SII 3.73: original edition by Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch

Alternative title: “VI.—INSCRIPTIONS OF KULOTTUNGA-CHOLA I. No. 73.—INSCRIPTION AT CHOLAPURAM.”

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: The inscriptions of Kulōttuṅga I. inform us that he conquered and colonized Kōṭṭāṟu.1 This ancient town now belongs to the Travancore State and is situated about 10 miles north of Cape Comorin and near the British Post Office. “Nagercoil.” A temple named Chōḷēśvara is now included in a quarter of Nagercoil which bears the name Chōḷapuram, while according to the subjoined inscription it belonged to Kōṭṭāṟu itself. The inscription (No. 31 of 1896) is engraved on the north, west and south walls of the first prākāra of this temple.

The date is the 180th day of the [30]th year of the reign of Kulōttuṅga I. The historical introduction agrees on the whole with that of No. 72. But, among the queens, Dīnachintāmaṇi is omitted and Tyāgavallī mentioned in the first place. Hence it may be concluded that Dīnachintāmaṇi died between the 26th and 30th years of the king’s reign.2

The inscription records that Kulōttuṅga I. himself, while staying in his palace at Kāñchipuram, granted to the temple the village of Āndāyakkuḍi, which received the new name Rājēndra-Śōḻa-nallūr. The temple itself, we are told, was built by one of the king’s officers and named Rājēndra-Śōḻa-Īśvara. Both this name and the new name of the village granted must have been chosen with reference either to Rājēndra-Chōḷa II.,3 the name which Kulōttuṅga I. bore during the first few years of his reign, or to Rājēndra-Chōḷa I., the name of his maternal grandfather. Kōṭṭāṟu had the surname Mummuḍi-Śōḻa-nallūr4 and belonged to Nāñji-nāḍu,5 a subdivision of Uttama-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu, a district of Rājarāja-Pāṇḍi-nāḍu.6

The inscription is incomplete at the end, and lines 5 and 6 are so much damaged that they cannot be published. They contain a detailed description of the boundaries of the village granted and mention the villages of Aḻagiya-Pāṇḍiyapuram (ll. 4 and 6), Śivīndiram,7 Tarumapuram, Irāśak[ka]maṅgalam (l. 5), Śillūr, and the temple of Maṇivaṇṇīśvara (l. 6).

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

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

Identifier: DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0073.

File path: SII03/DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0073.xml.

Version: (aa17590), last modified (d2e052d).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī [∥] puka(ḻ) cūḻnta puṇari Akaḻ cū(ḻ)n=ta puviyiṟa(p)po(ṉ)ṉemiyaḷavu(nta)ṉ(ṉ)emi naṭappa viḷa(ṅ)ku (ja)yamakaḷai Iḷaṅkopparuvattuccakkarakoṭṭattu vi(k)ki(ra)mattoḻilā(ṟpu)tumaṇam puṇarntu mat¿u?var(aiyī)ṭṭam (va)yirākarattu (v)āri Ayilmu⟨ṉai⟩kkunta(ḷava)raica(r) ta(n ta)ḷamiri [*********] (niṟutti) vaṭa(ti)cai vākai (cū)ṭi(t)te(ṉ)ṟicai(t)t(e)marukamalappūmakaḷ p¿an=tu?mai(yu)m poṉṉiyāṭai naṉṉi(lappāv)ai(taṉim)m(ai)yun(ta)vir¿u? van(tu puṉita)¿ṟ?(ti)rumaṇi(maku)ṭa(m) Urimaiyiṟcūṭi(ttaṉ)ṉaṭi(yi)raṇṭuntaṭamuṭiyākattonnila(v)e(n=ta)r (cūṭa) mu(ṉ)ṉai (maṉuvāṟu pe)rukakkali(y)āṟu (vaṟuppac)ceṅkol ticait(o)ṟu(ñc)ella v(e)ṇkuṭai I(runila)vaḷā(ka)m ¿(v)eṇ?kaṇuntaṉātu tiru(niḻa)l(ā) veṇ(ṇi)lā(t)tikaḻa Orutaṉi meruviṟ(pu)li viḷaiyāṭa vā(rka)ṭaṟ(ṟī)pā(n)tarat(tu)ppūpar (ti)ṟai (vi)ṭu(tanta kalañ)co(ri kaḷi)ṟu (mu)[ṟ](ai) [niṟpa vi](laṅkiya) teṉ(ṉavaṉ karunta)lai (pa)ru(ntalaittiṭattaṉ) p(oṉṉa)ka(r puṟattiṭaikki)ṭappa (Iṉaṉā)ḷ (pi)ṟ(kula)p(piṟai po)l niṟpiḻ(ai)y¿(om)e?(ṉuñ)coll(eti)r k(o)ṭiṟṟalla(tu taṉ) kai villetir ko(ṭ)ā veḷpula(t)taracu Aḷattiyiliṭ(ṭa kaḷiṟṟ)¿(aḷ)?(a){t}(tī)ṭṭa(mu)m paṭ(ṭa) ve(em)pa(riyum vi)ṭ(ṭa taṉ māṉamuṅkūṟiṉa) v¿i?(ramu)ṅkiṭappa Eṟiṉa malai(kaḷumutuku) ne(ḷi)ppa (I)ḻinta (na)ti(ka)ḷuñc¿ū?ḻaṉṟuṭainto-

