Mēlappaḻuvūr, Agastyeśvara temple, time of Rājakesarivarman, year 15

Editors: Valérie Gillet, Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSMelKil00012.

Summary: AIM, southern shrine; engraved across the two wall sections on the northern side of the niche of Skanda on the eastern façade of the sanctuary; 15th regnal year of Kōvirājarājakēsarivarman = Rājarāja I Cōḻa (circa 1000 A.D.); meykkīrtti of Rājarāja I Cōḻa from lines 1 to 5.

Hand description:

Language: Tamil.

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

Version: (bf3fb67), last modified (bf3fb67).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī

I. āciriyappā

tiru-makaḷ pōla-p peru-nila‡-[c]-celv[i]yun

1

ta⟨2⟩ṉa⟨k⟩kē y-urimai pūṇṭamai maṉa[k] ‡ koḷa

2

kāntaḷūr cā⟨3⟩lai kalam arutta(ruḷi)

3

vēṅkai-nāṭum ‡ kaṅka-pāṭiyum

4

nuḷampa-pā⟨4⟩(ṭi)yum taṭikai-pāṭiyum

5

taṇṭāṟ koṇṭa taṉ

6

eḻil ‡ vaḷar Ūḻi-y-ūḻil E⟨5⟩llā yā(ṇṭu)m

7

to(ḻutakai vi)ḷaṅkum (yāṇṭē)

8

ceḻi‡yarai-t tēcukoḷ

9

śrī ⟨6⟩ kōvirājajarāja(kēca)ripanmaṟku yāṇṭu 10 5 Āvatu

‡ kuṉṟakkūṟṟattu tēvatā⟨7⟩[ṉa]m avaṉiyanta [2+] (śva)(ra)ttu Iraṇṭu śrīkōyi‡l mahādevaṟkum Itta⟨8⟩ḷi tēvar makaḷ na [2+] periya Araṅkapirāṉ makaḷ ‡ nakkaṉ kumarakkaṉ Ittē⟨9⟩var tēvatānam (po) [1+] kaiynāṭṭu Ūkaṉkuṭi Apō‡hanam kiṭanta bhumiyai ⟨10⟩ Iraṇṭu puvum (va) [2+] t tirutti Aṭikaḷ paḻuvēṭṭa⌈‡raiyar kaṇṭaṉ maṟavaṉār A ⟨11⟩ […][3+] (ṉā)ya(ttu) tiṅkaḷ sa ⟨12⟩ […] sam(kr)ānti pōtu tiṅkaḷ tōṟu‡m Amutu ceyya Orō ⟨13⟩ […] tu Arici [2+] kuttal de‡varnāḻiyāl nā ṉāḻiyā ⟨14⟩ […] māka Arici kuṟuṇiyāka Eṭṭu‡t tiṅkaḷ nāḷaikku Arici ⟨15⟩ […] (Ap)pikai viṣuvukku Iruvadeva(rkku)‡m{c} citti(r)ai viṣuvukku ⟨16⟩ m (Uttara) [2+][1+] (kkum) [1+] (Uṇṇa)maya [2+]‡ttukkumāka (A/8) [2+] tūṇi⟨17⟩(yu)m Orō deva(r)ku kaṟi Amutukku nāḻi nā‡ḻiyu ney amutukku nāḻi ⟨18⟩ nāḻiyum tayir [2+] kku nāḻi nāḻiyum A‡ṭaikkāy amutukku nāḻi ⟨19⟩ nāḻiyum Āka nel(lu) kuṟuṇiyāka Āṇṭu va‡rai kalamumāka tiruvamu⟨tu⟩ ⟨20⟩ Arici nāṟṟūṇi Uḷppaṭa nellu nākka‡laṉe tūṇiyum Ik⌈ ⟨21⟩ koyil kaṇavatiya(r)kku Arici Irunāḻi tiruvamu‡tukku tiṅkaḷ Aññāḻiyāka ⟨22⟩ nellu Ē(ḻu) [1+] [.]i nā ṉāḻiyum Iva(cata)kku ‡ cattakūli kalattuvāy ku ⟨23⟩ […][…] t(ū)ṇi ṉā ⟨24⟩ ṉāḻikkum na(kkaṅ) kumarakkaṉ kalli macakki ‡ kuṭutta nilam [1+] Oru mā ⟨25⟩ (mun)nilam kaikkoṇṭōm devarkaṉmi‡kaḷōm Innivantam cev ⟨26⟩ vit(a/ō)m nām

Itu panmāheśvara rakṣai

Apparatus

⟨10⟩ paḻuvēṭṭa⌈‡raiyar • In the syllable rai, the medial ai is on the wall section, whereas r is engraved after the pilaster.

