# SII 3.94: original edition by H. Krishna Sastri

Emmanuel Francis

Alternative title: X.—INSCRIPTIONS OF THE TIME OF RAJAKESARIVARMAN
ADITYA I. No. 94.—ON THE NORTH WALL OF THE CENTRAL SHRINE IN THE
AIRAVATESVARA TEMPLE AT NIYAMAM. No. 16 of 1899

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis

Identifier: DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0094

Repository: SII original (south-indian-inscriptions)

File path: SII_B_clean/SII03/DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0094.xml

Language: Tamil [Grantha, Tamil]

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

## Summary

The record belongs to the 24th year of the early Chōḷa king
Rājakēsarivarman and has to be assigned to Āditya I. on palaeographical
grounds. It registers a gift of gold by Aḍigaḷ Gaṇḍaṉ Māṟambāvai[1] ,
queen of Nandippōttaraiyar of the Pallavatilaka race. The fact that this
Pallava queen made a grant in the reign of the Chōḷa king suggests that
the Pallavas had been completely subdued by this time, as stated in the
Tiruvālaṅgāḍu grant and that Nandippōttaraiyar, the husband of
Māṟambāvai, was also dead.

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## Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti (śrī) [∥] (kovirāca)kecari [10+] (mā)t(e)vaṟkku ⟨2⟩ Aippikai
viṣuvum citti(rai) [10+] ku tiruva(mirtuceta)ruḷa ney pāl tayir ⟨3⟩
Aiññ(ā)ḻicce(tu)m tiruvamirtum tiru [10+] ḻākkum (pariv)āramuḷḷiṭṭut
tiruvamir⟨4⟩tarici patakku nāṉāḻiyum maṟṟun tiruvamir [4+]
(ve)ṇṭumavica(ttu)kkum Innāḷāl br¿a?⟨ā⟩hma(ṇar) ⟨5⟩
I(ru)patiṉma(ru)ṇpatākavum Ittaḷippaṇi(cey)yum māṇi(kaḷ )t(eva) [3+]
(rai)yum Ūṭṭuvatāka ⟨6⟩ v¿a?⟨ai⟩tteṉ pallavatila(kaku)lattu
nantip(po)ttaraiyar mahādeviyārāṉavaṭikaḷ kaṇṭaṉ (māṟam)⟨7⟩pāvaiyār
vaitta poṉ [3+] ṟccemmai Aiṅkaḻañcu poṉṉuṅ kaḻañciṉvāy pūvilaraikkāl ⟨8⟩
palicaiyāy vanta [3+] pūvilaraikkaḻañceyaraikkāl(p) poṉṉālum
Innāḷālippaṭi celu⟨9⟩ttuveṉāy Ippo(ṉ ko)ṇṭeṉ I(t)taḷippaṭṭuṭaiyāṉ
Īśvarakkāraṇi vāmad(d)evaṉ tiru(v)eṇkāṭaṉeṉ [∥] ⟨10⟩ Itu
paṉm¿a?⟨ā⟩heśva(rarakṣai) |||⁓

## Apparatus

⟨7⟩ [3+] ṟccemmai • Ūṟkaṟcemmai occurs in other inscriptions.

## Translation by Krishna Sastri 1920

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! . . . king Rājakēsari[varman]. . . . I,
Aḍigaḷ Gaṇḍaṉ Māṟambāvaiyār, the great queen of Nandippōttaraiyar of the
Pallavatilaka-race, deposited[2] five kaḻañju of pure gold
(ūrkaṟchemmai-poṉ)[3] . . . assigning five nāḻi of ghee, milk and curd
for sacred offerings . . . to (the god) Mahādēva (Śiva) on the
equinoxial days (Vishu) in (the months) Aippigai (Aippaśi) and Śittirai
. . . [ā]ḻākku . . . for sacred offerings and sacred . . . one padakku
and four nāḻi of rice for sacred offerings to (other gods) including the
subsidiary (deities); again for sacred offerings . . . and other
required food of the gods (aviśu), so that on those days twenty
Brāhmaṇas may take food and boys (māṇigaḷ)[4] [and the devotees]
(dēvaraḍiyār) who do service in this temple may be fed.

(L. 7.) And I, Īśvarakkāraṇi Vāmadēvaṉ Tiruveṇkāḍaṉ, the priest
(paṭṭuḍaiyāṉ) of this temple, received the gold (assuring the donor)
that from the gold, (viz.,) half kaḻañju and one-eighths at each
pū(crop), accruing as interest at (the rate of) one-eighth every pū
(crop) on each kaḻañju, I shall maintain (the charity) thus (described)
on these days. (This gift is placed under) the protection of (the
assembly of) all Māhēśvaras.

## Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 3.94 by Krishna Sastri 1920 converted to DHARMA
conventions by Emmanuel Francis.

### Primary

[SII] Krishna Sastri, H. 1920. South-Indian inscriptions. Volume III:
Miscellaneous inscriptions from the Tamil country. Part III:
Inscriptions of Aditya I, Parantaka I, Madiraikonda, Rajakesarivarman,
Parantaka II, Uttama-Chola, Parthivendravarman and Aditya-Karikala and
the Tiruvalangadu plates of Rajendra-Chola I. South Indian Inscriptions
3.3. Madras: Government Press. Pages 226–227, item 94.

[1] No. 13 of 1897, the first line of which is written in smaller
characters than the rest of the inscription, also mentions Māṟambāvai
making a gift of 12 kaḻañju of gold for a lamp to the goddess Piḍāri in
the temple at Niyama-Māgāḷam.

[2] vaittēṉ in line 6 and vaitta in line 7 cannot both be translated.
Either of the two must be cancelled.

[3] Literally, good gold tested by the touch-stone of the town.

[4] In Malabar, even now, the chief priest of a temple in the discharge
of his temple duties is helped by a number of boys who are generally the
students of the Vēda, i.e., brahmachārins.