Kōvintapputtūr (Govindapputtūr), Gaṅgājaṭādhara temple, time of Rājakesarivarman, year 5

Authors of digital edition: Valérie Gillet (vagi), Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: Above and around the empty niche of the southern façade of the ardha-maṇḍapa. Regnal year 5 of Kōvirājakesarivarman = Rājarāja I (circa 990 CE). This long inscription is unfinished; its end may have been engraved on the eastern side of the ardha-maṇḍapa, now built over.

Language: Tamil (tam).

Version: (75408f8), last modified (84303f8).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī kō-rāca-kē(ca)ri-paṉmaṟkku yāṇṭu Añc-āvatu vaṭa-karai-bra(hma)(tēyam)

⟨2⟩ periya śrī-vāṉavaṉ-mahātēvi-catu(r)vveti-maṅkalattu śrī-vijaya-ma(ṅ)-

⟨3⟩ kala-tēvarkku Ampala(va)ṉ paḻuvūr nakka¡ṉṉ!-āṉa Irāca-Irāca-p-pallava(rai)-

⟨4⟩ yaṉ Iv-vāṉavaṉ-(mā)-tēvi-catu⟨r⟩vveti-maṅkalat⟨tu⟩ (I)t-tēvar pērāl vilai (ko)-

⟨5⟩ ṇṭu Iṟai y-iḻi(cci)ṉa nilaṅka¡ḷḷ!ā⟨l⟩ vanta nellukkum Ivv-ūr sabhaiyā-

⟨6⟩ (r pakkal vilai koṇṭu Iṟai y-iḻicciṉa vaṭa-piṭākai neṭu-vā)-

⟨7⟩ (yilu)m I(n-ne)ṭu-vāyil cuṟṟiṉa piṭākaikaḷum I⟨t⟩-tēvaṟkku

⟨8⟩ (I)ṟukka kaṭa(va) nellukkum poṉṉukkum neyyiṇṇaikku-

⟨9⟩ (m) taṟippu(ṭa)vaikkum Irum(pu)kkum nibandham ceyta paṭi tiru-v-a-

⟨10⟩ (mu)tu pōt(u) (nā-ṉā)ḻi y-āka A¡t!dhayāma⟨m⟩ Uḷpaṭa nicatam Arici patakk’ ā-

⟨11⟩ ka Ain=t-iraṇṭu (vaṇṇattā)l vanta nellu nicatam nellu Aiy-kuṟuṇi y-āka Or āṭ(ṭ)ai (nā)-

⟨12⟩ ¡(ḷḷ)!(aikku) vanta nellu nūṟṟu Aiy-patiṉ kalamu⟨m⟩ parupp-amutu pōt’ uri y-āka Atdhayāma⟨m⟩

⟨13⟩ Uḷppaṭa nālu pōtaikku nicatam Iru-nāḻi paruppukku nellu Or āṭṭai ṉāḷaikku (n)e-

⟨14⟩ llu Iru-patt’ iru-kalaṉē tūṇi-p-patakkum pori-k-kaṟi-y-amutu Oṉṟu puḻukku kaṟi-y-amu(tu)

⟨15⟩ (Oṉṟu)m Āka kaṟi-y-amutu Iraṇṭukku miḷakum kaṭuku ciraka¡mm!u⟨m⟩ Uḷppaṭa nālu potaik [*] (O?)

⟨16⟩ (Or āṭ)ṭai (nā)ḷaikku nellu Iru-patt’ iru-kalaṉē tūṇ(i)-p patak=k(u)m ney-amutu p(ō)tu Ā(ka) [***]

⟨17⟩ n(ā)lu pōtukku nicatam Urikku ne⟨llu⟩-p patakk’ āka Or āṭṭai nā¡ḷḷ!aikku (ne)llu Aṟu-patiṉ [kala]{m}-

⟨18⟩ mu⟨m⟩ [ta]yir-a¿mm?utu pō⟨tu⟩ Uri y-āka A⟨r⟩ddhayāma⟨m⟩ Uḷppaṭa nāllu po(t)aikku Ir(u)-(nā)ḻikku nicatam Ai(ñ)-(ṉā)ḻi

⟨19⟩ y-āka Or āṭṭai ṉā¡ḷḷ!aikku nellu patiṉ Eṇ-kala¡(ṉn)!(ē I)ru-tūṇi-k kuṟuṇiyum Aṭaikkāy-amu(tu)

⟨20⟩ p(ōtu) Aiñcu veṟuṅ-kāy Iru-(pa)tum veṟṟilai-p paṟṟu Oṉṟu(m) nicatam A⟨r⟩ddhayāma⟨m⟩ U⟨ḷ⟩ppaṭa nālu pō(tai)(kku)-

