Aracalāpuram memorial stone for a cock
Editors: Emmanuel Francis, Valérie Gillet.
Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00397.
Summary: Memorial stone set up in honour of a cock, which fought for the western quarters (mēl-cēri) of a village. It is not clear whether the stone commemorates the death of the cock when fighting (as in the case of a deceased warrior) or its victorious fight.
Language: Tamil.
Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy).
Version: (117d0d9), last modified (14797a5).
Apparatus
Translation by Mahadevan 2003
(1–3) [The image of] the cock was engraved after it had fought on behalf of Mēṟcēri in [in] Mukaiyūr.
Translation by Emmanuel Francis and Valérie Gillet
Bibliography
Reported in No name 1991-11-13; Edited in Rajavelu 1996; re-edited in Makātēvaṉ 1997, Rajan 1997, Makātēvaṉ 1998; re-edited and translated Mahadevan 2003; re-edited here by Emmanuel Francis and Valérie Gillet (2021) from photographs (2013) and visual documentation in Mahadevan 2003.
Primary
[D] No name. 1991-11-13. “[Discovery of inscribed stele at Arasalapuram].” Dinamalar. Pondicherry. No place. Section News item.
[SR] Rajavelu, S. 1996. “Inscription from Araśalāpuram.” Journal of the Epigraphical Society of India 22, pp. 88–89.
[IM1997] Makātēvaṉ, Airāvatam. 1997. “toṇṭaimaṇṭalattuk kōḻik kaṟkaḷ.” Āvaṇam 8, pp. 9–19. Pages 10–14.
[KR1997] Rajan, K. 1997. Archaeological Gazetteer of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur: Manoo Pathippakkam. Pages 315–316.
[IM1998] Makātēvaṉ, Airāvatam. 1998. “toṇṭaimaṇṭalattuk kōḻik kaṟkaḷ: mīḷāyvu.” Āvaṇam 9, p. 142.
[IM2003] Mahadevan, Iravatham. 2003. Early Tamil epigraphy, from the earliest times to the sixth century A.D. Harvard oriental series 62. Chennai; Cambridge, Mass.: Cre-A; Harvard University Press. Item 112, pages 466–467, 530, 624–626, plate 47A.
Secondary
[KR2000] Rajan, K. 2000. South Indian memorial stones. Thanjavur: Manoo Pathippakam. Page 65.
Notes
- 1. Mahadevan 2003 translates as "was engraved" as he equates karukiya with karukkiya. We suggest that karukiya is the past form of karuku-tal, one of the meaning of which, according to the Madras Tamil Lexicon, is "to be scorched, scarred".
- 2. That is, the western quarters.
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<supplied reason="subaudible">The image of</supplied> the cock was engraved after it had fought on behalf of Mēṟcēri in <supplied reason="subaudible">in</supplied> Mukaiyūr.
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The cock, which was scarred<note><bibl><ptr target="bib:Mahadevan2003_01"/></bibl> translates as "was engraved" as he equates <foreign>karukiya</foreign> with <foreign>karukkiya</foreign>. We suggest that <foreign>karukiya</foreign> is the past form of <foreign>karuku-tal</foreign>, one of the meaning of which, according to the <foreign>Madras Tamil Lexicon</foreign>, is "to be scorched, scarred".</note> when fighting for the Mēṟcēri<note>That is, the western quarters.</note> of Mukaiyūr.
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This inscription is counted in the Pallava corpus, insofar as its date (5th century CE according to <bibl><ptr target="bib:Mahadevan2003_01"/></bibl>) and provenance correspond the period and the area of the Pallava rule in northern Tamil Nadu.
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A similar inscription, commemorating a victorious cock with a strikingly similar image of a cock, has been found at Intaḷūr (DHARMA_INSPallava00401). The two inscriptions appears to be closely related: the present Aracalāpuram inscription commemorates the fighting cock of the western quarters, whereas the Intaḷūr inscription commemorates the fighting cock of the eastern quarters.
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See the comments by <bibl><ptr target="bib:Mahadevan2003_01"/><citedRange unit="page">624-626</citedRange></bibl>.
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Reported in <bibl n="D"><ptr target="bib:Dinamalar1991_01"/></bibl>; Edited in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Rajavelu1996_01"/></bibl>; re-edited in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Makatevan1997_01"/></bibl>, <bibl><ptr target="bib:Rajan1997_01"/></bibl>, <bibl><ptr target="bib:Makatevan1998_01"/></bibl>; re-edited and translated <bibl><ptr target="bib:Mahadevan2003_01"/></bibl>; re-edited here by Emmanuel Francis and Valérie Gillet (2021) from photographs (2013) and visual documentation in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Mahadevan2003_01"/></bibl>.
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Commentary
This inscription is counted in the Pallava corpus, insofar as its date (5th century CE according to Mahadevan 2003) and provenance correspond the period and the area of the Pallava rule in northern Tamil Nadu.
A similar inscription, commemorating a victorious cock with a strikingly similar image of a cock, has been found at Intaḷūr (DHARMA_INSPallava00401). The two inscriptions appears to be closely related: the present Aracalāpuram inscription commemorates the fighting cock of the western quarters, whereas the Intaḷūr inscription commemorates the fighting cock of the eastern quarters.
See the comments by Mahadevan 2003, pp. 624–626.