasure, ruled the world offering
protection to all, entered twice the (womb of)
hiraṇyagarbha and made many other great
gifts beginning with gōsahasra.
(L. 23.) And his son was••• who having immediately protected
without a flaw the circle of
the Earth brought (her) under the shade of his moon-like
umbrella, who in giving forth
benevolence resolved to act in the fashion of the wishing tree
(Kalpaka), expelled
completely the sins of the Kali (age), averted the misery of the gods
of Earth
(i.e., Brāhmaṇas) by giving great wealth, who at Marudūr and
Kuvaḷaimalai
drove rutting elephants (into the battle-field) so that heroes
wearing anklets who opposed,
attacked or unwaringly advanced and stood in his way became
extinct, who••
(L. 29.)••• to the east of•••; the northern boundary
(was) to the south of the
Bhagavatī temple of Koṟṟanputtūr. (The land) com-
prised within the thus-described four big boundaries was given away with all
exemptions.
Its āṇatti (Skt. ājñapti) was Tāyaṉ Śiṅgaṉ who was
the uttaramantri of Kuṇḍūr
(a village) in
Kuṇḍūr-kūṟṟam of Aṇḍa-nāḍu. The puṟaṅkāval
to be given on
this (land) is eighty-five kalam (of paddy).
(L. 34.) “The flower-like feet of those that protect this (gift) shall be on
my
crown”: So saying, the king himself graciously ordered and had (this) copper
edict
executed at once.
[Verses 3 and 4 are the usual imprecations.]
(L. 38.) (This is) the signature of Arikēsari, son of Pāṇḍi-Perumbaṇaikāraṉ.
These are five copper-plates belonging to the Pārijātavanēśvara temple
at
Tirukkaḷar, a village ten miles south-east of Mannārguḍi in the Tanjore
district. A
short notice of these appeared in Dr. Hultzsch's Annual Report
on Epigraphy for 1902——03,
paragraph 17. The report also contains a list of 23 stone
inscriptions which were copied from
the same temple. These five
copper-plates, strung on a copper-ring of 5" diameter, have
flat rims, measure 1'(7/8)"×5(1/2)"
each, weigh together 566 tolas and have ring-holes bored in the
middle of the left margin about
an inch from the edge. They contain in them five complete
inscriptions of different Chōḷa
kings. The first of them, which is also the earliest, is
a record of Parakēsarivarman
Rājēndra-Chōḷa I who ascended the Chōḷa
throne in A.D. 1012. It begins with
the king's usual historical introduction commencing
with the words
is dated in the
18th year of his reign and registers the extent of the dēvadāna lands belong-
ing to the temple of Mahādēva at Tirukkaḷar which is said to be a village
in
Puṟaṅgarambai-nāḍu, a subdivision of Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu.
Compared with the inscription of this king found at Tirumalai, dated in the
13th
year of reign and his Tanjore epigraph, dated in the 19th year of reign,
the present
inscription furnishes a few differences in reading which are noticed in
foot-notes.
The identification of all the place names occurring in the historical introduction has
been
made by Professor Hultzsch, and it remains to note here only a few facts
in this connection.
Iḍaituṟai-nāḍu which has been taken to be Yeḍatore,
a small village in the
Mysore district by Mr. Rice, has since been shown by Dr. Fleet to be
identical with the
territorial division Eḍedoṟe, two thousand, a
tract of country lying between the
rivers Kr̥shṇā on the north and Tuṅgabhadrā on the
south, comprising a large part of the
present Raichur district. The
Kanyākumāri inscription of Vīrarājēndra shows that
Maṇṇaikaḍakkam is not to be
identified with Maṇṇe in the Nelamaṅgala taluk
of the Bangalore district but is the
same as Mānyakhēṭa, which Rājēndra-Chōḷa is
said to have made a playground for
his armies. Chakkara-kōṭṭam has been
satisfactorily identified by
Rai Bahadur Hira Lal with Chitrakūṭa or ºkōṭa, eight
miles from
Rājapura in the Bastar State: he has also adduced epigraphical evidence
to show that
its king was really Dhārāvarsha in A.D. 1111, as stated in the
epigraphs
of Kulōttuṅga I. Dakshiṇa-Lāḍam has been taken to be
Dakashiṇa-Virāṭa
or Southern Berars; but it looks likely that it is identical with
Dakshiṇa-Rāḍha in
Bengal. Śrī-Vijaya appears under the
form Śrī-Vishaya in a Kaṇḍiyūr
inscription of the same
king; and the large Leyden grant states that Māravijayōt-
tuṅgavarman
was the overlord of this territory. This has been taken to be the
same as
San-fotsai of the Chinese annals and has been identified with Palembang,
a
residency of Sumatra.