⟨21⟩ (m) Aṭaikkāy-amu(tu)kku nicatam nel Ai-ṉāḻi y-āka Or āṭṭai nā¡ḷḷ!ikku nellu patiṉ Eṇ-kalan(ē)

⟨22⟩ I(ru)-(tū)¿ṇṇ?i-k kuṟuṇiyum tirumey-pūccu pōtu Uḻakku canta⟨ṇat⟩tukku nicatam Oru-pala Araiyāl(u) (nica)-

⟨23⟩ tam{mum} uḻakku tiru-c-ca⟨n⟩taṇa-k-kuḻampukku Or āṭṭai ṉā¡ḷḷ!aikku ṉellu nāl-p-pat’ aiṅ-kalammu (ci)-

⟨24⟩ tāri Akilum ca(nta)ṇa¡mm!u⟨m⟩ neriyāra¡mm!u⟨m⟩ kaṟpūra¡mm!un (I)tanum koṇṭu muṉ(ṟu) pōtaikku nellu nicata(m)

⟨25⟩ kuṟuṇi Iru-nāḻi y-āka Or āṭṭai nā¡ḷḷ!aikku nellu mu-p-pattu (mu-k-ka)la¡ṉn!ē Iru-t¡u!ṇi-k kuṟuṇiyum (ci)-

⟨26⟩ kāṭṭi Āvāṟku Āṭiyaru(ḷ)]ḷa-(p) (pā)_lu Iru-nāḻikku nicatam ne⟨l⟩lu Aṟu-

⟨27⟩ -ṉāḻi y-āka Or āṭṭai ṉā¡(ḷ)ḷ!aikku ne_⟨l⟩lu Iru-patt’ iru-kala¡ṉn!ē t¡u!ṇi-p pa(ta) […] […]

⟨28⟩ Āvāṟkku-p paricaṭṭam [Ut]taram-aya_ṉattu Oraṇaiyum dekṣiṇam-aya(nat)-

⟨29⟩ tukku Oraṇaiyum Āka (viraṇai)kkum _kācu Iraṇṭ’ āka kācu Oṉṟinukku (ne)-

⟨30⟩ llu-p patiṉ kāla¡mm! āka Or āṭṭai _ṉā¡ḷḷ!aikku kācu Iraṇṭukku nel (I)-

⟨31⟩ (ru)-(pa)tin kala¡(mm)!(u)⟨m⟩ (tiru)-v-o [**] (O)r āṭ_ṭai (nā)¡ḷḷ!aikku muṉṟ’ āṭai Or āṭṭai [n]-

⟨32⟩ [ā¡ḷḷ!aikku] […] _(Arai)yāl nel [***] (kala){(m)}(mu)⟨m⟩

⟨33⟩ t(i)ru-namani(kai) Or āṭṭai ṉā¡ḷḷ!aikku Ira_ṇṭ’ āka Ira⟨ṇ⟩ṭinukku kā(cu) Onṟ(iṉu)]kku ne-

⟨34⟩ llu pati(ṉ) kala¡mm!um tiru-ma(l)lai kaṭ_ṭi Or āṭṭai nā¡ḷ(ḷ)!(ai)kku Iraṇṭ’ āka I-

⟨35⟩ raṇṭi¡n!uk(ku k)ācu Oṉṟ’ āka kācu Oṉṟi_nukku nellu-p patiṉ kalamu[m] ṉam

⟨36⟩ Or āṭṭai n(āḷ)ḷaikku Iraṇṭ’ āka Iraṇ_ṭi¡n!ukku-k kācu Oṉ(ṟu)-k kācu Oṉṟi¡n!u-

⟨37⟩ kku nel(lu)-p patiṉ kala¡mm!u⟨m⟩ jala_-pavi{n}trattukku O(r ā)ṭṭai nāḷai

⟨38⟩ puṭavai mu(ṉ)ṟ’ āka-p puṭavai muṉṟi¡n!uk_ku-k kācu Arai y-āka Arai-k kā(cukku) nel-

⟨39⟩ lu Aiṅ-ka(la)¡(m)m!u⟨m⟩ tiru-no¿t?tā-viḷakku Ai_ñciṉukku viḷakku(k)ku Oṉ(ṟu) nicata(m)

⟨40⟩ (neyi Uḻakk’ āka viḷakku) nicatam ney{(i)} _ nāḻi [************]

⟨41⟩ m nellu (Ai)ṅ-kuṟuṇi y-āka Or āṭ(ṭ)ai nā¡ḷḷ!aikku ne_llu nuṟṟu (Ai)m-patiṉ kala¡mm!u⟨m⟩

⟨42⟩ sandhi-viḷakku-c ciṟu-kālai y-eṭ(ṭu) Ucciyam-pō_tu Eṭṭu Iravaikku patiṉālum Āka

⟨43⟩ viḷakku mu-p-pati(ṉu)kku nicatam (Eṇṇai nā)ḻi ¿mu?ḻak(k)ē _

Apparatus

⟨4⟩ (I)ttēvar ⬦ Ittevar SII; Itevar G.

