Tiruveḷḷaṟai’s well, time of Dantivarman, year 4

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: Foundation of a well.

Palaeographic description: The puḷḷi is consistently used, although not for most of duplicated consonants and sometimes unduly. The daṇḍa consists in a vertical stroke with a shorter horizontal stroke attached in its middle on the right side.

Language: Tamil (tam) [Grantha (grantha), Tamil (tamil)].

Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy).

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00098.

File path: DHARMA_INSPallava00098.xml.

Version: 2026-08-17 11:27 (08f8cb5), last modified 2026-07-17 15:32 (ecb0276).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī bhāradvāja-gotrattiṉ· vaḻi-t tōṉ·ṟiya pallava-tilata-kulorbhavaṉ· tan=ti-varmmaṟku yāṇ·ṭu nāṉ·k-āvat’ eṭuttu-k· koṇṭu Ai(·)nt-āvatu muṟṟuvittāṉ· Ālam·p(ā)kka-vicaiyanal·lūḻāṉ·

⟨2⟩ tam·pi kam·paṉ· Araiyaṉ· tiruveḷ(·)ḷaṟai-t(·) teṉṉūr·-p· peruṅ·-kiṇaṟu Itaṉ p¿i?yar· mār·-p·-piṭuku p{·}eruṅ·-kiṇar’ eṉ·patu † Itu ra¡tṣi!p·pār· Ivv-ūr mū-v-¿āI?ratt’ eḻu-nūṟṟuvarum· †

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ tilata • tilata is a tadbhava of Sanskrit tilaka.

Translation by Subrahmanya Aiyar 1911–1912

⟨1⟩ Hail ! Prosperity !

⟨1–2⟩ In the fourth year ⟨of the reign⟩ of Dantivarman who was born in the Pallavatilaka family which had sprung from the Bhāradvāja-gōtra, Kampaṉ Araiyaṉ, the younger brother of Vicaiyanallūḻāṉ of Ālampākkam, commenced ⟨to build⟩ the big well at Teṉṉūr¹ in Tiruveḷḷaṟai and completed ⟨it⟩ in the fifth ⟨year of the same reign⟩.

⟨2⟩ Mārppiṭuku-peruṅkiṇaṟu is the name of this ⟨well⟩.

⟨2⟩ The three-thousand and seven hundred² of this village shall protect this ⟨charity⟩.

Translation into French

⟨1⟩ Prospérité ! Fortune !

⟨1–2⟩ Kampaṉ Araiyaṉ, le frère cadet de Vicaiyanallūḻāṉ d’Ālampākkam, a commencé le grand puits de Teṉṉūr à Tiruveḷḷaṟai ⟨en⟩ la quatrième année de Tantivarman³, qui est issu de la famille dont l’éponyme Pallava est l’ornement (pallava-tilata-kula), apparue dans la lignée du gotra de Bharadvāja, et l’a achevé en ⟨sa⟩ cinquième année.

⟨2⟩ Son nom est grand puits de Mārppiṭuku.

⟨2⟩ Les trois mille sept cents de ce village protègent ceci⁴.

Commentary

Bibliography

Reported in ARIE 1905–06 (ARIE/1905-1906/B/1905/541).

Edited in Subrahmanya Aiyar 1911–1912 (EI 11.15). Text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP 98).

This revised edition by Emmanuel Francis, based on autopsy, photos, and the visual documentation published in Subrahmanya Aiyar 1911–1912.

Primary

[EI] Subrahmanya Aiyar, K. V. 1911–1912. “Tiruvellarai inscription of Dantivarman.” EI 11, pp. 154–158.

[IP] Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi; Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan. Pages 335–336, item 98.

Secondary

[ARIE] ARIE 1905–06. G.O. No. 492, 2nd July 1906. Epigraphy. Recording the annual report of the Assistant Archaeological Superintendent for Epigraphy, Southern Circle, for the year 1905-1906, and directing that the report be forwarded to the Government of India. Edited by V. Venkayya. No place, 1906. Page 33, appendix B/1905, item 541.

