Donation of a pannasa to the great brahmin Īśarēnṟu

Editors: Jens Thomas, Mallampalli Sōmaśēkhara Śarma.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSTelugu00099.

Hand description:

The inscription contains halantas. However, they are not always discernible purely based on their shape which might be due to the quality of the published picture. Halanta N is written slightly smaller (apart from akuN in line 4 where the N is very small) and lacks the horizontal line on top of the akṣara. Halanta M is still rudimentarily visible on the picture but can not be clearly delineated from ⟨ma⟩ in line 1 and 4. The akṣara ⟨ḻa⟩ is written in the standard form in line 3 (i. e. resembling a softly drawn w with inwardly curled edges) but is written with the curled edges drawn right into the middle so that they meet (like in the process of cellular meiosis) in line 1. The akṣara ⟨le⟩ is written with the vowel element almost forming a circle on top. This form of ⟨le⟩ albeit unusual can be found in several other inscriptions.

Language: Telugu.

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

Version: (585a60b), last modified (ec27c2b).

Edition

⟨Face A⟩ ⟨1⟩ svasti śrī sōḻa-mahārājull ēḷaN In-puḻōli ⟨2⟩ Aṇapōtulu rēvaṇakālu puddaṇakālu Iccina pa⟨3⟩nnasa pen-pāṟa IśaṟēnikiN tēni ḻaccinavānṟu (pa)⟨4⟩[ñca]mahāpā(ta)kunṟ akuN ⟨Face B⟩ ⟨5⟩ Asivairuvu likitaM

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ sōḻa ⬦ sōṣja MS. — ⟨1⟩ ēḷaN ⬦ oḷana MS • Radha Krishna has the same reading as Sōmaśēkhara Śarma. K. M. Sastri notes that “[i]t would appear that the reading here is ēḷan, and not oḷana as given by M. S. Sarma for, compare other Rēnāṭi Cōḻa inscriptions with ēḷa(n) in similar context” (). — ⟨1⟩ In-puḻōli ⬦ Inpuṣjōli MS.

⟨2⟩ pa⟨3⟩nnasa • The picture of the estampage even may show ⟨pā⟩. — ⟨2⟩ Aṇapōtulu ⬦ Aṇapotulu MS • The reading pōtulu is more probable (the script does not differentiate between /o/ and /oː/) because pōtu can be found as element in names (e. g. the poet Pōtana).

⟨3⟩ IśaṟēnikiN ⬦ IśeṟēnikiN MS • Radha Krishna has the same reading as Sōmaśēkhara Śarma. There is a line protruding from the middle of the left side of ⟨śa⟩ but it seems to be a scratch on the stone since also another prominent scratch is right next to it. — ⟨3⟩ ḻaccinavānṟu ⬦ ṣjaccinavānṟu MS. — ⟨3⟩ (pa)⟨4⟩[ñca] • The akṣara ⟨ñca⟩ was written under ⟨nna⟩ of line 3 so that the top of ⟨ñca⟩ was written on the bottom line of ⟨ma⟩. The estampage does not cover the space that the akṣara seems to have been written in.

Translation by Jens Thomas

Svasti! While Cōḻa-Mahārāja was ruling, a pannasa given to the great brahmin (pen-pāṟa) Īśaṟēnṟu by Aṇapōtulu, Rēvaṇakālu and Puddaṇakālu (inhabitants) of this city. Whoever impedes it will be (guilty) of the five great sins. Written by Asivairuvu.

Translation by Sastri 1969

Hail! While the illustrious Cōḻa-Mahārāja was ruling, Rēvaṇakālu and Puddaṇakālu, officers in charge of Inpuḻōli granted a pannasa to the great brahmin Iśeṟe-. He who destroys it will incure the five great sins. (This is) written by Asivairuvu.

Translation by Somasekhara Sarma 1933

చోళమహారాజునధీతయందున్న ఇనుప్రోలి అణపోతులు రేవణగారు పుద్దణగారు పెద్దబ్రాహ్మణుడుగారు ‘ఇశెఱేనికి’ ఇచ్చినపన్నస (ఇది); దేని (ఏదానమును) చెడగొట్టినవాడు పంచమహాపాతకుడగున్. [(This) is a pannasa given by the ājñaptis Rēvaṇagāru and Puddanagāru of Inuprōlu who were under the authority of Cōḻa-Mahārāju. Who spoils whatever (donation) will be [guilty; word added] of the five great sins. (translation by Jens Thomas)]

Commentary

The inscription was published twice by Sōmaśēkhara Śarma whose second edition I could not obtain. The text as published by Radha Krishna, however, may reflect this second edition that seems to basically only differ in the correct representation of the akṣara ⟨ḻ⟩ as opposed to the edition in Vyāsasaṁgrahamu. The akṣara ⟨ḻ⟩ is clearly written in the inscription. The spelling ⟨ṣja⟩ in Sōmaśēkhara Śarma’s first edition must have been chosen due to the lack of a proper printing option at the time. The reading as presented here is my own based on the picture in Vyāsasaṁgrahamu. The deviating readings as published by Radha Krishna have been assigned to himself although they may reflect the readings in Sōmaśēkhara Śarma’s second edition. Lines 1-4 are written on the broader and polished side of the "red stone" (యెర్రరాయి) and line 5 on either side of the stone (Somasekhara Sarma 1933, pp. 301, 304). Sōmaśēkhara Śarma interpreted Aṇapotulu (with short o) to be a Prakrit form of ājñāpati or ājñapti (with Telugu plural suffix) and read oḷana (instead of ēḷaN) which he phrased as "in subordination to" (అధీనతయందలి) or "in the authority of" (అధికారమునందలి) (the ruler) (1933, pp. 308–309). In this case the donation would have been made by the ruler and the two other persons could have been ājñaptis although the syntax would be a little bit odd. It may be noted that in Sōmaśēkhara Śarma’s Telugu translation Aṇapōtulu is written (with long ō), probably by mistake. As it seems to me the inscription provides the usual formula XYZ ēḷaN which only refers to the reign of a ruler so that the agents (donors) are the three other persons. The name Aṇapōtulu is a honorific plural and seems to consist of a(ṇ)ṇa ’elder brother’ (normally used as second element in names) and pōtu ’male’. The same elements in a different order can be found in the name of the poet Pōtana (with later decerebralization). The place that is referred to in the inscription (In-puḻōlu ’this city’) must be either Poṭladurti or Mālēpāḍu because the inscription was found near the road between these two villages. Another inscription that mentions the rule of Cōḻa-Mahārāja and the scribe Asivairuvu is DHARMA_INSTelugu00015.

Bibliography

The inscription was published by Sōmaśēkhara Śarma in Vyāsa-Saṁgrahamu together with a picture, a discussion and a translation into modern Telugu. The same author later published another article on the inscription in Āndhra Patrika. I could not obtain this latter article. The inscription was re-published by K. M. Sastri, who added an English translation, and B. Radha Krishna.

Primary

[MS] Somasekhara Sarma, Mallampalli. 1933. “Poṭladurti-Mālepāḍuśāsanamu.” In: Vyāsasaṁgrahamu. Guṇṭūru: Telikicerla Veṅkaṭaratnaṁ, pp. 301–310. Pages 301–310.

[RK] Radhakrishna, Budaraju. 1971. Early Telugu inscriptions (up to 1100 A.D.): with texts, glossary & brief linguistic history. Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi. Page 5, item 8.

Secondary

SomasekharaSarma1941-1942_01

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. Pages 285–286, item 9.