Hail! Prosperity! In the eighteenth year (of the reign of) king Parakēsari-
varman alias Uḍaiyār Śrī-Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva, in
(his) life of high pros-
perity, while Tiru (Lakshmī), having
become constant, was increasing, (and) while the
goddess of the great earth, the goddess
of victory in battle, and the matchless goddess of
fame rejoiced to have become his great
queens,——conquered with (his) great, warlike army
(the following):——
Iḍaiduṟai-nāḍu, Vanavāsi, whose unbroken hedge of forest (trees)
was
extending; Koḷḷippākkai, whose walls were surrounded with
brushwood;
Maṇṇaikkaḍakkam, whose fortification was unapproachable; the crown of
the king
of Īḻam who came to close quarters in fighting; the exeedingly fine crowns
of the queens
of that (king); the beautiful crown and Indra's pearl necklace,
which the king of the
south (i.e., the Pāṇḍya) had previously deposited with that
(king of Īḻam); the whole
Īḻa-maṇḍala (on) the transparent sea; the crown
praised by many and the garland
emitting beautiful rays, family treasures, which the (kings
of) Kēraḷa, whose armies
possessing missile weapons, rightfully wore; many
ancient islands whose old, great guard
was the ocean which resounds with its conches; the crown
of pure gold, worthy of Tiru
(Lakshmī) which Paraśurāma, having considered
the fortifications of Śāndimattīvu
impregnable, had deposited (there), when,
in anger (he) bound the kings twenty-one times in
battle; the seven and a half
lakshas of Iraṭṭapāḍi (which was) strong by nature, (and
which he
took), together with immeasurable fame, (from) Jayasiṁha, who, out of
fear,
turned his back at Muśaṅgi and hid himself (thus earning) great infame;
the principal
great mountains (which contained) the nine treasures (of Kubēra);
Śakkarakōṭṭam
(guarded by) brave warriors; the ancient and strong northern
Madura-maṇḍala;
Nāmaṇaikkōṇam, which was surrounded by dense groves;
Pañchapaḷḷi
(protected by) warriors (who bore) cruel bows; the moth
(-grown) ancient Māśuṇidēśa;
a large heap of
family-treasures, together with many (other) treasures (which he carried
away)
after having captured Indraratha of the old race of the moon, together with
(his)
family, in a fight which took place in the beautiful city of Ādinagar,
filled with
unceasing abundance; Oḍḍa-vishaya, which was difficult to approach,
(and which he
subdued in) close fight; the good Kōśalai-nāḍu, where
Brāhmaṇas abounded;
Daṇḍabutti, in whose gardens beetles abounded (and which he
acquired) after having
destroyed Dharmapāla (in) a hot battle;
Takkaṇa-Lāḍam, whose fame reached (all)
directions (and which he
occupied) after having forcibly attacked Raṇaśūra; Vaṅgāḷa-
dēśa, where the rain-wind never stopped (and from which)
Gōvindachandra fled,
having descended (from his) male elephant; elephants of
rare strength and treasures of
women, (which he seized), after having been pleased to
put to fright on a hot battle-field,
Mahīpāla, decked (as he was) with
ear-rings, slippers and bracelets; Uttira-Lāḍam
in the neighbourhood of the
expansive ocean abounding in pearls; and the Gaṅgā,
whose waters dashed against the
