SII 1.51: original edition by Eugen Hultzsch

Alternative title: “PART II. TAMIL AND GRANTHA INSCRIPTIONS. II. INSCRIPTIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF VELŪR. No. 51. ON A ROCK ON THE TOP OF THE BAVĀJI HILL NEAR VELŪR.”

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: This rock-inscription is written in bold archaic letters; the lines are irregular and very close to each other. The inscription is dated in the twenty-sixth year of a king called Kaṉṉara-deva, and records that Velūr-pāḍi was given to the temple of Paṉṉapeśvara on the top of the hill of Śūdāḍupārai (Śūdāḍupārai-malai) by Nuḷambaṉ Tribhuvanadhīra, alias Muḍi-melaṉ Śrī-Pallava-Murāri. Another Nuḷambaṉ, the first part of whose name is indistinct on the stone, and who was probably a relation of Nuḷambaṉ Tribhuvanadhīra, seems to have received Velūr-pāḍi together with the hill of Śūdāḍupārai from Vīra-Choḷa. Velūr-pāḍi is probably the same as Velapāḍi, a suburb of Vellore, near which the Bavāji Hill is situated, and which is supposed to be the oldest part of the town.¹ Śūdāḍupārai-malai must have been the old name of the Bavāji Hill. It was situated in the north of Paṅgaḷa-nāḍu, a division of Paḍuvūr-koṭṭam. The Śiva temple on its top had been founded by, and was called after, a certain Paṉṉappai.

Besides the present Tamil inscription, five obliterated Telugu inscriptions are found on the top of the Bavāji Hill. Four of them mention a certain Nallaguruvayya; one of these four inscriptions is dated in Śaka 1539, the Piṅgaḷa year.

Language: Tamil (tam) [Tamil (tamil)].

Version: 2025-10-29 16:55 (0e0679b), last modified 2025-07-03 14:51 (0ec4724).

Edition

⟨1⟩ || svasti [||] śrīkaṉṉaratevaṟku yāṇṭu Irupattāṟāvatu
⟨2⟩ paṭuvūrkkoṭṭattuppaṅkaḷanāṭṭu vaṭakkil vakai(n=ta cū)-
⟨3⟩ tāṭupāraimalai melppaṉṉappai Eṭuppitta
⟨4⟩ paṉṉapeśvarattukku pokamāka Innāṭṭu velū-
⟨5⟩ rppāṭi E[*]makan nuḷampaṉ vīracoḻar pakkal
⟨6⟩ cūtāṭupāraimalai Akappaṭa dhārai Aṭṭuvittu ko-
⟨7⟩ ṇṭu śandrātittaruḷḷavum Udakapūrvvañcey-
⟨8⟩ tu kuṭutteṉ nuḷampaṉ tiripuvaṉatīraṉeṉ [|]
⟨9⟩ Idharma rakṣittāraṭiEṉ muṭimelaṉ śrīpalla-
⟨10⟩ vamurāri [|] Idharma Iṟakkuvāṉ kaṅkai kumariyiṭaicce-
⟨11⟩ ytār ceyta pāvaṅkoḷvāṉ ||

Apparatus

⟨5⟩ E[1+]makan • The second letter of this word is quite indistinct; eṉ makaṉ, “my son,” might be conjectured.

Translation by Hultzsch 1890

Hail! In the twenty-sixth year of (the reign of) the illustrious Kaṉṉara-deva, I, Nuḷambaṉ Tribhuvanadhīra,² gave, with a libation of water, to (the temple of) Paṉṉapeśvara, which Paṉṉappai had caused to be erected on the hill of Śūdāḍupārai (Śūdāḍupārai-malai), which is situated in the north of Paṅgaḷa-nāḍu in Paḍuvūr-koṭṭam, to be enjoyed as long as the moon and the sun endure, Velūr-pāḍi, (a village) of this nāḍu, (which) . . . . . Nuḷambaṉ had received from Vīra-Śoṛar, together with the hill of Śūdāḍupārai, as a lasting gift.³ I, Muḍi-melaṉ,⁴ the illustrious Pallava-Murāri, (shall be) the servant of those who protect this charitable gift. He who injures this charitable gift, shall incur the sin committed by those who commit (a sin) near the Gaṅgā (or) Kumari.⁵

Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 1.51 by Hultzsch 1890 converted to DHARMA conventions by Emmanuel Francis.

Primary

[SII] Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1890. South-Indian inscriptions, Tamil and Sanskrit, from stone and copper-plate edicts at Mamallapuram, Kanchipuram, in the North Arcot district, and other parts of the Madras Presidency, chiefly collected in 1886-87. Volume I. South Indian Inscriptions 1. Madras: Government Press. Pages 76–77, item 51.

Notes

1. See North Arcot Manual, p. 187.
2. I.e., “the brave(st) in the three worlds.”
3. dhārai aṭṭuvittu koṇṭu means literally “having received with a libation of water;” compare tārai vārttukkoṭukka, “to give irrecoverably by pouring water into the hand of the person receiving the gift” (Winslow).
4. I.e., “he who wears a crown on (his head).”
5. Kumari is the Tamil name of the sacred river near Cape Comorin and corresponds to the Sanskrit Kumārī, just as the High Tamil form Kāviri to the Sanskrit Kāvērī.

