# Kōvintapputtūr / Govindapputtūr, Gaṅgājaṭādhara temple, time of
Rājakesarivarman, year 7

Valérie Gillet and Emmanuel Francis

Authors of digital edition: Valérie Gillet, Emmanuel Francis

Identifier: DHARMA_INSTamilNadu00526

Repository: Tamil Nadu (varia) (tfa-tamilnadu-epigraphy)

File path: DHARMA_INSTamilNadu00526.xml

Language: Tamil [Grantha, Tamil]

Commit: 2026-11-15 15:59 (9615181), last modified 2026-09-29 11:10
(5251b7d)

## Summary

On the lowest part of the base of the northern façade: begins on the
western side of the gomukha on the ardha-maṇḍapa and continues on the
antarala (zone A); lines 7-11 are on the lowest part of the base of the
sanctuary, on the eastern side (zone B). Regnal year 7 of
Kōrājarājakesarivarman = Rājarāja I (circa 992 CE). There is no svasti
śrī at the beginning of this inscription; many passages of this
inscription remain illegible, and the translation is thus fragmentary.

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## Edition

⟨Zone A⟩ ⟨1⟩ kō-Irāja-rājakēcari-⟨pa⟩nma⟨r⟩kki yāṇṭu Ēḻ-āvatu

vaṭa-karai-brahmadeyam periya
śrī-(vā)ṉavaṉ-mahātēvi-caturvveti-maṅkalattu peruṅ-kuṟi-p ‡
(pe)ru-mma(kka)‡ḷ(ō)m I(yā)(ṭ)ṭai-t tu(lā-nā)yaṟṟu-c cani(k) ⟨2⟩
[ki]ḻamai peṟṟa Iraivati nāṉṟu peruṅ-ku(ṟi) kāṭṭi p(ō)ntu namm-uṭaiya
śrī-vijaya-maṅkalam-uṭaiya mahātēvar kōyil tiru-muṟṟa[t]t[ē]y kūṭṭa
kuṟai va‡(ṟa kū)ṭi Iruntu [1+] ‡ [1+] (n)tu I [1+]
śrī-vijaya-maṅ(kala-t)ēvar ⟨3⟩ k(ō)yil śrī-vimāṉam kallā⟨l⟩
Eḻunt-aruḷḷuvitta Uṭaiyār perun-tiṟattu kuvaḷḷālam-uṭaiyāṉ Ampalavaṉ
(paḻu)vūr nakkaṉṉ-āṉa Irā[ja]rāja-pallavaraiyaṟ ‡ [ca. 5+] ‡ (l E) [2+]
(Amayṭṭa) śrī-k(ār)yya¡mm!⟨m⟩(u)m ceytu ⟨4⟩ [1+] naṟ Ivar ka⟨r⟩mi
vaṅkippuṟattu caṭṭapōcaṉ veṇṇa(ya) [2+] vittaṉukku paṇi-p-paṇiyā(l
pa)ṇittu śrī-koyil [4+] (ṭu)tta nāṅkaḷai [4+] ceytu ku(ṭu)‡t(ta) [5+] ‡
[1+] (kō)[yi]lil (śrī) [1+] rājarājam (pa)raiya ⟨5⟩ c[e]yvitta nibedham
Epērppaṭṭaṉavum (ka)llil veṭ{ṭ}ṭuvikka-p peṟuvā¡ṉṉ!⟨ṉ⟩ ākav[u]m
I-śrī-vijaya-maṅkala [1+] (var) [1+] (yi)llil (I) [10+] ‡ [ca. 5+] ‡
[1+] (m) (Ik)-[kō](yil) [3+] (ṇi) [3+] ⟨6⟩ [2+] (vā) [9+] (m I)vaṉ
co(ḷḷ/ṉṉ)a vaṇṇa [1+] y(ka)ṭavār [2+] (lam) [2+] (ya) [4+] (ḻa)ṉai [2+]
(ā)rai ve [10+] (ya/dha) (ṟu) [4+] vu [7+] ‡ [ca. 5+] ‡ [ca. 10+] ⟨Zone
B⟩ ⟨7⟩ Iru-pattu Aiy⟨ṅ-ka⟩ḻ¡aint!⟨añc⟩u poṉ koḷḷa-p pe(ṟu)vāṉ ā(kavu)m