banks filled with fragrant flowers; and (who), having
despatched many ships in the midst
of the rolling sea and having caught Samgrāma-
vijayōttuṅgavarman, the
king of Kaḍāram, along with (his) rutting elephants,
which put up rare fight
and brought victory,——(took) the large heap of treasures, which
(that king) had
rightfully accumulated; the (arch called) Vidyādhara-tōraṇa put
up at the
“gate” of his wide inland city provided with accoutrements of war; the
“jewel-gate”, adorned
with great splendour; the “gate of large jewels” the prosperous
Śrī-Vishaiya;
Paṉṉai with a ghat of (bathing) water; the ancient
Malaiyūr
(with) a fort situated on a fine hill; Māyiruḍiṅgam,
surrounded by the deep sea (as) a
moat; Ilaṅgāśōgam (i.e.,
Laṅkāśōka) undaunted (in) fierce battles; Māppappāḷam,
having abundant
high waters as defence; Mēvilimbaṅgam, having fine walls as
defence;
Vaḷaippandūṟu, possessing (both) cultivated land (?) and jungle; the
principal
(city of) Takkōlam, praised by great men (versed in) the
sciences; the island of
Mādamaliṅgam, of strong battlements;
Ilāmuri-dēśam, provided with
scientifically ripe excessive strength; the great
Nakkavāram, whose gardens (abounded
in) flowers dribbling honey; and
Kaḍāram, of fierce strength, protected by foot-soldiers
wearing kaḻal; the
dēvadāna lands (belonging to the temple) of the Mahādēva
at
Veṅgūrkkaḷa-Tirukkaḷar in Puṟaṅgarambai-nāḍu (a
sub-division) of
Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu, measured (1/2) (vēli) 19(1/4),
(1/160) and••. This land was
inclusive of excess and deficiency (in
measurement) of the surrounding parts.
This inscription in six lines is engraved on the second plate of the Tirukkaḷar set. It
is
dated in the 31st year of the reign of the Chōḷa king Rājakēsarivarman
Rājā-
dhirāja I and registers an arrangement made, by a certain
Tirumaṇappichchaṉ,
who bore the double surname Araiyaṉ Nāgaraiyaṉ and
Mahīpālakulakālap-
pēraraiyaṉ, whereby one brahmin had to perform
worship in the temple at Tiruk-
kaḷar in addition to another who was doing
that service till then. From the short
historical introduction which states that the king with
the help of his army took the head of
Vīra-Pāṇḍya, Śālai of the Chēra
king and Ilaṅgai, it is clear that “Śālai is
an important place in the
Chēra dominions and not a feeding house” as the late
Mr. T.A.Gopinatha Rao had taken
to be.
In the 31st year of (the reign of) king Rājakēsarivarman alias
Uḍaiyār Śrī-
Rājādhirājadēva, who, with his army, had taken the
head of Vīra-Pāṇḍya,
Śālai of the Chēra king and Ilaṅgai
(i.e., Ceylon), Araiyaṉ Nāgaraiyaṉ
alias
Mahīpālakulakālappēraraiyaṉ alias Tirumaṇappichchaṉ gave
1(1/4)
(vēli of) land for (yielding an income of) 150 (kalam of paddy) for the
expenses of two
brahmins, viz., one brahmin, performing the worship of the god from of
old and one
brahmin who is to perform (the same) receiving the income provided for by
Tirumaṇap-
pichchaṉ at the rate of (one) tuni and (one)
kuṟunī of paddy per day for 360 days. Those
who destroy this
(shall incur the sin of acting against) the sacred (or royal) order.
This inscription in 19 lines is engraved on the third plate of the Tirukkaḷar
set.
