SII 3.1: original edition by Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch – I—INSCRIPTIONS IN THE VISHNU TEMPLE AT UKKAL. No. 1.—ON THE NORTH WALL OF THE SHRINE.

Editor: Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0001.

Summary: This inscription is dated in the 23rd year of the reign of the ancient Chōḷa king Rāja-kēsarivarman.1 It records that a certain Brahmādhirāja (ll. 4 and 11) deposited 200 kaḻañju of gold with the villagers, and that the latter pledged themselves to apply the interest of this sum to the feeding of twelve learned Brāhmaṇas.

Hand description:

Language: Tamil.

Repository: South Indian Inscriptions (Original Edition) (south-indian-inscriptions).

Version: (3cdd373), last modified (9e6327a).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī ||~

ko rājakesariva(r)mmaṟku yāṇṭu Irupattum¿u?⟨ū⟩ṉṟāvatu |

kāliyūrkkoṭṭattuppākū⟨2⟩r(n)āṭṭuccivacūḷāmaṇimaṅ(ka)lamā(ki)ya Aparā(ji)taccatu(r)vvetimaṅkalattu sabhaiyo⟨3⟩mmeḻuttu |

Ikkoṭṭa(t)tuttaṉ kūṟṟu Uttarameruccatu(r)vvetimaṅkalam¿i?⟨ī⟩⟨4⟩ḷuṅkaṇattāruṭceti(ṟū)rttiruvikrama(bha)ṭṭarākiya brahmādhijar pakkal koṇṭa poṉ Irunūṟ⟨5⟩ṟukkaḻañcu |

Ippoṉṉiṉ pra(ddha)yālu(me) Emm¿u?⟨ū⟩rppuvanimāṇikkaviṣṇugṛihattu perumāṉaṭika⟨6⟩ḷ Uccam p(o)(tu) tiruvamirtu ceyvataṉ mu(ṉ)ṉam nicati paṉṉiruvar brāhmaṇar vedam vallār Uṇpa(tā)⟨7⟩kavum |

Ip(paṉiru)vaṟkum śar¿i?⟨ī⟩raM prati (Āḻā)kku (ne)y(yu)m Ain(tu) kaṟiyu(m) Aivvu(ḻa)kkuttayirum Iv(vi)raṇṭu kāyumi(lai)yum ⟨8⟩ Ivarkaḷukku (tṛi)ptiyāmaḷavum Ipparicu Ācan¿t?⟨d⟩ratāramum (Ū)ṭṭuvatāka Ippaṉṉiruvar brāhmaṇarkkum (A)ṭuvārkkum (vi)ṟakiṭu⟨9⟩vārk(ku)m ma(ṟ)ṟum (E)pperppaṭṭatum Aṭaṅka Ipparicu Ūṭṭuvatāka Ivvirunū(ṟ)ṟukkaḻañcuṅkoṇṭom |

I(p)paricu ⟨10⟩ Ūṭṭām(e) vigghnantuytār geṅgai Iṭaikkumari Iṭaicceytār ceyta pāpamellāṅkoḷ(v)ārāka(vumi)ppari⟨11⟩cu muṭṭi(l mu)n(t)āntu(y)ta Iṣṭāpū(r)ttam brahmādhirājanukke Āvatākavum |

I⟨p⟩paricu Oṭṭi śilālekhai ceytu (ku)ṭut⟨12⟩(tom) (sabhai)yom ||~

svasti śrī ||~

Apparatus

⟨5⟩ pra(ddha) • Read vṛddhi.

⟨7⟩ Ip(paṉiru) • Read Ippaṉṉiru.

Translation by Hultzsch 1899

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the twenty-third year (of the reign) of king Rājakēsarivarman. The writing of us, the assembly of Śivachūḷāmaṇimaṅgalam, alias Aparā[ji]ta-chaturvēdimaṅgalam, (a village) in Pāgūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam.

(L. 3.) (We) have received two hundred kaḻañju) of gold from Tiruvikrama-Bhaṭṭar, alias Brahmādhirājar, of Śedi[ṟū]r, (one) among the commissioners (gaṇattār) ruling over Uttaramēru-chaturvēdimaṅgalam,2 (a village) in its own subdivision (kūṟu)3 of the same kōṭṭam.

(L. 5.) From the interest of this gold, twelve Brāhmaṇas who know the Vēda, have to be fed daily, before the god (perumāṉ-aḍigaḷ) of the Puvanimāṇikka-Vishṇugṛiham in our village receives offerings at noon-time.

(L. 7.) We have received these two hundred kaḻañju, in order to supply, as long as the moon and the stars exist, to each of these twelve (Brāhmaṇas), (one) āḻākku of ghee, five dishes of curry, five uḻakku of curds, two areca-nuts, and betel-leaves until they are satisfied, (and) in order to supply everything else to these twelve Brāhmaṇas, to the cooks, and to those who fetch firewood.

(L. 9.) Those who do not feed (them) thus and cause obstruction, shall incur all the sins committed between the Gaṅgā and Kumari.4

(L. 10.) If (any persons) hinder this, the sacrifices and charitable deeds (ishṭāpūrta) which they have performed themselves before, shall devolve on Brahmādhirājaṉ.5

(L. 11.) Having agreed thus, we, the assembly, engraved (this) on stone. Hail ! Prosperity !

Commentary

Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 3.1 by Hultzsch 1899 converted to DHARMA conventions by Emmanuel Francis.

Primary

[SII] Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1899. South-Indian inscriptions. Volume III: Miscellaneous inscriptions from the Tamil country. Part I: Inscriptions at Ukkal, Melpadi, Karuvur, Manimangalam and Tiruvallam. South Indian Inscriptions 3.1. Madras: Government Press. Pages 2–3, item 1.

Notes

  1. 1. To the same reign belong Nos. 84 and 147 of Vol. I.; Ep. Ind. Vol. III. No. 38, A; and No. 13 below. The king is perhaps identical with Āditya I., the father of Parāntaka I.
  2. 2. This is the modern Uttaraṉmērūr in the Madurāntakam tāluka of the Chingleput district.
  3. 3. This expression implies that the village by itself formed an independent subdivision of a district (kōṭṭam), just as Tiruvottūr in Vol. I. No. 85 (where taṉ kūṟṟu must be read instead of taṉakūṟṟu), and as Tirukkaḻukkuṉṟam in Ep. Ind. Vol. III. p. 279. The technical designation of such a village was taṉiyūr, for which see the Index to Vol. II. of the present work.
  4. 4. Compare Ep. Ind. Vol. IV. p. 140, note 3.
  5. 5. According to line 4 of the text, this was the name of the donor.