⟨6⟩ full line • Line lost under cement. Text after SII.

⟨8⟩ (I)ṟukka kaṭa(va) ⬦ Iṟukka kaṭava SII; (I)ṟukkaṭa(va) G.

⟨11⟩ Ain=tiraṇṭu (vaṇṇattā)l ⬦ Ain=tiraṇṭuvaṇṇattāl SII; ja(nti)raṇṭu [vaṇṇattā]l G.

⟨16⟩ ney-amutu p(ō)tu Ā(ka) [3+] ⬦ ne⟨y⟩y amutu SII; ney-amutu (patu A) [3+] G.

⟨17⟩ [kala]{m}⟨18⟩mu⟨m⟩ [ta]yir-a¿mm?⟨m⟩utu ⬦ kala⟨18⟩mu⟨m⟩ tayir-amutu SII; [kala]m⟨18⟩mu [ta]yir-ammutu G.

⟨22⟩ (tū)¿ṇṇ?⟨ṇ⟩i ⬦ tūṇi SII; (tū)ṇṇi G. — ⟨22⟩ canta⟨ṇat⟩tukku SII ⬦ canttukku G.

⟨30⟩ patiṉ kāla¡mm!⟨m⟩āka SII ⬦ patikailammāka G.

⟨32⟩ [n]⟨32⟩[ā¡ḷḷ!⟨ḷ⟩aikku] G ⬦ nā⟨32⟩{ḷ}ḷaikku SII. — ⟨32⟩ [3+] (kala){(m)}(mu)⟨m⟩ SII • The end of line is presently illegible. Text after SII.

⟨35⟩ Oṉṟāka SII ⬦ Oṉṟuka G. — ⟨35⟩ kalamum SII ⬦ kalamu[m] ṉam G.

⟨40⟩ nicatam ney{(i)} _ nāḻi [12+] ⬦ nicatam neyi [3+] SII; nicatam ney(i) _[1+] nāḻi […] G.

⟨41⟩ ne_llu ⬦ nellu SII; nel_llu G.

Translation

⟨1⟩ Fortune! Prosperity!

⟨1⟩ [This is the] fifth year of Kōrājakesarivarman.

⟨1–9⟩ For Śrī-Vijaiyamaṅgaladevar of big Śrī-Vāṉavaṉ-mahādevi-caturvedimaṅgalam, a brahmadeya of the northern bank, Ampalavaṉ Paḻuvūr Nakkaṉ alias Rājarāja Pallavaraiyaṉ, having bought in the name of this god (ittēvar) of this Vāṉavaṉ-mahādevi-caturvedimaṅgalam, having bought from (pakkal) the Sabhā of this village for the paddy accrued with the lands of which taxes were remitted (iṟai y-iḻicciṉa), thus the donation (nibandham) was made for paddy, gold, ghee and oil, tax on looms (taṟi-p-puṭavaikkum) and iron (irumpukkum) that have to be paid to the god (ittēvaṟkku) [by] the northern hamlet (vaṭapiṭākai) of Neṭuvāyil whose taxes were remitted and the hamlets (piṭākaikaḷum) surrounding (cuṟṟiṉa) this Neṭuvāyil, [as follows].

⟨9–12⟩ So that there be four nāḻis at the time (pōtu) of holy food offerings (tiruvamutu), so that there be daily one patakku of rice (arici) including the middle of the night (atdhayāma, that is, arddhayāma), so that there be daily five kuṟuṇis of paddy accrued from the ten kinds (aint-iraṇṭu vaṇṇattāl); one hundred and fifty kalams of paddy accrued per day (nāḷḷaikku, that is, nāḷaikku), per year (or āṭṭai) [are provisioned].

⟨13–14⟩ So that there be one one uri at the time of dhal holy food offerings (paruppamutu), [so that there be], for four times including the middle of the night, daily two nāḻis of paddy for dhal, per year per day twenty-two kalams , one tūṇi and one patakku of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨14–16⟩ So that there be one fried vegetable food offering (porikkaṟiyamutu) and one one boiled (puḻukku) vegetable food offering (kaṟiyamutu), [so that there be] for four times including cumin seeds (cīrakammum), mustard seeds (kaṭukum) and pepper (miḷakum) for two vegetable food offerings, per year per day twenty-two kalams and of paddy, one tūṇi and one patakku of paddy, [are provisioned].

