SII 3.50: original edition by Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch

Alternative title: “No. 50.—ON THE WEST WALL OF THE BILVANATHESVARA SHRINE.”

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: This inscription is dated in the same year of the reign of Rājarāja I. as No. 49. It records that a Brāhmaṇa set up an image of the goddess and granted a lamp to the temple. He also purchased 1,700 kuḻi of land from the inhabitants of the village of Mandiram in Tūñāḍu and made it over to the temple authorities, who had to feed the lamp and to supply offerings from the produce of the land.

Tūñāḍu, to which Mandiram belonged, was the name of the country round Mēlpāḍi.1 Mandiram had the surname Jayamēru-Śrīkaraṇamaṅgalam (ll. 2 and 15 f.), which seems to be derived from Jayamēru, one of the surnames of the Bāṇa king Vikramāditya I.2

Language: Tamil (tam).

Version: (7b9d724), last modified (648855e).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī [||] ko rājarājakesariva⟨r⟩mmaṟkiyāṇṭu Eḻāvatu tūñā-

⟨2⟩ ṭṭu man=tiramākiya jayameruśrīkaraṇamaṅkalattu sabhaiyom [|] paṭu-

⟨3⟩ vūrkkoṭṭattukkāraināṭṭu naratuṃgacatu⟨r⟩vvedimaṅkalattu śivabrā-

⟨4⟩ hmaṇaṉ vikramātit=tanākiya k¿it=t?imā⟨r⟩t=tāṇḍabrahmādhirājar tirutt¿iy?kkāli Āḷvār

⟨5⟩ kūttapperumāṉaṭikaḷukku Umābha⟨ṭ⟩ṭārakiyai Eḻuntaruḷuvittu vai-

⟨6⟩ tta nondāviḷakkoṉṟinukkunāṭṭiruvamutoṉṟiṉukku⟨m⟩ (v)ai-

⟨7⟩ ytta nilamāvatu [|] Eṅkaḷ¿u?rkkaruṅkāli Eri k¿i?ḻttūmpiniṉṟu karai-

⟨8⟩ yaṭaive poṉ vāykkālukku meṟku [|] teṉpāṟkellai tūm-

⟨9⟩ (pi)ṉiṉṟu meṟku nokkippoṉa kucavaṉ paṭṭikkuppā⟨y⟩n=ta vāykkālu-

⟨10⟩ kku vaṭakkum [|] melpāṟkellai viṟpārkaḷ nilattukku kiḻakkum [|] vaṭa-

⟨11⟩ pāṟkellai viṟpārkaḷ nilattukku teṟkum [|] Innāṟpālellai-

⟨12⟩ kku naṭuvuṇ¿ṉ?ilamoḻiviṉṟi Āyiratteḻunūṟu kuḻikkum (kī)rttimā⟨r⟩t-

⟨13⟩ tāṇḍabrahmādhirājar pakkaliṉṉilattāl van=ta vilaidravyamum Iṟai-

⟨14⟩ dravyamummaṟakkoṇṭu Ep(p)erppaṭṭa Iṟaiyum Iḻitti Iṟai-

⟨15⟩ yiliyāka viṟṟukkuṭuttom muṟcollappaṭṭa man=tiramā(ki)ya jayame-

⟨16⟩ ruśrīkaraṇamaṅkalattu sabhaiyom [|] I⟨p⟩bhūmi Anubhavittu (I)nna-

⟨17⟩ ndāviḷak=kuntiruvamutum can¿t?rādi{t}tyaval ceyvomānom ti-

⟨18⟩ ruvuṇṇāḻikaiyuṭaiya śivabrāhmaṇarom ||

Translation by Hultzsch 1899

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the seventh year (of the reign) of king Rājarāja-Kēsarivarman. (The writing of) us, the assembly of Mandiram, alias Jayamēru-Śrīkaraṇamaṅgalam, in Tūñāḍu.

(L. 2.) Vikramādittaṉ, alias Kīrtimārtāṇḍa-Brahmādhirājar, a Śiva-Brāhmaṇa of Naratuṅga-chaturvēdimaṅgalam in Kārai-nāḍu,3 (a subdivision) of Paḍuvūr-kōṭṭam, set up (an image of) Umā-Bhaṭṭārakī and gave one perpetual lamp to Kūtta-Perumāṉaḍigaḷ,4 the god (Āḻvār) of Tiruttīkkāli.

(L. 6.) For (maintaining this lamp) and for (supplying) offerings once a day, (he) gave the following land:—

(L. 7.) (The eastern boundary is) to the west of a channel which flows close to the bank from the sluice below the Karuṅgāli tank in our village. The southern boundary (is) to the north of a channel which flows to the west from the sluice (and) irrigates the Kuśavaṉpaṭṭi.5 The western boundary (is) to the east of the land of those who sold (the land to the donor). The northern boundary (is) to the south of the land of the same persons.

(L. 11.) Having received from Kīrtimārtāṇḍa-Brahmādhirājar the whole purchase-money and tax-money due for the land enclosed within these four boundaries, which, not excluding the cultivated land,6 (measures) one thousand and seven hundred kuḻi, and having remitted all kinds of taxes,—we, the assembly of the above-mentioned Mandiram, alias Jayamēru-Śrīkaraṇamaṅgalam, sold (this land) free of taxes.

(L. 16.) While enjoying this land, we, the Śiva-Brāhmaṇas in charge of the store-room of the temple,7 shall have to supply this perpetual lamp and the offerings as long as the moon and the sun exist.

Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 3.50 by Hultzsch 1899 converted to DHARMA conventions by Emmanuel Francis.

Primary

[SII] Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1899. South-Indian inscriptions. Volume III: Miscellaneous inscriptions from the Tamil country. Part I: Inscriptions at Ukkal, Melpadi, Karuvur, Manimangalam and Tiruvallam. South Indian Inscriptions 3.1. Madras: Government Press. Pages 103–104, item 50.

Notes

  1. 1. See p. 22 above.

  2. 2. See p. 99 above.

  3. 3. See p. 95 above.

  4. 4. I.e. ‘the dancing god’ (Naṭarāja).

  5. 5. I.e. ‘the potter’s paṭṭi’; on paṭṭi see above, Vol. II. p. 359, note 12.

  6. 6. See above, p. 26, note 2.

  7. 7. See above, p. 94 and note 5.