Quanzhou, installation of Tirukkāṉīccuramuṭaiya Nāyaṉār, Śaka year 1203

Author of digital edition: Emmanuel Francis (emfr).

Summary: Installation of Tirukkāṉīccuramuṭaiya Nāyaṉār by Tavaccakkaravattikaḷ alias Campantapperumāḷ for the welfare of and with the authorisation Cekacaikāṉ.

Palaeographic description: No distinction between e and ē, nor between o and ō. There are several letters akwardly written. The record was possibly engraved by a local Chinese artisan not used to Tamil script.

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

Repository: Tamil Outside of Tamil Nadu (varia) (tfa-tamil-outside-TN-epigraphy).

Identifier: DHARMA_INSTamilOutsideTN80001.

File path: DHARMA_INSTamilOutsideTN80001.xml.

Version: 2026-07-17 15:32 (9d7e3e7), last modified 2026-07-17 15:32 (9d7e3e7).

Edition

Tamil Portion

⟨1⟩ haraḥ svasti śr¡i! śa¡g!ā¡pt!aM 1000 2 100 3 vatu cittirai-
⟨2⟩ -c cittirai nāḷ śr¡i!-cekac¿e?kāṉ ti(ru)-mēṉikk(u) naṉ-
⟨3⟩ ṟāka Uṭaiyār tiru-k-k(ā)ṉ¿i?¿ta?ram-uṭ(ai)ya nāyaṉārai
⟨4⟩ Ēṟi-y-aruḷa-p paṇṇiṉār campa¿(t)?ta-p-perumāḷ-
⟨5⟩ āṉa tava-c-cakkaravattikaḷ _ cekacaikāṉ paramā¿ḷ?
⟨6⟩ paṭi

Chinese Portion

⟨1⟩ …

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ tirukk(ā)ṉ¿i?⟨ī⟩¿ta?⟨cu⟩ramuṭ(ai)ya ⬦ tirukkāṉīccuramuṭaiya K&S.

Translation

Tamil Portion

⟨1⟩ Hara! Prosperity! Fortune!

⟨1–2⟩ 1203th Śaka year, ⟨month of⟩ Cittirai, day of cittirai.

⟨2–5⟩ For the welfare of the glorious body of the glorious Cekacai Kān, Tavaccakkaravattikaḷ¹ alias Campantapperumāḷ made, so that he graciously rises, the Lord (nāyaṉār), lord of the Tirukkāṉīccuram.²

⟨6⟩ ⟨Done⟩ according to a farmān of Cekacai Kān.

Chinese Portion

⟨1⟩ …

Commentary

The Chinese portion starts at the end of the line 6 of the Tamil portion. It has been deciphered but its interpretation is not very clear. It might in fact not be related to the Tamil inscription. See Sen 2003.

Bibliography

Edited in Subramanian 1978, Karashima 2002, Karashima & Subbarayalu 2009. Translated in Sen 2003, Karashima & Subbarayalu 2009.

This edition by Emmanuel Francis, based on published visual documentation.

Primary

[TNS] Subramanian, T. N. 1978. “A Tamil colony in Mediaeval China.” In: South Indian studies I. Edited by R. Nagaswamy. Madras: Society for Archaeological, Historical and Epigraphical Research.

[K] Karashima, Noboru. 2002. “Tamil Inscriptions in Southeast Asia and China.” In: Ancient and medieval commercial activities in the Indian Ocean: Testimony of inscriptions and ceramic-sherds. Report of the Taisho University research project, 1997-2002. Edited by Karashima, Noboru. Tokyo: Taisho University, pp. 10–18. Page 16.

[K&S] Karashima, Noboru & Y. Subbarayalu. 2009. “Ancient and medieval Tamil and Sanskrit inscriptions relating to Southeast Asia and China.” In: Nagapattinam to Suvarnadwipa: reflections on Chola naval expeditions to Southeast Asia. Edited by Hermann Kulke, K. Kesavapany & Vijay Sakhuja. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, pp. 271–291. Item 15, pages 287–288.

Secondary

Sen, Tansen. 2003. Buddhism, diplomacy, and trade: the realignment of sino-indian relations, 600-1400. Honolulu, Etats-Unis d’Amérique: Association for Asian Studies : University of Hawai’i Press. Pages 228–229.

Notes

1. Literally: the emperor of asceticism.
2. That is Tamil tiru-k-kān + Sanskrit īśvara, that is, “the glorious lord of the Kāṉ.”

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<lb n="5" break="no"/>āṉa tava-c-cakkaravattikaḷ <space/>

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cekacaikāṉ paramā<choice><sic>ḷ</sic><corr>ṉ</corr></choice>

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Hara! Prosperity! Fortune!

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1203th Śaka year, <supplied reason="subaudible">month of</supplied> Cittirai, day of <foreign>cittirai</foreign>.

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For the welfare of the glorious body of the glorious Cekacai Kān,

Tavaccakkaravattikaḷ<note>Literally: the emperor of asceticism.</note> <hi rend="italic">alias</hi> Campantapperumāḷ

made, so that he graciously rises, the Lord <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>nāyaṉār</foreign></supplied>, lord of the Tirukkāṉīccuram.<note>That is Tamil <foreign>tiru-k-kān</foreign> + Sanskrit <foreign>īśvara</foreign>, that is, “the glorious lord of the Kāṉ.”</note>

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<supplied reason="subaudible">Done</supplied> according to a <foreign>farmān</foreign> of Cekacai Kān.

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