It is dated in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of
Tribhuvanachakravartin
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva without any distinguishing epithet or
historical introduc-
tion. In the absence of these, though it is not generally
possible to say to which of the
three kings who bore that name this record must be attributed,
yet it appears to be a record
of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa I, since it is stated in the
fourth inscription in this set in
referring to this record that the king abolished tolls——which
is generally a feat attributed
to Kulōttuṅga I. It registers a gift of paddy made by a
certain Śivaṉ Tillaināyakaṉ
alias Śiṟuttoṇḍanambi of
Taṇṇīrkuṉṟam in Neṉmali-nāḍu to the
temple of Mahādēva at
Tirukkaḷar in Puṟaṅgarambai-nāḍu which
was a sub-division of
Rājēndraśōḻa-vaḷanāḍu for the purpose of taking in proces-
sion
Aravābharaṇadēva, for offerings to Piḷḷaiyār and the god in
the
Mūlaṭṭānam and for feeding devotees on the days of the new-moon.
Taṇṇīrkuṉṟam, to which the donor belonged, is a village 7 miles to the east
of
Maṉṉārguḍi in the Tanjore District. The modern village of Nemmeli in
the same
Taluk, must have been the principal place in the division Neṉmali-nāḍu in
which
Taṇṇīrkuṉṟam is said to have been situated.
Hail! Prosperity! In the twenty-eighth year of (the reign of) the emperor of the
three
worlds, the glorious Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva, Śivaṉ Tillaināyagaṉ
alias
Śiṟuttoṇḍanambi of Taṇṇīrkuṉṟam in
Neṉmali-nāḍu made the
following gift to (the temple of) Mahādēva
of Tirukkaḷar in Puṟaṅgarambai-
nāḍu (a subdivision)
of Rājēndraśōḻa-vaḷānaḍu, for the purpose of conducting the festival
of
Aravābharaṇadēva on the day of the new-moon, the grand offerings to the god
to
be made on that day, offerings to Piḷḷaiyār (i.e., Gaṇapati), offerings
to the god in
the central shrine (Mūlasthāna) and for the feeding of the devotees
(dēvaraḍiyār) (to be
made) on the (same) day.
For the interest in paddy of fifteen kalam which accrues at the rate of three
kuṟuṇi per
kalam on the sixty kalam of paddy which, we the
Śiva-Brāhmaṇas, (viz.,) Kauśikaṉ
Veṇkāḍabhaṭṭaṉ, Kāśyapaṉ
Kāṟāyil Muḷaichchaṉ, Kauśikaṉ
Ādittaṉ Āḍavallāṉ and other
Śiva-Brāhmaṇas of this temple had received
as principal for (bearing)
interest from this person (i.e., Śivaṉ Tillaināyakaṉ) in the month
of
Vaigāśi of this year, we the five viz., Aravābharaṇaṉ
Eḍuttapādam
alias Tiruchchiṟṟambalakkālāṉ, Aravābharaṇaṉ
Iyabaradanādaṉ,
Ādavallāṉ alias)
Pūrvaśivaṉ (alias) Pattargaṇāyaka-Pichchaṉ, Ara-
vindaṉ
Kuran alias Nāṟpatteṇṇāyira-Pichchaṉ, Kūttaṉ Gaṅgai-
koṇḍāṉ alias Śivaśaraṇaśēgara-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ of this
village, who
came forward (for this purpose) shall conduct the (specified)
expenses on each new-moon
day, at the rate of (one) kalam and three kuṟuṇi as
long as the Moon and the Sun (endure).
For the (one) hundred and twenty kalam of paddy which we had received on interest
by
agreement from Śivaṉ Tillaināyagaṉ of this village, the interest in paddy for
a
period of one year calculated at the rate of three kuṟuṇi per kalam, is
thirty kalam.
With these thirty kalam, through those who stand for us we shall feed the devotees
at
the rate of two kalam, (one) tūṇi and (one) padakku of paddy for one
new-moon day.
As long as the sun and the moon (endure), the Srī-Māhēśvaras shall be surety (for
this).
Kaṇpeṟṟāṉ shall be in charge of the Māhēśvara-kāṇi. This is my
writing.
