Image of Viṣṇu probably donated by Cōḷaṟaviti

Editors: Jens Thomas, J. Ramayya Pantulu.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSTelugu00004.

Summary: Probably the name of a female donor.

Language: Telugu.

Repository: Telugu Inscriptions (tfb-telugu-epigraphy).

Version: (585a60b), last modified (d5dcd05).

Edition

⟨1⟩ śrī cōḷaṟaviti

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ śrī cōḷaṟaviti ⬦ śrīcōḷōṟuvṛiti ARIE • I am not sure whether this spelling indicates that two vowel signs were read or rather simply renders .

Translation by Jens Thomas

Śrī Cōḷaṟaviti

Commentary

The Annual Report states that the inscription was found “[b]elow the image of Vishṇu carved in the first cave-temple at Bhairavakōna in Bhairavakonda” (Venkoba Rao 1923, p. 79). It may be the name of the donor of this image. While cōḷa most certainly refers to the dynasty, ṟaviti may consist of ṟava ’jewel’ and the female suffix -iti ’woman’ (confer Sastri 1969, p. 139). Hence, the name probably means ’a jewel of a woman of the Cōḻa (dynasty)’. If this is the case ṟaviti parallels the skt. expression kanyāratna-. The inscription, albeit short, is therefore of a certain importance because it is evidence of a donation made by a woman. Since the dynasty is normally spelt cōḻa or cōḍa (with /ḍ/ from /ḻ/) and ‹ḍa› and ‹ḷa› are often spelt quite similarly, the intended spelling might have been cōḍa. The following remarks were made in the Annual Report regarding the reading therein: “This probably means ’the work or style of Śrīchōḷōṟu. Might Chōḷōṟu be another form of Chōḷōju?” (Venkoba Rao 1923, p. 79). Accordingly, Sastri summarizes the content as: “Records the work of Śrī Cōḻāṟu” (Sastri 1969, p. 327), but follows J. Ramayya Pantulu’s edition.

Bibliography

The inscription was noted and edited in the Annual Reports on Indian Epigraphy (1923, p. 79, № 265) and was re-edited by J. Ramayya Pantulu in 1948, p. 17, № 40 with few metadata and without translation.

Primary

[ARIE] Venkoba Rao, G. 1923. Annual report on Indian epigraphy for the year 1921-1922. Madras: Governement Press. Page 79, appendix C/1922, item 265.

[JRP] Ramayya Pantulu, J. 1948. South-Indian inscriptions (texts). Volume X: Telugu inscriptions from the Madras Presidency. South Indian Inscriptions 10. Delhi: Manager of Publications. Page 17, item 40.

Secondary

Sastri, Korada Mahadeva. 1969. Historical grammar of Telugu with special reference to Old Telugu c. 200 B.C. - 1000 A.D. Anantapur: Sri Vekateswara Univ. Page 327, item 55.