SII 3.18: original edition by Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch

Alternative title: “II.—INSCRIPTIONS AT MELPADI. No. 18.—ON THE NORTH WALL OF THE CHOLESVARA SHRINE.”

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: This inscription is dated in the 9th year of the reign of Parakēsarivarman, alias Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva. It records that certain shepherds of Mēṟpāḍi pledged themselves to supply ghee for a lamp in the Aṟiñjīśvara temple. This declaration was made before Lakuḷīśvara-Paṇḍita, the head of a Maṭha connected with the temple. The name Lakuḷīśvara is interesting, because it suggests that the Maṭha at Mēṟpāḍi was a branch establishment of the Lakulīśa-Pāśupatas of Kārōhaṇa in Gujarāt, who are referred to in the Cintra praśasti.1 The inscription ends with the signature of a local merchant, who may have been the donor of the lamp.

Language: Tamil (tam) [Grantha (grantha), Tamil (tamil)].

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

Identifier: DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0018.

File path: SII03/DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0018.xml.

Version: (615297c), last modified (2aaa540).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī [∥] tiru maṉṉi vaḷara Irunilamaṭan=taiyum poṟcayappāvaiyum c¿i?rttaniccelviyu-

⟨2⟩ n=tan pe(ru)n=teviyarāki(yi)ṉpuṟa neṭ¿i?t¿u?y¿i?lūḻiyuḷ Iṭ(ai)tuṟaināṭun=tu(ṭa)rvanavelippa-

⟨3⟩ ṭar vanavāciyum cuḷḷi⟨c⟩cūḻmatiṭkoḷḷi(p)pākk(ai)yum naṇṇaṟkaruma-

⟨4⟩ raṇ maṇṇaikkaṭakka(mu)m po(ru)kaṭal¿i?ḻattaraiyar tamuṭiyumā(ṅ)kavar

⟨5⟩ teviyaroṅkeḻil muṭiyumuṉṉavar ⟨pa⟩kkaltteṉṉavar v(ai)tta

⟨6⟩ cun=taramuṭiyumin=tiranāra¿ḻa?n=teṇṭirai Īḻama-

⟨7⟩ ṇṭala(mu)ḻuvatumeṟipaṭaik=keraḷan (mu)-

⟨8⟩ ṟaimaiyil cūṭuṅkulatanamākiya palar puka-

⟨9⟩ ḻ muṭiyuñceṅkatirmālaiyuñcaṅkatir ve-

⟨10⟩ laittol peruṅkāval palapaḻa¿n=ti?vuñce(ru)-

⟨11⟩ viṟcinavil Irupattorukālaraicukaḷai kaṭṭa parac¿i?rāman

⟨12⟩ mevaruñc(ā)n=timatt¿i?varaṇ karuti Iruttiya cemp(oṟ)ṟiru-

⟨13⟩ ttaku muṭiyum payaṅkoṭu paḻi mika (mu)ca(ṅ)kiyil (mu)tukiṭṭoḷitta

⟨14⟩ cayaciṅkaṉ Aḷapperum pukaḻoṭu (pī)ṭi Ilaṭṭapāṭi Eḻarai Ilak=kamuna(va)-

⟨15⟩ neti(k)ku(la)ppe(ru)malaikaḷumāpp(eru)n=taṇ(ṭā)ṟkoṇ(ṭa) kopparakesari(pa)-

⟨16⟩ nmarā⟨ṉa⟩ śrī(rā)jentracoḻadevarkku yāṇṭu 9tāvatu jayaṅkoṇṭac(o)-

⟨17⟩ ḻamaṇṭala(t)tu perumpāṇappāṭittūynāṭṭu meṟpāṭiyāna rāj(ā)śra⟨ya⟩-

⟨18⟩ purattu tiru(va)ṟiñc¿i?śva¿ra?mmuṭaiya mah¿a?devar maṭamuṭaiya Ilakuḷ¿i?(śva)-

⟨19⟩ rapaṇṭitar kanmikaḷuk=ku Ittevarāṭu toṇṇūṟu kaiykk(o)ṇ(ṭu)

⟨20⟩ tirunan=tāviḷakku Onṟinukku Erikka neyyaṭṭuvatāka (Iv)vūriruk=kumi(ṭ)ai-

⟨21⟩ (ya)n Eṟaṉ cātta(nu)k=ku Ivvūrirukkum Iṭaiyan kalli kuṭṭeṟanum pu-

⟨22⟩ ṉṉai ciṅkanum Eṇi kaṅkātaranum vāṇan co(m)ā(ta)⟨ṉu⟩n=taṇṭanāṉai(yu)-

⟨23⟩ m nampi cātevanu⟨m⟩ Ayiti kāṭāṭi⟨yu⟩m nampi tiṇaiyanum nampi paṉṟiyu-

⟨24⟩ m vāṇan puḷiya(nu)⟨m⟩ Āka Ivvaṉaivomoṭṭippuṇaippaṭṭa paricāvatu [|] I-

⟨25⟩ ṭaiyaneṟaṉ cāttaṉaikkoṇṭu tirunan=tāviḷak=koṉṟinukku rā(ca)ke-

⟨26⟩ cariyāl nicatam Uḻakku n(e)yyaṭ(ṭu)vippatākavum [|] (I)vaṉ cāvilum (po)ki-

⟨27⟩ lum ciṟai taḷai caṅkili pukilum Ivvaṉaivo(mu)ṉpu (ni)ṉṟome ca-

⟨28⟩ n=tirātittavaṟ ti(ru)viḷak=kerik=ka neyaṭṭuvatāka puṇaippaṭṭom Ivvaṉaivom [|]

