Mallām, donation, time of Kampavarman, year 20

Editor: Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00226.

Summary: Donation of land in honour of a man who performed ritual suicide in honour of the Goddess.

Languages: Sanskrit, Tamil.

Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy).

Version: 2024-09-19 15:29 (e8a670e), last modified 2024-06-06 16:22 (18e0138).

⟨1⟩ śrī

ka(m)paparuma(ṟ)ku (yā)ṇṭu Iru-pa¿t?⟨tt⟩-āvatu

(pa)ṭṭai-pō(t)⟨2⟩[ta](ṉu)kku Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkat¡i!⟨ī⟩n=taṉ paṭṭai-pō(t)taṉ mē⟨3⟩(tavam) purintat’ eṉṟu bhaṭārikku nava-k-kaṇṭaṅ kuṭuttu ⟨4⟩ [ku](ṉṟaka-t)-talai Aṟuttu-p p¡i!⟨ī⟩ṭ¿a?⟨i⟩likai mēl vaittāṉukku (ti)⟨5⟩[ru]vāṉm¡u!⟨ū⟩r Ūrār vaitta paric-āvatu

Em¡u!⟨ū⟩r-p paṟai koṭṭi-k kal-(mē)⟨6⟩[ṭu] (ceytār ā)vikku-k kuṭu(p)pār āṉār

pōttaṉaṅ kiḻavarkaḷum to(ṟu)⟨7⟩-(p-pa)ṭṭi nilam kuṭu(t)tārkaḷ

Itu Aṉṟ’ eṉṟār kaṅkai-y-iṭai-k kumari⟨8⟩-[y]-iṭ(ai) Ēḻu-nūṟṟu-k kātamum ceyt(ā)ṉ ceyta pāvattu-p paṭuv[ār]

⟨9⟩ Aṉṟ’ eṉṟār Aṉṟ’ āḷ-kōvukku kāṟ-p-po⟨10⟩(ṉ) ṟaṇṭap paṭuvār

Translation by Emmanuel Francis

(1) Fortune!

(1) Twentieth year of Kampavarman.

(1–5) This is the manner (paricāvatu) that the village delegates (ūrār) of Tiruvāṉmūr gave (vaitta) to Paṭṭaipōttaṉ, as is known (purintatu eṉṟu) the great penance (mētavam) [of] Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ, in honour of him¹ who gave the nine parts (nava-k-kaṇṭam) to Bhaṭāri, cut his head and offered it on the altar.

(5–6) Those who, beating drums in our village, have done (ceytār) the stone mound (kal-mēṭu) have become those who give for [his] soul.

(6–7) The landlords [of] Pōttaṉam are those who gave the land [named] Toṟuppaṭṭi.

(7–8) He who says that this is not so will suffer in the sin done by he who does [sin within] the seven hundred leagues between the Ganges and Kumari.

(7–8) He who says that [this] is not so will incur a fine (taṇṭam) of a quarter poṉ to the then ruling king.

Commentary

Below the inscription is the figure of a kneeling beheaded man, with a knife in his right hand, holding by the hair his severed head in his left hand.

According to Venkatasubba Ayyar 1943, the donation is made to Paṭṭaipōttaṉ for the pious act of Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ, who is probably his father. It is also possible that Paṭṭaipōttaṉ and Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ are the same person, in which case the beneficiary of the land donation (possibly the Goddess Bhaṭāri or the relatives of Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ) would not be explicitly mentioned in the inscription. The plain name Paṭṭaipōttaṉ would have been highlighted at the beginning of the inscription in the dative case.

(4) kuṉṟaka-t-talai. It is difficult to make sense of the first part of this compound, which is unclear on the stone. It might be split into kuṉṟu (from kuṉṟu-tal, “to decrease”) and akam (“place”), qualifying the severed head, in a redundant expression compared to aṟuttu (“having cut”).

(4) piṭalikai (that is, pīṭilikai). This word seems related to Sanskrit pīṭḥa (“seat, pedestal”) and appears to designate the altar for offerings (Sanskrit bali-pīṭha).

(5) kal-mēṭu. Litteraly “mound (mēṭu) (made of) stone (kal).” This is possibly a kind of memorial erected in honour of Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ, of which the inscribed stele would be an element.

(6) pōttaṉam. This appears to be a toponym, linked to Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatintaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ, as indicated by the last element of his name.

(6–7) toṟuppaṭṭi. Either a toponym indicating the location of the land given or a phrase making explicit the purpose of the land given: “land (nilam) as (grazing-)place (paṭṭi) for cattle (toṟu).”

