# SII 3.53: original edition by Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch

Emmanuel Francis

Alternative title: V.—INSCRIPTIONS AT TIRUVALLAM. No. 53.—ON THE NORTH
WALL OF THE MAHAMANDAPA IN THE BILVANATHESVARA TEMPLE

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis

Identifier: DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0053

Repository: SII original (south-indian-inscriptions)

File path: SII_B_clean/SII03/DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0053.xml

Language: Tamil [Grantha, Tamil]

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

## Summary

This inscription consists of 21 lines and is dated in the 3rd year of
the reign of Parakēsarivarman, alias Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva (I.). It records
that the inhabitants of Vāṇapuram (ll. 9, 16 and 18), i.e.
Tiruvallam,[1] sold 1,000 kuḻi of land to Sōmanātha (ll. 6, 16, 18 and
20), (the son of) Śaṁkaradēva (l. 5 f.), whose name has been already met
with in an inscription of Rājarāja I. (No. 51). The same epithets, which
precede the name of Śaṁkaradēva’s father Tiruvaiyaṉ in No. 51, are here
prefixed to the name of Śaṁkaradēva (ll. 2 to 5), with nearly the same
mistakes in spelling.[2] A further allusion to Sōmanātha’s descent from
the Western Gaṅgas is contained in Gaṅgādēvimaṇali (l. 11), the name
which he bestwed on the land purchased by him. Besides, Śaṁkaradēva and
Sōmanātha claim to be connected with the Vaidumba family[3] (l. 5).

I do not consider it worth while to publish the text of the second half
of line 17 and of lines 18 to 21, which record that Sōmanātha assigned
the land “to the Mahādēva temple of Tiru(vai)ya-Īśvara, which the
members of our family have caused to be built on the southern side of
the temple of Tiruvallam-uḍaiyār”[4] (l. 18 f.), i.e. of the
Bilvanāthēśvara temple, and that he granted 96 sheep for the maintenance
of a lamp in the same temple (l. 20 f.). The temple of Tiruvaiya-Īśvara
has been already mentioned in No. 51.

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

## Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī [∥] kopparakecaripaṉmarāna śrīrā(j)entra⟨2⟩coḻadevaṟkku
yāṇṭu 3(ṟā)vatu
k(o)kuṇi⟨3⟩taparamadhanmamah¿a?⟨ā⟩rājanipu(ṇila)⟨4⟩(pu)ra(pa)rameśvaraśrīnā(ta)śrī(ma)t·
śi⟨5⟩(va)ma(h)ārāja(v)aiytumpa(ṉ) caṅka⟨6⟩ratevaṉ comanātaṉeṉ
(ja)ya(ṅko)⟨7⟩ṇ(ṭa)coḻamaṇṭa(la)ttuppaṭu(vū)rk⟨8⟩koṭṭattuppe(ru)mpāṇappā(ṭi)kka⟨9⟩raivaḻi
vāṇapurattu (Ū)rār pakka(l) yāṉ ⟨10⟩ vi⟨lai⟩ koṇṭu Iṟai Iḻicci yāṉuṭaiya
⟨11⟩ vi(ḷai)pūmi kaṅkātevimaṇalik(ku)kk¿i?⟨ī⟩ḻ⟨12⟩pā(ṟ)kellai teṟ(ku)
nokkippā(y)nta ma⟨13⟩ṇa(li)kkālukku me(ṟ)ku [|] teṉ(p)āṟkke⟨14⟩l(lai
ta)ccāṉ (ku)ṇṭilukkuppāyn=ta ka⟨15⟩ṇṇakkālukku vaṭakkum [|]
me(l)⟨pāṟkel⟩lai taccar kuṇṭi(li)ṟkoḻukkut(tu)kkukkiḻakkum [|]
vaṭapāṟkellai (ti)ruva(l)lamuṭaiyār ś⟨r⟩īpa(li)ppaṭṭikkuppāy(n=ta)
vāy(k)kālu⟨kku⟩tteṟkkum [|] ⟨16⟩ (I)ṉnāṟpālellaiyuḷḷakappaṭṭa nilam
Uṇ(ṇi)lamo(ḻivi)ṉṟippatiṉaṟucāṇ kolāṟkku(ḻi) Āyira⟨m⟩ Ikku⟨ḻi⟩
Ā(yi)⟨ra⟩ttukkum vāṇapurat(tu Ū)rom soma(n)ātar pakkal
(vi)laidra⟨17⟩vyamumiṟaidravyamu(m) Āvaṇakkaḷattey Aṟakkoṇṭu viṟṟu
vilaiśrāvaṇai (sa)(r)vvapariyāramākacceytu kuṭuttom [|] [10+]

## Apparatus

⟨2⟩ k(o)kuṇi⟨3⟩taparamadhanma° • Read koṁguṇivarmaparamadharma°.

⟨4⟩ śrīnā(ta)śrī(ma)t· śi⟨5⟩(va) • Read śrīnāthaśrīmacchiva.

## Translation by Hultzsch 1899

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 3rd year (of the reign) of king
Parakēsarivarman, alias Śrī-Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva,—I, Sōmanātha, (the son
of) Ko[ṅg]uṇi[varman], the very righteous Mahārāja, the supreme lord of
Nipuṇilapura,[5] Śrīnātha, the glorious Śivamahārāja, the Vaidumba
Śaṁkaradēva, purchased from the citizens of Vāṇapuram in Karaivaḻi, (a
subdivision) of Perumbāṇappāḍi, (a division) of Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam, (a
district) of Jayaṅkoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, the cultivated land (called)
Gaṅgādēvimaṇali, which I possess free of taxes.

(L. 11.) The eastern boundary of (this land is) to the west of the
Maṇalikkāl (channel), which flows to the south; the southern boundary
(is) to the north of the Kaṇṇakkāl (channel), which flows to the piece
(of land) of the carpenter; the western boundary (is) to the east of the
Koḻukkuttu (?) in the piece (of land) of the carpenters; and the
northern boundary (is) to the south of a channel which flows to the
Śrībalipaṭṭi[6] of (the god) Tiruvallamuḍaiyār.

(L. 16.) We, the citizens of Vāṇapuram, sold and gave by a deed of sale,
with all exemptions, the land enclosed within these four boundaries,
(which measures), not excluding the cultivated land,[7] one thousand
kuḻi by the rod of sixteen spans, having received from Sōmanātha the
whole of the purchase-money and the tax-money, (due) for these one
thousand kuḻi, at the very place of the sale . . . . . . . . . .

## Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 3.53 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 107–109,
item 53.

[1] See above, p. 104, note 6.

[2] Compare ibid. note 7.

[3] See p. 106 above.

[4] ti(ruval)la(mu)ṭaiy(ār) koyiliṉ teṉpakka(ttu) E(ṅ)kaḷ aṉṉuvayattār
Eṭuppi{y}tta tiru(v)¿a?⟨ai⟩yaĪśvarattu mah¿a?⟨ā⟩devarkku.

[5] This is a mistake for Kuvaḷālapura; see p. 99 above.

[6] See above, p. 106, note 2.

[7] See above, p. 104, note 4.