SII 1.155: original edition by Eugen Hultzsch

Alternative title: “PART IV. ADDENDA. No. 155. AN INSCRIPTION OF KULOTTUṄGA-CHOḶA AT CHIDAMBARAM.”

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: The subjoined Grantha inscription is engraved on the outside of the east wall of the innermost prākāra of the great temple at Chidambaram in the South Arcot District. It consists of two verses in the Sragdharā metre, each of which eulogises the victories of Kulottuṅga-Choḷa over the five Pāṇḍyas. The first verse further states, that the king burnt the fort of Korgāra (Korgāra-durga) and defeated the Keraḷas. Korgāra is probably a Sanskritised form of Koṟkai in the Tinnevelly District, the ancient capital of the Pāṇḍyas.¹ The second verse records, that Kulottuṅga-Choḷa placed a pillar of victory on the Sahyādri mountain, i.e., the Western Ghāṭs. This he must have done after his conquest of the Keraḷas, which is mentioned in the first verse.

According to a grant published by Mr. Fleet,² Kulottuṅga-Choḍa-deva was the name of two of the Eastern Chalukyan successors of the Choḷa kings. Of the first of these, who was also called Rājendra-Choḍa and ruled from Śaka 985 to 1034, the Chellūr grant reports that he conquered the Kerala and Pāṇḍya countries.³ From an unpublished Chidambaram inscription⁴ it appears, that the surname Kulottuṅga-Choḷadeva was also borne by the maternal grandfather of the last-mentioned king, the Choḷa king Rājendra-Choḷa-deva, among whose conquests we find both the Keraḷa and Pāṇḍya countries.⁵ Consequently, it is impossible to say to which Kulottuṅga-Choḷa the subjoined inscription has to be referred.⁶

Language: Sanskrit (san).

Version: 2025-09-15 20:07 (5e30cca), last modified 2025-07-03 14:51 (0ec4724).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī || pāṇḍyāndaṇḍena jitvā pracuraśaramucā pañca pañcānanaśrīḥ dagdhvā korggāradurggantṛiṇamiva sa yathā

⟨2⟩ khāṇḍavam· pāṇḍusūnuḥ [|] piṣṭvā tat· keraḷānām balamatibahaḷam śrīkulottu⟦ṁ⟧gacoḷaścakre śakrapratāpastribhuvanavijayastam·bhamam·bhodhitīre [|| 1]

⟨3⟩ puṇye sa{ṁ}hyādriśṛiṁge tribhuvanavijayastam·bhamam·bhodhipāre svacchandam· pārasīnāntaruṇayuvatibhirggīyate yasya kīrttiḥ [|]

⟨4⟩ sa śrīmānastaśatruḥ prabalabalabharaiḥ pañca pāṇḍyānvijitya kṣubhyat· kṣmāpālacakram savidhikamakarocchrīkulottuṁgacoḷaḥ || [2]

Apparatus

⟨2⟩ śrīkulottu⟦ṁ⟧ga° • The anusvāra is obliterated.

⟨4⟩ °śatruḥ • śatruḥ seems to be corrected from śastraḥ.

Translation by Hultzsch 1890

Hail! Prosperity! (Verse 1.) Having defeated the five Pāṇḍyas by an army, which discharged numerous arrows, having burnt, like straw, the fort of Korgāra, just as (Arjuna) the son of Pāṇḍu burnt the Khāṇḍava (forest),⁷ and having crushed the extremely dense army of the Keraḷas,—the illustrious Kulottuṅga-Choḷa, who resembled Siva in splendour and Indra in might, placed a pillar (commemorative of his) conquest of the three worlds on the shore of the ocean.

(Verse 2.) (Having placed⁸) a pillar (commemorative of his) conquest of the three worlds on the sacred peak of the Sahyādri (mountain), and having defeated the five Pāṇḍyas by masses of powerful armies,—the illustrious Kulottuṅga-Choḷa, whose fame is voluntarily sung by the tender women of the Pārasis,⁹ and who has driven away his enemies, made the trembling crowd of kings subject to his orders.¹⁰

Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 1.155 by Hultzsch 1890 converted to DHARMA conventions by Emmanuel Francis

Primary

[SII] Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1890. South-Indian inscriptions, Tamil and Sanskrit, from stone and copper-plate edicts at Mamallapuram, Kanchipuram, in the North Arcot district, and other parts of the Madras Presidency, chiefly collected in 1886-87. Volume I. South Indian Inscriptions 1. Madras: Government Press. Pages 168–169, item 155.

