# Aracalāpuram, memorial stone for a cock

Emmanuel Francis and Valérie Gillet

Authors of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis, Valérie Gillet

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00397

Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy)

File path: DHARMA_INSPallava00397.xml

Language: Tamil [Brāhmī (unspecified)]

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

## Summary

Memorial stone set up in honour of a cock, which fought for the western
quarters (mēl-cēri) of a village. It is not clear whether the stone
commemorates the death of the cock when fighting (as in the case of a
deceased warrior) or its victorious fight.

## Palaeographic description

The puḷḷi is used. There are characters of eccentric ductus: ku and k=ka
(line 2).

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## Edition

⟨1⟩ mukaiy¿u?⟨ū⟩ru mēṟ·-(c)[ē]⟨2⟩ri(k)uy āṭi-(k= ka)⟨3⟩rukiya kōḻi

## Apparatus

⟨1⟩ mukaiy¿u?⟨ū⟩ru ⬦ mukaiyūru SR; mukaiyuru IM1997 IM1998;
mukaiy¿u?⟨ū⟩ru IM2003. — ⟨1⟩ mēṟ·(c)[ē]⟨2⟩ri(k)uy ⬦ mēṟcē⟨2⟩riṭuy SR;
meṟc[e]⟨2⟩riṭuy IM1997 IM1998; mēṟ·c[ē]⟨2⟩ri(k)uy IM2003 • The syllable
ku of eccentric ductus was previously read ṭu.

⟨2⟩ āṭi(k=) ⬦ āṭi SR; āṭik IM1997 IM1998; āṭik= IM2003.

## Translation by Mahadevan 2003

⟨1–3⟩ ⟨The image of⟩ the cock was engraved after it had fought on behalf
of Mēṟcēri in ⟨in⟩ Mukaiyūr.

## Translation

⟨1–3⟩ The cock, which was scarred[1] when fighting for Mēṟcēri[2] of
Mukaiyūr.

## Commentary

This inscription is counted in the Pallava corpus, insofar as its date
(5th century CE according to Mahadevan 2003) and provenance correspond
the period and the area of the Pallava rule in northern Tamil Nadu.

A similar inscription, commemorating a victorious cock with a strikingly
similar image of a cock, has been found at Intaḷūr (Pallava 401). The
two inscriptions appears to be closely related: the present Aracalāpuram
inscription commemorates the fighting cock of the western quarters,
whereas the Intaḷūr inscription commemorates the fighting cock of the
eastern quarters.

See the comments by Mahadevan 2003, pp. 624–626.

## Bibliography

Reported in No name 1991–11–13.

Edited in Rajavelu 1996, in Makātēvaṉ 1997, Rajan 1997, Makātēvaṉ 1998.
Edited and translated in Mahadevan 2003.

This revised edition by Emmanuel Francis and Valérie Gillet, based on
photos and visual documentation in Mahadevan 2003.

### Primary

[D] No name. 1991–11–13. “[Discovery of inscribed stele at
Arasalapuram].” Dinamalar. Pondicherry. No place. Section News item.

[SR] Rajavelu, S. 1996. “Inscription from Araśalāpuram.” JESI 22, pp.
88–89.

[IM1997] Makātēvaṉ, Airāvatam. 1997. “toṇṭaimaṇṭalattuk kōḻik kaṟkaḷ.”
Āvaṇam 8, pp. 9–19. Pages 10–14.

[KR1997] Rajan, K. 1997. Archaeological Gazetteer of Tamil Nadu.
Thanjavur: Manoo Pathippakkam. Pages 315–316.

[IM1998] Makātēvaṉ, Airāvatam. 1998. “toṇṭaimaṇṭalattuk kōḻik kaṟkaḷ:
mīḷāyvu.” Āvaṇam 9, p. 142.

[IM2003] Mahadevan, Iravatham. 2003. Early Tamil epigraphy, from the
earliest times to the sixth century A.D. Harvard oriental series 62.
Chennai; Cambridge, Mass.: Cre-A; Harvard University Press. Item 112,
pages 466–467, 530, 624–626, plate 47A.

### Secondary

[KR2000] Rajan, K. 2000. South Indian memorial stones. Thanjavur: Manoo
Pathippakam. Page 65.

[1] Mahadevan 2003 translates as “was engraved” as he equates karukiya
with karukkiya. We suggest that karukiya is the past form of karuku-tal,
one of the meaning of which, according to the Madras Tamil Lexicon, is
“to be scorched, scarred.”

[2] That is, the western quarter.