⟨29⟩ Ivarka(ḷ) veṇṭa(v)eḻutineṉ I⟨n⟩nakarakkaraṇattān poṉṉāli (A)ṟu-

⟨30⟩ pattiruvaneṉ Eḻuttu ∥⁓ rācāśra(ya)purattu viyāpāri Am(mu)ri (I)ḷa(m)peru-

⟨31⟩ n=ti [∥]

Translation by Hultzsch 1899

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 9th year (of the reign) of king Parakēsarivarman, alias Śrī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva, who,—in (his) life of high prosperity, while Fortune, having become constant, was increasing, (and) while the goddess of the great earth, the goddess of victory in battle, and the matchless goddess of fame rejoiced to have become his great queens,—conquered with (his) very great army Iḍaituṟai-nāḍu; Vanavāśi, whose warriors (were protected by) walls of continuous forests; Koḷḷippākkai, whose walls were surrounded by śuḷḷi (trees); the camp of Maṇṇai,2 whose fortifications were unapproachable; the crown of the king of Īḻam, (who was as impetuous as) the sea in fighting; the exceedingly beautiful crowns of the queens of that (king); the crown of Sundara and the pearl necklace of Indra, which the king of the South (i.e. the Pāṇḍya) had previously given up to that (king of Īḻam); the whole Īḻa-maṇḍalam on the transparent sea; the crown praised by many and the garland of the Sun, family-treasures which the arrow-shooting (king of) Kēraḷa rightfully wore; many ancient islands, whose old and great guard was the sea which resounds with conches; the crown of pure gold, worthy of Lakshmī, which Paraśurāma, having considered the fortifications of Śāndimattīvu impregnable, had deposited (there), when, in anger, (he) bound the kings twenty-one times in battle; the seven and a half lakshas of Ilaṭṭa-pāḍi, (through the conquest of whose) throne3 immeasurable fame arose, (and which he took from) Jayasiṁha, who, out of fear (and) full of vengeance, turned his back at Muśaṅgi and hid himself; and the principal great mountains (which contained) the nine treasures (of Kuvēra);—before the Pūjāri (kaṉmigaḷ) Lakuḷīśvara-Paṇḍita, (the head) of the Maṭha of (the god) Mahādēva of the holy Aṟiñjīśvara (temple) in Mēṟpāḍi, alias Rājāśrayapuram, (a city) in Tūy-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Perumbāṇa-pāḍi in Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam,—we, all the following shepherds of this village: Kalli Kuṭṭēṟaṉ, Puṉṉai Śiṅgaṉ (i.e. Siṁha), Ēṇi Gaṅgādharaṉ,4 Vāṇaṉ Śō[m]ā[da]ṉ (i.e. Sōmanātha), Taṇḍaṉ Āṉai, Nambi Śādēvaṉ (i.e. Sahadēva), Ayidi Kāḍāḍi, Nambi Tiṇaiyaṉ, Nambi Paṉṟi and Vāṇaṉ Puḷiyaṉ, agreed to become security for Ēṟaṉ Śāttaṉ, a shepherd of this village, (who) had received ninety ewes of this temple, in order to supply ghee for burning one perpetual lamp.

(L. 24.) (We) shall cause the shepherd Ēṟaṉ Śāttaṉ to supply daily to one perpetual lamp (one) uḻakku of ghee, (measured) by the Rājakēsari.

(L. 26.) If he dies, absconds, or gets into prison, fetters (or) chains, we, all these aforesaid persons, are bound to supply ghee for burning the holy lamp as long as the moon and the sun endure.

(L. 29.) At the desire of these persons, I, the accountant of this city, Poṉṉāli Aṟubattiruvaṉ, wrote (this). (This is) my writing.

(L. 30.) (The signature of) Am[mu]ri [I]ḷa[m]-Perundi, a merchant (vyāpārin) of Rājāśrayapuram.

Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 3.18 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 27–29, item 18.

Notes

  1. 1. Ep. Ind. Vol. I. p. 273 ff.

  2. 2. See Mr. Rice’s Epigraphia Carnataca, Part 1. p. 10 of the Introduction.

  3. 3. pīṭi is perhaps the Sanskrit pīṭhī.

  4. 4. The same person is mentioned in line 16 of No. 17.