SII 3.68: original edition by Eugen Julius Theodor Hultzsch

Alternative title: “VI.—INSCRIPTIONS OF KULOTTUNGA-CHOLA I. No. 68.—INSCRIPTION IN THE PANDAVA-PERUMAL TEMPLE.”

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: This inscription (No. 17 of 1893) is engraved on the north wall of the Pāṇḍava-Perumāḷ temple at Conjeeveram. The ancient name of the temple was Tiruppāḍagam (l. 3), and it is mentioned under the name of Pāḍagam in the Nālāyiraprabandham.

The date is the 5th year of the king, who is now styled Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷadēva (I.), while in the inscriptions of his 2nd, 3rd and 4th years (Nos. 64 to 67 and 77) he still bears the name Rājēndra-Chōḷadēva (II.).

The new inscription refers to his early victories at Śakkarakōṭṭam and Vayirāgaram.1 It then states that he vanquished the king of Kuntala, i.e. the Western Chālukya king Vikramāditya VI., that he crowned himself as king of the country on the banks of the Kāvērī, i.e. of the Chōḷa country, and that he decapitated an unnamed Pāṇḍya king. An inscription of the 6th year of his reign2 adds nothing new to these

The subjoined inscription records that a merchant of Kāñchipuram provided the temple with a flower-garden and purchased from the villagers of Ōrirukkai some land for the benefit of the gardeners. I cannot find Ōrirukkai on the map; but it must be looked for near Uttiramēlūr3 (l. 4) in the Madurāntakam tāluka of the Chingleput district. As boundaries of the land granted, the inscription mentions also the river Aḻichchiyāṟu and apparently the village of Śāttamaṅgalam. A village of this name4 I find 8 miles east of Madurāntakam.

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

Repository: South Indian Inscriptions (Original Edition) (south-indian-inscriptions).

Identifier: DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0068.

File path: SII03/DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0068.xml.

Version: (56e9cef), last modified (91bb593).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī [||] (pu)kaḻ cūḻn=ta puṇari Akaḻ cūḻn=ta puviyil (p)oṉnemiyaḷavun=taṉ nemi naṭātti viḷaṅku jayamakaḷai Iḷaṅkop(pa)ruvattu cakkarakoṭṭattu vikkiramattoḻi⟨lā⟩l putumaṇam puṇarn¿=ta? vaṉkaḷiṟṟ¿i?ṭṭa⟨m⟩ vayirākarattu vāri Ayilmuṉaikkon=taḷavaraicar tan=tanamiri(ya) vāḷuṟai kaḻittu toḷ vali kāṭṭi porppari na(ṭ)ātti k¿i?rttiyai niṟutti vaṭaticai vākai cūṭitteṉṟicai(t)temarukamalap(pū)makaḷ p¿u?tumaiyum poṉniyāṭai{yum} naṉnilappāvaiy¿un=?taṉimaiyun=tavirttu pu¿n?ita¿ru?(tiru)maṇimaku-

⟨2⟩ muṟai(m)aiyil cūṭi taṉ(na)ṭiyira(ṇ)ṭum taṭamuṭi(yā)ka t(o)nnila(v)en=tar (cūṭa)ppo(ṉ)ni matuvāṟu p(eru)ka kaliy(ā)ṟu vaṟappa ce(ṅ)kol ticaitoṟuñcel(la) veṇkuṭai Irunilavaḷ(ā)ka(m)eṅkaṇun=tanātu tiruni(la)veṇṇilāttikaḻa Orutani meruvil puli viḷaiyāṭa (Āḻ)kaṭaṟ(ṟī)vān=tarattu pūvar tiṟai vi(ṭu)tta kala(ṉ) co⟨ri⟩ kaḷiṟu muṟai ni(ṟ)pa viḷaṅkiya tennavanarun=talai parun=talaittukkiṭappa (na)ṉmaṇiyāramun=tirup(pu)yattalaṅkalum tana(tu) v¿i?ramu(n=ti)yākamu(m) viḷaṅka pārmicai meva(la)r vaṇaṅka v¿i?rasiṁhāsanattu puvanamuḻutuṭaiyāḷoṭum (vī)ṟṟi-

⟨3⟩ run=taruḷiya (k)o rāja(k)esari(vatma)rāna Uṭaiyār śrīkulottuṅkacoḻadeva(ṟ)ku yāṇṭu Añcāvatu (|| ௳ ||) jayaṅkoṇṭacoḻamaṇṭalattukkāliyūrkkoṭṭattukkāliyūrnāṭṭu Ori(ru)kkai Ūrom śilālekai ceytu kuṭutta paricāvatu [|] Eyiṟkoṭṭatteyilnāṭṭu nakaraṅ¿kura?ñcipurattu Arumoḻitevapperun=teruvil viyāpāri kumāra(p)peruvāṇiyaṉ teva(ṉ) Eṟiñcoṭiyāka Aruḷāḷadāsaṉ tiruppāṭakatteḻun=taruḷiyirun=ta Āḻvā(nu)kkucceyta tirunan=ta- ṉavanam koyilil tiruppuṟakk¿u?ṭaiyil

