SII 3.47: original edition by Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch

Alternative title: “No. 47.—ON THE WEST WALL OF THE BILVANATHESVARA SHRINE.”

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: This inscription and No. 48 are written continuously, the first few words of No. 48 occupying the end of line 4 of No. 47. At the beginning of No. 47 it is stated that both inscriptions are copies of earlier stone inscriptions, and that these copies were made when the central shrine of the temple was pulled down. This is the reason why the alphabets of Nos. 47 and 48 are more developed than that of No. 46, though No. 46 records a grant by a queen of the same king as Nos. 47 and 48. In No. 47 she bears the title Vāṇamahādēvī, i.e. ‘the great queen of the Bāṇa (king).’ As the queen mentioned in No. 46, she is stated to have been the consort of the Bāṇa king Vāṇavidyādhara. She was the daughter of Pratipati-Araiyar, the son of Śivamahārāja-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ, who had the surnames Śrīnātha and Kokuṉi.1 This word is a variant or a corruption of Koṅguṇi, the title of the Western Gaṅga kings,2 and the name Pratipati is a corruption or, more probably, a misreading of the copyist for Pṛithvīpati. Hence I would identify Pratipati, the son of Śivamahārāja, with the Western Gaṅga king Pṛithivīpati I., who was the son of Śivamāra3 and the contemporary of the Rāshṭrakūṭa king Amōghavarsha I.4 and of the Gaṅga-Pallava king Vijaya-Nṛipatuṅgavikramavarman.5 The name of the residence of Śivamahārāja was Kuṇilapura according to No. 47, and Nipuṇilapura according to No. 48. Both forms of the word are clearly misreadings of the engraver for Kuvaḷālapura, the modern Kōlār, which was the traditional capital of the Gaṅga family.6

The Udayēndiram plates of Vikramāditya II. mention a Bāṇa chief named Bāṇavidyādhara. This person must be distinct from the Vāṇavidyādhara of the subjoined inscription, because he stood two generations before Vikramāditya I., the contemporary of Vijaya-Nandivikramavarman7 and consequently of Amōghavarsha I.,8 while Vāṇavidyādhara was the son-in-law of Pṛithivīpati I., another contemporary of Amōghavarsha I. An inscription at Gūlgānpode opens with a Sanskrit verse which attributes to the Bāṇa king Vikramāditya-Jayamēru the surname of Bāṇavidyādhara.9 Dr. Fleet10 proposes to identify this Vikramāditya with the Vikramāditya I. of the Udayēndiram plates and with the Vāṇavidyādhara of the subjoined inscription. This identification would suit the fact that Vāṇavidyādhara’s queen was the daughter of Pṛithivīpati I.

Language: Tamil (tam).

Version: (7b9d724), last modified (34cc984).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī [||] śrīvimāṉam I(ḻi)ttuvataṟ(ku) mu(ṉ)puḷḷa (ci)lālekaippaṭiy [||] sakalajaga⟨t⟩(tra)yā¿d?iva(ndi)tasurāsurā(dhī)śaparameśvarapratihārīk¿a?mahā¿va?likulo⟨d⟩(bha)vavāṇavidyādha⟨ra⟩rāyarāṉa vāṇarāyar mahādeviyār ko¿ku?¿ṉ?idha⟨r⟩mmamahārāja(ku)(ṇi)lapurapara-

⟨2⟩ meśvararāṉa śrī{ri}nāthaśrīma¿naśi?vamahārājapperumāṉaṭikaḷ makaṉ(ār) pratipatiArai(ya)r ma(kaḷ)ār vāṇamahādeviyār tīk=kālipperumāṉaṭikaḷuk=ku non=tāviḷak=ku Oṉṟiṉuk=ku Itt¿ik=k?ālivallattu sabhaiyārk=kuk=kuṭutta ce-

⟨3⟩ mpoṉ Irupatiṉ kaḻa(ñ)cu [|] Ippoṉṉuk=kuppoliyūṭṭu nicatam Uriy ney Oruviḷak=kuk=ku Aṭṭuvomāṉom sabhaiyom [|] Iṉṉey can¿t?rādi¿t=t?avaṟ muṭṭāmai Aṭṭuvomāṉom [|] muṭṭil panmāhēśvarare nicati Ai¿ñ?kaḻañcu poṉ manṟavoṭṭik=kuṭuttom [|]

⟨4⟩ Ittaṇṭappaṭṭum ney muṭṭāmai Aṭṭuvomānom sabhaiyom [|] Itaṉṟeṉṟom geṅgaiyiṭaik=kumariyiṭaicceytār ce⟨y⟩ta pāvaṅkoḷvār [|] Iddhanmmam panmāheśvararakṣai [|] Iddha⟨r⟩mmam rakṣittāraṭiyeṉ muṭi melaṉa ||௳

Translation by Hultzsch 1899

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! (The following is) a copy of a stone inscription which existed before the sacred vimāna (i.e. the central shrine) had been pulled down.

Vāṇamahādēvī,—the daughter of Pratipati-Araiyar, the son of Ko[ṅg]u[ṇ]i, the righteous Mahārāja, the supreme lord of Kuṇilapura,11 alias Śrīnātha, the glorious Śivamahārāja-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ, (and) the great queen of Vāṇavidyādha[ra]rāya, alias Vāṇarāya, born from the family of Mahābali, who had been made door-keeper by the lord of gods and demons, Paramēśvara (Śiva), who is worshipped in all the three worlds,— gave to the members of the assembly of this Tīkkāli-Vallam twenty kaḻañju of pure gold for (maintaining) one perpetual lamp before (the god) Tīkkāli-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ.

(L. 3.) (As) interest on this gold, we, the assembly, shall have to supply (one) uri of ghee per day for one lamp. This ghee we shall have to supply without fail as long as the moon and the sun exist. If (we) fail (to do so), we agree that all the Māhēśvaras (among us) shall pay as fine five kaḻañju of gold per day. Though fined thus, we, the assembly, shall (continue) to supply the ghee without fail. Those of us, who say that this is not (so), shall incur (all) the sins committed between the Gaṅgā and Kumari.

(L. 4.) “This charity (is placed under) the protection of all Māhēśvaras. The feet of those who protect this charity, (shall be) on my head.”

Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 3.47 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 98–100, item 47.

Notes

  1. 1. In No. 48, text line 2, this word appears as Goguṉidha[r]ma, evidently a misreading of the copyist for Koṅguṇivarman.

  2. 2. See Ep. Ind. Vol. III. p. 164, note 3.

  3. 3. This name is perhaps a corruption of Śivamārāja, the Tamil form of Śivamahārāja.

  4. 4. Above, Vol. II. p. 380 f.

  5. 5. Ep. Ind. Vol. IV. p. 182.

  6. 6. See above, Vol. II. p. 380, note 7, and Ep. Ind. Vol. IV. p. 200, note 1.

  7. 7. See page 90 above.

  8. 8. See page 92 above.

  9. 9. Ind. Ant. Vol. X. p. 39, No. II.

  10. 10. I am again quoting from a manuscript which he has kindly sent to me; see above, p. 92, note 8.

  11. 11. This is a mistake of the copyist for Kuvaḷālapura; see p. 99 above.