[SII] Venkatasubba Ayyar, V. & C. R. Krishnamacharlu. 1943. South Indian inscriptions. Volume XII: The Pallavas (with introductory notes in English). South Indian Inscriptions 12. Madras: Government Press. Page 16, item 40.⁵

Notes

1. The southern part of Tiruveḷḷaṟai was probably called Teṉṉūr in ancient times.
2. The signatory of one of the inscriptions of Rājarāja (A.D. 985-1013) found at Māmallapuram in the Chingleput District is a certain Tiruvaṭikaḷ Maṇikaṇṭhaṉ, a native of Tiruveḷ⟨ḷ⟩arai. He calls himself as one of the 3700 of that village (South-Ind. Inscrs. Vol. I, p. 65). This seems to indicate that at an early period there was a body of 3700 at Tiruveḷḷaṟai to whom later members traced their descent. Reference to another such body of men is found in the expression Tiḷḷai-mūvāyiravar.
3. Sanskrit Dantivarman.
4. C’est-à-dire le puits en tant que donation.
5. Summary only.

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<p>The <foreign>puḷḷi</foreign> is consistently used, although not for most of duplicated consonants and sometimes unduly. The <foreign>daṇḍa</foreign> consists in a vertical stroke with a shorter horizontal stroke attached in its middle on the right side.</p>

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<lb n="1"/><hi rend="grantha">svasti śrī</hi>

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<hi rend="grantha">bhāradvāja-gotra</hi>ttiṉ· vaḻi-t tōṉ·ṟiya <hi rend="grantha">palla</hi>va-ti<hi rend="grantha">la</hi>ta-ku<hi rend="grantha">lorbha</hi>vaṉ· tan=ti-va<hi rend="grantha">rmma</hi>ṟku yāṇ·ṭu nāṉ·k-āvat’ eṭuttu-k· koṇṭu Ai<unclear>·</unclear>nt-āvatu muṟṟuvittāṉ· Ālam·p<unclear>ā</unclear>kka-vicaiyanal·lūḻāṉ·

tam·pi kam·paṉ· Araiyaṉ· tiruveḷ<unclear>·</unclear>ḷaṟai-t<unclear>·</unclear> teṉṉūr·-p· peruṅ·-kiṇaṟu

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Itaṉ p<choice><sic>i</sic><corr>e</corr></choice>yar· mār·-p·-piṭuku p<surplus>·</surplus>eruṅ·-kiṇar’ eṉ·patu <g ref="sym:bar-crossed" type="punctuation">.</g>

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Itu ra<choice><orig><hi rend="grantha">tṣi</hi></orig><reg><hi rend="grantha">kṣi</hi></reg></choice>p·pār· Ivv-ūr mū-v-<choice><sic>āI</sic><corr>āyi</corr></choice>ratt’ eḻu-nūṟṟuvarum· <g ref="sym:bar-crossed" type="punctuation">.</g>

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<note><foreign>tilata</foreign> is a <foreign>tadbhava</foreign> of Sanskrit <foreign>tilaka</foreign>.</note>

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<p n="1">Hail ! Prosperity !</p>

<p n="1-2">In the fourth year <supplied reason="subaudible">of the reign</supplied> of Dantivarman who was born in the Pallavatilaka family which had sprung from the Bhāradvāja-gōtra, Kampaṉ Araiyaṉ, the younger brother of Vicaiyanallūḻāṉ of Ālampākkam, commenced <supplied reason="subaudible">to build</supplied> the big well at Teṉṉūr<note>The southern part of Tiruveḷḷaṟai was probably called Teṉṉūr in ancient times.</note> in Tiruveḷḷaṟai and completed <supplied reason="subaudible">it</supplied> in the fifth <supplied reason="subaudible">year of the same reign</supplied>.</p>

