Vallam, Vedānteśvara, pillar inscription of Kantacēṉaṉ

Editor: Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00036.

Summary: Records the foundation of a cave-temple by Kantacēṉaṉ (Skt. Skandasena), son of Vayantappiri (Skt. Vasantapriya) and servant of Mayēntirappōttarēcaru (Mahendravarman I Pallava).

Hand description:

Language: Tamil.

Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy).

Version: 2024-12-21 12:36 (f2f3eaa), last modified 2024-06-06 16:22 (18e0138).

Left/South Pillar

⟨1⟩ pakā-p·-piṭuku laḷitāṅ·kuraṉ·

Right/North Pillar

⟨2⟩ cat(·)turu¡m(·)m!⟨m⟩allaṉ· kuṇaparaṉ· ⟨3⟩ mayēn·tira-p-pōt·t-arēcaru Aṭiyāṉ· ⟨4⟩ vayan·tap·piri Arēcaru makaṉ· kan·tacēṉa⟨5⟩ṉ· ceyivit(·)ta tēvakulam· ⁋

Translation by Hultzsch 1895

Kantaceṉaṉ (Skandasena), the son of Vayantappiriarecaru (Vasantapriyarāja), the servant of Pakāppiṭuku Laḷitāṅkuraṉ (Lalitāṅkura) Catturummallaṉ (Śatrumalla) Kuṇaparaṉ (Guṇabhara) Mayentirappōttarecaru (Mahendrapōtarāja), caused [this] temple (devakula) to be made.

Translation by Emmanuel Francis

Temple (tēvakulam, Skt. devakula) caused to be made by Kantacēṉaṉ (Skt. Skandasena), son of the king (arēcaru) Vayantappiri (Skt. Vasantapriya), servant (aṭiyāṉ) of Pakāppiṭuku Laḷitāṅkuraṉ (Skt. Lalitāṅkura) Catturummallaṉ (Skt. Śatrumalla) Kuṇaparaṉ (Skt. Guṇabhara) Mayēntirappōttarēcaru (i.e. Mahendravarman I Pallava).

Commentary

It is not clear what the relation is between the two discrete inscriptions, each on a different pillar. We read them in succession as Pakāppiṭuku, Lalitāṅkura, Śatrumalla and Guṇabhara are well attested birudas of Mahendravarman I. We follow here the interpretation of Hultzsch 1895.

Pōttarēcaru (and its variants, e.g. Pōttaraiyar) is a title of the Pallava kings. Mayēntirappōttarēcaru is Mahendravarman I (r. ca. 580-630).

Bibliography

Edited in Hultzsch 1895 (SII 2, no. 72) with facsimile and English translation; text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP 36); re-edited here by Emmanuel Francis (2020), based on autopsy and photographs (2004).

Primary

[EH] Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1895. South-Indian inscriptions: Tamil inscriptions of Rajaraja, Rajendra-chola, and others in the Rajarajesvara temple at Tanjavur. Volume II, Part III: Supplement to the first and second volumes. South Indian Inscriptions 2.3. Madras: Government Press. Pages 340–341, item 72.

[IP] Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi; Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan. Page 134, item 36.

Secondary

[ARIE 1892-1893] Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1893. G.O. Nos. 642-43, 14th August 1893. Epigraphy. Directing, with remarks, Dr. Hultzsch's report on Epigraphical work done during 1892-93 be forwarded to the Govrnement of India and approving of the programme for the next field season. Madras: Government of Madras, Public Department. Pages 2, 8, appendix A/1892, item 185.

Srinivasan, K. R. 1964. Cave-temples of the Pallavas. Architectural survey of temples 1. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India. Pages 61–64.

Lockwood, Michael, Vishnu Bhat A, Gift Siromoney and Dayanandan P. 2001. Pallava art. Madras, Tambaram: Tambaram Research Associates. Page 267.

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<p>Kantaceṉaṉ <supplied reason="explanation">Skandasena</supplied>, the son of Vayantappiriarecaru <supplied reason="explanation">Vasantapriyarāja</supplied>, the servant of Pakāppiṭuku Laḷitāṅkuraṉ <supplied reason="explanation">Lalitāṅkura</supplied> Catturummallaṉ <supplied reason="explanation">Śatrumalla</supplied> Kuṇaparaṉ <supplied reason="explanation">Guṇabhara</supplied> Mayentirappōttarecaru <supplied reason="explanation">Mahendrapōtarāja</supplied>, caused <supplied reason="subaudible">this</supplied> temple <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>devakula</foreign></supplied> to be made.</p>

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Temple <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>tēvakulam</foreign>, Skt. <foreign>devakula</foreign></supplied> caused to be made by Kantacēṉaṉ <supplied reason="explanation">Skt. Skandasena</supplied>, son of the king <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>arēcaru</foreign></supplied> Vayantappiri (Skt. Vasantapriya), servant <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>aṭiyāṉ</foreign></supplied> of Pakāppiṭuku Laḷitāṅkuraṉ <supplied reason="explanation">Skt. Lalitāṅkura</supplied> Catturummallaṉ <supplied reason="explanation">Skt. Śatrumalla</supplied> Kuṇaparaṉ <supplied reason="explanation">Skt. Guṇabhara</supplied> Mayēntirappōttarēcaru <supplied reason="explanation">i.e. Mahendravarman I Pallava</supplied>.

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<p>It is not clear what the relation is between the two discrete inscriptions, each on a different pillar. We read them in succession as Pakāppiṭuku, Lalitāṅkura, Śatrumalla and Guṇabhara are well attested <foreign>biruda</foreign>s of Mahendravarman I. We follow here the interpretation of <bibl><ptr target="bib:Hultzsch1895_01"/></bibl>.</p>

<p>Pōttarēcaru (and its variants, e.g. Pōttaraiyar) is a title of the Pallava kings. Mayēntirappōttarēcaru is Mahendravarman I (r. ca. 580-630).</p>

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Edited in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Hultzsch1895_01"/></bibl> (SII 2, no. 72) with facsimile and English translation; text and summary in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Mahalingam1988_01"/></bibl> (IP 36); re-edited here by Emmanuel Francis (2020), based on autopsy and photographs (2004).

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