Nallūr, Vilvāraṇyeśvara, time of Rājarāja, year 19

Authors of digital edition: Renato Dávalos (reda), Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: It registers the gift of Nallūr and surrounding villages, consisting in 360 vēlis of land, as well as the revenue in taxes from these lands, for the food offerings (tiruppaṭimāṟu) and the sacred service (tiruppaṇi). The donor is the chieftain Āḷappiṟantāṉ Mōkaṉ, alias Kaṭavarāyaṉ.

Palaeographic description: Consonants aligned horizontally rather than vertically in Grantha ligature sva. No distinction between Tamil e and ē, o and ō.

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

Repository: Tamil Nadu (varia) (tfa-tamilnadu-epigraphy).

Identifier: DHARMA_INSTamilNadu00031.

File path: DHARMA_INSTamilNadu00031.xml.

Version: 2026-05-06 08:34 (1bab47a), last modified 2026-05-06 08:34 (1bab47a).

Edition

⟨1⟩ svasti śrī rāja-rāja-de-
⟨2⟩ (vaṟ)ku yāṇṭu 10 9 Āvatu
⟨3⟩ (Ā)ḷappiṟan=tā¡n! mōkaṉ-āṉa kā-
⟨4⟩ ṭavarāyaṉ-ēṉ nallūr Uṭai-
⟨5⟩ yār nalla-nāyaṉāṟku tiru-p-pa-
⟨6⟩ ṇikkum tiru-p-paṭimāṟṟukkum ā-
⟨7⟩ ka v-iṭṭaṉ nallūr Ellai Aṭa-
⟨8⟩ (ṅ)ka n(i)lam munnūṟṟ’ aṟu-[patu vē]li-
⟨9⟩ yum vaṭa-v-āṟṟaṅkarai-t tiru-nan=tava-
⟨10⟩ ṉam 5 vēliyum kāccuva-k-kuṭi-
⟨11⟩ yil nilam Ai-vē(l)iyum vali-
⟨12⟩ y(ō)caiyil nilam muṉ(ṟu)
⟨13⟩ māvum puñcaṉūril nilam 2/20
⟨14⟩ potu-k-kuṭi nilam 3/20 (m) n¿i?kki-
⟨15⟩ ¡n!a nilam 1/4 m Āka In-nilaṅkaḷil pā-
⟨16⟩ ṭi-kāva(l u)ḷḷiṭ=ṭa mākkalaṅkaḷum (maṟṟuḷ)-
⟨17⟩ ḷa Ā[yaṅkaḷum] [It-tiru]vellaiy(il) (mā)[k]-
⟨18⟩ kācu taṟi-(y)-[iṟai U]ṭpaṭ=ṭa kīḻ iṟai-p pāṭ[ṭa]-
⟨19⟩ ṅkaḷu(m) Aṭa[ṅka] nalla-nāya¡n!āruk[ku]
⟨20⟩ v-iṭṭēṉ I(tu) [pa]nmāheśva(ra)-rakṣai

Apparatus

⟨17⟩ Ā[yaṅkaḷum It-tiru]vēllaiy(il) (mā) [4+] • Reading based on ASI transcript: Āyaṅkaḷum Ittiruvellaiyil mā [2+]

⟨18⟩ taṟi-(y)-[iṟai U]ṭpaṭ=ṭa • Reading after ASI transcript.

⟨19⟩ Aṭa[ṅka] • Reading after ASI transcript.

Translation

⟨1⟩ Prosperity! Fortune!

⟨1–2⟩ 19th year of the king Rājarāja.¹

⟨3–9⟩ I, Kāṭavarāyaṉ, alias Āḷappiṟantāṉ Mōkaṉ, have made this endowment, for the sacred services (tiruppaṇi) and for the food offerings (tiruppaṭimāṟu) to Nalla Nāyaṉār, Lord of Nallūr:

three hundred sixty vēlis of land that comprise the boundaries of Nallūr;
5 vēlis of land of the sacred garden on the northern bank of the river;
five vēlis of land for the Kāccuvakuṭi,²
3/20 ⟨vēlis⟩ in Valiyōcai,³
2/20 ⟨vēlis⟩ of land in Puñcaṉūr;⁴
3/20 ⟨vēlis⟩ for the new tenants (potukkuṭi), and
deducting (nīkki) 1/4 ⟨vēli⟩ of land.

