# Mēl Puñcai, time of Māntavarman, year 19

Emmanuel Francis

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00292

Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy)

File path: DHARMA_INSPallava00292.xml

Language: Tamil [Vaṭṭeḻuttu]

Commit: 2026-10-08 12:16 (1b1b17c), last modified 2026-09-29 11:09
(6edbbfa)

## Summary

Hero-stone inscription commemorating the death of a hero.

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## Edition

⟨1⟩ (mā)nta-parumaṟku pati⟨2⟩oṉṟ-āvatu

koṅka⟨3⟩ṇi Araicaru paṭai-Ōṭu ciri⟨4⟩-kaṅkaraicaru caṅka-maṅkalat⟨5⟩t’
eṟinta ñāṉṟu ciri-kaṅkaraicaru ⟨6⟩ cēvakar-Ōṭu [ca. 1+] kaṉāya⟨7⟩r
Eṟintu paṭṭa kal

## Translation

⟨1–2⟩ Nineteenth ⟨year⟩ of Māntaparumaṉ.[1]

⟨2–7⟩ ⟨This is⟩ the stone ⟨of⟩ Kaṉāyar,[2],who fell (paṭṭa[3]) fighting
(eṟintu) along with (-ōṭu[4]) the servants (cēvakar) ⟨of⟩ the glorious
Gaṅga king, when the glorious Gaṅga king fought (eṟinta) in
Caṅkamaṅkalam with the army of the Koṅkaṇi king.

## Commentary

The identity of the king Māntaparumaṉ is unclear.

## Bibliography

Reported in IAR 1971-72.

Edited in Nākacāmi 1972 (CN 1971/100). Text and summary in Mahalingam
1988 (IP 292).

This digital edition by Emmanuel Francis, based on previous edition(s).

### Primary

[CN] Nākacāmi, Irā. 1972. Ceṅkam naṭukaṟkaḷ. TNSDA publication 21.
Ceṉṉai: Tamiḻnāṭu Aracu tolporuḷ Āyvuttuṟai. Item 1971/100.

[IP] Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi;
Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan. Page 684,
item 292.

### Secondary

[IAR] IAR 1971-72. Indian Archaeology 1971-72: A Review. Edited by M. N.
Deshpande. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India, 1975. Page 59,
item 39.

[1] Sanskrit Māntavarman.

[2] Alternatively [ca. 1+]kaṉāyar, taking into account the missing
character as part of the name of the deceased hero.

[3] Note the phrase paṭṭa kal, attested also in IP 291, instead of the
usual paṭṭāṉ/paṭṭār kal.

[4] IP takes -ōṭu as part of the name of the deceased hero, that is,
Ōṭu-kaṉāyār.