SII 3.124: original edition by H. Krishna Sastri

Alternative title: “XIV.—INSCRIPTIONS OF PARAKESARIVARMAN UTTAMA-CHOLA. No. 124.—ON THE NORTH WALL OF THE CENTRAL SHRINE IN THE MAHALINGASVAMIN TEMPLE AT TIRUVIDAIMARUDUR. No. 199 of 1907.”

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: This inscription is dated in the 4th year of Parakēsarivarman and registers that the assembly of Tiraimūr, the merchants of Tiruviḍaimarudil (the modern Tiruviḍaimarudūr), the trustees and other officers of the temple assembled in the theatrical hall of the temple and made up an account of the gifts of gold made for maintaining lamps in that temple. It is stated that the stones which bore the original inscriptions regarding these gifts were placed in underground cellars and when the temple was renovated, true copies were made of them and that from these copies the documents were re-incised on the stone walls of the renovated temple. One such gift was that made by Kāḍupaṭṭigaḷ Nandippōttaraiyar for burning a lamp called Kumaramārtāṇḍaṉ.

The acting of dramas in temples is mentioned in a Tanjore inscription of the time of Rājarāja I. The present record contains, though incidentally, an earlier reference to dramatic performances by introducing the term nāṭakacālai in line 1. The inscription gives us also an idea of how the important documents of a temple were engraved on stones and preserved in underground cellars and how when the temples had to be renovated they were copied over and re-engraved.

Kāḍupaṭṭigaḷ Nandippōttaraiyar may possibly be Nandivarman Pallavamalla of the Udayēndiram grant.¹

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

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

Identifier: DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0124.

File path: SII03/DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0124.xml.

Version: 2026-02-16 19:07 (e26532d), last modified 2026-02-06 12:39 (024d079).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī [||] kopparakesarivanmaṟk=ku yāṇṭu 4 Āvatu nāḷ (3) 100 2 10 5 ṉāl tiruviṭai(maru)til devar nāṭakacālaiye Ittevar śrīkāryyam tiruttak(kaṭa)va tiraimur sabhaiyārum tiruviṭaima(rutil) nakarattārum (tirukkp)yiluṭaiyārkaḷum teva-

⟨2⟩ rkaṇakku marutaṉ piramakuṭṭaṉum śrīkāryamārā⟨y⟩kiṉṟa pūcalāṉkuṭaiyārum Iruntu devaṟku v(ai)ytta poliyūṭṭiṉāl vaitta viḷakku Ārāynta Iṭattu Inta śrīkoyil kaṟṟaḷi (E)ṭuppataṟku muṉ poliyūṭṭuk=kup (pira)māṇa{m}māy Uḷḷa kaṟkaḷ

⟨3⟩ Ellām Aṭimaṉaik=kiḻe Iṭṭ¿i? kalliṉpaṭi Eṭuttukkoṇṭu Iṭṭamaiyil muṉpaṭi Eṭuttapaṭi māṟṟiṉaparicey tirukkaṟṟaḷimele kaṉmel veṭṭikkoḷ⟨ka⟩ (ve)ṉṟu Evak kaṉmel veṭṭiṉapaṭi kāṭupaṭṭikaḷ na⟨n⟩tippottarai-

⟨4⟩ yar kumaramā⟨r⟩ttāṇṭa{ṉ}ṉeṉaṉum viḷa⟨kki⟩ṉukku vaicca poṉ 6 10 <kaḻañcu> Ipp(o)ṉ Aṟupatiṉ kaḻaiñcum koṇ(ṭa) tiraimur cavaiy¿a?r Aṭ⟨⟨ṭakkaṭava(tā)ṉa⟩⟩ ney Uri Iṉāl viḷakku 1 Um²

Translation by Krishna Sastri 1920

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year and the [3]25th day of (the reign of) king Parakēsarivarman, there being present in the theatrical hall (nāḍayaśālai) of the god at Tiruviḍaimarudil, the assembly of Tiraimūr whose business it was to regulate the temple affairs (śrīkāryam) of this god, the merchants (nagarattār) of Tiruviḍaimarudil, the trustees of the sacred temple, the temple-accountant Marudaṉ Piramakuṭṭaṉ, and the temple manager (śrīkāryamārāygiṉṟa) Pūśalāṉkuḍaiyār, an account was made up of the lamps maintained from the interest (on money) deposited for (the benefit of) the god.

