SII 3.94: original edition by H. Krishna Sastri

Alternative title: “X.—INSCRIPTIONS OF THE TIME OF RAJAKESARIVARMAN ADITYA I. No. 94.—ON THE NORTH WALL OF THE CENTRAL SHRINE IN THE AIRAVATESVARA TEMPLE AT NIYAMAM. No. 16 of 1899.”

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: The record belongs to the 24th year of the early Chōḷa king Rājakēsarivarman and has to be assigned to Āditya I. on palaeographical grounds. It registers a gift of gold by Aḍigaḷ Gaṇḍaṉ Māṟambāvai¹ , queen of Nandippōttaraiyar of the Pallavatilaka race. The fact that this Pallava queen made a grant in the reign of the Chōḷa king suggests that the Pallavas had been completely subdued by this time, as stated in the Tiruvālaṅgāḍu grant and that Nandippōttaraiyar, the husband of Māṟambāvai, was also dead.

Language: Tamil (tam) [Tamil (tamil)].

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

Identifier: DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0094.

File path: SII03/DHARMA_INSSIIv03p0i0094.xml.

Version: 2026-02-04 18:29 (2394ab9), last modified 2026-02-04 18:29 (2394ab9).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti (śrī) [||] (kovirāca)kecari [**********] (mā)t(e)vaṟkku
⟨2⟩ Aippikai viṣuvum citti(rai) [**********] ku tiruva(mirtuceta)ruḷa ney pāl tayir
⟨3⟩ Aiññ(ā)ḻicce(tu)m tiruvamirtum tiru [**********] ḻākkum (pariv)āramuḷḷiṭṭut tiruvamir-
⟨4⟩ tarici patakku nāṉāḻiyum maṟṟun tiruvamir [****] (ve)ṇṭumavica(ttu)kkum Innāḷāl br¿a?hma(ṇar)
⟨5⟩ I(ru)patiṉma(ru)ṇpatākavum Ittaḷippaṇi(cey)yum māṇi(kaḷ )t(eva) [***] (rai)yum Ūṭṭuvatāka
⟨6⟩ v¿a?tteṉ pallavatila(kaku)lattu nantip(po)ttaraiyar mahādeviyārāṉavaṭikaḷ kaṇṭaṉ (māṟam)-
⟨7⟩ pāvaiyār vaitta poṉ [***] ṟccemmai Aiṅkaḻañcu poṉṉuṅ kaḻañciṉvāy pūvilaraikkāl
⟨8⟩ palicaiyāy vanta [***] pūvilaraikkaḻañceyaraikkāl(p) poṉṉālum Innāḷālippaṭi celu-
⟨9⟩ ttuveṉāy Ippo(ṉ ko)ṇṭeṉ I(t)taḷippaṭṭuṭaiyāṉ Īśvarakkāraṇi vāmad(d)evaṉ tiru(v)eṇkāṭaṉeṉ [||]
⟨10⟩ Itu paṉm¿a?heśva(rarakṣai) |||~

Apparatus

⟨7⟩ [3+] ṟccemmai • Ūṟkaṟcemmai occurs in other inscriptions.

Translation by Krishna Sastri 1920

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! . . . king Rājakēsari[varman]. . . . I, Aḍigaḷ Gaṇḍaṉ Māṟambāvaiyār, the great queen of Nandippōttaraiyar of the Pallavatilaka-race, deposited² five kaḻañju of pure gold (ūrkaṟchemmai-poṉ)³ . . . assigning five nāḻi of ghee, milk and curd for sacred offerings . . . to (the god) Mahādēva (Śiva) on the equinoxial days (Vishu) in (the months) Aippigai (Aippaśi) and Śittirai . . . [ā]ḻākku . . . for sacred offerings and sacred . . . one padakku and four nāḻi of rice for sacred offerings to (other gods) including the subsidiary (deities); again for sacred offerings . . . and other required food of the gods (aviśu), so that on those days twenty Brāhmaṇas may take food and boys (māṇigaḷ)⁴ [and the devotees] (dēvaraḍiyār) who do service in this temple may be fed.

(L. 7.) And I, Īśvarakkāraṇi Vāmadēvaṉ Tiruveṇkāḍaṉ, the priest (paṭṭuḍaiyāṉ) of this temple, received the gold (assuring the donor) that from the gold, (viz.,) half kaḻañju and one-eighths at each pū(crop), accruing as interest at (the rate of) one-eighth every pū (crop) on each kaḻañju, I shall maintain (the charity) thus (described) on these days. (This gift is placed under) the protection of (the assembly of) all Māhēśvaras.

Bibliography

Digital edition of SII 3.94 by Krishna Sastri 1920 converted to DHARMA conventions by Emmanuel Francis.

Primary

[SII] Krishna Sastri, H. 1920. South-Indian inscriptions. Volume III: Miscellaneous inscriptions from the Tamil country. Part III: Inscriptions of Aditya I, Parantaka I, Madiraikonda, Rajakesarivarman, Parantaka II, Uttama-Chola, Parthivendravarman and Aditya-Karikala and the Tiruvalangadu plates of Rajendra-Chola I. South Indian Inscriptions 3.3. Madras: Government Press. Pages 226–227, item 94.

