South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

EIGHT INSCRIPTIONS OF KADAVARAYA CHIEFS

is said to have gained victory over a certain Piṇḍan.^[1] Palgunrak-kōṭṭam^[2] was the tract of country over which these Vēḷ chiefs ruled and Cheṅgama was the principal city in it.^[3] This country had in it the two famous hills Naviram and Pālichchilambu and the towns Pāli, Pāram, Pirambu, and Viyalūr.^[4] The river Cheyyāru flowed through it.^[5] Naviram is identified with the Triśūla hill referred to as an off-shoot of a hill near the village Tenmahādēvimaṅgalam in the Polur Taluk of the North Arcot District.^[6] The hill of Naviram is said to have had on its top a Śiva temple and the deity there was named Kāriyuṇḍikkaḍavuḷ.^[7] This hill of Nannan might be the one referred to under the name Nannan-Verpu in Inscription No. 1 below.

An ornament called Ēkāvallivaḍam is mentioned as the main item of gift by more than one Kāḍavarāya chief, as was the case in the royal gifts to the Rājarājēśvara temple at Tanjore. Tamil works refer to this ornament.8 It was worn round the neck loosely and comprised mainly of a large number of pearls. These with other items mentioned below were strung together by means of a thick gold string, sometimes worked so as to resemble a snake in form.9 Pearls, sapphires, gems, corals, lapiz lazuli and gold pendants formed the main items in this neck ornament. The Ēkāvallivaḍams presented by the Kāḍavarāyas appear to have been very costly, as can be gathered from the mention of the total weight, size, and number.Ēkāvallivaḍam was known as Tāragaikkōvai in ancient days.10

Of the geographical places mentioned in the records, Geḍilam is a river that flows through parts of the South Arcot District. On its banks the villages Tiruvadi and Tirumāṇikuli are situated. Udavi-Tirumāṇikuli is the name by which the modern village of Tirumāṇikuli, not for from Cuddalore, is called both in inscriptions and in the Dēvāram. Here the ancient Chōḷa king Śēṅgaṇṇān is said to have worshipped the god Śiva. It was situated in Mērkā-nāḍu, a subdivision of Rājarāja-vaḷanāḍu,11 like Ādanūr whence the Śaiva saint Tirunāḷaippōvār hailed.12 A part of Tirumāṇikuli was constituted as Pērambalamponmēyndaperumāḷnallūr. Ālappākkam is a village in the Cuddalore Taluk of the south Arcot District. Śōlakulavallinallūr was a subdivision of Paṭṭānpākkam or Paṭṭānpākkai-nāḍu13 and was also called Śōlakulavalli.14 It had the

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^[1]Agam, 44, 152 and 208.
^[2] The Palgunrak-kōṭtam of Nannan was situated in Jayaṅgoṇḍaśōlamaṇḍalam (S. I. I., Vol. I. No. 72. Ibid. Vol. VII, Nos. 64 to 74 and 442. No. 297 of 1939) and comprised North and South Arcot District. A few of its subdivisions were Śiṅgapura-vaḷanāḍu (297 of 1928-29), Śeṅgunra-nāḍu (No. 442 of S. I. I., Vol. VII), Tennārrūr-nāḍu (ibid., Nos. 64 to 74 and No. 440), Maṇḍaikuḷa-nāḍu (ibid., Vol. I, No 72), Paṅgaḷa-nāḍu (ibid., Vol. I, No. 72), and Vālaippandal-nāḍu (No. 232 of 1923). A village in the main division was Ninravūr (No. 176 of 1929-30). Śīyamaṅgalam in the Wandiwash taluk was in Tennārrūr-nāḍu, Kaḷavaḷi of the Walajapet Taluk was in Śeṅgunra-nāḍu. Kunra-nāḍu had Nēḍuṅgunram (No. 73 of S. I. I., Vol. VII), Maṇḍaikuḷa-nāḍu had Murugamaṅgalam (No. 72, S. I. I., Vol. I) and Paṅgala-nāḍu had Naḍuvil . . . kunrattūr (ibid., No. 74). The capital of Nannan was Śeṅgama which is the same as Cheṅgama in the Tiruvaṇṇāmalai Taluk of the North Arcot District (Nos. 117, 120, and 124 of S. I. I., Vol. VII). It is called Śeṅgaimānagar (ibid., No. 124). It seems that the nucleus of the territory of Peruñjiṅga and the Kāḍavarāyas was almost the same as the original possessions of Nannan.
^[3]Pattuppāṭṭu 10 : p. 372 ; S. I. I., Vol. I, pp. 102 and 105.
^[4]Pattuppāṭṭu 10 : 11. 82 and 579 ; Agam, 97, 152, 208, 258, 375, 396.
^[5]Pattuppāṭṭu 10 : 11, 475, 555.
^[6] No. 50 of 1933-4. See A. R., 1933-4, p. 33.
^[7]Pattuppāṭṭu 10 : l. 84.
^[8]Ēkaviḍukoḍi (Peruṅgadai,1.34.1.201) ; Ēkavāram (ibid., 5.2.1.26); Ēkavaṭṭam (ibid., 2.5.1.139) ; Muttuvadam (ibid., 5.2.1.26); Orraivaḍam (ibid., 1.4.1.211) and Agam, 73 ; and Peruṅgadai, 2.7.1.22.
^[9]Ibid., 3.9.1.67 ; 5.2.1.26 ; l.34, 1.201. ; 1.46 ; 1.212-3.
^[10]Śilappadigāram, 13. 1. 19.
^[11] In the same division was Iruṅgōḷappādi which had in it Tirumudukunram (Vṛiddhāchalam).
^[12]Tirunāḷaippōvārpurāṇam, v. 1.
^[13] Nos. 406 of 1921 ; 517 of 1922 ; 138 of 1932-3 ; 141-5 of 1933-4 and Nos. 761-775 of S. I. I., Vol. VII.
^[14]S. I. I., Vol. VII, No. 761.