⟨4⟩ Aru(ḷ)āḷadāsaneṉnum tiruṉan=taṉava(ṉa)muḻapp(ār)kku¿k?ko¿ṟṟ?ukku(m) (pu)ṭavai (mu)talukku(m) nibandhañ(c)e(yya) nāṅkaḷ Iṟaiyiḻicci Eṅkaḷ¿u?ril viṟṟukkuṭutta (ni)lamāvatu [|] k¿i?ḻpāṟkellai U(tti)ramelūrār vatikku meṟkun=tenpāṟkellai Aḻicciyāṟṟukku vaṭakkum mel(p)āṟk(e)llai (ti)ruv(e)⟨ḵ⟩kāvāḻv(ā)nukku nāṅka(ḷ) viṟṟa nila(t)tukkum cāttamaṅkalamuṭai(y)āṉ kaṭakaṉ ceṟuvukkum kiḻakkum vaṭapāṟkellai cāttamaṅkalamuṭaiyāṉ kaṭiccāñceṟukkuṇṭilukkutteṟkum [|] Innāṉkellaiyu-

⟨5⟩ (ḷ)ḷumakappaṭṭa Uṇṇilamoḻiviṉṟippa(ti)naṟucāṇ k(o)lāl kuḻiyiraṇṭāy¿a?ramu(m) (vi)ṟṟu Inṉilattukku vilaipp(o)ruḷivaṉ pakkal koṇṭa p(o)ṉ (ma)turān=takaṉ māṭai(y)oṭo(k)ka kuṭi naṟkallāl niṟai pa(ti)noru(kaḻa)ñcu(m) Aṟakkoṇṭu Iṟaiyi(li) tevatānamākki Innilat(tu)kku (v)elikkācuma n¿i?(rvi)lai(yu)m cilliṟai co(ṟu)māṭṭuḷ(ḷi)ṭṭu Ep(p)erppaṭṭatum kāṭṭa(pp)e(ṟā)tomākavum [|] In(ni)la(m)āṉaikkaṟukkil Aṟutta ¿ka?lattāl (van=ta) nel(lu) Āḻvān śrīpa(ṇṭ)āratte Aḷappomākavu⟨m |⟩ (I)nnilattakappa-

⟨6⟩ ṭṭa kālvāy ki(ḻak)kuḷ(ḷa) nilattukku (nī)r pā(ya)ppeṟu(va)tākavu(m) [|] Ipparicu Icain=tu candrātittavaṟcella (ci)lālekai ceytu kuṭuttom Ori(ru)kkai Ūrom [|] Ivarkaḷ colla Eḻutinen Iv(vū)r veḷḷāḷan cāttamaṅkalamuṭai(y)ān veḷān kayi(lā)yatten [|] Ivai Enneḻuttu (|| ௳ ||) śrīvaiṣṇavarakṣai || ௳ ||~

Apparatus

⟨2⟩ tirup(pu)yattalaṅkalum • Other inscriptions add pol.

⟨6⟩ kayi(lā)yatten • In modern Tamil this would be kayilāyattāṉeṉ.

Translation by Hultzsch 1903

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! Having made the wheel of his (authority) to go as far as the golden circle (i.e). Mount Mēru) on the earth, which was surrounded by the moat of the sea, that was (again) surrounded by (his) fame, (the king) newly wedded, in the time (when he was still) heir-apparent (iḷaṅgō), the brilliant goddess of victory at Śakkarakōṭṭam by deeds of valour and scized a herd of strong elephants at Vayirāgaram. (He) unsheathed (his) sword, showed the strength of (his) arm, and spurred (his) war-steed, so that the king of Kondaḷa (Kuntala), (whose spear had) a sharp point, lost his wealth. Having established (his) fame, having put on the garland of (the victory over) the Northern region, and having stopped the prostitution of the goddess with the sweet and excellent lotus-flower (i.e. Lakshmī) of the Southern region, and the loneliness of the goddess of the good country whose garment is the Poṉṉi (Kāvērī), (he) put on by right (of inheritance) the pure royal crown of jewels, while the kings of the old earth bore his two feet (on their heads) as a large crown.

(L. 2.) The sweet river Poṉṉi swelled, (and) the river (of the sins) of the Kali (age) dried up. (His) sceptre swayed over every region; the heavenly5 white light of (his) white parasol shone everywhere on the circle of the great earth; (and his) tiger(-banner) fluttered unrivalled on the Mēru (mountain). (Before him) stood a row of elephants showering jewels, which were presented (as) tribute by the kings of remote islands of the deep sea. The excellent head of the brilliant king of the South (i.e. the Pāṇḍya) lay being pecked by kites. While his valour and liberality shone like (his) necklace of precious stones and (like) the flower-garland on (his) royal shoulders, (and) while (all his) enemies prostrated themselves on the ground, (he) was pleased to take his seat on the throne of heroes together with (his queen), the mistress of the whole world.