Notes

1. For references on Koṟkai, see Mr. Sewell’s Lists of Antiquities, Vol. I, p. 312.
2. Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV, p. 55.
3. See No. 39, verse 10, p. 59, above.
4. See paragraph 5 of my Progress Report for February, March and April 1888, Madras G.O., 27th July 1888, No. 745, Public.
5. See p. 97, above.
6. This remark applies also to the various kings of the same name, who are mentioned in other inscriptions of this volume. These are:—Kulottuṅga-Choḷa-deva in No. 86; Ko-Rājakesarivarman, alias Kulottuṅga-Choḷa-deva in Nos. 89, 96 and 130; and Koṉeri Meṉ-koṇḍa Kulottuṅga-Choḷa-deva in No. 132.
7. Compare No. 39, verse 3, p. 57, above.
8. One would expect a gerund conveying this meaning instead of ambodhipāre, which seems to have crept into the text through the influence of ambodhitīre in verse 1.
9. The composer of the inscription mentions the Persians (Tamil pāraci, Sanskrit pārasīka) merely as the representatives of the most distant nations which were known to him.
10. Savidhika seems to be used in the sense of ājñāvidheya.

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<title type="alt">PART IV. ADDENDA. No. 155. AN INSCRIPTION OF KULOTTUṄGA-CHOḶA AT CHIDAMBARAM.</title>

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<p>The subjoined Grantha inscription is engraved on the outside of the east wall of the innermost <hi rend="italic">prākāra</hi> of the great temple at <hi rend="bold">Chidambaram</hi> in the South Arcot District. It consists of two verses in the <hi rend="italic">Sragdharā</hi> metre, each of which eulogises the victories of <hi rend="bold">Kulottuṅga-Choḷa</hi> over the five <hi rend="bold">Pāṇḍyas</hi>. The first verse further states, that the king burnt the fort of <hi rend="bold">Korgāra</hi> (<hi rend="italic">Korgāra-durga</hi>) and defeated the <hi rend="bold">Keraḷas</hi>. Korgāra is probably a Sanskritised form of <hi rend="bold">Koṟkai</hi> in the Tinnevelly District, the ancient capital of the <hi rend="bold">Pāṇḍyas</hi>.<note>For references on Koṟkai, see Mr. Sewell's <hi rend="italic">Lists of Antiquities</hi>, Vol. I, p. 312.</note> The second verse records, that <hi rend="bold">Kulottuṅga-Choḷa</hi> placed a pillar of victory on the <hi rend="bold">Sahyādri</hi> mountain, <hi rend="italic">i.e.</hi>, the Western Ghāṭs. This he must have done after his conquest of the <hi rend="bold">Keraḷas</hi>, which is mentioned in the first verse.</p>

<p>According to a grant published by Mr. Fleet,<note><hi rend="italic">Ind. Ant</hi>. Vol. XIV, p. 55.</note> <hi rend="bold">Kulottuṅga-Choḍa-deva</hi> was the name of two of the Eastern <hi rend="bold">Chalukyan</hi> successors of the <hi rend="bold">Choḷa</hi> kings. Of the first of these, who was also called <hi rend="bold">Rājendra-Choḍa</hi> and ruled from Śaka 985 to 1034, the <hi rend="bold">Chellūr</hi> grant reports that he conquered the <hi rend="bold">Kerala</hi> and <hi rend="bold">Pāṇḍya</hi> countries.<note>See No. 39, verse 10, p. 59, above.</note> From an unpublished <hi rend="bold">Chidambaram</hi> inscription<note>See paragraph 5 of my <hi rend="italic">Progress Report for February, March and April</hi> 1888, Madras G.O., 27th July 1888, No. 745, Public.</note> it appears, that the surname <hi rend="bold">Kulottuṅga-Choḷadeva</hi> was also borne by the maternal grandfather of the last-mentioned king, the <hi rend="bold">Choḷa</hi> king <hi rend="bold">Rājendra-Choḷa-deva</hi>, among whose conquests we find both the <hi rend="bold">Keraḷa</hi> and <hi rend="bold">Pāṇḍya</hi> countries.<note>See p. 97, above.</note> Consequently, it is impossible to say to which <hi rend="bold">Kulottuṅga-Choḷa</hi> the subjoined inscription has to be referred.<note>This remark applies also to the various kings of the same name, who are mentioned in other inscriptions of this volume. These are:—Kulottuṅga-Choḷa-deva in No. 86; Ko-Rājakesarivarman, <hi rend="italic">alias</hi> Kulottuṅga-Choḷa-deva in Nos. 89, 96 and 130; and Koṉeri Meṉ-koṇḍa Kulottuṅga-Choḷa-deva in No. 132.</note></p>