This is the fourth inscription in the Tirukkaḷar set. It is engraved on the
second
side of the third plate and belongs to the 18th year of the reign of Tribhuvana-
chakravartin Rājarājadēva. It records that some of the families of the
donees,
who received the gift made by Śivaṉ Tillaināyagaṉ of
Taṇṇīrkuṉṟam
in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa; the abolisher of tolls,
ceased to have male members and that in
consequence a question arising as to how the
feeding pertaining to these families should be
conducted in future, the Māhēśvaras
settled that the feeding stipulated in the
grant to be done by the donees devolved on
the female descendants as well and that arrangements
were made in accordance with that
order. The inscription may probably belong to the reign of
Rājarāja II, though the
distinguishing epithet of the king is missing and the characters
appear to belong to a
later period.
Hail! Prosperity! In the eighteenth year and one hundred and eightieth day of (the
reign
of) the emperor of the three worlds the glorious Rājarājadēva, when male
descendants
ceased to exist in some of the families of the āṇḍār who had been living
in the tirumaḍai-
vilāgam of the god and who had obtained a paddy-gift for
conducting the feeding specified
in a copper-plate grant engraved formerly
(i.e.), in the twenty-eighth year of (the reign
of)
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva, the abolisher of tolls, from Śivaṉ
Tillaiṅāyagaṉ
of Taṇṇīrkuṉṟam, who made provision for the new-moon
festival and for feeding the
devotees (dēvaraḍiyār) of the god Mahādēva
who had sprung at Tirukkaḷar
in Puṟaṅgarambai-nāḍu, (a
sub-division) of Rājēndraśōḻa-vaḷanāḍu
and who (i.e., the
āṇḍār) had been conducting the feeding with the gifts and when Kanaka-
rāyar and the Māhēśvaras wished to decide how the feeding pertaining
to the families
having only female descendants should be conducted, the Māhēśvaras
came to the
settlement that the feeding from the interest (of a gift) devolved also on
the female
descendants. It was so agreed and that in accordance with the agreement made by
the
female descendants, (it was decided that) three persons had to be fed by
Kaṇpeṟṟāṉ
Maṉṟuniṟaindāṉ alias Aṉbaṟkaḍiyāṉ who had
taken (to wife) the daughter
of Āḍavallāṉ Pūrvaśivaṉ alias
Pattargaṇāyaga-Pichchaṉ, that
three persons had to be fed by Dēvaṉ
Divākaraṉ, the son of her koḻundi (husband's
younger sister) and others and that
twelve persons pertaining to two shares out of the
(whole) five,——which (number)
was fed by Tiruchchiṟṟambalakkālāṉ,——shall now
be fed by the male descendants
(of his).
This is the fifth inscription in the Tirukkaḷar set. It is engraved on both
sides
of the fourth plate and the inner side of the fifth. It is dated in the 29th year of the
reign of
Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva (i.e., Kulōttuṅga III) who took Madura,
Ceylon,
Karuvūr and the crowned head of the Pāṇḍya king and furnishes a list
of gold and
silver ornaments belonging to the temple at Tirukkaḷar with their weights
as measured
by the standard weight called the kuḍiñai-kal and the fineness in each
case.
Hail! Prosperity! In the 26th year of (the reign of) the emperor of the three
worlds,
the glorious Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva who had been pleased to take
Madura,
Īḻam (i.e., Ceylon) Karuvūr and the crowned head of the
Pāṇḍya (king), the
following list of sacred ornaments in the temple of the
Nāyaṉār who had sprung at
Tirukkaḷar, was made weighed with the
kuḍiñai-kal:——
1 tirukkoḷgai; inclusive of the paṟama over this, one hundred and one
kaḻañju and a
half of gold of 8(5/8) fineness; silver fastened to the edges weigh
fourteen kaḻañju and
three-fourths.
By sixteen gold flowers in the tiruvodaramālai, twelve kaḻañju of gold of 8(1/2) fineness.
By 1 sacred upper-cloth (tiruvuttarīyam), two kaḻañju, four mañjāḍi
and six mā of gold
of 8(1/2) fineness.
By 1 sacred crescent (tiruppiṟai), three-fourth (kaḻañju) of gold of 8 and
three-fourths
fineness.
By 3 ear-flowers (kannapushpam), two kaḻañju and a quarter of gold of 8(1/2) fineness.