Notes

1. No. 13 of 1897, the first line of which is written in smaller characters than the rest of the inscription, also mentions Māṟambāvai making a gift of 12 kaḻañju of gold for a lamp to the goddess Piḍāri in the temple at Niyama-Māgāḷam.
2. vaittēṉ in line 6 and vaitta in line 7 cannot both be translated. Either of the two must be cancelled.
3. Literally, good gold tested by the touch-stone of the town.
4. In Malabar, even now, the chief priest of a temple in the discharge of his temple duties is helped by a number of boys who are generally the students of the Vēda, i.e., brahmachārins.

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<title type="alt">X.—INSCRIPTIONS OF THE TIME OF RAJAKESARIVARMAN ADITYA I. No. 94.—ON THE NORTH WALL OF THE CENTRAL SHRINE IN THE AIRAVATESVARA TEMPLE AT NIYAMAM. No. 16 of 1899.</title>

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<p>The record belongs to the 24th year of the early <hi rend="bold">Chōḷa</hi> king <hi rend="bold">Rājakēsarivarman</hi> and has to be assigned to Āditya I. on palaeographical grounds. It registers a gift of gold by <hi rend="bold">Aḍigaḷ Gaṇḍaṉ Māṟambāvai</hi><note>No. 13 of 1897, the first line of which is written in smaller characters than the rest of the inscription, also mentions Māṟambāvai making a gift of 12 <hi rend="italic">kaḻañju</hi> of gold for a lamp to the goddess Piḍāri in the temple at Niyama-Māgāḷam.</note> , queen of <hi rend="bold">Nandippōttaraiyar</hi> of the Pallavatilaka race. The fact that this Pallava queen made a grant in the reign of the <hi rend="bold">Chōḷa</hi> king suggests that the <hi rend="bold">Pallavas</hi> had been completely subdued by this time, as stated in the <hi rend="bold">Tiruvālaṅgāḍu</hi> grant and that <hi rend="bold">Nandippōttaraiyar</hi>, the husband of <hi rend="bold">Māṟambāvai</hi>, was also dead.</p>

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<p>(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! . . . king <hi rend="bold">Rājakēsari[varman]. . . . I, Aḍigaḷ Gaṇḍaṉ Māṟambāvaiyār</hi>, the great queen of <hi rend="bold">Nandippōttaraiyar</hi> of the <hi rend="bold">Pallavatilaka</hi>-race, deposited<note><foreign>vaittēṉ</foreign> in line 6 and <foreign>vaitta</foreign> in line 7 cannot both be translated. Either of the two must be cancelled.</note> five <hi rend="italic">kaḻañju</hi> of pure gold (<hi rend="italic">ūrkaṟchemmai-poṉ)</hi><note>Literally, good gold tested by the touch-stone of the town.</note> . . . assigning five <hi rend="italic">nāḻi</hi> of ghee, milk and curd for sacred offerings . . . to (<hi rend="italic">the god</hi>) <hi rend="bold">Mahādēva</hi> (<hi rend="italic">Śiva</hi>) on the equinoxial days (<hi rend="italic">Vishu</hi>) in (<hi rend="italic">the months</hi>) Aippigai (<hi rend="italic">Aippaśi</hi>) and Śittirai . . . <hi rend="italic">[ā]ḻākku</hi> . . . for sacred offerings and sacred . . . one <hi rend="italic">padakku</hi> and four <hi rend="italic">nāḻi</hi> of rice for sacred offerings to (<hi rend="italic">other gods</hi>) including the subsidiary (<hi rend="italic">deities</hi>); again for sacred offerings . . . and other required food of the gods (<hi rend="italic">aviśu</hi>), so that on those days twenty Brāhmaṇas may take food and boys (<hi rend="italic">māṇigaḷ</hi>)<note>In Malabar, even now, the chief priest of a temple in the discharge of his temple duties is helped by a number of boys who are generally the students of the Vēda, <hi rend="italic">i.e., brahmachārins</hi>.</note> [and the devotees] (<hi rend="italic">dēvaraḍiyār</hi>) who do service in this temple may be fed.</p>

<p>(L. 7.) And I, <hi rend="bold">Īśvarakkāraṇi Vāmadēvaṉ Tiruveṇkāḍaṉ</hi>, the priest (<hi rend="italic">paṭṭuḍaiyāṉ</hi>) of this temple, received the gold (<hi rend="italic">assuring the donor</hi>) that from the gold, (<hi rend="italic">viz.,</hi>) half <hi rend="italic">kaḻañju</hi> and one-eighths at each <hi rend="italic">pū(crop</hi>), accruing as interest at (<hi rend="italic">the rate of</hi>) one-eighth every <hi rend="italic">pū (crop</hi>) on each <hi rend="italic">kaḻañju</hi>, I shall maintain (<hi rend="italic">the charity</hi>) thus (<hi rend="italic">described</hi>) on these days. (<hi rend="italic">This gift is placed under</hi>) the protection of (<hi rend="italic">the assembly of</hi>) all <hi rend="italic">Māhēśvaras</hi>.</p>

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