Uttiramērūr, Vaikuṇṭhaperumāḷ, time of Nandivarman, year 24

Editor: Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00078.

Summary: Larger platform, southern base.

Hand description:

Languages: Sanskrit, Tamil.

Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy).

Version: (7dfaa44), last modified (2f0a9d9).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī

nan=ti-varmmarkku yāṇt’ irupattu nāl-āvatu

Uttarameru-catu(r)vvedi-maṅkalatt’ iśāna-diśai-brahmeśvara-gṛhattu mahādevarkku Ivv-ūr madhyasthac(a/ā)tu(r)vvaidya [ca. 3+] ⟨2⟩ perumañcikaṉ-ēṉ kurava-ciri-viṣṇukumāra-trivediyār paṅkiṉ vaḻi mutal iṭṭu nālām pāṭakamum irāyūr-t taṭakk-aṭiyār brahmāṇiyār paṅkiṉ vaḻi mutal iṭṭu nā[lām] ⟨3⟩ pāṭakamuṅ kuṇṭūr-k kantama-c-caṭaṅkaviyār paṅkiṉ vaḻi mutal iṭṭ’ iraṇṭām pāṭakamum i¡(m)!⟨m-m⟩(u/ū)ṉṟu pāṭakamum yāṉ ivar pakkal vilaikku-k koṇṭ’ uṭaiyaṉ Avippuṟam-āka-k ku⟨4⟩ṭuttēṉ

ivaṟṟiṉ bhogattāl nityamu-n-nāḻi Arici ney-y uṭppaṭa Iraṇṭu poḻutun tiru-v-amirtu kāṭṭuvāṉ āka-p paṇittōm

im-m(u/ū)ṉṟukkum epp¿o?⟨ē⟩rppaṭṭa Iṟaiyu⟨5⟩m oḻintōm

brā(hma)ṇaṉ ārādhitt’ uṇpāṉ āka-p paṇittōm

mahāsabhaiyōm

im-maṇḍapattiṉukk’ ā(r)yyaṉ kārīśvara-sūnu-vastuvidyāmayan= nak=kaṉ eḻuttu

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ nan=ti-varmmarkku ⬦ nan=ti-vanmarkku KVS. — ⟨1⟩ Uttarameru° ⬦ Ut=tarameru° KVS. — ⟨1⟩ catu(r)vvedicaturvvedi KVS. — ⟨1⟩ [ca. 3+][ca. 1+] KVS. — ⟨1⟩ c(a/ā)tu(r)vvaidyacāturvvaidya KVS.

⟨2⟩ °viṣṇukumāra° ⬦ °viṣṇukumāra° KVS.

⟨4⟩ nityamu-n-nāḻi ⬦ nitya⟨m⟩munnāḻi IP • That is, nityam munnāḻi.

⟨5⟩ ārādhitt’ ⬦ ārāditt’ IP • The latter reading is most probably a typo. — ⟨5⟩ ā(r)yyaṉ ⬦ ācāryya KVS.

Translation by Emmanuel Francis

(1) Prosperity! Fortune!

Twenty-fourth year of Nandivarman.

To the Mahādeva of the Īśānadiśā-brahmeśvaragṛha (the temple of the Lord of Brahmā in the north-east direction) in Uttaramēru-caturvedimaṅgala; I, Perumañcikaṉ, caturvaidya [and] madhyastha of this village; after giving (iṭṭu1) a capital from (vaḻi) a share [of] the honourable Kuravaciri Viṣṇukumāra Trivedin, [his] fourth plot; after giving a capital from a share [of] the honourable Brahmin lady, [wife of] of the honourable Taṭakkaṭi of Irāyūr, [her] fourth plot; after giving a capital from a share [of] the honourable Kantamaccaṭaṅkavi of Kuṇṭūr, [his] second plot; these three plots, me (yāṉ) having bought (vilaikku-k koṇṭu2) [them] from these [three] (ivar), I have given [them] as avippuṟam [for] the Lord (uṭaiyaṉ, i.e. Mahādeva of the Īśānadiśā-brahmeśvaragṛha).

With the revenue (bhogattāl) of these (ivaṟṟiṉ), we have ordered that there be permanenty (nityam) one who offers (kāṭṭuvāṉ) glorious amṛta (tiru-v-amirtu) twice [a day] up to (uṭpaṭa3) three nāḻis (munnāḻi) of rice and ghee.

For these three [plots] we have exempted (oḻintōm4) taxes, of whatsoever kind.

We have have ordered that there be a Brahmin feeding the Lord [when] worshipping.

[So did We,] We, the members of the great assembly (mahāsabhaiyōm).

Writing [of] Vastuvidyāmaya, son of Kārīśvara, the ācārya [attached] to this maṇḍapa.

Commentary

(4) tiru-v-amirtu, "glorious amṛta", is usually translated as “sacred food-offerings”.

(5) The maṇḍapa is the Vaikuṇṭaperumāḷ itself. Cf. Gros, etc. Not a temple properly at that period, but the assembly hall. If a temple nonetheless, also the assembly hall.

Bibliography

Edited in Subrahmanya Aiyer 1928 (SII 6.356); text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP 78).

Edited and translated here by Emmanuel Francis (2020), based on autopsy and photographs (2019).

Primary

[KVS] Subrahmanya Aiyer, K. V. 1928. South-Indian inscriptions (texts). Volume VI: Miscellaneous inscriptions from the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada countries. South Indian Inscriptions 6. Calcutta: Governement of India, Central Publication Branch. Page 356, item 166.

[IP] Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi; Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan. Pages 256–257, item 78.

Secondary

[ARIE 1897-1898] Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1898. G.O. Nos. 1093-1096, 29th August 1898. Epigraphy. Directing that the annual report of the Government Epigraphist for 1897-98 be forwarded to the Government of India, approving provisionally his programme of work for the next fields season. Madras: Government of Madras, Public Department. Page 18, appendix B/1898, item 72.

Notes

  1. 1. Literally, "after placing".
  2. 2. Literally "having got a price for".
  3. 3. Literally, "so as to include".
  4. 4. Literally: "we have excepted, cleared".