I have granted for the deity Nalla-Nāyaṉār, ⟨the taxes⟩ that are included within these lands:

mākkalam taxes⁵, including the due for safeguarding the lands (pāṭikāval).
other dues (maṟṟuḷḷa āyaṅkaḷ),
the minor cesses (kīḻ-iṟai-p-pāṭṭam), including the tax on loom (taṟi-iṟai) and the mākkācu⁶ levy in this sacred border (ittiruvelaiyil).

This is under the protection of the paṉmaheśvaras.

Commentary

Āḷappiṟantāṉ Mōkaṉ, also known as Kaṭavarāyaṉ, was a chieftain during the reign of Rājarāja II, which would place this record at approximately 1169 CE. However, this dating would predate the earliest record (ca. 1184 CE) attested at the site (cf. INSTamilNadu00036). Given the fact that another inscription from the 34th regnal year of Kuloṭṭuṅga III (INSTamilNadu00032) explicitly recapitulates the present endowment, it may be suggested that may be a silent copy of an earlier record.

Bibliography

Reported in ARIE 1939–43 (ARIE/1939-1943/B/1940-1941/145).

This edition by Renato Dávalos, Emmanuel Francis, and Margherita Trento, based on autopsy, photos (E. Francis, 2024), and ASI transcript.

ASI transcript consulted in Mysore by Renato Dávalos and Margherita Trento (September 2025) with the kind permission of the Director of Epigraphy.

Secondary

ARIE 1939–43. Annual reports on South Indian epigraphy for the years 1939-40 to 1942-43. Edited by C. R. Krishnamacharlu and N. Laksminarayan Rao. Delhi: Government of India, 1952. Page 92, item 145, appendixes B/1940-1941.

Notes

1. Rājarāja II Cōḻa.
2. The village is nowadays called Kaccakuṭi.
3. The village is nowadays called Valacai.
4. The village is called nowadays Piñcaṉūr. These three villages are contiguous to Nallūr.
5. Probably a kind of tax that was paid at a specified rate of kalam of paddy per mā of land.
6. Probably a kind of tax that was paid at a rate of certain amount of gold coins (kācu) per mā of land.

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<title>Nallūr, Vilvāraṇyeśvara, time of Rājarāja, year 19</title>

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<p>Consonants aligned horizontally rather than vertically in Grantha ligature <foreign>sva</foreign>. No distinction between Tamil <foreign>e</foreign> and <foreign>ē</foreign>, <foreign>o</foreign> and <foreign>ō</foreign>.</p>

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<lb n="1"/><hi rend="grantha">svasti śrī</hi>

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<lb n="2" break="no"/><unclear>vaṟ</unclear>ku yāṇṭu <num value="19"><g type="numeral">10</g> 9</num> Āvatu

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<lb n="3"/><unclear>Ā</unclear>ḷappiṟan=tā<choice><orig>n</orig><reg>ṉ</reg></choice> mōkaṉ-āṉa kā

<lb n="4" break="no"/>ṭavarāyaṉ-ēṉ nallūr Uṭai

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<item> nallūr Ellai Aṭa

<lb n="8" break="no"/><unclear>ṅ</unclear>ka n<unclear>i</unclear>lam munnūṟṟ’ aṟu-<supplied reason="lost">patu vē</supplied>li

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<item>vali

<lb n="12" break="no"/>y<unclear>ō</unclear>caiyil nilam muṉ<unclear>ṟu</unclear>

<lb n="13"/>māvum</item>

<item>puñcaṉūril nilam 2/20</item>

<item><lb n="14"/>potu-k-kuṭi nilam 3/20 <unclear>m</unclear></item>

<item> n<choice><sic>i</sic><corr>ī</corr></choice>kki

<lb n="15" break="no"/><choice><orig>n</orig><reg>ṉ</reg></choice>a nilam 1/4 m</item>

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Āka In-nilaṅkaḷil

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pā

<lb n="16" break="no"/>ṭi-kāva<unclear>l u</unclear>ḷḷiṭ=ṭa mākkalaṅkaḷum

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<unclear>maṟṟuḷ</unclear>

<lb n="17" break="no"/>ḷa Ā<supplied reason="lost">yaṅkaḷum</supplied>

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<supplied reason="lost">It-tiru</supplied>vellaiy<unclear>il</unclear> <unclear>mā</unclear><supplied reason="lost">k</supplied>

<lb n="19" break="no"/>ṅkaḷu<unclear>m</unclear>

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Aṭa<supplied reason="lost">ṅka</supplied> nalla-nāya<choice><orig>n</orig><reg>ṉ</reg></choice>āruk<supplied reason="lost">ku</supplied>

