Mahābalipuram Ādivaraha Cave slab

Editor: Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00092.

Summary: Land-sale of pasture-land for calves.

Languages: Sanskrit, Tamil.

Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy).

Version: (e8a670e), last modified (18e0138).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī

palla⟨va⟩-vaṁsasya na(n=ti)⟨2⟩bodhuvarmmaku rā(jy)ā(vi)(bh)i(r)ddh(ya)⟨3⟩ñ (ce)¡l!⟨ll⟩ā-niṉṟatu Āṟupatt(u) ⟨4⟩ ¿A?⟨Ai⟩nt-āvatu

māmallap(u)⟨5⟩rattu nakarattār Iṭaivala(ñ)⟨6⟩cāṉ kaṇṭaṉ kaṉṟu-mē⟨y⟩-(kaḻa)⟨7⟩¡n!⟨ṉ⟩i-y-āka koṇṭa nilam

(Ā)⟨8⟩mūr-nāṭṭu Kuṉṟattūr i[ṭai]⟨9⟩vāḻum(·) Kuṉṟat(·)tūr-(ki)[ḻā]⟨10⟩r Iḷa-naṭuvuṇār makaṉ [ca. 2+] ⟨11⟩ ṉ kaṇṭa¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ iṭ(ai) kaṉṟu-mē⟨y⟩-ka(ḻa)¡n!⟨ṉ⟩i⟨12⟩-y-āka viṟṟu-⟨k⟩-koṇṭa nilat(tu)⟨13⟩⟨k⟩k’ ellai

maḻiṉai nal(lu)⟨14⟩ḻār tōṭṭa⟨t⟩ti(ṉ) mē¿l?⟨ṟ⟩kum (teṉ)⟨15⟩pāl Ellai

kō¡n!⟨ṉ⟩-ē⟨16⟩[ri]-(I)ṉ vaṭak=kum mēl-pāl⟨17⟩[e]llai

mān(·)tai talaiva⟨18⟩[ṉ ē]rikkum· peru-vaḻi-Iṉ· ⟨19⟩ [kiḻak]kum· vaṭa-pāl-el⟨l⟩ai

pa⟨20⟩[ca. 1+]nappāṭi-e⟨l⟩lai-I(ṉ te)⟨21⟩[ṟku]m

[¡I-ṉ!⟨In-n⟩]āṉk’ ellai ⟨22⟩ [A]ka-⟨p⟩-paṭṭa nilamum kaṇṭa(n) ⟨23⟩ [I]ṭai viṟṟu-⟨k⟩-koṇ·ṭu po⟨24⟩(ṉ) kaṉṟu-mē⟨y⟩-kaḻa¡n!⟨ṉ⟩i{y}⟨25⟩(kku) peyitāṉ

Itu A⟨26⟩(ḻi)yāmai kāttā¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ aṭi E⟨27⟩[ṉ] ṟal(ai) mēlatu

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ -vaṁsasya ⬦ -vaṁs¿as?⟨ā⟩ya KS • This emendation by KS is unnecessary. — ⟨1⟩ na(n=ti) ⬦ na¿(nti )?⟨ndi⟩ KS; na(ṁdi) L • The reading nandi is also possible.

⟨2⟩ bodhuvarmmaku ⬦ ¿bodhuvarmmaku?⟨pōtavarmaṟku⟩ KS; ¿bodhu?⟨pōta⟩varmmaku L. — ⟨2⟩ rā(jy)ā(vi)(bh)i(r)ddh(ya)⟨3⟩ñ ⬦ rā(jy)ā¿vibhi?⟨bhivṛ⟩ddhya⟨3⟩ñ KS; rā(jy)ā¿vibhi?⟨bhivṛ⟩ddya⟨3⟩ñ M; rā(jy)ā¿vibhi?⟨bhivṛ⟩d(dhya)⟨3⟩ñ· L.

⟨3⟩ (ce)¡l!⟨ll⟩ā-niṉṟatu ⬦ ce¿lān?⟨llāṉ⟩iṉṟatu KS; celāniṉṟatu L.

⟨10⟩ -naṭuvuṇār ⬦ paṭuvuṇār KS; naṭuvuṇār L. — ⟨10⟩ [ca. 2+] ⟨11⟩ ṉ ⬦ [ca. 2+] ⟨11⟩ ṉ KS L • KS suggests restoring kōṉ.

⟨11⟩ -ka(ḻa)¡n!⟨ṉ⟩i⟨12⟩-y-āka ⬦ ka(ḻa)⟨12⟩(ni)yāka KS; ka[ḻani]⟨12⟩yāka L.

⟨12⟩ viṟṟu-⟨k⟩-koṇṭa ⬦ viṟṟukkoṇṭa KS L; viṟṟukkoṇṭa M.

⟨14⟩ (teṉ)⟨15⟩pāl Ellai ⬦ (te)⟨15⟩(ṉ)pāl-e¿l?⟨ll⟩ai KS; [teṉ]⟨15⟩pāl Ellai L.

⟨15⟩ kō¡n!⟨ṉ⟩-ē⟨16⟩[ri]-(I)ṉ ⬦ kōnē⟨16⟩(ri-i)ṉ KS; kōnē[ri]⟨16⟩-(I)ṉ L • From this line onwards Lockwood et al. 2001 add missing characters at the end of the lines, but the aspect of the stone seems to indicate that the gap is at the beginning of the lines.

