South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

EIGHT INSCRIPTIONS OF KADAVARAYA CHIEFS

Pāṇḍya. Peruñjiṅga’s son Vēṇāvuḍaiyān is said to have ruled over Mallai (Mahābalipuram), Mayilai (Mylapore), Kāñchī, Taṇḍaganāḍi Tirukkōvalūr, etc.^[1] The inscriptions of Peruñjiṅga have been found in the South Arcot,^[2] North Arcot,^[3] Chingleput,^[4] Godavari,^[5] Kurnool,^[6] Chittoor,^[7] and Tanjore^[8] Districts and in the French territory.^[9] From a study of the dates of the records discovered in the various places the following facts become clear. Numerous inscriptions from his 2nd to the 36th years have been found in South Arcot, North Arcot and Chingleput Districts, and therefore these districts may be said to have formed the original possessions of this king. He seems to have extended his sway over the Chittoor^[10] District in or before A.D. 1254. The utmost northern limit of his dominion was Drākshārāma in the Godavari District where an inscription of his reign dated Śaka 1184 (A. D. 1262) is found.^[11] The inscriptions of Peruñjiṅga found in the Tanjore District are dated between A.D. 1245 and 1269.^[12] Further south he maintained friendly relationship with the Pāṇḍyas.

We shall now refer to some facts which are useful to students of Tamil Literature. The mention of the name Pērambalam-pon-mēynda-perumāḷ-nallūr in Inscription No. III, is of great interest as it enables us to fix the date of composition of the Tamil work Periyapurāṇam. Umāpati-Śivāchārya^[13] tells us that the Chōḷa prince of Śēkkilār’s time, showed at first a leaning towards the heretic faith of Jainism, owing to the influence of the work called Jīvakachintāmaṇi,^[14] and that Śēkkilār by narrating the life-history of the 63 Śaiva Saints, changed the bent of the prince’s mind so much so that he thenceforward became a staunch Śaiva and requested Śēkkilār to prepare a succinct and truthful account of the lives of the great Saingts.^[15] Accordingly Śēkkilār wrote his immortal work in verse at Chidambaram to which the god himself is said to have given the starting line. On the completion of this work, the king repaired to Chidambaram with his royal retinue and had the whole work read and explained by the author himself. The king endowed the temple with numerous rich gifts and plated with gold the sacred Pērambalam^[16] of the god (Naṭarāja) at Tillai (Chidambaram).

Two points that call for special note in the above account are that Anapāya was a prince at the time he came under the influence of Śēkkilār, and that the name of the hall which he plated with gold was Pērambalam. The temple at Puliyūr in Tamil and Vyāghrāgrahāra in Sanskrit had in it two pavilions, one small and the other large, which from their size were named respectively Śirrambalam and Pērambalam. Śirrambalam was next to the holy of holies. On account of the importance of this small hall, the temple itself and the village acquired the name Chidambaram.^[17] The writer of the Tiruvālaṅgāḍu grant calls Śirrambalam by the Sanskrit name Dabhra-

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^[1]Inscription No. 1 below.

^[2] At Chidambaram, Vṛiddhāchalam. Brahmadēśam, Tirukoilūr, Cuddalore, etc.

^[3] Tiruvaṇṇāmalai, Wandiwash, etc.

^[4] Tribhuvani, Conjeeveram, Āttūr, etc.

^[5] Drākshārāma.

^[6] Tripurāntakam.

^[7] Mēlpāḍi.

^[8]Māyavaram, Kumbakōṇam, Shiyāli.

^[9] Villiyanūr.

^[10] Peruñjinga claims supremacy over the Āndhra kings as early as his 5th year (A. D. 1248). No. 286 of 1921
noticed in para. 39, part II, of the An. Rep. on S. I. E. for 1922.

^[11] No. 419 of 1893.

^[12] No. 53of 1930-31 dated A. D. 1245 ; No. 395 of 1981 dated A. D. 1262 ; Nos. 192 and 194 of 1927-8 dated A. D. 1267 ; No. 226 of 1927 dated A. D. 1268 ; No. 432 of 1924 dated A. D. 1269.

^[13] He belonged to the latter half of the 13th century A.D.

^[14]Tiruttoṇḍarpurānam vv. 20 and 21.

^[15]Ibid., v. 22.

^[16]Kulōttuṅgaśōlan-Ulā, II, 93-116.

^[17] Chidambaram may also be derived from chit and ambaram : the god here is said to be in the form of ākāśa.