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<title type="alt">PART II. TAMIL AND GRANTHA INSCRIPTIONS. II. INSCRIPTIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF VELŪR. No. 51. ON A ROCK ON THE TOP OF THE BAVĀJI HILL NEAR VELŪR.</title>

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<p>This rock-inscription is written in bold archaic letters; the lines are irregular and very close to each other. The inscription is dated in the twenty-sixth year of a king called <hi rend="bold">Kaṉṉara-deva</hi>, and records that <hi rend="bold">Velūr-pāḍi</hi> was given to the temple of <hi rend="bold">Paṉṉapeśvara</hi> on the top of the hill of <hi rend="bold">Śūdāḍupārai</hi> (<hi rend="italic">Śūdāḍupārai-malai</hi>) by <hi rend="bold">Nuḷambaṉ Tribhuvanadhīra</hi>, <hi rend="italic">alias</hi> <hi rend="bold">Muḍi-melaṉ Śrī-Pallava-Murāri</hi>. Another <hi rend="bold">Nuḷambaṉ</hi>, the first part of whose name is indistinct on the stone, and who was probably a relation of Nuḷambaṉ Tribhuvanadhīra, seems to have received <hi rend="bold">Velūr-pāḍi</hi> together with the hill of <hi rend="bold">Śūdāḍupārai</hi> from <hi rend="bold">Vīra-Choḷa. Velūr-pāḍi</hi> is probably the same as <hi rend="bold">Velapāḍi</hi>, a suburb of Vellore, near which the Bavāji Hill is situated, and which is supposed to be the oldest part of the town.<note>See <hi rend="italic">North Arcot Manual</hi>, p. 187.</note> <hi rend="bold">Śūdāḍupārai-malai</hi> must have been the old name of the <hi rend="bold">Bavāji</hi> Hill. It was situated in the north of <hi rend="bold">Paṅgaḷa-nāḍu</hi>, a division of <hi rend="bold">Paḍuvūr-koṭṭam</hi>. The <hi rend="bold">Śiva</hi> temple on its top had been founded by, and was called after, a certain <hi rend="bold">Paṉṉappai</hi>.</p>

<p>Besides the present Tamil inscription, five obliterated Telugu inscriptions are found on the top of the <hi rend="bold">Bavāji</hi> Hill. Four of them mention a certain <hi rend="bold">Nallaguruvayya</hi>; one of these four inscriptions is dated in Śaka 1539, the <hi rend="italic">Piṅgaḷa</hi> year.</p>

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<lb n="2"/>paṭuvūrkkoṭṭattuppaṅkaḷanāṭṭu vaṭakkil vakai<unclear>n=ta cū</unclear>

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<lb n="7" break="no"/>ṇṭu <hi rend="grantha">śandrā</hi>tittaruḷḷavum U<hi rend="grantha">da</hi>ka<hi rend="grantha">pūrvva</hi>ñcey

<lb n="8" break="no"/>tu kuṭutteṉ nuḷampaṉ tiripuvaṉatīraṉeṉ <supplied reason="undefined"><g type="danda">.</g></supplied>

<lb n="9"/>I<hi rend="grantha">dharma rakṣi</hi>ttāraṭiEṉ muṭimelaṉ <hi rend="grantha">śrī</hi>palla

<lb n="10" break="no"/>vamurāri <supplied reason="undefined"><g type="danda">.</g></supplied> I<hi rend="grantha">dharma</hi> Iṟakkuvāṉ kaṅkai kumariyiṭaicce

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<p>Hail! In the twenty-sixth year of (<hi rend="italic">the reign of</hi>) the illustrious <hi rend="bold">Kaṉṉara-deva</hi>, I, <hi rend="bold">Nuḷambaṉ Tribhuvanadhīra</hi>,<note><hi rend="italic">I.e.</hi>, “the brave(st) in the three worlds.”</note> gave, with a libation of water, to (<hi rend="italic">the temple of</hi>) <hi rend="bold">Paṉṉapeśvara</hi>, which <hi rend="bold">Paṉṉappai</hi> had caused to be erected on the hill of <hi rend="bold">Śūdāḍupārai</hi> (<hi rend="italic">Śūdāḍupārai-malai</hi>), which is situated in the north of <hi rend="bold">Paṅgaḷa-nāḍu</hi> in <hi rend="bold">Paḍuvūr-koṭṭam</hi>, to be enjoyed as long as the moon and the sun endure, <hi rend="bold">Velūr-pāḍi</hi>, (<hi rend="italic">a village</hi>) of this <hi rend="italic">nāḍu, (which) . . . . . </hi> <hi rend="bold">Nuḷambaṉ</hi> had received from <hi rend="bold">Vīra-Śoṛar</hi>, together with the hill of <hi rend="bold">Śūdāḍupārai</hi>, as a lasting gift.<note><foreign><hi rend="grantha">dhā</hi>rai aṭṭuvittu koṇṭu</foreign> means literally “having received with a libation of water;” compare <foreign>tārai vārttukkoṭukka</foreign>, “to give irrecoverably by pouring water into the hand of the person receiving the gift” (<hi rend="italic">Winslow</hi>).</note> I, <hi rend="bold">Muḍi-melaṉ</hi>,<note><hi rend="italic">I.e.</hi>, “he who wears a crown on (<hi rend="italic">his head</hi>).”</note> the illustrious <hi rend="bold">Pallava-Murāri</hi>, (<hi rend="italic">shall be</hi>) the servant of those who protect this charitable gift. He who injures this charitable gift, shall incur the sin committed by those who commit (<hi rend="italic">a sin</hi>) near the <hi rend="bold">Gaṅgā</hi> (<hi rend="italic">or</hi>) <hi rend="bold">Kumari</hi>.<note><hi rend="bold">Kumari</hi> is the Tamil name of the sacred river near Cape Comorin and corresponds to the Sanskrit <hi rend="bold">Kumārī</hi>, just as the High Tamil form <hi rend="bold">Kāviri</hi> to the Sanskrit <hi rend="bold">Kāvērī</hi>.</note></p>

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