By 1 sacred girdle-plate (tiruppaṭṭigai-palagai), sixty-four kaḻañju and a
half of
gold of 8(1/4) fineness. Silver, covering the edges of this, nineteen kaḻañju
and a half, four
mañjāḍi and six mā. The weight of copper nails fixed in the
several parts of this (ornament)
is six and half palam.
By 1 gold flower given by Anniyuḍaiyār, one kaḻañju of gold. By one
silver
necklace in which this was strung, half a kaḻañju of silver.
By 1 sacred diadem (tiruppaṭṭam) received in the 20th (year) from the central
treasury
of the palace (māḷigai), seven kaḻañju and a quarter of gold.
By 1 small marriage-badge (tāli) to be worn by the goddess of the bed-chamber and
one
maṇi (gem), two mañjāḍi and four mā of gold. This is of 8(1/2)
fineness. By 1 necklace on
which this was strung, quarter (kaḻañju) of silver.
Inclusive of 1 string of the marriage-badge,
By 1 garland (tiruvāśigai) made by Irāśāṇḍāṉ alias
Śōḻavichchādira
Pallavaraiyar of Pōdimaṅgalam in the 23rd (year of
reign), for being put on
(the image of) Aravābharaṇadēva, two hundred
and fifty-five kaḻañju and a quarter,
three mañjāḍi and five mā of
gold of 8(5/16) fineness.
By 1 abhishēka, sixteen kaḻañju and a half of gold of 9(1/2) fineness.
By 1 sacred garland (tiruvāram) of this god, four kaḻanju and three-fourths,
two
mañjāḍi and seven mā of gold of 9(1/4) fineness.
By 2 sacred ear-rings (tirutōḍu) of this (god), three kaḻañju of gold of 8(1/4) fineness.
By 1 abhishēka of the consort of this (god), ten kaḻañju of gold of 8(1/2) fineness.
By 1 sacred garland (tiruvāram) of this (god) two kaḻañju and a quarter
of gold of 8(1/2)
fineness.
By 2 ear-rings (tōḍu) of this (god), two kaḻañju of gold of 8(1/2) fineness.
By 24 sacred round beads (tiruvaṭṭamaṇi), (one) haḻañju and a half of gold of
8(1/2)
fineness. By 1 string of sacred round beads (tiruvaṭṭamaṇi) and 30 beads,
(one) kaḻañju, two
mañjāḍi and four mā of gold of 8(1/2)
fineness.
By 1 string of sacred round beads and 40 beads, [1 kaḻañju, 8 mañjāḍi and 2
mā] of
gold of 8(1/2) fineness.
By 1 string of sacred round beads and 40 beads, two kaḻañju of gold of 8(1/2) fineness.
By 1 pair of sacred anklet (tiruchchilambu), four kaḻañju of gold of 8(3/4) fineness.
By 1 tiru-abhishēkam presented by Tiruvaiyāṟuḍaiyāṉ for being worn by
the
Nāchchiyār (i.e., the goddess Pārvatī) who performed full penance,
fifteen kaḻañju and
a half of gold of 9 fineness.
By 1 tiraṉai for the forehead, five kaḻañju and quarter of gold of 8(1/2) fineness.
By 1 string of marriage-badge inclusive of the end-workings of the marriage-badge,
(one)
kaḻañju of gold of 8(1/2) fineness.
By 1 sacred foot-string (tiruttāvaḍam), and 41 beads, (one) kaḻañju of gold of
By 4 sacred wristlets, two kaḻañju and three fourths and (one) mañjāḍi of
gold of 9
fineness.
By 35 silver beads, three-fourths of a (kaḻañju), two mañjāḍi and three mā of silver.
By 1 silver bracelet (kāṟai), three fourths (kaḻañju) and two (mañjāḍi) of silver.
By 1 marriage-badge strung on this, half a kaḻañju of gold of 8(1/2) fineness.
By 2 sacred ear-rings (tiruttōḍu), (one) kaḻañju and a half of gold of 8(3/4) fineness.
By 1 head circlet (śirachakram), two kaḻañju of gold of 9 fineness.