⟨16⟩ tūṇi⟨17⟩(yu)m • The letter looks like tura. Same for ṟū and line 20.

Translation by Gillet 2024

This is the 15th year of Kōvirājarājarājakesarivarman who (meykkīrtti). To Mahādeva of the two (iraṇṭu) holy temples (śrīkōyil) of the lord ([ī]śvarattu) of Avaṉikantarppa (avaṉiyanta[rppa], that is, avaṉikanta[rppa]), a devadāna (tēvatā[ṉa]m) of Kuṉṟakkūṟṟam, the daughter of god (tēvar makaḷ) of this temple (ittaḷi), daughter (makaḷ) of Na […] periya Araṅkapirāṉ, Nakkaṉ Kumarakkaṉ, having renovated (tirutti) […] two complete crops (iraṇṭu pūvum) [for] the land (bhūmiyai) which lies (kiṭanta) without enjoyment (apōhanam) in Ūkaṉkuṭi of Poykaināṭu, a devadāna of this god (ittēvar), […] Aṭikaḷ Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyar Kaṇṭaṉ Maṟavaṉār […],1 for making (ceyya) holy food (amutu) every (tōṟum) month (tiṅkaḷ) on each time (pōtu) on Saṃkrānti […] as (āka) […] four nāḻis (nā ṉāḻiyāl), by the tēvarnāḻi [measure], of pounded rice (arici ... kuttal?); […] eight kuruṇis (kuruṇiyāka) of rice (arici) for the day (nāḷaikku) of the month (tiṅkaḷ) […] for the Appikaiviṣu day […] rice (arici) […] for the two gods (iruvadevarkku) for Cittiraiviṣu day, […] ; one nāḻi (nāḻi nāḻiyum) for vegetable food offerings (kaṟi amutu) for each god (orō devarku); one nāḻi (nāḻi nāḻiyum) for ghee food offerings (ney-amutukku); one nāḻi (nāḻi nāḻiyum) for curd food offerings (tayir-a[mutu]kku); one nāḻi (nāḻi nāḻiyum) for arecanut food offerings (aṭaikkāy-amutukku); as [one] kuṟuṇi of paddy (nellu), as [one?] kalam (kalamum) for one year (aṇṭu varai), [one] tūṇi and four kalams (nā-k-kalaṉē) of paddy (nellu) included (uḷpaṭa) in four tūṇis (nāṟṟūṇi, that is, nāl tūṇi) of rice food offerings (tiruvamu arici, that is, tiruvamutu arici); for Gaṇapatiyar of this temple (ikkōyil), two nāḻis (iru nāḻi) of rice (arici); four nāḻis (nā nāḻiyum) […] of paddy as that () nāḻi (ñāḻiyāka) of the month (tiṅkaḷ) for holy food offerings; four nāḻis and tūṇi […] as per kalam (kalattuvāy) for the wages for labour (cattakūli) [ivacatakku?2]; Nakkan Kumarakkaṉ, having dug (kalli) and having prepared (macakki) [the land], gave (kuṭutta) one ; we, the Devarkaṉmis, have taken in hand (kaikkoṇṭōm) this old land (munnilam? Or mūnnilam, i.e. three lands?). We (nām) will cause to make (cevvittōm) this endowment (innivantam). This is under the protection of the Panmāheśvaras.

Commentary

(11) The beginnining of the line is covered by cement.

(12–15) The beginnining of the lines is damaged.

(23) The beginnining of the line is covered by cement.

Bibliography

Reported in ARIE 1923-1924 (ARIE/1923-1924/C/1924/363).

Edited and translated in Gillet 2024, based on autopsy.

This digital edition by Valérie Gillet and Emmanuel Francis.

Primary

Gillet, Valérie. 2024. Minor Majesties: The Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyars and their South Indian Kingdom of Paḻuvūr, 9th-11th centuries A.D. New York: Oxford University Press. [URL]. Pages 146–147, item 12.

Secondary

ARIE 1923-1924. Annual report on South-Indian epigraphy for the year ending 31st March 1924. Edited by G. Venkoba Rao. Madras: Government Press, 1925. Page TBC, appendix C/1924, item 363.

Notes

  1. 1. The role of this little king is difficult to determine because the next line is no longer legible. Thea after his name, at the end of line 10, may be the beginning of aruḷiceyya, or another similar expression beginning with aruḷi, indicating that he may accept, validate or grant the request made by the tēvaṉār makaḷ.
  2. 2. There is no meaning for this word. My reading is perhaps wrong.