# Tārācuram / Darasuram, Airavateśvara temple, labels to Nāyaṉmārs’ frieze Emmanuel Francis Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis Identifier: DHARMA_INSTamilNadu00616 Repository: Tamil Nadu (varia) (tfa-tamilnadu-epigraphy) File path: DHARMA_INSTamilNadu00616.xml Language: Tamil [Tamil] Commit: 2026-11-15 15:59 (9615181), last modified 2026-09-29 11:10 (5251b7d) ## Summary Labels engraved and/or painted above panels of the Nāyaṉmārs’ frieze. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Edition ### Label (painted) to panel G1 ⟨1⟩ […] ### Label (painted) to panel N1 ⟨1⟩ tirun¡i!⟨ī⟩la(kaṇṭaṉ) ### Label (painted) to panel N2 ⟨1⟩ […] ### Label (engraved) to panel N3 ⟨1⟩ Iḷaiyamāṟaṅkuṭi māṟar katai ### Label (painted) to panel N4 ⟨1⟩ […] ### Label (painted) to panel N5 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N6 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N7 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N8 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N9 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N10 ⟨1⟩ […] ### Label (painted) to panel N11 ⟨1⟩ […] ### Label (painted) to panel N12 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N13 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N14 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N15 ⟨1⟩ murukāṉ ### Label (painted) to panel N16 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (engraved) to panel N17 ⟨1⟩ tirunāḷaippōvār ### Label (engraved) to panel N18 ⟨1⟩ (tirukkuṟipputtoṇṭar) ### Label (engraved) to panel N19 ⟨1⟩ ce⟨y⟩nallūr piḷḷaiyār katai ### Label (painted) to panel N20 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N21 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N22 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N23 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N24 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N25 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (engraved) to panel N26 ⟨1⟩ namina¡ṉ!⟨n⟩ti Atikaḷ(ār) ### Label (engraved) to panel N27 ⟨1⟩ Āḷuṭaiya piḷḷaiyār ### Label (engraved) to panel N28 ⟨1⟩ Eyarkō¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ kalikkāmāṇṭār ### Label (painted) to panel N29 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N30 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N31 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (painted) to panel N32 ⟨1⟩ cōmācimāṟaṉār ### Label (engraved) to panel N33 ⟨1⟩ cākkiyaṉār [3×] ### Label (painted) to panel N34 ⟨1⟩ ciṟappuli Āṇṭār ### Label (engraved) to panel N35 ⟨1⟩ ciṟuttoṇṭar katai ↝ ### Label (engraved) to panel N36 ⟨1⟩ cēramāṉ perumāḷ katai ௳ ### Label (engraved) to panel N37 ⟨1⟩ kaṇanātāṇṭā⟨r⟩ katai ௳ ### Label (engraved) to panel N38 ⟨1⟩ kūṟṟuvaṉār ↝ ### Label (engraved) to panel G2 ⟨1⟩ poyyātimaiyillāta ‡ pulavar ↝ ### Label (engraved) to panel N39 ⟨1⟩ pukaḻccōḻaṉār ### Label (engraved) to panel N40 ⟨1⟩ (nara)ciṅka(muṉaiya)raiyar ### Label (engraved) to panel N41 ⟨1⟩ Atipattar katai ### Label (painted) to panel N42 ⟨1⟩ ↜ kalikkampāṇṭār katai ### Label (painted) to panel N43 ⟨1⟩ kaliya¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ār ### Label (engraved) to panel N44 ⟨1⟩ cattiyāṇṭār ### Label (painted) to panel N45 ⟨1⟩ Aiyyaṭikaḷ kāṭavar kō¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ār ### Label (engraved) to panel N46 ⟨1⟩ kaṇampulāṇṭār ### Label (engraved) to panel N47 ⟨1⟩ kāriyār ### Label (engraved) to panel N48 ⟨1⟩ neṭumāṟaṉār ### Label (engraved) to panel N49 ⟨1⟩ vāyilār ### Label (engraved) to panel N50 ⟨1⟩ muṉaiyaṭuvar ### Label (engraved) to panel N51 ⟨1⟩ kalaṟcinka¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ār ### Label (engraved) to panel N52 ⟨1⟩ Iṭaṅkaḻiyāṇṭār ### Label (engraved) to panel N53 ⟨1⟩ ceruttuṇaiyāṇṭār ### Label (engraved) to panel N54 ⟨1⟩ pukaḻttuṇaiyār ### Label (engraved) to panel N55 ⟨1⟩ koḻppuliyāṇṭār ↝ ### Label (engraved) to panel G3 ⟨1⟩ pattarāyppaṇivār ### Label (engraved) to panel G4 ⟨1⟩ paramaṉaiyē pāṭuvār ### Label (painted) to panel G5 [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (engraved) to panel G6 ⟨1⟩ tiruvārūr piṟantār ### Label (engraved) to panel G7 ⟨1⟩ mukkālum tirumēṉi t¡i!⟨ī⟩ṇṭuvār ### Label (engraved) to panel G8 ⟨1⟩ muḻun¡i!⟨ī⟩ṟupūciya muṉivar ### Label (engraved) to panel G9 ⟨1⟩ Appālum Aṭiccarnta Aṭiyār ### Label (painted) to panel N56 (Pūcalār) [1 possibly lost line] ### Label (engraved) to panel N57 ⟨1⟩ pāṇṭimātēvi ### Label (engraved) to panel N58 ⟨1⟩ necāṇṭār ### Label (engraved) to panel N59 ⟨1⟩ kō-ciṅka-p-perumāḷ ### Label (engraved) to panel N60 ⟨1⟩ tiru-n¡i!