Mēlappaḻuvūr, Kīḻaiyūr, Ireṭṭaikkōyil, Agastyeśvara, time of Parakesarin, year 16

Authors of digital edition: Valérie Gillet (vagi), Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: Mēlappaḻuvūr, Kīḻaiyūr, Ireṭṭaikkōyil, Agastyeśvara, on the westernmost wall section of the northern façade of the sanctuary.

AIM, southern shrine; on the westernmost wall section of the northern façade of the sanctuary; 16th regnal year of Kōpparakesarivarman = perhaps Uttamacōḻa (circa 987 A.D.).

Language: Tamil (tam) [Grantha (grantha), Tamil (tamil)].

Repository: Mēlappaḻuvūr & Kīḻappaḻuvūr (tfa-melappaluvur-kilappaluvur-epigraphy).

Identifier: DHARMA_INSMelKil00009.

File path: DHARMA_INSMelKil00009.xml.

Version: 2026-07-17 15:32 (7314532), last modified 2026-07-17 15:32 (7314532).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī (kō)[ppara]kēca-
⟨2⟩ ripaṉmaṟkku yāṇṭu 10 6
⟨3⟩ Āvatu kuṉṟakkūṟṟattu tēva-
⟨4⟩ tā⟨ṉa⟩m Avaṉikantaṟva-Īśva⟨ra⟩gṛha-
⟨5⟩ ttu ¿mā?hādevaṟkku Ittaḷi
⟨6⟩ tēvaṉār makaḷ nakka[.]ai natiri ma-
⟨7⟩ kaḷ nakkaṉ kaṇṭa pirāṭṭi Ittaḷi
⟨8⟩ tēvatāṉam po(ykai)nāṭṭu (Ū)-
⟨9⟩ kaṉkuṭi Apōhanaṅ kiṭanta bhū-
⟨10⟩ miyai kalli macakki kuṭutta (ṇir ṉi)-
⟨11⟩ lam Iraṇṭu pū viḷaiyak kuṭutta nila-
⟨12⟩ m ṉāṉaṅku mā Iṉṉāṉku māvuṅ
⟨13⟩ koṇṭu Itiṉil Iraṇṭu pūvum
⟨14⟩ viḷainta bhogaṅ koṇṭu O-
⟨15⟩ ru nontā-viḷakku cantrātittava-
⟨16⟩ l Erippōmm ānōm Ittaḷi-
⟨17⟩ p paṭṭ⟨uṭ⟩ai(yōm Ēḻuvōm)
⟨18⟩ Itu panmāheśvara rakṣai ↝

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ [ppara] ⬦ ppara SII • This part is no longer legible.

⟨8⟩ (Ū) ⬦ Ū(ra) SII • The first letter of the name of this village, Ūkaṉkuṭi, may be read Ū or Ura, but not Ūra.

Translation by Gillet 2024

Fortune! Prosperity! This is the 16th year of Kōpparakesarivarman. For Mahādeva (māhādeva > mahādeva) of the temple (gṛhattu) of the Lord (īśvara) ⟨of⟩ Avaṉikantaṟva, a devadāna (tēvatām > tēvatāṉam) of Kuṉṟakkūṟṟam, the daughter of god (tēvaṉār makaḷ) of this temple (ittaḷi), daughter (makaḷ) of Nakka[…]ai Natiri, Nakkaṉ Kaṇṭa Pirāṭṭi,¹ having cleared (kalli) and transformed (macakki) the land (bhūmiyai) which was lying (kiṭanta) without enjoyment (apōhanam) in Ūkaṉkuṭi in Poykaināṭu, a devadāna of this temple, she gave (kuṭutta); she gave (kuṭutta) four mās of land for producing (viḷaiya) two crops (pū) of wet land (ṇīr nilam > nīr nilam); having taken (koṇṭu) all these four mās (iṉṉāṉku māvuṅ), having taken (koṇṭu) the produce (bhogam) yielded (viḷainta) in the two crops (pū) of this ⟨land of 4 mās⟩ (itiṉil > itaṉil), we the Paṭṭuṭaiyārs (paṭṭaiyōm > paṭṭuṭaiyōm) of this temple, we the Seven (eḻuvōm), will burn (erippōmānōm), as long as the sun and moon endure, one perpetual lamp. This is under the protection of the Panmāheśvaras.

Commentary

⟨1⟩ Parakesari is probably Uttamacōḻa.

⟨6–7⟩ These two lines were forgotten in the edition of South Indian Inscriptions. They give the name of the donor.

Bibliography

Reported in ARIE 1923–24 (ARIE/1923-1924/C/1924/366).