⟨2⟩ ṭa viḻunta kaṭalkaḷu(n)talaivirittalamarakkuṭati(c)aittaṉṉāḷukanta tā(ṉu)n(t)āṉaiyum paṉṉāḷiṭṭa (pa)la(pa)la mu(tuku)m paya(t)te(ti)r m(āṟi)ya (ja)yapperu(n)tiruvum pa(ḻi)yukantu kuṭut(ta) pukaḻ¿uñ?celviyum vāḷāro(ṇ)kaṇ ma(ṭa)ntaiyar¿i?ṭṭa(mum) m¿i?ḷātu (ku)ṭutta veṅ(ka)ri niraiyuṅkaṅkamaṇṭalamu(ṅ)koṅkaṇatecamum (p)āṇiyi(ra)ṇṭum Oruvic(aik)kaikkoṇ⟨ṭīṇ⟩ṭiya pu(ka)¿ḷ?oṭu pāṇṭimaṇṭalamuṅkoḷḷat(ti)ruvuḷḷat(ta)ṭaittu veḷḷavaruparit(ta)raṅka(mum) p(o)ru(ka)rikkalaṅ(ka)ḷuntantira(v)āri(yumu)ṭaittā(y va)ntu vaṭakaṭal teṉkaṭal (paṭa)rva(tu) pola(tta)ṉ (p)eru(ñ)ce(ṉai) Evippañcavarai(var) p(o)ru(ta) (m)o(y)ka(ḷat)tañci veru neḷit(t)oṭi (A)ra(ṇ)e(ṉappu)kka kāṭaṟa(t)tuṭai(ttu nāṭṭaṭipaṭut)tu maṟṟa(var)tam(mai) vaṉacara(r) tiriyum p(o)cc(ai) veñcu(ram)eṟṟikkoṟṟavijaiyastampam ¿(A)?tticaitoṟu(m) niṟutta mut(ti)ṉ cilā(pa)mum muttamiṭ¿(pati)?yi¿(ṉum)? ma[ttaveṅkari] (pa)ṭum maiy(ya)c(c)ai(yyamuṅ)ka(ṉ)ṉi(yu)ṅ(k)aukk(oṇṭaruḷitteṉṉā)ṭ(ṭ)¿(al)?(ai) kāṭṭi(y) k¿aṭal?(malain)¿(a)?(ṭ)ṭu¿ḷaṉ?a cāveṟellā(n)ta(ṉi) vi(cu)mpeṟa m(ā)v(e)ṟiya (ta)ṉ var¿u?t¿a?ṉi(ttalai)varai(k)kuṟukalar kulaiyakak(o)ṭṭāṟuṭpaṭa (n)eṟit(o)ṟunilaika(ḷi)ṭṭaru(ḷi)ttiṟal koḷāramu(ntiru)ppuyatta(la)ṅkaḷu(m) pol v¿i?ramun(tiy)ākamu(m) vi(ḷa)ṅkappār toḻacciva(ṉi)ṭat(tu)-