By 2 sacred necklaces (tirukkaṇḍa-vāḷi), three-fourths (of a kaḻañju) of gold of 9 fineness.
By 1 sacred upper cloth presented by Uḍaiyār Śōḻavichchādira-Pallava-
raiyar to be worn by the god during the sacred bath, three-fourths (of a
kaḻañju), four
(mañjāḍi) and six mā of gold.
By 1 snake in the tiruvāśigaippurimam, (one) kaḻañju and three-fourths and
two
mā of gold.
This short inscription in seven lines is engraved on the first side of the first plate of the
set
of copper-plates obtained from M.R.Ry. Muthuswamy Konar of Tiruchcheṅgōḍu. It is
dated
in the 10th year of the reign of king Rājakēsarivarman and registers
evidently
an order of one of the feudatory chiefs of the sovereign named
Maḻavaraiyaṉ
Sundaraśōḻaṉ, stating that the taxes on full house-sites and half
house-sites shall be
recovered at (1/4)th and (1/8)th (kāśu ?) respectively from the
citizens of Tūśiyūr and that fines
and faults, if any, shall be realised at the
rate prevailing in Nandipuram. The chief
Maḻavaraiyaṉ Sundaraśōḻaṉ gets
the surnames Piradigaṇḍaṉ and
Kolli-Maḻavaṉ in B and Oṟṟiyūraṉ
Piradigaṇḍavarman in No. 213.
Rao Bahadur H. Krishna Sastri has identified the king
Rājakēsarivarman of this and
the following record with Rājarāja I and notes as
follows regarding the donor's father
who, in B is stated to have died at Īḻam (i.e.,
Ceylon):——“He was evidently a military
officer of Rājarāja I or of
one of his predecessors. An inscription from Tiruveṇkāḍu
of the time of Rājarāja
I refers to the general Śiṟiyavēḷāṉ of Koḍumbāḷūr who
fell in a
battle-field in Īḻam in the ninth year of
Poṉmāḷigai-tuñjiṉa-dēva
(i.e., Sundara-Chōḷa Parāntaka II). It is not
impossible that the father of Maḻavaraiyaṉ
was also connected with the battle in
which Śiṟiyavēḷār fell”.
It is not possible to identify Tūśiyūr mentioned in this inscription.
Hail! Prosperity! In the 10th year of (the reign of) king Rājakēsarivarman,
I,
Maḻavaraiyaṉ Sundaraśōḻaṉ (ordered as follows):——
The tax which we used to receive from the citizens of Tūśiyūr (viz.)
one-fourth
(kāśu) on (each) full house-site, and one-eighth on (each)
half house-site shall be realised
as permanent tax; any fine or fault shall be realised
according to (the rate prevalent at)
Nandipuram. The merit and progeny of him
who contradicts this shall be entirely
cut off. The feet of him who protects
this shall (rest) on my head.
Hail! Prosperity! My father having been killed in Īḻam (Ceylon), I, Kolli-
maḻavaṉ Piradigaṇḍaṉ Sundaraśōḻaṉ, made a
śiṟupāḍu to the south-west of
the boulder with a hole and gave it
to the lord of the sacred stone temple at Tūśiyūr for
(appeasing) his
thirst.
This inscription, engraved on three plates——the last bearing writing only on the
inner
side——is dated in the 5th year of the reign of the Chōḷa king
Rājakēsarivarman
(identified with Rājarāja I) and registers gifts of lands made by
the chief Kollimaḻavaṉ
Oṟṟiyūraṉ Piradigaṇḍavarman, to the temple of
Paramēśvara of the
sacred Mūlasthāna at Tūśiyūr. Boundaries
of the lands granted are furnished in
detail and therein figure Kaṉṉāḍu, the dams
called Pūnāṟṟu-aṇai and Kallōḍu-
aṇai, the tanks
Śūḷai-kuḷam also known as Kāndaḷēri, Tāmaraikkuḷam
and
Kaṟṟaḷi-ēri also named Pudukkuḷam, the temple of
Tāṉtōṉṟipirāṉ,
Mūkkuṟukkā, Kaṭṭināgaṉkūval-iṭṭēr and
Kaṇavadinallūr, otherwise
called Amaṇkuḍi.
