Kāñcipuram, time of Abhimānasiddhi, no year

Editor: Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00262.

Summary: Donation of a golden plate and of an image by the Pallava Abhimānasiddhi to the god of the Parameśvaraviṣṇugṛha.

Hand description:

The puḷḷi is used. Medial i and ī not distinguished and interchangeable.

Language: Tamil.

Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy).

Version: (350e545), last modified (124c7bc).

Edition

⟨1⟩ (Āyuḷ) cīr-p

pa(ra)meśvara-viṇ·ṇa-karattavarkk’ ōr āyiram· poṉ(·) pali-t-tā‡lam⟨um⟩ paṭi(ma)mu[m]

⟨2⟩ [2+] (cem) poṉ ‡ [1+] (y)¡ī!⟨i⟩r(u)ppatteru(māṉa-p) poṉ· Abhimānasiddhi-y-āyi(ṉa)(pa)llavaṉ (ṟā)[1+]

⟨3⟩ ‡ k(u)ṭuttāṉ(·) eṉ·ṟ’ aṟimiṉ·kaḷē

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ (Āyuḷ)Āyuḷ SII • The stone appears to have been damaged since the first edition by SII. Only the upper part of the final is visible. — ⟨1⟩ pa(ra)meśvara° ⬦ pa(ra)meśvara° SII. — ⟨1⟩ palittā‡lam⟨um⟩palittālam SII. — ⟨1⟩ paṭi(ma)mu[m]paṭimamu SII.

⟨2⟩ [2+] (cem) poṉ ⬦ Āyiram cem poṉ SII • Contra SII, there does not appear to be enough space on the stone to accomodate āyiram. — ⟨2⟩ [1+] (y)¡ī!⟨i⟩r(u)ppatteru(māṉap)[2+] yirappatterumāṉap SII. — ⟨2⟩ Abhimānasiddhiyāyi(ṉa)Abhimānasiddhiyāyi(ṉa) SII. — ⟨2⟩ (pa)llavaṉ (ṟā)[¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ē]pallavaṉ ṟā(ne) SII • The reading ṟā(ne), that is tāṉē, by SII makes good sense, but there is today no trace of these letters on the stone, which appears to have been damaged since the first edition by SII.

⟨3⟩ ‡ k(u)ṭuttāṉ(·) eṉ·ṟ’ aṟimiṉ·kaḷē kuṭuttāṉeṉṟaṟimiṉkaḷē SIISII places these words, which are on another face of the base, at the end of line 1, but it makes sense to consider that these are in fact the end of the inscription as they are followed by a punctuation.

Translation by Emmanuel Francis

(1) Long life (āyuḷ1)! Fortune (cīr2)!3

(1–3) Know that he who he has given (kuṭuttāṉ) a plate for offerings and an image [of] one thousand gold [coins]4 to him [who resides in] the Parameśvaraviṣṇugṛha refined gold gold [this is] the Pallava alias Abhimānasiddhi himself.

Translation into French by Emmanuel Francis

(1) Longue vie ! Fortune !

(1–3) Sachez que celui qui a donné un plateau à offrandes et une image [d’]un millier [de pièces d’or] à celui [qui réside dans] le Parameśvaraviṣṇugṛha or de qualité supérieure or [c’est] le Pallava alias Abhimānasiddhi lui-même.

Commentary

On the identity of the Pallava Abhimānasiddhi see Mahalingam 1963 and Mani 1968.

Bibliography

Reported in Hultzsch 1888 (ARIE/1887-1888/I/1887-1888/33).

Edited in Krishna Sastri 1923 (SII 4.131). Text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP 262).

This revised edition by Emmanuel Francis, based on autopsy and photos.

Primary

[SII] Krishna Sastri, H. 1923. South-Indian inscriptions (texts). Volume IV: Miscellaneous inscriptions from the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada countries and Ceylon. South Indian Inscriptions 4. Madras: Government Press. Page 8, item 131.

[IP] Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi; Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan. Page 642, item 262.

Secondary

Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1888. G.O. No. 424, 20th April 1888. Archaeology. Recording letter from the Director-General forwarding Dr. Hultzsch's progress report from 21st September 1887 to 31st January 1888. Madras: Government of Madras, Public Department. Page 5, appendixes I/1887-1888, item 33.

Mahalingam, T. V. 1963. “An interregnum in Pallava history.” Journal of Indian History 41.

Mani, V. R. 1968. “A Pallava metal image: Epigraphical evidence.” In: Seminar on Inscriptions 1966: Speechs and Papers. Edited by R. Nagaswamy. Madras: Books (India), pp. 147–150.

Francis, Emmanuel. 2013. Le discours royal dans l'Inde du Sud ancienne : inscriptions et monuments Pallava, IVème-IXème siècles. Tome I : Introduction et sources. Publications de l'Institut orientaliste de Louvain 64. Louvain-la-Neuve; Paris: Université catholique de Louvain, Institut orientaliste; Peeters. Page 303, item IR 94.

Notes

  1. 1. The word āyuḷ, "lifetime", a Tamil tadbhava of Sanskrit āyus, appears to be used here as an auspicious beginning.
  2. 2. That is, a Tamil tadbhava of Sanskrit śrī.
  3. 3. This auspicious beginning contrasts with the usual svasti śrī.
  4. 4. It is not clear whether the gold is that used to make the plate and the image, to make the plate only, or the value of the plate and the image.