Mēlappaḻuvūr, Agastyeśvara temple, time of Rājakesarivarman, year 12

Editors: Valérie Gillet, Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSMelKil00013.

Summary: AIM, southern shrine; on the central wall section of the southern façade of the ardha-maṇḍapa; 12th regnal year of Kōvirājakesarivarman = probably Āditya I (circa 883 A.D.).

Hand description:

Language: Tamil.

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

Version: 2025-05-29 11:47 (10e9cb0), last modified 2025-05-29 11:47 (10e9cb0).

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī

kovirājakeśaripammaṟku yāṇṭu 10 2 Āvatu

⟨2⟩ kuṉṟakūṟṟattu Avani-kan=ta⟨r⟩(vv/pp)a-Īśvaragṛhattu mah¿a?⟨ā⟩devarku Iṉṉāṭṭu paḻuvūr ⟨3⟩ pakaiviṭai Īśvarattu tevanār maka nakkaṉ pūti paḻuvēṭṭarayaṉ kumaraṉ kaṇ⟨4⟩ṭaṉ prasādat=tiṉāl Aruḷicceyya Ittaḷi tevatānam Ūkaṉkuṭi Abho(ha)⟨5⟩ṉaṅ kiṭaṉta bhūmiyai kalli Iraṇṭu pū(v)¿ū?⟨u⟩m viḷaiya macakki kuṭu⟨6⟩tta nilam Eṭṭu mā

Ippūmiyil pōṉta pōkaṅ koṇṭu Iraṇṭu taḷi⟨yi⟩⟨7⟩lu⟨m⟩ Orō noṉtāviḷakku Iravum pakalum Erikka kaṭavōm Ittaḷi paṭ⟨8⟩ṭu Uṭaiyōm Ēḻuvōm

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ 10 2 Āvatu VG ⬦ 10 3 Āvatu SII.

⟨5⟩ pū(v)¿ū?⟨u⟩m ⬦ pū(vilu)m SII; pū(vū)m VG.

Translation by Gillet 2024

Fortune! Prosperity! [This is] 12th year of Kōvirājakesarivarman. To Mahādeva (mahadevarku, that is, mahādevarkku) of the temple (gṛhattu) of the Lord (īśvara) [of] Avanikantappa/vva, of Kuṉṟakkūṟṟam, Nakkaṉ Pūti,¹ son of god (tēvanār maka, that is, tēvanār makaṉ²) of the Lord (īśvarattu) [of] Pakaiviṭai of Paḻuvūr in this country, by the grace of (prasādattiṉāl) Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyaṉ Kumaraṉ Kaṇṭaṉ who graciously ordered (aruḷicceyya) [the following]: having worked on the soil (kalli) of this land (bhūmiyai) which was lying (kiṭaṉta )without enjoyment (abhohaṉam) in Ūkaṅkuṭi, a devadāna of this temple, having prepared the land (macakki) so that two crops (iraṇṭu pūvūm, that is, pūvum) grow (viḷaiya), [he, i.e. Nakkaṉ Pūti] gave eight mās of this land; having taken (koṇṭu, i.e. with) the produce (pōkan) which came (poṉta) out of this land (ippūmiyil), we, the Paṭṭuṭaiyārs of this temple (ittaḷi), we the Seven (ēḻuvōm), have to burn (erikkakaṭavōm) night and day a perpetual lamp respectively (orō nontāviḷakku) in the two temples (iraṇṭu taḷilu, that is, taḷiyilum).

Bibliography

Reported in ARIE 1923-1924 (ARIE/1923-1924/C/1924/357).

Edited in Srinivasa Rao 1952 (SII 13.235). Edited and translated in Gillet 2024, based on autopsy and photographs (Valérie Gillet, 2016-2018).

This digital edition by Valérie Gillet and Emmanuel Francis.

Primary

[SII] Srinivasa Rao, G.V. 1952. South-Indian inscriptions (texts) (with introductory notes in English). Volume XIII: The Cholas. South Indian Inscriptions 13. Madras: Archaeological Survey of India. Page TBC, item 235.

[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. [URL]. Pages 147–148, item 13.

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 73, appendix C/1924, item 357.

Notes

1. The editor of SII as well as G. Vijayavenugopal think that Nakkaṉ Pūti is the Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyar. I propose that the tēvaṉār makaṉ Nakkan Pūti is the donor, and that the Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyar appears to validate the donation.
2. The ṉ of makaṉ was probably dropped because it was followed by a word beginning with n, nakkaṉ. However, it is also possible to consider that they forgot the final ḷ and we would thus have makaḷ. The fact that Nakkaṉ Pūti sounds more like a male name would not be a problem, women often bearing male names.