<lb n="20"/>v-iṭṭēṉ

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I<unclear>tu</unclear> <supplied reason="lost">pa</supplied><hi rend="grantha">nmāheśva<unclear>ra</unclear>-rakṣai</hi>

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<lem>Ā<supplied reason="lost">yaṅkaḷum It-tiru</supplied>vēllaiy<unclear>il</unclear> <unclear>mā</unclear> <gap quantity="4" unit="character" reason="lost"/></lem>

<note>Reading based on ASI transcript: <foreign>Āyaṅkaḷum Ittiruvellaiyil mā <gap quantity="2" unit="character" reason="lost"/></foreign></note>

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<note>Reading after ASI transcript.</note>

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<note>Reading after ASI transcript.</note>

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Prosperity! Fortune!

</p>

19th year of the king Rājarāja.<note>Rājarāja II Cōḻa.</note>

</p>

I, Kāṭavarāyaṉ, alias Āḷappiṟantāṉ Mōkaṉ, have made this endowment,

for the sacred services <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>tiruppaṇi</foreign></supplied>

and for the food offerings <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>tiruppaṭimāṟu</foreign></supplied>

to Nalla Nāyaṉār, Lord of Nallūr:

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<item>three hundred sixty <foreign>vēli</foreign>s of land that comprise the boundaries of Nallūr;</item>

<item>5 <foreign>vēli</foreign>s of land of the sacred garden on the northern bank of the river;</item>

<item>five <foreign>vēli</foreign>s of land for the Kāccuvakuṭi,<note>The village is nowadays called Kaccakuṭi.</note></item>

<item>3/20 <supplied reason="subaudible"><foreign>vēli</foreign>s</supplied> in Valiyōcai,<note>The village is nowadays called Valacai.</note></item>

<item>2/20 <supplied reason="subaudible"><foreign>vēli</foreign>s</supplied> of land in Puñcaṉūr;<note>The village is called nowadays Piñcaṉūr. These three villages are contiguous to Nallūr.</note> </item>

<item>3/20 <supplied reason="subaudible"><foreign>vēli</foreign>s</supplied> for the new tenants <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>potukkuṭi</foreign></supplied>, and </item>

<item>deducting <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>nīkki</foreign></supplied> 1/4 <supplied reason="subaudible">vēli</supplied> of land.</item>

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I have granted for the deity Nalla-Nāyaṉār, <supplied reason="subaudible">the taxes</supplied> that are included within these lands:

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<item><foreign>mākkalam</foreign> taxes<note>Probably a kind of tax that was paid at a specified rate of <foreign>kalam</foreign> of paddy per <foreign>mā</foreign> of land.</note>, including the due for safeguarding the lands <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>pāṭikāval</foreign></supplied>.</item>

<item>other dues <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>maṟṟuḷḷa āyaṅkaḷ</foreign></supplied>,</item>

<item>the minor cesses <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>kīḻ-iṟai-p-pāṭṭam</foreign></supplied>, including the tax on loom <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>taṟi-iṟai</foreign></supplied> and the <foreign>mākkācu</foreign><note>Probably a kind of tax that was paid at a rate of certain amount of gold coins <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>kācu</foreign></supplied> per mā of land.</note> levy in this sacred border <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>ittiruvelaiyil</foreign></supplied>.</item>

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This is under the protection of the <foreign>paṉmaheśvaras</foreign>.

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<p>

Āḷappiṟantāṉ Mōkaṉ, also known as Kaṭavarāyaṉ, was a chieftain during the reign of Rājarāja II, which would place this record at approximately 1169 CE. However, this dating would predate the earliest record (ca. 1184 CE) attested at the site (cf. <ref target="DHARMA_INSTamilNadu00036.xml"/>). Given the fact that another inscription from the 34th regnal year of Kuloṭṭuṅga III (<ref target="DHARMA_INSTamilNadu00032.xml"/>) explicitly recapitulates the present endowment, it may be suggested that may be a silent copy of an earlier record.

</p>

</div>

<p>Reported in <bibl><ptr target="bib:ARIE1939-1943"/></bibl> (ARIE/1939-1943/B/1940-1941/145).</p>

<p>This edition by Renato Dávalos, Emmanuel Francis, and Margherita Trento, based on autopsy, photos (E. Francis, 2024), and ASI transcript.</p>

<p>ASI transcript consulted in Mysore by Renato Dávalos and Margherita Trento (September 2025) with the kind permission of the Director of Epigraphy.</p>

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