(L. 3.) In the fifth year (of the reign) of this king Rājakēsarivarman, alias) the lord Śrī-Kulōttuṅga-Śōḻadēva,—we, the inhabitants of Ōrirukkai in Kāliyūr-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Kāliyūr-kōṭṭam,6 (a district) of Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śōḻa-maṇḍalam, made and gave the following writing on stone:—Kumāra-Peruvāṇiyaṉ7 Dēvaṉ Eṟiñjōḍi, alias Aruḷāḷadāsaṉ,8 a merchant (residing) in the great street of Arumolidēva9 at Kāñchipuram, a city in Eyil-nāḍu, (a subdivision) of Eyiṟkōṭṭam,10 had made for the god who is pleased to reside in the Tiruppāḍagam (temple) a flower-garden, called the flower-garden of Aruḷāḷadāsaṉ (and situated) on the outside of the temple. In order to provide for the cost (mudal) of the clothing of those who work (in this garden) and of (their) families, we sold the following land in our village free from taxes.

(L. 4.) The eastern boundary (is) to the west of the road of the inhabitants of Uttiramēlūr; the southern boundary (is) to the north of the Aḻichchiyāṟu (river); the western boundary (is) to the cast of the land which we have sold to (the temple of) Tiruve[ḥ]kāvāḻvāṉ11 and of the field of Śāttamaṅgalam-Uḍaiyāṉ Kaḍagaṉ; and the northern boundary (is) to the south of the small field of Śāttamaṅgalam-Uḍaiyāṉ Kaḍichchāṉ. Having sold the two thousand kuḻi, (measured) by the rod of sixteen spans,12 enclosed in these four boundaries, not excluding the cultivated land, (we) received from him13 as purchasemoney for this land eleven kaḻañju of gold, weighed by the true standard of the city (kuḍinaṟ-kal) (and) equal (in fineness) to the Madurāntakaṉ-māḍai.14 Having received (this amount) in full and having made (the land) a tax-free dēvadāna), we shall not be able to claim on this land vēlikkāśu,15 water-cess (nīr-vilai), petty taxes,16 śōṟumāṭṭu17 and any other (tax).

(L. 5.) We have to measure into the treasury of the temple the paddy which comes from the land harvested in Āṉaikkaṟukku, (a portion of ?) this land. It shall be lawful to irrigate the land lying to the east (of the land sold), from the channels included in this land.

(L. 6.) Having thus agreed, we, the inhabitants of Ōrirukkai, made and gave (this) writing on stone to continue as long as the moon and the sun. At the bidding of these, I, Śāttamaṅgalam-Uḍaiyāṉ Vēḷāṉ Kayilāyatt[āṉ], a cultivator of this village, wrote (this). This is my writing. (This is placed under) the protection of the Śrī-Vaishnavas.

Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 3.68 by Hultzsch 1903 converted to DHARMA conventions by Emmanuel Francis.

Primary

[SII] Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1903. South-Indian inscriptions. Volume III: Miscellaneous inscriptions from the Tamil country. Part II: Inscriptions of Virarajendra I., Kulottunga-chola I., Vikrama-chola and Kulottunga III. South Indian Inscriptions 3.2. Madras: Government Press. Pages 140–143, item 68.

Notes

  1. 1. See page 132 above.

  2. 2. On the south wall of the Śmaśānēśvara shrine in the Ēkāmranātha temple at Conjeeveram (No. 1 of 1893). This inscription is much obliterated and is therefore left unpublished.

  3. 3. This is another form of Uttaraṉmērūr on page 3 above, note 6.

  4. 4. No. 491 on the Madras Survey Map of the Madurāntakam tāluka.

  5. 5. tirunilam is perhaps used in the sense of ‘heaven,’ as tirunāṭu and the corresponḍing Telugu form tirunāṇḍu; see Ep. Ind. Vol. V. p. 73.

  6. 6. See above, p. 138, note 8.

  7. 7. This title means ‘the great merchant of the heir-apparent.’ Compare Śēramāṉ-lōka-pperuñ-jeṭṭi, Ep. Ind. Vol. IV. p. 292 and note 6.

  8. 8. This name is derived from Aruḷāḷa-Perumāḷ, the name of the great Visḥnu temple in Little Kāñchī. Compare Ep. Ind. Vol. III. pp. 71 and 118, Vol. IV. p. 145, and Vol. V. p. 72.

  9. 9. See above, p. 8, note 3.

  10. 10. See above, Vol. II. p. 390.

  11. 11. According to the Nālāyiraprabandhan, Veḥkā was one of the Vishṇu temples in Kāñchī. Besides, Veḥkā or Vēgavatī is the name of a river which passes Conjeeveram and joins the Pālāṟu near Villivalam; see above Vol. II. p 345 and note 9.

  12. 12. See above, p. 106 and note 3, and p. 109.

  13. 13. Viz. from Aruḷāḷadāsaṉ (l. 3).

  14. 14. On kuḍi-naṟ-kal and Madurāntakaṉ-māḍai see Ep. Ind. Vol. V. p. 106, notes 1 and 3.

  15. 15. The same term occurs in No. 57 above, text line 9.

  16. 16. Śill iṟai is the same as śil-vari, on which see above, p. 122, note 6.

  17. 17. With this obscure term compare ēṟachchōṟu, above, No. 24, text line 7, and No. 27, text line 8.