(L. 2.) All the documentary stones of (i.e., relating to) (investments on) interest (by the temple) having been copied over³ and kept as on the stones which were placed below in the underground cellars, prior to the renovation of this temple (śrīkōyil) in stone, it was ordered that in the same manner as the transferred copies were made before (from the originals) (they) may now be re-engraved on the stones of the sacred stone temple; and (the following copy) was thus engraved on the stone:—Kāḍupaṭṭigaḷ Nandippōttaraiyar gave 60 kaḻañju⁴ of gold for a lamp called Kumaramārttāṇḍaṉ. One lamp (has to be maintained) from (one) uri of ghee to be measured (daily) by the (members of the) assembly of Tiraimūr who received this sixty kaḻañju of gold.

Commentary

⟨4⟩ Uri Iṉāl viḷakku 1 Um. The inscription stops here abruptly.

Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 3.124 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 260–261, item 124.

Notes

1. See above, Vol. II, pp. 361 ff. For Kumaramārtāṇḍaṉ see p. 223 above.
2. The inscription stops here abruptly.
3. The word eḍuttukoṇḍu seems to be used here in the sense of ‘having made or taken copies from.
4. The word kaḻañju is here expressed by the symbol <kaḻañcu>.

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<title>SII 3.124: original edition by H. Krishna Sastri</title>

<title type="alt">XIV.—INSCRIPTIONS OF PARAKESARIVARMAN UTTAMA-CHOLA. No. 124.—ON THE NORTH WALL OF THE CENTRAL SHRINE IN THE MAHALINGASVAMIN TEMPLE AT TIRUVIDAIMARUDUR. No. 199 of 1907.</title>

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<p>This inscription is dated in the 4th year of <hi rend="bold">Parakēsarivarman</hi> and registers that the assembly of <hi rend="bold">Tiraimūr</hi>, the merchants of <hi rend="bold">Tiruviḍaimarudil</hi> (the modern Tiruviḍaimarudūr), the trustees and other officers of the temple assembled in the theatrical hall of the temple and made up an account of the gifts of gold made for maintaining lamps in that temple. It is stated that the stones which bore the original inscriptions regarding these gifts were placed in underground cellars and when the temple was renovated, true copies were made of them and that from these copies the documents were re-incised on the stone walls of the renovated temple. One such gift was that made by <hi rend="bold">Kāḍupaṭṭigaḷ Nandippōttaraiyar</hi> for burning a lamp called <hi rend="italic">Kumaramārtāṇḍaṉ</hi>.</p>

<p>The acting of dramas in temples is mentioned in a Tanjore inscription of the time of Rājarāja I. The present record contains, though incidentally, an earlier reference to dramatic performances by introducing the term <foreign>nāṭakacālai</foreign> in line 1. The inscription gives us also an idea of how the important documents of a temple were engraved on stones and preserved in underground cellars and how when the temples had to be renovated they were copied over and re-engraved.</p>

<p><hi rend="bold">Kāḍupaṭṭigaḷ Nandippōttaraiyar</hi> may possibly be <hi rend="bold">Nandivarman Pallavamalla</hi> of the <hi rend="bold">Udayēndiram</hi> grant.<note>See above, Vol. II, pp. 361 ff. For Kumaramārtāṇḍaṉ see p. 223 above.</note> </p>

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<lb n="1"/><hi rend="grantha">svasti śrī</hi> <supplied reason="undefined"><g type="ddanda">.</g></supplied> koppara<hi rend="grantha">kesa</hi>riva<hi rend="grantha">nma</hi>ṟk=ku yāṇṭu 4 Āvatu nāḷ <num value="325"><unclear>3</unclear> <g type="numeral">100</g> 2 <g type="numeral">10</g> 5</num> ṉāl tiruviṭai<unclear>maru</unclear>til <hi rend="grantha">de</hi>var nāṭakacālaiye Ittevar <hi rend="grantha">śrī</hi>kā<hi rend="grantha">ryya</hi>m tiruttak<unclear>kaṭa</unclear>va tiraimur <hi rend="grantha">sabhai</hi>yārum tiruviṭaima<unclear>rutil</unclear> nakarattārum <unclear>tirukkp</unclear>yiluṭaiyārkaḷum teva

