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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA the assistance given by Gaṇapati to the ruler of Nellūru. This evidence is found in the Sōmadēvarājīyamu[1] and also in the Siddhēśvaracharitramu. The former gives the motive for the destruction of Nellūru mentioned in our inscription. The relevant passage in this connection may be freely rendered thus :─ (Poet Tikkana to Gaṇapati) ‘ Hear me ! O King ! It is only an act of Dharma that I request of thee. King Manmasiddhi of the Solar race, ruling in splendor at Nellūru has, alas ! been driven into exile by Akkana and Bayyana and his kingdom usurped.[2] I pray you that you may be pleased to chastise them and restore Nellūru back to my sovereign.’ ‘ Gaṇapati, assenting, started on a campaign and, having on the way destroyed and burnt Velanāḍu defeating the Velanāḍu King and subjecting him to tribute, attacked Nellūru and conquered Akkana and Bayyana. He restored the city to Manmasiddhi and crowned him there. Proceeding further, he captured sixty-eight towns and made them over to king Manmasiddhi. Thereafter, he caused a big tank to be constructed at Nellūru which spread his fame to the ends of the directions. Then, staying at Nellūru for some months, he instructed Manmasiddhi in kingship and statecraft.’ From this reference it is clear that the ruler of Nellūru at the time was Manmasiddhi, that his rivals were Bayyana and Akkana (Tikkana), that Gaṇappati personally came to Nellūru to restore to Manmasiddhi his territory and that he halted at this place for some time, evidently to settle his protégé in the region. The name of the associate of Bayyana is given as Akkana in the Siddhēśvaracharitramu, but he is definitely called Tikkana in our inscription.[3] The defeat of the Velanāḍu king mentioned above seems to refer to some local rising, especially as the Velanāḍu territory had passed under the suzerainty of Gaṇapati by about Śaka 1123.[4] Further, our record gives the information that, in this connection, Gaṇapati won over Kulōttuṅga-Rājēndrachōḍa in Draviḷa-maṇḍala. The association of Draviḷa-maṇḍala with the Chōḷa sovereign Rājēndra-Chōḷa (III) in the record is helpful in identifying the king. If so, his full name, i.e., Kulōttuṅga-Rājēndrachōḍa, establishes that he was the son of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa III, which relationship is a new piece of information supplied by the present inscription.[5]
The ruler of Nellūru whom Gaṇapati restored is not mentioned by name in our record, but as stated in the previous paragraph, he may be indentified with Manmasiddhi (II), the patron of the Telugu poet Tikkana-Sōmayājin, the translator of a portion of the Sanskrit Mahābhārata into Telugu and the author of Nirvachanōttara-Rāmāyaṇamu.[6] How long he continued in power after his restoration is not definitely known, but according to the Nandalūr record mentioned below he was in power in A.D. 1257-58. The Pāṇḍya king Jaṭāvarman Sundara-Pāṇḍya I claims to have killed a Gaṇḍagōpāla by A.D. 12587 and entrusted the kingdom to another Gaṇḍagōpāla. The Telugu-Chōḍas seem to have ruled the region comprising both Conjeeveram and Nellore. If the order of events mentioned in the praśasti of Sundara-Pāṇḍya is to be relied on, the latter claims to have killed Gaṇḍagōpāla and occupied Conjeeveram and thereafter to have proceeded to Nellūru, where he performed the anointment of heroes. ______________
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