Kaṉṉāḍu (kal-nāḍu) which occurs more than once in this inscription refers
evidently
to hero-stones which are stated in ancient Tamiḻ literature, as having been put up
with
great ceremony in honour of persons who had done valorous deeds in guarding their
country
and given up their lives in that cause. Being associated with the word
even be an engraver's mistake for kaṇṇāṟṟu.
Traces of writing found in lines 13, 28, 29, 30 and 33 indicate that the present inscrip-
tion is a palimpsest.
It is not possible to identify the places mentioned in this inscription.
Hail! Prosperity! In this year, (viz.), the fifth year, current by the king's order,
of
(the reign of) king Rājakēsarivarman, I, Kollimaḻavaṉ
Oṟṟiyūraṉ
Piradigaṇḍavarman gave with libation of water, the
following lands situated within
the four great boundaries described, inclusive of the trees
growing thereon, the wells sunk
therein, the ant-hills, the muḍakkuṟai, and containing
all kinds of soil where inguanas run
and the tortoises crawl,——after defining the boundaries
and (boundary) stones, to the god
(Paramēśvara) in the sacred Mūlasthāna of the
sacred stone temple at Tūśiyūr:——
The fine land in the field to the south of Tūśiyūr in my division,——the eastern
bound-
ary of which is to the west of the land belonging to Piḍāriyār,
of Amaichchi and of the
dam called Pūnāṟṟu-aṇai; the southern boundary is
to the north of the big ridge and
the hero-stone (kaṉṉāḍu) on the eastern side of
the sacred boulder, and to the north of the
hero-stone and big ridge on the western side of the
(same) sacred boulder; the western
boundary is to the east of the high road passing
southwards from the southern entrance of
Tūśiyūr and the tank called
Śūḷai-kuḷam alias Kāndaḷēri as well as the temple
of
Tāṉtōṉṟipirāṉ; the northern boundary is to the south of the old village
of
Tūśiyūr,——together with the lotus tank (Tāmarai-kuḷam), the
nīrkōvai (i.e., land
covered with water) of this tank, the land of
[Itadupivīraṉ], and the tank known as
Kaṟṟaḷi-ēri alias
Pudukkuḷam, together with the nīrkōvai of this tank.
The boundaries of the lands under this tank are as follow:——The eastern boundary is to
the
west of the hero-stone; the southern boundary is to the north of the by-path
called
Kaṭṭināgaṉkūvaliṭṭēr; the western boundary is to the east of
Mūkkuṟugā;
the northern boundary is to the south of the tank; they include
Kaṇavadinallūr alias
Amaṇkuḍi together with the lands and the dry
lands belonging to that village.
I, Oṟṟiyūraṉ Piradigaṇḍavarman, gave with libation of
water,
Kaṇavadinallūr alias Amaṇkuḍi to the god
Paramēśvara of the sacred
Mūlasthāna in Tūśiyūr. I gave with
libation of water, Kaṇavadinallūr alias
Amaṇkuḍi, to the god
Paramēśvara of the sacred Mūlasthāna of
the stone temple at Tūśiyūr and to the drummers who sound the five great sounds
to
him. The feet of him who protects this charity shall be on my head. He who acts
against
it, shall without faillose progeny in seven births.
As the lands situated to the south of the sacred boulder lying under the tank known
as
Śūḷai-kuḷam also called Kāndaḷēri, an old dēvadāna land in
Tūśiyūr, had
been constituted as a brahmadēya and given away, I,
Kollimaḻavaṉ Oṟṟiyūraṉ
Piradigaṇḍavarman made Kaḻāru as a
substitute for that land. The bound-
aries of this land are:——
To the west of Siṟukarai; to the north of the Paḷḷichchandam; to the east
of
Amaichchi and to the south of the dam called Kallōḍaṇai and
Kuśavaṉkaḻaṉi.
As an exchange of land, I gave the land lying within these four
boundaries.