<lb n="2" break="no"/>rkaṇakku marutaṉ piramakuṭṭaṉum <hi rend="grantha">śrī</hi>kāryamārā<supplied reason="omitted">y</supplied>kiṉṟa pūcalāṉkuṭaiyārum Iruntu <hi rend="grantha">de</hi>vaṟku v<unclear>ai</unclear>ytta poliyūṭṭiṉāl vaitta viḷakku Ārāynta Iṭattu Inta <hi rend="grantha">śrī</hi>koyil kaṟṟaḷi <unclear>E</unclear>ṭuppataṟku muṉ poliyūṭṭuk=kup <unclear>pira</unclear>māṇa<surplus>m</surplus>māy Uḷḷa kaṟkaḷ

<lb n="3"/>Ellām Aṭimaṉaik=kiḻe Iṭṭ<choice><sic>i</sic><corr>a</corr></choice> kalliṉpaṭi Eṭuttukkoṇṭu Iṭṭamaiyil muṉpaṭi Eṭuttapaṭi māṟṟiṉaparicey tirukkaṟṟaḷimele kaṉmel veṭṭikkoḷ<supplied reason="omitted">ka</supplied> <unclear>ve</unclear>ṉṟu Evak kaṉmel veṭṭiṉapaṭi kāṭupaṭṭikaḷ na<supplied reason="omitted">n</supplied>tippottarai

<lb n="4" break="no"/>yar kumaramā<supplied reason="omitted">r</supplied>ttāṇṭa<surplus>ṉ</surplus>ṉeṉaṉum viḷa<supplied reason="omitted">kki</supplied>ṉukku vaicca poṉ <num value="60">6 <g type="numeral">10</g></num> <g type="kaḻañcu"/> Ipp<unclear>o</unclear>ṉ Aṟupatiṉ kaḻaiñcum koṇ<unclear>ṭa</unclear> tiraimur cavaiy<choice><sic>a</sic><corr>ā</corr></choice>r Aṭ<add place="overstrike">ṭakkaṭava<unclear>tā</unclear>ṉa</add> ney Uri Iṉāl viḷakku 1 Um<note>The inscription stops here abruptly.</note>

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<p>(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4th year and the [3]25th day of (<hi rend="italic">the reign of</hi>) king <hi rend="bold">Parakēsarivarman</hi>, there being present in the theatrical hall (<hi rend="italic">nāḍayaśālai</hi>) of the god at <hi rend="bold">Tiruviḍaimarudil</hi>, the assembly of <hi rend="bold">Tiraimūr</hi> whose business it was to regulate the temple affairs (<hi rend="italic">śrīkāryam</hi>) of this god, the merchants (<hi rend="italic">nagarattār</hi>) of <hi rend="bold">Tiruviḍaimarudil</hi>, the trustees of the sacred temple, the temple-accountant <hi rend="bold">Marudaṉ Piramakuṭṭaṉ</hi>, and the temple manager (<hi rend="italic">śrīkāryamārāygiṉṟa</hi>) <hi rend="bold">Pūśalāṉkuḍaiyār</hi>, an account was made up of the lamps maintained from the interest (<hi rend="italic">on money</hi>) deposited for (<hi rend="italic">the benefit of</hi>) the god.</p>

<p>(L. 2.) All the documentary stones of (<hi rend="italic">i.e., relating to) (investments on</hi>) interest (<hi rend="italic">by the temple</hi>) having been copied over<note>The word <hi rend="italic">eḍuttukoṇḍu</hi> seems to be used here in the sense of ‘having made or taken copies from.</note> and kept as on the stones which were placed below in the underground cellars, prior to the renovation of this temple (<hi rend="italic">śrīkōyil</hi>) in stone, it was ordered that in the same manner as the transferred copies were made before (<hi rend="italic">from the originals) (they</hi>) may now be re-engraved on the stones of the sacred stone temple; and (<hi rend="italic">the following copy</hi>) was thus engraved on the stone:—<hi rend="bold">Kāḍupaṭṭigaḷ Nandippōttaraiyar</hi> gave 60 <hi rend="italic">kaḻañju</hi><note>The word <hi rend="italic">kaḻañju</hi> is here expressed by the symbol <g type="kaḻañcu"/>.</note> of gold for a lamp called <hi rend="italic">Kumaramārttāṇḍaṉ</hi>. One lamp (<hi rend="italic">has to be maintained</hi>) from (<hi rend="italic">one) uri</hi> of ghee to be measured (<hi rend="italic">daily</hi>) by the (<hi rend="italic">members of the</hi>) assembly of <hi rend="bold">Tiraimūr</hi> who received this sixty <hi rend="italic">kaḻañju</hi> of gold.</p>

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<p n="4"><foreign>Uri Iṉāl viḷakku 1 Um</foreign>. The inscription stops here abruptly.</p>

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