⟨3⟩ ⟨mai⟩yeṉat(ti)yākavalli Ava(ṉi)muḻutuṭaiyāḷiruppa Avaṉuṭaṉ kaṅkai v¿i?ṟṟirunteṉa (ma)ṅkaiyar tilata(m) Eḻicaivalla(pi) E(ḻula)kuṭai(y)ā(ḷ v)āḻiya malarn(ti)ṉitiruppa Ūḻiyu(m) Avaṉimuḻu(tu)ṭaiyāḷoṭum vīrasiṁhāsaṉattu ⟨vī⟩ṟṟiru(n)taruḷiṉa k(o)virājakecari(panma)rāṉa cakkaravarttikaḷ (śrī)kulo(t)tuṅ(ka)co(ḻat)evar k(ā)ñcipu(rat)tu(kkoyiliṉuḷ)ḷ(ā)l A(ṭṭa)tatu ve(ḷa)m(e)laimaṇṭa(pa)m rājentiracoḻa(ṉi)l coṭṭai(yi)l E(ḻu)n(ta)ru(ḷiyi)runtu rājarājapp(ā)ṇ(ṭi)nāṭṭu Uttamac(o)ḻa(va)ḷan(āṭ)ṭu (n)āñcināṭṭuk(koṭṭ)āṟā(ṉa mu)mmuṭico(ḻa)nal(lū)ril c(o)ḻa(ma)ṇṭalattu maṇṇināṭṭu muḻaiyūruṭaiyāṉ Araiyaṉ maturāntakaṉāṉa kulottuṅ(ka)coḻakkeraḷarā(ja)ṉ Eṭuppitta IrācentiracoḻaĪśvaramuṭaiya mahā(devar)kku Innāṭṭu Āntāyakku(ṭik)ku kāṇikka(ṭaṉ kācu Eḻupat)toṉpa(tukku)m (n)ellu muṉṉūṟṟirupattu nāṟkalattuk(ku)m (I)rājentracoḻatevaṟku Eṟiṉavāṇṭu Eḻāvatu cela(vi)ṉ paṭi Iṟai kaṭṭiṉa māṭai nāṟpatta(ñ)caraiye mummāvaraiyum yāṇ(ṭu) (3 10) tāvatu mutal Itteva(ṟ)ku veṇ⟨⟨ṭu⟩⟩(niva)ntaṅkaḷukku Iṟuppatāka Ivvū-

⟨4⟩ r muṉ (pi)yar tavirntu I(r)ājentracoḻana(l)lūreṉṉum piyarāl Ūrkkaḻañcu kumarakkaccāṇamu(mī)ṉpāṭṭamu⟨m⟩ taṟiyi(ṟai ta)ṭṭ(ār)ppāṭṭamu(m)āṭaikkū(liyun=ta)ca(van=ta)ṅk(ā)laḷa(vu)kū(li)yum Uḷḷiṭṭa pāṭṭaṅka(ḷum) Antarāyamum cilaku(ṭi)maiyum U(ṭpaṭa) yāṇṭu muppa(t)āvatu mutal tevatā(ṉa)Iṟai(yi)liyāka variyili(ṭa)t(ti)ruvāy mo(ḻi)ntaru(ḷi)ṉāreṉṟu tiru(ma)nti(ra)volai keraḷāntakappallavaraya(ṉ) Eḻuttiṉāl pukunta ti(ru)vāy(k)keḻvi(p)pa(ṭi pu)ra(vari)tiṇaikkaḷanāyakam Arumo(ḻi)tevava(ḷa)nāṭṭu nākaṉkuṭai(y)āṉ pañcaneti tirukkaṇṇapuramuṭaiyāṉum mullūr kiḻavaṉ veḷāṉ kumaraṉāṉa kuvalaiyacun=taram¿u?ven=taveḷāṉum puravariti(ṇai)kka(ḷa)ttu mukaveṭ(ṭi I)rācacun(ta)ravaḷanāṭṭu Ampa(r)nāṭṭu Aṇṭakkuṭaiyāṉ n¿a?rāyaṇaṉ (ti)ruc(ci)ṟṟam(pala)muṭai(yā)ṉu(m) ku [*] (lūruṭaiy)ā(ṉ) Ar(ai)yaṉ kuṭit(ā)ṅ(kiy)ā(ṉa I)r(ā)jan¿a?rāya(ṇamū)ve(ntaveḷāṉum Iru)n(tu y)ā(ṇṭu) [****] vatu nāḷ nūṟṟeṇpatiṉāl tevatāṉa Iṟai(yili)yāka va(riyili)ṭṭatu [|] Ivvūr k(o)ṉ Irācarā(caṉ) Ā(ṉa) (o)(k)olottuṅkac(o)ḻa(n)āñ(ci)nāṭuṭ(aiyā)⟨ṉ⟩ Ivvūrkku(c)camai(n)t¿u? perunāṉkellai (AṟaiOlai) [|] cey(ta) A(ṟ)aiOlaippa(ṭi) I(ta)ṟku kīḻpā(ṟke)llai (A)ḻa(ki)yapā(ṇṭiya)purattukku-

⟨5⟩ (p)p(o)ṉa (va)ḻik(ku) meṟku(m) [********]

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ puṇarntu • The two letters val (?) are engraved below ṇarn. Many other indistinct letters are written below the subsequent portion of the same line. — ⟨1⟩ (ta)ḷamiri • Here a number of letters seem to have been omitted by the engraver. There is no break in the corresponding portion of the second line.