Edited by Srinivasa Rao 1952 (SII 19.402). Edited and translated in Gillet 2024, based on autopsyand photographs (by Valérie Gillet, 2016-2018).

This digital edition by Valérie Gillet and Emmanuel Francis.

Primary

[SII] Srinivasa Rao, G.V., Dines Chandra Sircar & G.S. Gai. 1967. South-Indian inscriptions. Volume XIX: Inscriptions of Parakesarivarman. South Indian Inscriptions 19. Delhi: Archaeological survey of India (Manager of Publications). Page 211, item 402.

[VG] Gillet, Valérie. 2024. Minor Majesties: The Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyars and their South Indian Kingdom of Paḻuvūr, 9th-11th centuries A.D. New York: Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197757710.001.0001. [URL]. Pages 142–143, item 9.

Secondary

ARIE 1923–24. Annual report on South-Indian epigraphy for the year ending 31st March 1924. Edited by G. Venkoba Rao. Madras: Government Press, 1925. Page 73, appendix C/1924, item 366.

Notes

1. Pirāṭṭi can mean Lady, in which case her name could be translated as Lady Nakkaṉ Kaṇṭa. However, it can also imply that she is the wife of Nakkaṉ Kaṇṭa.

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Iṉṉāṉku māvuṅ

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<p>Fortune! Prosperity! This is the 16th year of Kōpparakesarivarman. For Mahādeva <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>māhādeva</foreign> > <foreign>mahādeva</foreign></supplied> of the temple <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>gṛhattu</foreign></supplied> of the Lord <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>īśvara</foreign></supplied> <supplied reason="subaudible">of</supplied> Avaṉikantaṟva, a <foreign>devadāna</foreign> <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>tēvatām</foreign> > <foreign>tēvatāṉam</foreign></supplied> of Kuṉṟakkūṟṟam, the daughter of god <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>tēvaṉār makaḷ</foreign></supplied> of this temple <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>ittaḷi</foreign></supplied>, daughter <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>makaḷ</foreign></supplied> of Nakka<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/>ai Natiri, Nakkaṉ Kaṇṭa Pirāṭṭi,<note>Pirāṭṭi can mean Lady, in which case her name could be translated as Lady Nakkaṉ Kaṇṭa. However, it can also imply that she is the wife of Nakkaṉ Kaṇṭa.</note> having cleared <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>kalli</foreign></supplied> and transformed <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>macakki</foreign></supplied> the land <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>bhūmiyai</foreign></supplied> which was lying <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>kiṭanta</foreign></supplied> without enjoyment <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>apōhanam</foreign></supplied> in Ūkaṉkuṭi in Poykaināṭu, a <foreign>devadāna</foreign> of this temple, she gave <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>kuṭutta</foreign></supplied>; she gave <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>kuṭutta</foreign></supplied> four <foreign>mā</foreign>s of land for producing <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>viḷaiya</foreign></supplied> two crops <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>pū</foreign></supplied> of wet land <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>ṇīr nilam</foreign> > <foreign>nīr nilam</foreign></supplied>; having taken <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>koṇṭu</foreign></supplied> all these four <foreign>mā</foreign>s <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>iṉṉāṉku māvuṅ</foreign></supplied>, having taken <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>koṇṭu</foreign></supplied> the produce <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>bhogam</foreign></supplied> yielded <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>viḷainta</foreign></supplied> in the two crops <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>pū</foreign></supplied> of this <supplied reason="subaudible">land of 4 <foreign>mā</foreign>s</supplied> <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>itiṉil</foreign> > <foreign>itaṉil</foreign></supplied>, we the Paṭṭuṭaiyārs <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>paṭṭaiyōm</foreign> > <foreign>paṭṭuṭaiyōm</foreign></supplied> of this temple, we the Seven <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>eḻuvōm</foreign></supplied>, will burn <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>erippōmānōm</foreign></supplied>, as long as the sun and moon endure, one perpetual lamp. This is under the protection of the Panmāheśvaras.</p>

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<p n="1">Parakesari is probably Uttamacōḻa.

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<p n="6-7">These two lines were forgotten in the edition of South Indian Inscriptions. They give the name of the donor.

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<p>Reported in <bibl><ptr target="bib:ARIE1923-1924"/></bibl> (ARIE/1923-1924/C/1924/366).</p>

<p>Edited by <bibl><ptr target="bib:SrinivasaRao1952_01"/></bibl> (SII 19.402). Edited and translated in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Gillet2024_01"/></bibl>, based on autopsyand photographs (<ref target="https://didomena.ehess.fr/concern/data_sets/sx61dw38s">by Valérie Gillet, 2016-2018</ref>).</p>

<p>This digital edition by Valérie Gillet and Emmanuel Francis.</p>

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