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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA TIRUVORRIYUR INSCRIPTION OF CHATURANANA PANDITA Some of the words in the inscription need explanation. By Nishka (l.11) we have to understand Kalañju and by Māsha (l. 12) Mañjāḍi and this interpretation gives us the interest as three Mañjāḍis per Kalañju which was the rate obtaining at Tiruvorriyūr as stated in inscriptions of those times. Of measures of capacity, the inscription mentions the Kāḍi and Nāli with reference to rice, ghee and sugar. The Kāḍi, the Tamil Lexicon suggests, is the Sanskrit Khāri, which is a measure of grain, etc., equal to sixteen Drōṇas, a Drōṇa being equal to one or four Āḍhakas. As eight Āḍhakas now make a measure, the Kāḍi may mean two or eight measures, but in view of the fact that the rice offering mentioned is meant for a round of four services in the day (nālu-pōldaikku), we may take Kāḍi as eight measures. The Nāli is mentioned by the Tamil Lexicon as a measure or one-fourth of a measure and here again, the former seems to suit our context. Next to the rice offering mentioned as Tiruvamirtu, the inscription mentions another rice-offering called Peruṁtiruvamirtu, followed by a mention of ghee and sugar. The editor of the Tamil Lexicon thinks that the addition of Perum adds no significance, but I think Peruṁtiruvamirtu (l.16) or the grand rice-offering, for which ghee and sugar also are mentioned, is sweet rice offering called Akkāravaḍiśal, a variety of Śakkaraippoṅgal.
The Tirumeyppūcchu occurring in the inscription has already been explained as the oil essence of frankincense p. 300 f.n. 2. Dēvāramāṇis (l.20) are reciters of the Dēvāram hymns. Māṇi is either a student or Brahmachārī (Māṇavaka, Māṇākka), and refers perhaps to the class of temple singers solely devoted to the recital of Dēvāram hymns,[1] at service time. The expression Pūśai kaṭṭuvāṇ (l.21) may mean the person who arranges the things in order for the service, especially the assistant who brings the offerings from the temple kitchen. I must now express my thanks to my friends who helped me in editing the inscription and preparing this article : Mr. M. Venkataramayya, Dr. N. Venkataramanayya and Prof. S. Vaiyapuri Pillai and Mr. G. V. Srinivasa Rao and Mr. V. Venkatasubba Aiyar of the Epigraphy Officer, Madras.
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[1] Inscriptions show that recital of these hymns in the temples was known even in later Pallava times and
had become a regular feature from the time of Parāntaka I. See Colas, II, i, p. 476. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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º. [The omission of the visarga here is in accordance with the vārttikā : 
:—Ed.]