SII 12.8: original edition by V. Venkatasubba Ayyar

Alternative title: “MAHENDRAVARMAN I. No. 8. (A.R. No. 411 of 1904). TRICHINOPOLY, TRICHINOPOLY TALUK, TRICHINOPOLY DISTRICT. ON THE BEAM AND PILLARS IN THE UPPER CAVE ON ‘THE ROCK.’”

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: Of the two monolithic caves, one at the foot and the other half-way up, of ‘the rock’ at Trichinopoly, the latter alone contains inscriptions, two of which, published in South Indian Inscriptions, Vol. I, pages 29 and 30, state that the cave (upper) was constructed by Guṇabhara (i.e.) Mahēndravarman I. A verse inscription (No. 9 below) engraved on the beam over the inner row of pillars here, calls the cave ‘Laḷitāṅkura-Pallavēśvara-gṛiham’ after the title ‘Laḷitāṅkura’ of this king, which also occurs in his record at Pallāvaram. His birudas are engraved in bold Pallava-Grantha and Tamil characters on all the pillars in the upper cave at Trichinopoly. The outer wall of the sanctuary in this cave seems to have contained an inscription, but only a few letters of its first line are now visible, the rest being completely damaged. The name ‘Mahēndravikrama’ is found mentioned in the inscription on the extreme left outer pillar and most of the birudas occurring here are also found in the records of this king at Pallāvaram and other rock-cut excavations of his time. Some of these titles are unintelligible and appear to be Telugu in origin. The bottom of each of the four pillars contains a biruda in the Pallava-Tamil characters, of which only two are now clear, viz. Piṇapiṇakku and Chitti[rakāra]ppuli.

It is of interest to note that the birudas are alphabetically arranged and so engraved on the front face of the pillars. The same arrangement, though followed in the Pallāvaram inscription, is not so conspicuous there as in the present record (plates I and II).

The characters employed in the present inscriptions are of an ornate nature and provide an interesting contrast with the simpler variety of letters found in the Pallāvaram record of the same king, where almost all these birudas are repeated.

A description of the cave is found in the Memoir of the Archaeological Survey of India, No. 17, pages 13-15.

Languages: Sanskrit (san), Tamil (tam), Telugu (tel), Undetermined (und).

Version: (3992bd7), last modified (0ec4724).

Edition

Outer row of pillars in the Upper Cave.

⟨Zone A1: right pilaster⟩

⟨A1.1⟩ vañjavalava

⟨Zone A2: first pillar, top⟩

⟨A2.1⟩ sarvvabha(ṭa)

⟨Zone A3: first pillar, middle⟩

⟨A3.1⟩ taṟudaṇḍa

⟨A3.2⟩ tanumpunomi

⟨A3.3⟩ tukānu

⟨A3.4⟩ toḻpukā

⟨A3.5⟩ nityavinītaḥ

⟨A3.6⟩ nirapekṣaḥ

⟨A3.7⟩ nilvuleneyambu

⟨A3.8⟩ naihikāmutrikaḥ

⟨A3.9⟩ nivambu

⟨A3.10⟩ nayambu

⟨A3.11⟩ naṟuku

⟨A3.12⟩ narāpaśa

⟨Zone A4: first pillar, bottom⟩

⟨A4.1⟩ da [*****] ku

⟨Zone A5: second pillar, top⟩

⟨A5.1⟩ saṁkīrṇṇajātiḥ ||~

⟨Zone A6: second pillar, middle⟩

⟨A6.1⟩ virasaḥ

⟨A6.2⟩ vyavāsthataḥ

⟨A6.3⟩ vyavasāyaḥ

⟨A6.4⟩ Anityaṁrāgaḥ

⟨A6.5⟩ Anumānaḥ

⟨A6.6⟩ Avanibhājanaḥ

⟨A6.7⟩ vambu

⟨A6.8⟩ vukā

⟨A6.9⟩ (vḷā)pu

⟨Zone A7: second pillar, bottom⟩

⟨A7.1⟩ ci(tti) [**] ppu(li)

