Mēlappaḻuvūr, Kīḻaiyūr, Ireṭṭaikkōyil, Agastyeśvara, time of Rājakesarin, year 12 opposite to one (year 13)

Editors: Valérie Gillet, Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSMelKil00008.

Summary: AIM, southern shrine; upper inscription, on the eastern and middle wall sections of the northern façade of the ardha-maṇḍapa, engraved over the two consecutive wall sections; 12th regnal year opposite to one of Kōrājakesarivarman = probably Sundaracōḻa (circa 969 A.D.).

Hand description:

Language: Tamil.

Repository: Mēlappaḻuvūr & Kīḻappaḻuvūr (tfa-melappaluvur-kilappaluvur-epigraphy).

Version: (4b7f9d0), last modified (9f2b603).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī

kō Irājakēcaripanmakku yā(ṇṭu) 10 2-Āvati(n) etirām āṇṭu

kuṉṟakkūṟṟattu deva(dā)⟨2⟩ṉam Avaṉikandhavva-Īśvaragṛhattu devaka(n)mikaḷōmum patipātamulattōmum paṭṭuṭaiyōmum ⟨3⟩ camaiyattōmu maṟṟum (I)ttaḷi paṅkuṭaiyōm Eppērpaṭṭōmum Aṭikaḷ paḻuvēṭṭaraiyar maṟavaṉ ⟨4⟩ kaṇṭanār Aruḷice(yyu)m poykaikkuṟuviṭattu veṭṭa(kku)ṭaiyāṉ kōvintaṉ kaṭampaṉukku kuṭi n¿i?⟨ī⟩kkā deva ⟨5⟩ tāṉam āka cantrātittavaṟ kāṇice(yti) kuṭutta n(i)lam Ittaḷi tēvadānam viṟaikkūṟṟattu pacuṅkuḷattūr ve(ṭṭappeṟu)[ṉap] ⟨6⟩ paṭa nilam Irupattunāl vēliyālum vēli nūṟṟirupa(t)iṉ (ka)lam [kāṇikkaṭaṉāka vaṉta] nellu I(ruṇṭ’ āyirattu eṇṇūṟṟu E)⟨7⟩ṇpa(ti)ṉ kalamum tiruvaiyāṟaṉōṭokku marakkālāl (kār) pātiy(u)m picāṉam pātiyum vāṭākkaṭaṉ Eṅkaḷ taraviṉālēy pacuṅkuḷattūri⟨8⟩lēy (Aḷa)ppa(t)’ ākavum

ivvūr viḷakk’ eṇṇaic cey muṉpu kalmēl ve[ṭṭi](ṉa) n¿i?⟨ī⟩kki Uṇṇilam o(ḻi)viṉṟi vaḷaiyil cuṟṟu Uṭump’ ōṭi y-(ā)mai tava⟨9⟩ḻnta (ni)lamuṟṟum kārāṇkiḻamai Uṭpaṭa (ciṟṟiṟai) ciṟupaṅkum Ivaṉēy peṟuvat’ ākavum

avurk kaḻañcum perumāḷ koḷḷil kōvintaṉ kaṭampaṉē⟨10⟩[ṉ] [ca. 3+] tākavuvu kulaiyuṅ kurampuñ ceyvatākavu(m)

[ca. 3+]p(ē)rppaṭṭatum (I)tt’ (ā)kavum

Iṟukka va(nta)[1+] (ṉ/ḷ)atu Eṅkaḷaic collātēy iṟuttuk ka(ṭa)mayilē⟨11⟩y vaiccuk koḷḷap peṟuvat’ ākavum

cāsaṉam peṟṟuṭai(yā)r peṟuvat’ ellām peṟuvat’ ākavum

Ipparicu cantrātittavat kuṭi n¿i?⟨ī⟩kkā devadāṉa(m ākak kā)ṇi ⟨12⟩ ceytu kuṭuttōm veṭṭakkuṭaiyāṉ kōvintaṉ kaṭampaṉu(k)ku devakanmikaḷōmum patipātamulattō(mu)m paṭṭuṭaiyōmum camaiyattōmu maṟṟum Ittaḷi paṅku(ṭ)ai⟨13⟩(yō)mum

Iva(kaḷ) paṇi(kka) Eḻ(u)tiṉēṉ iv{u}vūr madhyastaṉ Eṟa(ṉ) maḻavāṭiyāṉa brahmapṛyanē(ṉ) Ivai (Eṉ) Eḻuttu <gomutra>

Apparatus

⟨5⟩ [ṉap] ⬦ ṉap SII • This part is no longer legible.

⟨6⟩ [kāṇikkaṭaṉāka vaṉta] ⬦ kāṇikkaṭaṉāka vaṉta SII • This part is no longer legible.

⟨8⟩ ve[ṭṭi](ṉa) ⬦ veṭṭiṉa SII • This part is no longer legible.

⟨9⟩ avurk VG ⬦ (va)k SII • I cannot make any sense of this word and do not see what it can refer to.

