Guḍimallam, Parameśurāmeśvara, time of Nantippōttaraiyar, year 23

Editor: Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00144.

Summary: Stele with an inscription recording a donation, after purchase, of a land for supplying ghee for maintaining perpetual lamps.

Hand description:

Languages: Sanskrit, Tamil.

Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy).

Version: (350e545), last modified (a0ca2ab).

Edition

⟨Face A⟩ ⟨1⟩ svasti śrī

nanti⟨2⟩ppō⟨t⟩taraiyark⟨3⟩ku yāṇṭu Iru⟨4⟩pattu mūṉṟā⟨5⟩vatu

vikkiramā⟨6⟩titt¿e?⟨a⟩-māvali⟨7⟩vāṇarāyar vaṭu⟨8⟩kavaḻi-mēṟku ⟨9⟩ pṛthivirājyañ ⟨10⟩ ceya <visarga> tiruvi¡p!⟨pp⟩ira⟨11⟩mpēṭ’ āḷuṅ-kaṇa⟨12⟩ttār-uḷ muḷḷiṟ kiḻā⟨13⟩r vēppampoḻa⟨14⟩ppāḻ Ivvūr āḷu⟨15⟩ṅ-kaṇattār-uḷ ku⟨16⟩ḻaippa(lū)rk ka⟨17⟩ṇiyar Agniśarmma⟨18⟩ṉ vilai-śrāvaṇai⟨19⟩yāl viṟṟu koṇ⟨20⟩ṭu Ivvūr paraśu⟨21⟩r¿a?⟨ā⟩m¡ī!⟨e⟩śvarattu mahāde⟨22⟩varkku tiruviḷak⟨23⟩ku-ney-p-puṟam-(ā)⟨24⟩ka kuṭuttār

⟨Face B⟩ ⟨25⟩ Ivvūr sabhaiyō¡mm!⟨m⟩um In-nilatt-ē I-v-vūr-c cekk-uḷḷaṉa Ellām ⟨26⟩ naṭṭu-t tiruviḷakkukk-ē-y vāya Eṇṇai koḷvaṭ’ āka-p paṇittōm·

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ śrī ⬦ śrī- EI • We believe that śrī is not a prefix to the name of the king, but part of the auspicious beginning. — ⟨1⟩ nantippō⟨t⟩taraiyarkku ⬦ na¿nti?⟨ndi⟩ppō⟨t⟩taraiyarkku EI • The correction seems to us unnecessary, as we consider that the conjunct nti is in Tamil script and not in Grantha, both alphabets sharing these characters. Note that Mahalingam 1988 writes in the word nanti the same syllable nti is with two eḻuttus.

⟨4⟩ mūṉṟāvatu • Venkayya 1911–1912 notes: “The secondary ā of ṟā is a separate symbol.”

⟨10⟩ ḥ • Venkayya 1911–1912 notes: “The visarga is used here as a sign of punctuation. Compare South-Ind. Inscrs. Vol. II p. 111, note 1.” — ⟨10⟩ tiruvi¡p!⟨pp⟩irampēṭ’ • Compare tiruvippirampēṭ’ in IP 110, line 9, and tiruviṟppirampēṭ’ in IP 181, line 17.

⟨12⟩ kiḻār ⬦ kiḻ(ā)r EI • The medial ā is clear on the stone, but smaller.

⟨17⟩ Agniśarmmaṉ ⬦ (A)gniśa(r)mmaṉ EI • All letters are clear on the stone.

⟨18⟩ śrāvaṇai ⬦ vilaiśrāva(ṇ)ai EI • All letters are clear on the stone.

⟨21⟩ mahādevarkku • Venkayya 1911–1912 notes: “The aksharas hādē are much smaller than the rest of the inscription.”

⟨25⟩ cekk-uḷḷaṉa ⬦ (ce)kkuḷ(ḷa)ṉa EI • All letters are clear on the stone.

⟨26⟩ vāya ⬦ vāy IA. — ⟨26⟩ paṇittōm· • Venkayya 1911–1912 notes: “The puḷḷi which is conspicuous by its absence in the whole inscription is marked on the last letter m.”

Translation by Emmanuel Francis

(1) Prosperity! Fortune!

(1–5) Twenty-third year of Nantippōttaraiyar.1

(5–24) ...

(25–26) ...

Commentary

(18) vilai-śrāvaṇai. Venkayya 1911–1912 notes: “The term vilai-śravaṇai occurs twice in a similar context in South-Ind. Inscrs. Vol. III. p. 105, text-line 5.”

(22) tiruviḷakku-ney-p-puṟam. Venkayya 1911–1912 notes: “With tiruviḷakku-ney-ppuṟam compare ambala-ppuṟam (above=South-Ind. Inscrs., Vol. III. p. 285, text-line 7), nandavāṉa-puram (South-Ind. Inscrs. Vol. III. p. 5, text-line 5), pudukku-ppuṟam (ibid. p. 7, text-line 8) and uṇṇāḻigai-ppuṟam (ibid. p. 19, text-line 6).”

(25) cekk-uḷḷaṉa. Venkayya 1911–1912 notes: “It is also possible that the reading is cēkk-uḷḷana (instead of cekk-uḷḷaṉa), in which case the translation would be “all (the crops) for which the fields of this village are (fit) shall be raised on this field, and the oil required for the sacred lamps shall be purchased (out of the produce).”

Bibliography

Reported in Venkayya 1904 (ARIE/1903-1904/A/1903/229).

Edited and translated into English in Gopinatha Rao 1911. Edited and translated into English in Venkayya 1911–1912 (EI 11.22A), with visual documentation. Text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP 144).

This revised edition by Emmanuel Francis, based on photos (2019, kindly supplied by Valérie Gillet).

Primary

[IA] Gopinatha Rao, T.A. 1911. “Five Bana inscriptions at Gudimallam.” IA 40, pp. 104–114. Item D, pages 111–113.

[EI] Venkayya, V. 1911–1912. “Five Bana inscriptions from Gudimallam.” EI 11, pp. 222–240. Item A, pages 224–225.

[IP] Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi; Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan. Item 144, pages 421–422.

Secondary

[ARIE] Venkayya, V. 1904. G.O., etc., Nos. 678, 679, 12th August 1904. Epigraphy. Passing orders on the annual report on – for 1903-1904. Copy to the Government of India, Department of Revenue and Agriculture. Madras: Government of Madras, Public Department. Page 22, appendix A/1903, item 229.

Notes

  1. 1. Sanskrit Nandin + Tamil Pōttaraiyar. That is, the Pallava king Nandin, that is, Nandivarman III.