⟨16⟩ mēl-pāl⟨17⟩[e]llai ⬦ mēlpāl⟨17⟩l-[e]¿l?⟨ll⟩ai KS; mēlpāl-[e]⟨17⟩llai L.

⟨17⟩ talaiva⟨18⟩[ṉ ē]rikkum· ⬦ talaiva(n)⟨18⟩(ē)rikkum KS; talaiva[ṉ]⟨18⟩(ēr)ikkum· L.

⟨18⟩ -vaḻi-Iṉ· ⟨19⟩ [kiḻak]kum· ⬦ -vaḻi-Iṉ (ki) ⟨19⟩ (ḻak)kum KS; -vaḻi Iṉ [ki] ⟨19⟩ [ḻak]kum· L.

⟨19⟩ pa⟨20⟩[ca. 1+]nappāṭi- ⬦ pa⟨20⟩nappāṭi- KS L.

⟨21⟩ ellai ⟨22⟩ [A]ka-⟨p⟩-paṭṭa ⬦ ellai ⟨22⟩ (A)ka⟨p⟩paṭṭa KS; ellai [A]⟨22⟩ka-⟨p⟩-paṭṭa L.

⟨22⟩ kaṇṭa(n) ⟨23⟩ [I]ṭai ⬦ kaṇṭa(n) ⟨23⟩ [I]ṭai KS; kaṇṭa(n)(i) ⟨23⟩ ṭai L.

⟨24⟩ -kaḻa¡n!⟨ṉ⟩i{y}⟨25⟩(kku) ⬦ -kaḻaniy⟨25⟩(kku) KS; -kaḻaniya⟨25⟩[kku] L.

⟨26⟩ kāttā¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ ⬦ kāttā(n) KS; kāttāṉ L.

⟨27⟩ ṟal(ai) ⬦ ṟa¿ll?⟨l⟩ai KS; ṟallai L • The -ai in lai looks like a duplicted -ai.

Translation by Emmanuel Francis

(1) Prosperity! Fortune!

(1–4) Sixty-fifth year of current (cellā niṉṟatu) prosperous reign of Nandibodhuvarman1 of the Pallava lineage.

(4–7) [This is about] the land that Iṭaivalañcāṉ Kaṇṭaṉ [among] the nakarattārs of Māmallapuram got2 as pasture-land for calves (kaṉṟu-mēy-kaḻaṉi-y-āka).

(7–13) The boundaries to the land purchased as pasture-land for calves from (iṭai) Kōṉ Kaṇṭaṉ, son of Iḷa-naṭuvuṇār, the lord of Kuṉṟattūr, who resides in Kuṉṟattūr in the Āmūr-nāṭu [are as follows:]

(13–15) the boundary on the southern side is west of the garden of Maḻiṉai Nalluḻār;

(15–17) the boundary on the western side is north of the royal tank;

(17–19) the boundary on the northern side is east of the tank of the chief of Māntai and of the great road;

(19–21) [the boundary on the eastern side] is south of the boundary of Panappāṭi;

(21–25) The land comprised within these four boundaries, he3 bought [it] from Kaṇṭaṉ, [with] gold, and made the libation (peytāṉ)4 [so as to enjoy it] for pasture-land for calves.

(25–27) The feet [of] he who protects this5 without destroying [it] are on my head.

Commentary

According to Krishna Sastri 1926, p. 10 the inscription records the gift after purchase of a pasture-land. The record however deals only with the purchase transaction and does not explicitly mentions any donee, not the fact that the purchased land was given.

On the akward description of boundaries and missing mention of the boundary on the eastern side. See Krishna Sastri 1926, p. 11, n. 2.

Bibliography

Edited and translated by Krishna Sastri 1926; text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP 92); re-edited with substantial corrections by Lockwood et al. 2001; re-edited here by Emmanuel Francis (2021), based on published visual documentation.

Primary

[KS] Krishna Sastri, H. 1926. Two statues of Pallava kings and five Pallava inscriptions in a rock-temple at Mahabalipuram. MASI 26. Calcutta: ASI. Pages 10–11, plate IB.

[M] Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi; Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan. Pages 323–324, item 92.

[L] Lockwood, Michael, Vishnu Bhat A, Gift Siromoney and Dayanandan P. 2001. Pallava art. Madras, Tambaram: Tambaram Research Associates. Pages 290–291.

Secondary

Venkoba Rao, G. 1924. Annual report on South-Indian epigraphy for the year ending 31st March 1923. Madras: Government Press. Page 45, appendix B/1922, item 666.

[VA] Venkatasubba Ayyar, V. 1943. South Indian inscriptions. Volume XII: The Pallavas (with introductory notes in English). South Indian Inscriptions 12. Madras: Government Press. Page 16, item 38.

Notes

  1. 1. That is, Nantipōtavarman, that is the Pallava king Nandivarman.
  2. 2. That is, "purchased".
  3. 3. That is, Iṭaivalañcāṉ Kaṇṭaṉ.
  4. 4. Literally: "poured [water]".
  5. 5. That is, the present transaction.