Translation by Gillet 2024

Fortune! Prosperity! This is the 12th year opposite to one (etirāmāṇṭu) of Kōirājakesarivarman. Of the temple (gṛhattu) of the Lord (īśvara) [of] Avaṉikandhavva, a devadāna of Kuṉṟakkūṟṟam, we the Devakanmikaḷs (devakanmikaḷōm), we the Patipātamūlams (patipātamūlamōmum), we the Paṭṭuṭaiyārs (paṭṭuṭaiyōmum), we the Camaiyars (camaiyattōmum),1 and, besides (maṟṟum), whoever (eppērppaṭṭōmum) have shares in this temple (ittaḷi paṅkuṭaiyōm); Aṭikaḷ Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyar Maṟavaṉ Kaṇṭanār graciously ordered (aruḷceyyum, lit. graciously made); to Veṭṭakkuṭaiyāṉ Kovintaṉ Kaṭampaṉ of Poykaikkuṟuviṭam, without removing the labourers (kuṭi nīkkā),2 as a devadāna, having made [it] into a kāṇi as long as the sun and the moon endure, a land was given (kuṭutta nilam); the land (nilam) which falls (paṭa) in Veṭṭapeṟu[ṉam], in Pacuṅkuḷattūr of Viṟaikkūṟṟam, a devadāna of this temple, for 120 kalams per vēli for all 24 vēlis, [equal to] 2880 kalams of paddy (nellu) accrued (vaṉta > vanta) as land-tax (kāṇikkaṭaṉāka), we will have to measure (aḷappatākavum) in Pacuṅkuḷattūr from our own (eṅkaḷ) tax collection (taraviṉālēy) the vāṭākkaṭaṉ-tax [for] half (pātiyum) of the rainy season (kār) and half of the non-rainy season (picāṉam pātiyum) with the [standard] stone measure (marakkālāl) Tiruvaiyāraṉ (tiruvaiyāṟaṉoṭokku); having removed (nīkki) what was engraved (veṭṭiṉa) on the stone (kal mēl) before (muṉpu) [about] the land (cey) [for] lamp oil (viḷakkeṇṇai) of this village (ivvūr), having exempted (oḻiviṉṟi) the inner lands (uṇṇilam), the complete (muṟṟum) uncultivated (lit. where the turtles (āmai/yāmai) crawl (tavaḻnta) and the lizzards (uṭumpu) run (ōṭi)) lands (nila) being included (lit. surrounded (cuṟṟu) in the circle (vaḷaiyil)), he himself (avaṉē) has to obtain (peṟuvatākavum) the small share tax (ciṟupaṅkum), the ciṟṟirai-tax, including (uḷpaṭa) the kārāṇkiḻamai-tax, Kovintaṉ Kaṭampaṉ himself (kaṭampaṉē), if the Lord (Perumāḷ > the king? the god?) gets (koḷḷil) all the gold (kalañcum); […] grouping (kulaiyum) and bunds (kurampum) have to be made (ceyvatākavum) and that of whatever name (eppērpaṭṭatum) has to be placed (ittākavum?); do not tell us (eṅkaḷaic collātiyē) […] which has come (vanta) to pay (iṟukka); having paid (iṟuttu), having placed (vaiccu) in the kaṭamai-tax, [they/we?] have to get (peṟuvatākavum) so that they take (koḷḷa); they/we have to get (peṟuvatākavum) all they/we get (peṟuvatu-ellām) for those who get (peṟṟuṭaiyār) this order (cāsaṉam). In this manner (ipparicu), as long as the sun and the moon endure (cantrātittavat), without removing the labourers (kuṭi nikkā), as a devadāna, having made a kāṇi, we gave (kuṭuttōm) to Veṭṭakkuṭaiyāṉ Kovintaṉ Kaṭampaṉ, we the Devakaṉmikaḷs, we the Patipātamūlams, we the Paṭṭuṭaiyārs, we the Camaiyars, and whoever has shares in this temple besides [these]. When they (ivaḷ) ordered (paṇikka), I have written (eḻuttiṉēṉ), I the Madhyasthan of this village (ivuvūr > ivvūr), Eraṉ Maḻavaṭi alias Brahmapṛyan, I have written these (ivai).

Commentary

(1) Rājakesarin is probably Sundaracōḻa, during whose reign the Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyar Maṟavaṉ Kaṇṭaṉār was ruling over Paḻuvūr.

(1) The inscription is engraved over two consecutive wall sections.

(10) This line was forgotten in the edition of South Indian Inscriptions.

Bibliography

Reported in ARIE 1923-1924 (ARIE/1923-1924/C/1924/370).

Edited by Srinivasa Rao 1952 (SII 13.236). Edited and translated in Gillet 2024, based on autopsyand photographs (by Valérie Gillet, 2016-2018).

This digital edition by Valérie Gillet and Emmanuel Francis.

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 126–127, item 236.

[VG] Gillet, Valérie. 2024. Minor Majesties: The Paḻuvēṭṭaraiyars and their South Indian Kingdom of Paḻuvūr, 9th-11th centuries A.D. New York: Oxford University Press. [URL]. Pages 141–142, item 8.

Secondary

ARIE 1923-1924. Annual report on South-Indian epigraphy for the year ending 31st March 1924. Edited by G. Venkoba Rao. Madras: Government Press, 1925. Page 73, appendix C/1924, item 370.

Notes

  1. 1. Devakanmikaḷ or Tēvakaṉmikaḷ: those who perform the religious duty of god/officials of god/ temple officials; Patipātamūlam: the root of the feet of the Lord/priests/officials of the main shrine; Paṭṭuṭaiyārs: some kind of priests or temple officials; Camaiyars: those of the religious creed (camayam)/the religious ones/those of the religious text-books.
  2. 2. It is not settled whether there is a physical eviction of the previous tenants or if only their rights were revoked. On this question, see R. Tirumalai (1987: 93–98), Veluthat (2012: 160; 229–230). Heitzman (1997: 70–74) presents this term as “the former cultivators excluded” (kuṭi nīkki) and “without the exclusion of the cultivators” (kuṭi nīṅkā).