⟨ī⟩lakaṇṭa-p-perum-pāṇaṉār ### Label (engraved) to panel N61 ⟨1⟩ caṭaiyaṉār ### Label (engraved) to panel N62 ⟨1⟩ Icaiñāṉiyār ### Label (engraved) to panel N63.1 ⟨1⟩ Uṭaiya-nampi Eḻuntaruḻukiṟār ### Label (engraved) to panel N63.2 ⟨1⟩ Āvaṇa-Olai kāṭṭiṉa paṭi ### Label (engraved) to panel N63.3 ⟨1⟩ Uṭaiya-nampiyai Āṇṭu koṇṭ-aruḷiṉa paṭi ### Label (engraved) to panel N63.4 ⟨1⟩ Uṭaiya-nampikku Ō¡ll!⟨l⟩ eṉṟ-aruḷiṉa paṭi ↝ ### Label (engraved) to panel N63.5 ⟨1⟩ Uṭaiya-nampiyai vēṭar vaḻi pāritta v-iṭam ### Label (engraved) to panel N63.6 ⟨1⟩ tiru-murukaṉ-pūṇṭiyil peṟṟa paṭi ↝ ### Label (engraved) to panel N63.7 ⟨1⟩ Avināciyāṇṭār mutaḷaivāy piḷḷai ## Commentary The Nāyaṉmārs’ frieze comprised 78 panels, as described in Marr 1979: 62 panels for 62 different Nāyaṉmārs (N1 to N62), 7 panels for Cuntarar (N63.1 to N63.7), 9 panels for groups of saints (G1 to G9). They are distributed clockwise, from eastern edge of southern base of the maṇḍapa up to the eastern edge of northern base of the maṇḍapa, as follows: G1, N1-N38, G2, N39-N55, G3-G9, N56-N62, N63.1-N63.7. Most of the Nāyaṉmārs’ panels are labelled, with engraved and/or red-painted labels. The palaeography of the engraved and painted labels appears to be similar. It is possible that all panels were intended to be labelled and first received a painted label to be converted into an engraved label. The conversion from painted to engraved labels was started from the eastern edge of northern base of the maṇḍapa with the panels concerning Cuntarar and, for some reasons, not completed up to the eastern edge of southern base of the maṇḍapa. All the 78 panels are thus represented in the above edition even though presently no trace of painted label is visible. As for the existing painted labels, it is possible that they have been reproduced exactly in the course of the past centuries. Note that some engraved labels have also been painted, that is, the engraved letters have been enhanced with paintings.[1] This might explain why some engraved labels have been wrongly taken for painted labels only.[2] Some red-painted labels seem to have escaped attention so far (for instance, N1 and N15) and might be exact reproductions of earlier painted labels or additions. ## Bibliography Reported in ARIE 1907–08 (ARIE/1907-1908/C/1908/16). Edited in Marr 1979. Edited counterclockwise and translated in Srinivasan 1987 in two discrete groups, on for engraved labels (a.XV, that is, 43 labels) and the other for painted labels (a.XVI, that is, 8 labels). This digital edition by Emmanuel Francis based on previous editions and photos (E. Francis, 2025). The labels are here given in clockwise order following the nomenclature in Marr 1979 (N for Nāyaṉmār, from 1 to 63). ### Primary [S] Srinivasan, P.R. 1987. “Epigraphical study.” In: Darasuram. Epigraphical Study. Étude architecturale. Étude iconographique. Edited by Françoise L’Hernault. Mémoires Archéologiques 16. Paris: EFEO. Pages 30–31, items a.XV-XVI. Marr, John Ralston. 1979. “The Periya Purāṇam frieze at Tārācuram: Episodes in the life of the Tamil Śaiva saints.” BSOAS 42, pp. 268–89. ### Secondary ARIE 1907–08. G.O. No. 574, 17th July 1908. Epigraphy. Recording the progress report of the Assistant Archaeological Superintendent for Epigraphy, Southern Circle, for the year 1907-1908. Edited by V. Venkayya. No place, 1908. Page 41, appendix C/1908, item 16. ARIE 1919–20. G.O. No. 985, 31st August 1920. Epigraphy. Annual report ecording, with remarks, the progress report for the year 1919-1920 of the Assistant Archaeological Superintendent for --, Southern Circle. Recorded with remarks. Edited by G. Venkoba Rao. No place, 1920. Pp. 102-107 and pl. II-VI. Sivaramamurti, C. 1960. The Choḷa temples. New Delhi: ASI. Pages 37–43. Sivaramamurti, C. 1992. The Choḷa temples. Fifth edition. New Delhi: ASI. Pages 40–46. L’Hernault, Françoise. 1987. “Étude iconographique.” In: Darasuram. Epigraphical Study. Étude architecturale. Étude iconographique. Edited by Françoise L’Hernault. Mémoires Archéologiques 16. Paris: EFEO. Pages 96–107. [1] The label for panel N17 is peculiar in that the painted label starts on the left of the shallowly engraved label. [2] For instance, the labels for panels N3, N19 and N26 are engraved, not only painted, pace Marr 1979.