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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA TELUGU CHOLA RECORDS FROM ANANTAPUR AND CUDDAPAH The same name Atiśaya-Raṭṭakuḍi occurs in the Chilamakūru inscription of Vikramāditya Chōla II (ins. H below). Raṭṭakuṭṭa occurring in the present inscription seems to be a variant of Raṭṭaguḍi or Raṭṭakuḍi which, as explained by H. Krishna Sastri[1] signifies an office or dignity. Various forms of this word such as Raṭṭaḷḷu, Raṭṭōḍi, etc., are found in early Telugu inscriptions. The exact nature of the office of dignity signified by the term is not clear. In its earliest form, i.e., Raṭṭakuḍi or Raṭṭaguḍi, the name seems to be made up of two words Raṭṭa and kuḍi, the latter term conveying the meaning ‘ habitation ’ or ‘ settlement ’. Raṭṭakuḍi may therefore be tentatively rendered as ‘ settler in the country (raṭṭa)’, or ‘ cultivator ’ as suggested by H. K. Sastri. E. TEXT First Side
1 Svasti Śrī [||*] Erikal-Mu[tu]rājulpriti….m Puṇyakumārunru Second Side
1 ……ēbhadi ma…… Third Side
1 dīni kāchi kuḍipinavāru[bhū]midānaṁbu palaṁbu
F. Tippaluru Inscription of Erikal-Muturaju Panyakumara The inscription[3] is deeply engraved on a red-stone in the village of Tippalūru, Kamalapuram taluk, in well-formed ornamental characters. This is a unique record both for its palaeography and subject matter and for the particulars of the date it provides. In addition to the unique feature of possessing a date that mentions the week-day and the hōra, instances of which are rare at such an early period, the record bears a striking palaeographical resemblance to the Vallam rock inscription of Mahēndravarman I Pallava.[4] In general appearance this resembles more the so-called Pallava-Grantha script than the usual Telugu-Kannaḍa script of this period and locality. The inscription may be assigned to the first half of the 7th century A.D. and would belong to the same king as inscription E above. Attention may be drawn to letters ṇ, k with the u medial sign, r, l, b, and y to indicate what has been stated above. The letter ṇ in this form is also noticeable in the early Kaliṅga grants.[5] As regards orthography the inscription does not provide any unusual features. The doubling of the consonant after the rēpha (r─superscript) in Tarkka (line 6) and Śarmma (line 7) and kārttiya (l. 8) may be noted. The practice, however, does not seem to have been consistently ______________________________
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