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<lb n="1"/><hi rend="grantha">svasti śrī</hi>

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<hi rend="grantha">ko</hi>vi<hi rend="grantha">rājakeśaripamma</hi>ṟku yāṇṭu <num value="12"><g type="numeral">10</g> 2</num> Āvatu

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<lb n="2"/>kuṉṟakūṟṟattu Avani-kan=ta<hi rend="grantha"><reg>r</reg><choice><unclear>vv</unclear><unclear>pp</unclear></choice>a-Īśvaragṛha</hi>ttu <hi rend="grantha">mah<choice><sic>a</sic><corr>ā</corr></choice>de</hi>varku Iṉṉāṭṭu paḻuvūr

<lb n="3"/>pakaiviṭai <hi rend="grantha">Īśvara</hi>ttu tevanār maka nakkaṉ pūti paḻuvēṭṭarayaṉ kumaraṉ kaṇ

<lb n="4" break="no"/>ṭaṉ <hi rend="grantha">prasāda</hi>t=tiṉāl Aruḷicceyya Ittaḷi tevatānam Ūkaṉkuṭi A<hi rend="grantha">bho<unclear>ha</unclear></hi>

<lb n="5" break="no"/>ṉaṅ kiṭaṉta <hi rend="grantha">bhūmi</hi>yai kalli Iraṇṭu pū<unclear>v</unclear><choice><sic>ū</sic><corr>u</corr></choice>m viḷaiya macakki kuṭu

<lb n="6" break="no"/>tta nilam Eṭṭu mā

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Ippūmiyil pōṉta pōkaṅ koṇṭu Iraṇṭu taḷi<supplied reason="omitted">yi</supplied>

<lb n="7" break="no"/>lu<supplied reason="omitted">m</supplied> Orō noṉtāviḷakku Iravum pakalum Erikka kaṭavōm Ittaḷi paṭ

<lb n="8" break="no"/>ṭu Uṭaiyōm Ēḻuvōm

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<lem source="bib:Gillet2024_01"><num value="12"><g type="numeral">10</g> 2</num> Āvatu</lem>

<rdg source="bib:SrinivasaRao1952_01"><num value="13"><g type="numeral">10</g> 3</num> Āvatu</rdg>

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<p>Fortune! Prosperity! <supplied reason="subaudible">This is</supplied>

12th year of Kōvirājakesarivarman. To

Mahādeva <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>mahadevarku</foreign>, that is, <foreign>mahādevarkku</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> Avanikantappa/vva, of Kuṉṟakkūṟṟam, Nakkaṉ Pūti,<note>The editor of SII as well as G. Vijayavenugopal think that Nakkaṉ Pūti is the Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyar. I propose that the tēvaṉār makaṉ Nakkan Pūti is the donor, and that the Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyar appears to validate the donation.</note> son of god

<supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>tēvanār maka</foreign>, that is, <foreign>tēvanār makaṉ</foreign><note>The <foreign>ṉ</foreign> of <foreign>makaṉ</foreign> was probably dropped because it was followed by a word beginning with <foreign>n</foreign>, <foreign>nakkaṉ</foreign>. However, it is also possible to consider that they forgot the final <foreign>ḷ</foreign> and we would thus have <foreign>makaḷ</foreign>. The fact that Nakkaṉ Pūti sounds more like a male name would not be a problem, women often bearing male names.</note></supplied> of the Lord <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>īśvarattu</foreign></supplied> <supplied reason="subaudible">of</supplied> Pakaiviṭai of

Paḻuvūr in this country, by the grace of <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>prasādattiṉāl</foreign></supplied> Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyaṉ Kumaraṉ

Kaṇṭaṉ who graciously ordered <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>aruḷicceyya</foreign></supplied> <supplied reason="subaudible">the following</supplied>: having worked on

the soil <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>kalli</foreign></supplied> of this land <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>bhūmiyai</foreign></supplied> which was lying <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>kiṭaṉta</foreign>

</supplied>without enjoyment

<supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>abhohaṉam</foreign></supplied>

in Ūkaṅkuṭi, a <foreign>devadāna</foreign> of this temple, having prepared the

land <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>macakki</foreign></supplied> so that two crops <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>iraṇṭu pūvūm</foreign>, that is, <foreign>pūvum</foreign></supplied> grow <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>viḷaiya</foreign></supplied>, <supplied reason="subaudible">he, i.e.

Nakkaṉ Pūti</supplied> gave eight <foreign>mā</foreign>s of this land; having taken <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>koṇṭu</foreign>, i.e. with</supplied> the produce

<supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>pōkan</foreign></supplied> which came <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>poṉta</foreign></supplied> out of this land <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>ippūmiyil</foreign></supplied>, we, the Paṭṭuṭaiyārs

of this temple <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>ittaḷi</foreign></supplied>, we the Seven <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>ēḻuvōm</foreign></supplied>, have to burn <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>erikkakaṭavōm</foreign></supplied> night

and day a perpetual lamp respectively <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>orō nontāviḷakku</foreign></supplied> in the two temples

<supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>iraṇṭu taḷilu</foreign>, that is, <foreign>taḷiyilum</foreign></supplied>.</p>

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<p>Reported in <bibl><ptr target="bib:ARIE1923-1924"/></bibl> (ARIE/1923-1924/C/1924/357).</p>

<p>Edited in <bibl><ptr target="bib:SrinivasaRao1952_01"/></bibl> (<ref target="DHARMA_INSSIIv13p0i0235.xml">SII 13.235</ref>). Edited and translated in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Gillet2024_01"/></bibl>, based on autopsy and photographs (<ref target="https://didomena.ehess.fr/concern/data_sets/37720p71p">Valérie Gillet, 2016-2018</ref>).</p>

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

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