<p n="2">Mārppiṭuku-peruṅkiṇaṟu is the name of this <supplied reason="subaudible">well</supplied>.</p>

<p n="2">The three-thousand and seven hundred<note>The signatory of one of the inscriptions of Rājarāja (A.D. 985-1013) found at Māmallapuram in the Chingleput District is a certain Tiruvaṭikaḷ Maṇikaṇṭhaṉ, a native of Tiruveḷ<supplied reason="omitted">ḷ</supplied>arai. He calls himself as one of the 3700 of that village (<hi rend="italic">South-Ind. Inscrs.</hi> Vol. I, p. 65). This seems to indicate that at an early period there was a body of 3700 at Tiruveḷḷaṟai to whom later members traced their descent. Reference to another such body of men is found in the expression <foreign>Tiḷḷai-mūvāyiravar</foreign>.</note> of this village shall protect this <supplied reason="subaudible">charity</supplied>.</p>

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Prospérité ! Fortune !

</p>

Kampaṉ Araiyaṉ, le frère cadet de Vicaiyanallūḻāṉ d’Ālampākkam, a commencé le grand puits de Teṉṉūr à Tiruveḷḷaṟai <supplied reason="subaudible">en</supplied> la quatrième année de Tantivarman<note>Sanskrit Dantivarman.</note>, qui est issu de la famille dont l'éponyme Pallava est l'ornement <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>pallava-tilata-kula</foreign></supplied>, apparue dans la lignée du <foreign>gotra</foreign> de Bharadvāja, et l'a achevé en <supplied reason="subaudible">sa</supplied> cinquième année.

</p>

Son nom est grand puits de Mārppiṭuku.

</p>

Les trois mille sept cents de ce village protègent ceci<note>C'est-à-dire le puits en tant que donation.</note>.

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<p>

See also inscription <ref target="DHARMA_INSPallava00525.xml">Pallava 525</ref>.

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<foreign><hi rend="grantha">palla</hi>va-ti<hi rend="grantha">la</hi>ta-ku<hi rend="grantha">lorbha</hi>vaṉ</foreign>. <foreign><hi rend="grantha">palla</hi>va-ku<hi rend="grantha">la</hi>-ti<hi rend="grantha">la</hi>to<hi rend="grantha">rbha</hi>vaṉ</foreign>, "who appeared as the ornament of the Pallava lineage" would be more straightforward. Alternatively, as suggested by Christophe Vielle, <foreign><hi rend="grantha">palla</hi>va-ti<hi rend="grantha">la</hi>ta-ku<hi rend="grantha">lorbha</hi>vaṉ</foreign> can be translated as "who appeared in the lineage whose ornament is the sprout", with a play, attested elsewehere in the Pallava corpus, on the dynastic name Pallava ("sprout" in Sanskrit). As the the phrase <foreign>pallava-tilaka</foreign>, "ornament of the Pallava (lineage)", is also attested in the Pallava corpus as an epithet of Pallava kings, it seems that the present writer either deliberately used it in a new way or misused it. On this epithet, see <bibl><ptr target="bib:SubrahmanyaAiyar1911-1912_01"/><citedRange unit="page">157</citedRange></bibl>.

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<foreign>mārppiṭuku</foreign>. See <bibl><ptr target="bib:SubrahmanyaAiyar1911-1912_01"/><citedRange unit="page">156</citedRange></bibl>.

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<p>Reported in <bibl><ptr target="bib:ARIE1905-1906"/></bibl> (ARIE/1905-1906/B/1905/541).</p>

<p>Edited in <bibl><ptr target="bib:SubrahmanyaAiyar1911-1912_01"/></bibl> (EI 11.15). Text and summary in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Mahalingam1988_01"/></bibl> (IP 98).</p>

<p>This revised edition by Emmanuel Francis, based on autopsy, photos, and the visual documentation published in <bibl><ptr target="bib:SubrahmanyaAiyar1911-1912_01"/></bibl>.</p>

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<note>Summary only.</note>

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