⟨Zone A8: third pillar, top⟩

⟨A8.1⟩ satyasandhaḥ |

⟨Zone A9: third pillar, middle⟩

⟨A9.1⟩ kaṭuṁkṭāyu

⟨A9.2⟩ ka(ṭu)ntarambu

⟨A9.3⟩ kaṟumpu

⟨A9.4⟩ Abhimukhaḥ

⟨A9.5⟩ Akaruṇaḥ

⟨A9.6⟩ Alavala

⟨A9.7⟩ vesātha

⟨A9.8⟩ vaṁkiṟu

⟨A9.10⟩ vaṁkaḥ

⟨Zone A10: third pillar, bottom⟩

⟨A14=0.1⟩ piṇapiṇakku

⟨Zone A11: fourth pillar, top⟩

⟨A11.1⟩ (laḷi)tāṁkuraḥ

⟨Zone A12: fourth pillar, middle⟩

⟨A12.1⟩ maṁku

⟨A12.2⟩ kaṣṭa

⟨A12.3⟩ kuṟṟambu

⟨A12.4⟩ vambara

⟨A12.5⟩ (ca)lambu

⟨A12.6⟩ kilambu

⟨A12.7⟩ mlāyu

⟨A12.8⟩ vāveṟṭi

⟨A12.9⟩ Emuku

⟨A12.10⟩ Ethi

⟨A12.11⟩ kuhakaḥ

⟨A12.12⟩ (vu)nātha

⟨Zone A13: fourth pillar, bottom⟩

⟨A13.1⟩ kucagrāṇa

⟨Zone A14: left pilaster⟩

⟨A14.1⟩ lakṣitaḥ

Inner row of pillars in the Upper cave.

⟨Zone B1: right pilaster⟩

⟨B1.1⟩ guṇabhara(ḥ)

⟨Zone B2: first pillar, top⟩

⟨B2.1⟩ Aṁkkapāsu(n)(ṟu)

⟨Zone B3: first pillar, middle⟩

⟨B3.1⟩ to [**]

⟨Zone B4: second pillar, top⟩

⟨B4.1⟩ Āseṭṭiḥ Āyaṁ(ti)ḥ

⟨Zone B5: second pillar, middle⟩

⟨B5.1⟩ teṟṟa

⟨Zone B6: third pillar, top⟩

⟨B6.1⟩ Āluptakāmaḥ

⟨Zone B7: third pillar, middle⟩

⟨B7.1⟩ te(tha)

⟨Zone B8: fourth pillar, top⟩

⟨B8.1⟩ (Āhāryyabuddhi)ḥ

⟨Zone B9: fourth pillar, middle⟩

⟨B9.1⟩ kaṟṟa

⟨Zone B10: left pilaster⟩

⟨B10.1⟩ […]

On the inner face of the same pilaster [[inner row, left pilaster]].

⟨C1⟩ svasti śrī [||] mahendravikramaḥ

⟨C2⟩ mattavilāsaḥ mayamayakku

⟨C3⟩ maṟumāṟṟa mahāmegha

⟨C4⟩ manprāvu miḍelcuṟō

⟨C5⟩ mūrkhavijja moggara

⟨C6⟩ (mahice)ththakāri

⟨C7⟩ [*] (panda) ca [**] (ce)mu

⟨C8⟩ cu(ṟi) [***] sā(rththaḥ)

⟨C9⟩ [***] (samba)ruṭu

⟨C10⟩ (viḍe) [***] nvu

⟨C11⟩ [1 lost line]

⟨C12⟩ [*****] ṇāḷa

Commentary

⟨A3.1⟩ The use of distinctly separate letters for ṟa and ḻa in this record is noteworthy—Ed.

On the west belt of the central shrine (right of entrance) is found the following damaged line:— (pr)ābhāka(ri)ṇ(ā)likhi(ta)M � � ta. At the top of the same shrine are visible the following letters:— h(ā)virala(ha) [The last letter is evidently used in place of the visarga. Ed.]

⟨B10.1⟩ Damaged.

⟨C11⟩ Damaged.

⟨C12⟩ The remaining few lines are completely damaged.

Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 12.8 by Venkatasubba Ayyar 1943 converted to DHARMA conventions by Emmanuel Francis.

Primary

[SII] Venkatasubba Ayyar, V. 1943. South Indian inscriptions. Volume XII: The Pallavas (with introductory notes in English). South Indian Inscriptions 12. Madras: Government Press. Pages 4–6, item 8.