(Ip-pa)ricu taṇṭit(tu) I-śrī-kōy(iyalaṉmār) ce(yiya-p
pe)⟨8⟩ṟuvā¡ṉṉ!⟨ṉ⟩ār kappa(ṭa)m kuṭuttu (tāṉ pal) kuṭuttu
(pa)ṇi(-p-pa)ṇiyāl paṇittu (vya)va(stai) ceytōm peruṅ-kuṟi-p
pe⟨9⟩ru-¡mm!⟨m⟩akkaḷōm paṇittār cāttamaṅkalattu (cana)ppeti [1+]
(ṭṭa)(kavaṉṉārum) Ālika [1+] (ḷḷaṟai) Iysahaśrā (cantuve) ⟨10⟩ [2+]
kaṅka(ṉ/ḷ)a tiruveṇakām (cappi)rum paṇiyāl madhyastaṉ niṉṟā¡ṉṉ!⟨ṉ⟩
ārāva(mu)tāṉ vāṉavaṉ-mahātēvi peruṅ-kāviti ⟨11⟩ [2+] va(ḷḷa) [3+] tu

Aṟam maṟa(ve)kka A⟨ṟa⟩¡mm!⟨m⟩ allatu tuṇai y-illai-y-ē

Itu [1+] hāheśvara-rakṣai

## Apparatus

⟨3⟩ k(ār)yya¡mm!⟨m⟩(u)m ⬦ k(ā)yyammam G.

⟨4⟩ Ivar ka⟨r⟩mi ⬦ Ivakami G.

⟨5⟩ Epērppaṭṭaṉavum (ka)llil veṭ{ṭ}ṭuvikkap peṟuvāṉṉ ākav[u]m ⬦
Eperppaṭṭa (ṉ/E) vama [1+]llil vaṭṭaṭuvikkap peṟuvāṉṉākav[1+]m G.

⟨7⟩ pe(ṟu)vāṉ ā(kavu)m ⬦ pe(ṟu)vāṉā(vem) G.

⟨8⟩ (vya)va(stai) ⬦ (vya)va[1+] (ṭai) G.

⟨10⟩ (cappi)rum paṇiyāl ⬦ (cappirumi) paṇiya(lai) G.

⟨11⟩ A⟨ṟa⟩¡mm!⟨m⟩ allatu ⬦ Aṟam maṟa(ve)kka Am(ma)llatu G.

## Translation by Gillet 2023

⟨1⟩ ⟨This is the⟩ seventh year of Kōrājarājakesarivarman.

⟨1–11⟩ We the great people (perummakkaḷōm) of the assembly (peruṅkuṟi)
of big Śrī [Vā]ṉavaṉ-mahādevi-caturvedimaṅgalam, a brahmadeya of the
northern bank, on the day of this Rēvati which fell on a Saturday of the
month of Tulā of this year, having […], having assembled in full (lit.
without deficiency, kūṭṭa kuṟai-v-a[ṟa-k-kū]ṭi iruntu) in the holy
courtyard (tirumuṟṟa[ttē]y) of the temple of Mahādeva of Śrī
Vijayamaṅgalam of us who go (?), having shown ⟨to?⟩ the assembly,
Ampalavaṉ Paḻuvūr Nakkaṉ alias Rā[ja]rājapallavaraiyar, lord of
Kuvaḷḷālam, of the superior grade of the Lord (uṭaiyār), who graciously
caused to raise (eḻuntaruḷḷuvitta) in stone the sanctuary of the temple
of this Śrī Vijayamaṅgaladevar, […], having ordered by the given order
to Caṭṭapōcaṉ Veṇṇaya[krama]vittaṉ of Vaṅkippuṟam, the officer (kaṉmi)
of him […], having made the holy duty (śrī kāyyammam ceytu), […] a fine
of twenty-five kaḻañcus of gold […] the madhyastan Niṉṟān Ārāvamutān,
great poet (peruṅkāviti) of Vāṉavaṉ-mahādevi […]

⟨11⟩ Do not neglect moral duty (aṟam).

⟨11⟩ There is no support (tuṇai) except moral duty. This is under the
protection of the Panmāheśvaras.

## Bibliography

Reported in ARIE 1928–29 (ARIE/1928-1929/B/1928-1929/160 and part 2, §
29).

Edited and translated in Gillet 2023, based on autopsy and photographs
(by Valérie Gillet, 2018).

This revised edition by Valérie Gillet and Emmanuel Francis.

### Primary

[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 & Uthara Suvrathan.
London: Routledge India, pp. 57–95. DOI: 10.4324/9781003097709-6. [URL].
Pages 89–90, item 16.

### Secondary

ARIE 1928–29. 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 160.