Bibliography

Edited in Venkatasubba Ayyar 1943 (SII 12, no. 106), with a facsimile; text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP 226); encoded and first translated here by Emmanuel Francis (2022), based on previous editions and published facsimiles.

Primary

[VVA] Venkatasubba Ayyar, V. 1943. South Indian inscriptions. Volume XII: The Pallavas (with introductory notes in English). South Indian Inscriptions 12. Madras: Government Press. Page 50, item 106, plate VI.

[IP] Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi; Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan. Page 581, item 226.

Secondary

Krishna Sastri, H. 1916. G.O. No. 99, 29th August 1916. Epigraphy. Recording, with remarks, the progress report of the Assistant Archaeological Superintendent for epigraphy, Southern Circle, for the year 1915-1916. No place. Page 20, appendix B/1915, item 227.

Sircar, Dines Chandra. 1953. “Inscriptions in Sanskritic and Dravidian Languages.” Ancient India 9, pp. 212–224. Page 217, plate CXI.

Sircar, Dines Chandra. 1965. Indian epigraphy. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. Page 89, plate XVII.

Notes

1. That is, Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ

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Fortune!

Twentieth year of Kampavarman.

This is the manner <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>paricāvatu</foreign></supplied> that the village delegates (<foreign>ūrār</foreign>) of Tiruvāṉmūr gave <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>vaitta</foreign></supplied> to Paṭṭaipōttaṉ, as is known <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>purintatu eṉṟu</foreign></supplied> the great penance <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>mētavam</foreign></supplied> <supplied reason="subaudible">of</supplied> Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ, in honour of him<note>That is, Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ</note> who gave the nine parts <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>nava-k-kaṇṭam</foreign></supplied> to Bhaṭāri, cut his head and offered it on the altar.

Those who, beating drums in our village, have done <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>ceytār</foreign></supplied> the stone mound <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>kal-mēṭu</foreign></supplied> have become those who give for <supplied reason="subaudible">his</supplied> soul.

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He who says that this is not so will suffer in the sin done by he who does <supplied reason="subaudible">sin within</supplied> the seven hundred leagues between the Ganges and Kumari.

He who says that <supplied reason="subaudible">this</supplied> is not so will incur a fine <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>taṇṭam</foreign></supplied> of a quarter <foreign>poṉ</foreign> to the then ruling king.

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Below the inscription is the figure of a kneeling beheaded man, with a knife in his right hand, holding by the hair his severed head in his left hand.

According to <bibl><ptr target="bib:VenkatasubbaAyyar1943_01"/></bibl>, the donation is made to Paṭṭaipōttaṉ for the pious act of Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ, who is probably his father. It is also possible that Paṭṭaipōttaṉ and Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ are the same person, in which case the beneficiary of the land donation (possibly the Goddess Bhaṭāri or the relatives of Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ) would not be explicitly mentioned in the inscription. The plain name Paṭṭaipōttaṉ would have been highlighted at the beginning of the inscription in the dative case.

<foreign>kuṉṟaka-t-talai</foreign>. It is difficult to make sense of the first part of this compound, which is unclear on the stone. It might be split into <foreign>kuṉṟu</foreign> (from <foreign>kuṉṟu-tal</foreign>, “to decrease”) and <foreign>akam</foreign> (“place”), qualifying the severed head, in a redundant expression compared to <foreign>aṟuttu</foreign> (“having cut”).

<foreign>piṭalikai</foreign> (that is, <foreign>pīṭilikai</foreign>). This word seems related to Sanskrit <foreign>pīṭḥa</foreign> (“seat, pedestal”) and appears to designate the altar for offerings (Sanskrit <foreign>bali-pīṭha</foreign>).

<foreign>kal-mēṭu</foreign>. Litteraly “mound (<foreign>mēṭu</foreign>) (made of) stone (<foreign>kal</foreign>).” This is possibly a kind of memorial erected in honour of Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatīntaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ, of which the inscribed stele would be an element.

<foreign>pōttaṉam</foreign>. This appears to be a toponym, linked to Okkoṇṭanākaṉ Okkatintaṉ Paṭṭaipōttaṉ, as indicated by the last element of his name.

<foreign>toṟuppaṭṭi</foreign>. Either a toponym indicating the location of the land given or a phrase making explicit the purpose of the land given: “land (<foreign>nilam</foreign>) as (grazing-)place (<foreign>paṭṭi</foreign>) for cattle (<foreign>toṟu</foreign>).”

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