# SII 3.19: original edition by Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch

Emmanuel Francis

Alternative title: II.—INSCRIPTIONS AT MELPADI. No. 19.—ON THE SOUTH
WALL OF THE SOMANATHESVARA SHRINE

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis

Identifier: DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0019

Repository: SII original (south-indian-inscriptions)

File path: SII_B_clean/SII03/DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0019.xml

Language: Tamil [Grantha, Tamil]

Commit: 2026-11-14 15:07 (85a1dec), last modified 2026-09-29 11:08
(2b36d53)

## Summary

This inscription is dated in the 14th year of the reign of the Chōḷa
king Rājarāja I. and mentions the conquest of Kuḍamalai-nāḍu and of the
Śeḻiyas (i.e. Pāṇḍyas) in addition to those recorded in No. 3 of this
volume. Instead of Taḍigai-pāḍi, Taḍīga-pāḍi or Taḍiya-vaḻi[1] it reads
Taḍiya-pāḍi. The king is designated by two different names, viz.
Rājarāja-Rājakēsarivarman and Mummuḍi-Chōḷadēva. The second name means
‘the Chōḷa king (who wears) three crowns,’ viz. those of the Chōḷa,
Pāṇḍya and Chēra kingdoms.[2]

The inscription records that Īrāyiravaṉ Pallavayaṉ, a well-known officer
of Rājarāja I. and Rājēndra-Chōḷa I.,[3] made over 15 kaḻañju of gold to
the assembly of Tiruvallam,[4] who, in return, assigned 1,000 kuḻi of
land in the hamlet of Vāṇasamudram near Tiruvallam to the
Chōḷēndrasiṁhēśvara (now Sōmanāthēśvara) temple at Rājāśrayapuram (i.e.
Mēlpāḍi). This land was made over to an inhabitant of Rājāśrayapuram,
who had to supply ghee for a lamp in the temple.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī [∥] tirumakaḷ pola(p)perunilaccelviyu⟨2⟩n=tanakkeyurimai
pūṇṭamai maṉakkoḷkkarutikkān=taḷūr⟨3⟩ccālai
kalamaṟutta(ru)ḷikkaṅkapāṭiyuṉuḷampapāṭi(yu)m ⟨4⟩ taṭiyapāṭiyu⟨m⟩
veṅkaināṭuṅkuṭamalaināṭun=taṇṭāṟk(o)⟨5⟩ṇṭa taṇṇeḻil vaḷaroḷi
(c)eḻiyaraittecu ko(ṇ)ṭa ⟨6⟩ śrīmummuṭicoḻadeva(ṟ)ku ko
rājarājar(ā)jake(sa)⟨7⟩rivanmaṟkiyāṇṭu 10 4 Āvatu (pa)ṭuvūrkkoṭṭat(tu)
miy(yā)⟨8⟩ṟunāṭṭu tiruvallattu sabhaiyom coṇāṭṭu
teṉkarai(p)⟨9⟩pāmpu(ṇi)kkūṟṟattaraicūrarai(cūru)ṭaiyāṉ ¿I?⟨Ī⟩rāyirava(ṉ)
pal⟨10⟩lavayaṉāṉa mummuṭiccoḻapocaṉ pakkal nāṅ(kaḷ) ko(ṇ)ṭu ⟨11⟩ kaṭava
(p)oṉ ¿ddh?⟨dh⟩armmakaṭṭaḷaittuḷai niṟai patiṉaiṅkaḻañcu [|]
(I)⟨12⟩ppo⟨ṉ⟩ 10 5 kaḻañcukkumākattūynāṭṭirājāśr¿i?⟨a⟩(yapu)ra(ttu)
coḻe⟨13⟩ntraciṅkaī(śva)ramuṭaiya mahādevaṟku ca(ntr)ādityavat·
Orutirunan=tā⟨14⟩viḷakkerippataṟku (E)ṅkaḷ (m)elpiṭākai
vā(ṇa)samu(dra)tti(ṉ) ⟨15⟩ kīḻmañcikkamāṉa nilam ciṟṟampalattukkolāl
vaitta ⟨16⟩ kuḻiyāyiram [|]
Ivvāyiraṅkuḻiyuṅ(ko)ṇṭivvirājāśra⟨17⟩yapurattu
Arumoḻitevap(p)erun=te(ru)viṟcaṅkarappāṭi⟨18⟩yāṉ kaṇṭaṉ maṟavaṉāṉa
coḻentiraciṅkamā(yi)laṭṭiye ⟨19⟩ Ittirunan=tāviḷakkuk=ku nicatam
Uḻa(k=ku) (n)eyyaṭṭuva(ta)ṟku (I)⟨p⟩(bhūmi) ⟨20⟩ ko(ṇ)ṭu
Aṭṭu¿(n)?⟨vat⟩āka kuṭuttom sabhaiyom [|] Iddha⟨r⟩mma(m)
panmā(he)⟨21⟩śvarar rakṣai [∥]

## Translation by Hultzsch 1899

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 14th year (of the reign) of
Śrī-Mummuḍi-Śōḻadēva, (alias) king Rājarāja-Rājakēsarivarman, who, (in
his) tender youth, during which,—having formed the belief[5] that, as
well as the goddess of fortune, the goddess of the great earth had
become his wife,—(he) was pleased to destroy the ships (at)
Kāndaḷūr-Śālai and conquered by (his) army Gaṅga-pāḍi, Nuḷamba-pāḍi,
Taḍiya-pāḍi, Vēṅgai-nāḍu and Kuḍamalai-nāḍu,—deprived the Śeḻiyas, whose
lustre had been growing, of (their) splendour;—we, the assembly of
Tiruvallam in Mīyāṟu-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam, have
received fifteen kaḻañju of gold, weighed by the balance (used in the
case) of charitable ediets (dharma-kaṭṭaḷai), from Īrāyiravaṉ
Pallavayaṉ, alias Mummuḍi-Śōḻa-Pōśaṉ, the lord of Araiśūr (and a native
of) Araiśūr in Pāmbuṇi-kūṟṟam, (a subdivision) on the southern bank (of
the Kāvērī) in Śōṇāḍu.

(L. 11.) For these 15 kaḻañju of gold, (we) assigned one thousand kuḻi,
(measured) by the rod of Śiṟṟambalam,[6] of land which formed the
eastern mañjikkam[7] of Vā[ṇa]samu[dr]am, a hamlet to the west of our
(village),[8] to (the god) Mahādēva of the Śōḻēndrasiṁha-Īśvara (temple)
at Rājāśrayapuram in Tūy-nāḍu, for burning one perpetual lamp as long as
the moon and the sun endure.

(L. 16.) These one thousand kuḻi of land we, the assembly, made over
(to) Kaṇḍaṉ Maṟavaṉ, alias Śōḻendrasiṁha-Mā[yi]laṭṭi, of Śaṅkarappāḍi,
(who resides) in the high-street of Arumoḻidēva in this Rājāśrayapuram,
in order to supply to this perpetual lamp (one) uḻakku of ghee daily.

(L. 20.) This charity (is placed under) the protection of all
Māhēśvaras.

## Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 3.19 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 29–30,
item 19.

[1] See above, page 23.

[2] Compare Ep. Ind. Vol. III. p. 17, note 5.

[3] See above, p. 14 and notes 2, 3 and 4.

[4] The inscriptions at this place will be published below.

[5] See Vol. II. p. 249, note 2.

[6] This is the Tamil name of Chidambaram.

[7] The same word occurs in an inscription at Māmallapuram; see Vol. I.
p. 66, note 5.

[8] Compare above, No. 12, text line 3.