⟨3⟩ veṇṭu • The ṭu of veṇṭu is entered below the ṇ.

Translation by Hultzsch 1903

[The historical introduction is the same as in No. 69, with the following differences.]

(Line 12 f. of No. 69.) For “Vikkalaṉ” No. 73 substitutes “Vēḷpulattaraśu.”8

(L. 13 f. of No. 69.) “At Aḷatti there were lying low herds of elephants abandoned (by him), the dead (bodies of his) fiery horses, his lost pride and (his) boasted valour.”

(L. 16 of No. 69.) “(The Chōḷa king) seized simultaneously the two countries (called) Gaṅga-maṇḍalam and Koṅgaṇa-dēśam,9 troops of furious elephants,” etc.

[Instead of the passage in line 4 f. of No. 72, which was translated on page 158 above, No. 73 reads:] “(He) was pleased to take his seat on the throne of heroes for life-time with the mistress of the whole earth, while (his) valour and liberality shone like (his) necklace acquired in warfare and (like) the flower-garland on (his) royal shoulders; while (all men on) earth worshipped (him); while the mistress of the whole earth, Tyāgavallī, was present, as Umā near Śiva; (and) while the mistress of the seven worlds, Ēḻiśai-Vallabhī,—may she prosper !—the ornament of women, was pleasantly and joyfully seated, as Gaṅgā takes her seat with him (viz. Śiva).”

(L. 3.) While this king Rājakēsarivarman, alias the emperor Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva, was graciously seated on the śoṭṭai (?) in the white (?) maṇḍapa (called after) Rājēndra-Śōḻaṉ in the west of the octangular (court ?) within the royal palace at Kāñchipuram,10 he was pleased to order as follows:—“To (the god) Mahādēva (of the temple) of Rājēndra-Śōḻa-Īśvara, which Araiyaṉ Madurāntakaṉ, alias Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-Kēraḷarājaṉ, the lord of Muḻaiyūr in Maṇṇi-nāḍu,11 (a district) of Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, had caused to be built at Kōṭṭāṟu, alias) Mummuḍi-Śōḻa-nallūr, in Nāñji-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Uttama-Śōḻa-vaḷanāḍu, (a district) of Rājarāja-Pāṇḍi-nāḍu, shall be paid, for the expenses required by this god, from the [30]th year (of my reign) forty-five and a half, three twentieths and one fortieth māḍai12 ) by (the village of) Āndāyakkuḍi in the same nāḍu). According to (the settlement of) payments (that had taken place) in the seventh year after the accession of Rājēndra-Śōḻadēva,13 (this) tax was paid instead of the (original) land-tax of seventy-nine kāśu and three hundred and twenty-four kalam of paddy. The previous name of this village having been cancelled and the name of Rājēndra-Śōḻa-nallūr (having been substituted), let it be entered in the revenue-register (vari)14 as a tax-free dēvadāna from the thirtieth year (of my reign), including rents, internal revenue,15 and small rights, such as ūr-kaḻañju, kumara-kachchāṇam, the fishing-rent,16 the tax on looms,17 the rent of the goldsmiths,18 māḍai-kūli, daśavandam19 and kāl-aḷavu-kūli.”

(L. 4.) In accordance with this royal order, received with the signature of the royal secretary, Kēraḷāntaka-Pallavarayaṉ, it was entered in the revenue-register as a taxfree dēvadāna on the one-hundred-and-eightieth day of the . . . . . th year (of the king’s reign) in the presence of the Puravaritiṇaikkaḷa-nāyagam20 Pañchanedi Tirukkaṇṇapuram-Uḍaiyāṉ, the lord of Nāgaṉgu[ḍi] in Arumoḻidēva-vaḷanāḍu; Vēḷāṉ Kumaraṉ, alias Kuvalayasundara-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, the headman of Mullūr; the Puravaritiṇaikkaḷattu-Mugaveṭṭi21 N[ā]rāyaṇaṉ Tiruchchiṟṟambalam-Uḍaiyāṉ, the lord of Aṇḍakku[ḍi] in Ambar-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Rājasundaravaḷanāḍu; and Araiyaṉ Kuḍitāṅgi, alias Rājan[ā]rāyaṇa-Mūvēndavēḷāṉ, the lord of Ku . . [lūr]. The chief (kōṉ) of this village, Rājarājaṉ, alias Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻa-Nāñjināḍ-Uḍaiyā[ṉ], (drew up) a document specifying22 the four great boundaries of this village. According to the document drawn up (by him), the eastern boundary of this (village is) to the west of the road leading to Aḻagiya-Pāṇḍiyapuram. . . . . . . . . .

Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 3.73 by Hultzsch 1903 converted to DHARMA conventions by Emmanuel Francis.

Primary

[SII] Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1903. South-Indian inscriptions. Volume III: Miscellaneous inscriptions from the Tamil country. Part II: Inscriptions of Virarajendra I., Kulottunga-chola I., Vikrama-chola and Kulottunga III. South Indian Inscriptions 3.2. Madras: Government Press. Pages 159–163, item 73.

Notes

  1. 1. See page 144 above.

  2. 2. A mutilated inscription in the Lakshmīnarasiṁhasvāmin temple at Siṁhāchalam in the Vizagapatam tāluka (No. 363 of 1899) opens with the same introduction as No. 73. The name of the king and the year of his reign are lost. The first line of the inscription contains a Śaka date, the first two figures of which are 1000 and 20, while the unit is obliterated.

  3. 3. See page 132 above.

  4. 4. This designation is derived from a surname of the Chōḷa king Rājarāja I.; see p. 29 above.

  5. 5. Śuchīndram near Cape Comorin was included in the same nāḍu; Ep. Ind. Vol. V. pp. 43, 44, 45 and 46.

  6. 6. This is an abridged form of “Pāṇḍi-nāḍu, alias Rājarāja-maṇḍalam,” on which see above, Vol. II. p. 149 and note 7.

  7. 7. This is the ancient name of the present Śuchindram between Kōṭṭāṟu and Cope Comorin; Ep. Ind. Vol. V. p. 41 ff.

  8. 8. According to the Dictionnaire Tamoul-Français, vēḷpulavaracar is the same as caḷukkaiyā, ‘the Chalukya kings.’ The word means literally ‘the kings of the region of Vēḷ (Skanda or Kāma ?).’ Instead of Vēlpulattaraśu No. 75 reads Vēḻakulattara[śu*], ‘the king of the elephant family.’

  9. 9. Instead of this all other inscriptions, both earlier and later ones, read Śiṅgaṇam.

  10. 10. Similar detailed descriptions of the place in which the Chōḷa king was seated at the time of a grant occur in Vol. II. No. 1, l. 5 f; No. 20, l. 12 f.; Vol. III. No. 9, l. 3 f.; No. 20, l. 11 f.; No. 65, l. 3; in the large Leyden grant, l. 116 f.; and in the small Leyden grant, l. 4 f.

  11. 11. In the time of Rājarāja I. Maṇṇi-nāḍu formed a subdivision of the district of Rājēndrasiṁha-vaḷanāḍu; above, Vol. II. pp. 125, 324 and 336. A Telugu inscription of Kulōttuṅga I. refers to Manni-nāṇḍu as a subdivision of Birudarājabhayaṁkara-valanāṇḍu; Ep. Ind. Vol. VI. p. 223.

  12. 12. See page 136 above.

  13. 13. This statement seems to refer to the reign of Rājēndra-Chōḷa I.

  14. 14. Compare page 38 above.

  15. 15. For antarāya see above, No. 57, l. 10; p. 121, note 3; and No. 61, l. 5.

  16. 16. The same three terms occur in No. 57 above, l. 8 f.

  17. 17. The same term occurs in Vol. I. No. 59, l. 6; No. 61, l. 4; No. 62, l. 16; and No. 78, l. 2.

  18. 18. See Ep. Ind. Vol. V. p. 53, note 6.

  19. 19. This term is used in Kanarese and Telugu and means ‘one tenth of the produce.’

  20. 20. Compare above, p. 117, note 10.

  21. 21. See above, p. 139, note 1.

  22. 22. Aṛai-ōlai, aṟaiyōlai or aṟavōlai occurs in the large Leyden grant (passim); in the large Tiruppuvaṇam grant (twice); in Vol. II. No. 76, l. 100; and Ep. Ind. Vol. V. No. 8, l. 22. In the two last cases it has been erconeously translated by ‘the order of the king.’