# Ecālam plates, time of Rājendra I Cōḻa, year 24

Emmanuel Francis

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis

Identifier: DHARMA_INSTamilNadu01007

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

File path: DHARMA_INSTamilNadu01007.xml

Languages: Sanskrit [Grantha], Tamil [Grantha, Tamil]

Commit: 2026-11-15 15:59 (9615181), last modified 2026-10-01 13:12
(ef96502)

## Palaeographic description

No distinction between e and ē, nor between o and ō.

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## Edition

### Seal

⟨1⟩ ...

### Plates: Sanskrit portion

⟨Page 1r⟩ ⟨1r1=1⟩ svasti śr¡i!⟨ī⟩

... ⟨Page 1v⟩ ⟨1v1=13⟩ ⟨Page 2r⟩ ⟨2r1=25⟩ ⟨Page 2v⟩ ⟨2v1=37⟩ ⟨Page 3r⟩
⟨3r1=49⟩ ⟨Page 3v⟩ ⟨3v1=61⟩ ⟨Page 4r⟩ ⟨4r1=73⟩ ⟨4r3=75⟩ ...

33. Vasantatilakā

Āgāmi⟨4r4=76⟩no nara-pat¿i?⟨ī⟩n abhiyācate
⟨’⟩s¡o!⟨au⟩ rājendra-cola-ṇr̥patir jjana-nātha-sūnuḥ
⟨4r5=77⟩ dharmmo yam astu paripālya Iti pratāpa-
-namr-āvan-īndra-makuṭ-¿ā?⟨o⟩⟨4r6=78⟩llasad-aṁghri-pīthaḥ ⁓

34. Anuṣṭubh

śaṁkarasya tanujena
pā(r)śva-grāma-nivāsin⟨4r7=79⟩ā
nārāyaṇena kavinā
śāsanaṁ śāśvatāṁ kr̥taM ↝

### Plates: Tamil portion

⟨Page 4r⟩ ⟨4r8=80⟩ svasti śr¡i!⟨ī⟩

kō¡n!⟨ṉ⟩eriṉmai ⟨4r9=81⟩ koṇṭāṉ ... ⟨Page 4v⟩ ⟨4v1=84⟩ ⟨Page 5r⟩
⟨5r1=98⟩ ⟨Page 5v⟩ ⟨5v1=112⟩ ⟨Page 6r⟩ ⟨6r1=126⟩ ⟨Page 6v⟩ ⟨6v1=140⟩
⟨Page 7r⟩ ⟨7r1=154⟩ ⟨Page 7v⟩ ⟨7v1=168⟩ ⟨Page 8r⟩ ⟨8r1=182⟩ ⟨Page 8v⟩
⟨8v1=196⟩ ⟨Page 9r⟩ ⟨9r1=210⟩ ⟨Page 9v⟩ ⟨9v1=224⟩ ⟨Page 10r⟩ ⟨10r1=238⟩
⟨Page 10v⟩ ⟨10v1=252⟩ ⟨Page 11r⟩ ⟨11r1=266⟩ ⟨Page 11v⟩ ⟨11v1=280⟩ ...
⟨Page 15v⟩ ⟨15v1=407⟩

## Apparatus

### Plates: Sanskrit portion

⟨76⟩ ⟨’⟩ ⬦ ’sau N. — ⟨76⟩ ṇr̥patir jjana° ⬦ ṇr̥patiḥ jana° N.

⟨77⟩ dharmmo ⬦ dharmo N. — ⟨77⟩ °¿ā?⟨o⟩⟨4r6=78⟩llasad° ⬦
¿ā?⟨o⟩⟨4r6=78⟩lasad N.

## Commentary

Nārāyaṇa, the poet of the present Sanskrit praśasti, is also that of the
Karantai Tamil Caṅkam plates. Compare stanzas 33-34 here with stanzas 73
and 76 of the Karantai Tamil Caṅkam plates.

## Bibliography

Edited and translated in Nagaswamy 1987, with visual documentation
(Sanskrit text normalised). Tamil portion edited in Kasinathan 1994

This edition by Emmanuel Francis.

### Primary

[N] Nagaswamy, R. 1987. “Archaeological finds in South India: Esālam
bronzes and copper-plates.” Bulletin de l’Ecole française
d’Extrême-Orient 76, pp. 1–51.

[Ka] Kasinathan, Natana. 1994. “Esalam copper plates of Rajendra Chola -
I.” In: Collected papers: Studies in Tamil culture. TNSDA publication
123. Madras: Government of Tamil Nadu, State Department of Archaeology.

[Ki] Kiruṣnamūrtti, ca. 2010. Irācēntircōḻaṉ veḷiyiṭṭa Ecālam
ceppēṭukaḷ. Ceṉṉai: International institute of Tamil studies.