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<lb n="1"/>svasti śrī <g type="ddanda">.</g> pāṇḍyāndaṇḍena jitvā pracuraśaramucā pañca pañcānanaśrīḥ dagdhvā korggāradurggantṛiṇamiva sa yathā

<lb n="2"/>khāṇḍavam· pāṇḍusūnuḥ <supplied reason="undefined"><g type="danda">.</g></supplied> piṣṭvā tat· keraḷānām balamatibahaḷam śrīkulottu<del>ṁ</del>gacoḷaścakre śakrapratāpastribhuvanavijayastam·bhamam·bhodhitīre <supplied reason="undefined"><g type="ddanda">.</g> 1</supplied>

<lb n="3"/>puṇye sa<surplus>ṁ</surplus>hyādriśṛiṁge tribhuvanavijayastam·bhamam·bhodhipāre svacchandam· pārasīnāntaruṇayuvatibhirggīyate yasya kīrttiḥ <supplied reason="undefined"><g type="danda">.</g></supplied>

<lb n="4"/>sa śrīmānastaśatruḥ prabalabalabharaiḥ pañca pāṇḍyānvijitya kṣubhyat· kṣmāpālacakram savidhikamakarocchrīkulottuṁgacoḷaḥ <g type="ddanda">.</g> <supplied reason="undefined">2</supplied>

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<lem>śrīkulottu<del>ṁ</del>ga°</lem>

<note>The <hi rend="italic">anusvāra</hi> is obliterated.</note>

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<lem>°śatruḥ</lem>

<note><foreign>śatruḥ</foreign> seems to be corrected from <foreign>śastraḥ</foreign>.</note>

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<p>Hail! Prosperity! (<hi rend="italic">Verse</hi> 1.) Having defeated the five <hi rend="bold">Pāṇḍyas</hi> by an army, which discharged numerous arrows, having burnt, like straw, the fort of <hi rend="bold">Korgāra</hi>, just as (<hi rend="italic">Arjuna</hi>) the son of <hi rend="bold">Pāṇḍu</hi> burnt the <hi rend="bold">Khāṇḍava</hi> (<hi rend="italic">forest</hi>),<note>Compare No. 39, verse 3, p. 57, above.</note> and having crushed the extremely dense army of the <hi rend="bold">Keraḷas</hi>,—the illustrious <hi rend="bold">Kulottuṅga-Choḷa</hi>, who resembled Siva in splendour and Indra in might, placed a pillar (<hi rend="italic">commemorative of his</hi>) conquest of the three worlds on the shore of the ocean.</p>

<p>(<hi rend="italic">Verse</hi> 2.) (<hi rend="italic">Having placed</hi><note>One would expect a gerund conveying this meaning instead of <hi rend="italic">ambodhipāre</hi>, which seems to have crept into the text through the influence of <hi rend="italic">ambodhitīre</hi> in verse 1.</note>) a pillar (<hi rend="italic">commemorative of his</hi>) conquest of the three worlds on the sacred peak of the <hi rend="bold">Sahyādri</hi> (<hi rend="italic">mountain</hi>), and having defeated the five <hi rend="bold">Pāṇḍyas</hi> by masses of powerful armies,—the illustrious <hi rend="bold">Kulottuṅga-Choḷa</hi>, whose fame is voluntarily sung by the tender women of the <hi rend="bold">Pārasis</hi>,<note>The composer of the inscription mentions the Persians (Tamil <foreign>pāraci</foreign>, Sanskrit <foreign>pārasīka</foreign>) merely as the representatives of the most distant nations which were known to him.</note> and who has driven away his enemies, made the trembling crowd of kings subject to his orders.<note><hi rend="italic">Savidhika</hi> seems to be used in the sense of <hi rend="italic">ājñāvidheya</hi>.</note></p>

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