⟨16–18⟩ So that there be at the time of ghee food offerings, so that there be for four times […] daily one patakku of paddy for one uri, per year per day sixty kalams of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨18–19⟩ So that there be one uri at the time of curd food offerings (tayiramutu); so that there be daily five nāḻis for two nāḻis for four times including the middle of the night per year per day eighteen kalams, two tūṇis and one kuṟuṇi of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨19–22⟩ So that there be for one arecanut food offerings (aṭaikkāyamutukku) for four times including the middle of the night everyday, one bundle (paṟṟu) of betel leaves (veṟṟilai) and twenty arecanuts (veṟuṅkāy), five times of arecanut food offerings, per year per day eighteen kalams, two tūṇis and one kuṟuṇi of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨22–23⟩ At the time of anointment (tirumeyppūccu), for one uḻakku of mixture (kuḻampu) of holy sandal paste (tiruccantaṉam) everyday and with one palam and a half everyday of one uḻakku of sandal paste per year per day fourty five kalams of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨24–25⟩ So that there be daily two nāḻis and one kuṟuṇi of paddy for three times, with this, camphor (kaṟpūramum), juice of storax (neriyācamum), sandal paste and fragrant woods (cītāri akilum, i.e. red cedar and eagle-wood), per year per day thirty-three kalams, two tūṇis and one kuṟuṇi of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨25–27⟩ So that there be daily six nāḻis of paddy for two nāḻis of milk (pālu) for the holy bath (āṭiyaruḷa) of him (āvāṟku), per year per day twenty-two kalams, one tūṇi and one patakku of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨27–31⟩ So that there be cloths (paricaṭṭam) for him (āvāṟkku), a pair for uttaramayanam and a pair for dakṣiṇamayanam, so that there be two kācus for [these] pairs, so that there be ten kalams of paddy for one [pair], per year per day for two kācus twenty kalams of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨31–32⟩ ... per year per day three dresses (muṉṟ’ āṭai) per year per day ... kalams of paddy through one half ... [are provisioned].

⟨33–34⟩ So that there be two [for] sacred baths (tirunamaṉikai) […] per year per day, for two [baths], for one kācu, ten kalams of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨34–35⟩ So that there be two [for] the garland-makers (tirumālaikaṭṭi) per year per day, so that there be one kācu for two [garland-makers], for one kācu ten kalams of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨35–36⟩ So that there be two ... per year per day for one kācu, as one kācu for two as two, ten kalams of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨37–39⟩ For the garment for the bath of the idol (jala-pavitrattukku), so that there be three clothes (puṭavai) per year per day, so that there be half a kācu for three clothes (puṭavai), for half a kācu five kalams of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨39–41⟩ For five perpetual lamps, so that there be one uḻakku of ghee daily for one lamp, so that there be five kuṟuṇis of paddy […] nāḻis of ghee daily for a lamp (viḷakku), per year per day hundred and fifty kalams of paddy [are provisioned].

⟨42–43⟩ As for twilight lamps, so that there be eight for early dawn (ciṟukālai), eight for midday (uccampōtu) and fourteen for the night, [thus] for tirthy lamps, daily one nāḻi and one uḻakku of oil (eṇṇai) … [are provisioned].

Commentary

⟨26–43⟩ Lines 26-42 are interrupted in the middle by a window. Lines 41-43 are on the upper part of the base, on the ledges. Line 43 stops right before the window.

Bibliography

Reported in ARIE 1928-1929 (ARIE/1928-1929/B/1928-1929/175).

Edited in Srinivasa Rao 1952 (SII 13.124). Edited and translated in Gillet 2023, based on autopsy and photographs (by Valérie Gillet, 2018).

This revised edition and translation by Valérie Gillet and Emmanuel Francis. Letters legible in SII 13.124 are marked here unclear but not recorded in the apparatus.

Primary

[SII] Srinivasa Rao, G.V. 1952. South-Indian inscriptions (texts) (with introductory notes in English). Volume XIII: The Cholas. South Indian Inscriptions 13. Madras: Archaeological Survey of India. Pages 63–64, item 124.

[G] Gillet, Valérie. 2023. “Constructing temple, constructing power: Temple reconstruction process in 10th-century Tamil-speaking South with special emphasis on Govindapputtur.” In: The Routledge Handbook of Hindu Temples. By Himanshu Prabha Ray, Salila Kulshreshtha and Uthara Suvrathan. London: Routledge India, pp. 57–95. [URL]. Pages 78–80, item 7.

Secondary

ARIE 1928-1929. Annual report on epigraphy for the year 1928-1929. Edited by S. V. Viswanatha. Madras: Government Press, [1930]. Page TBC, appendixes B/1928-1929, item 175.