South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

(L. 25.) “ Parcel off^[1] that village Pâ[ṇ]ṭûra from this (district), having made (it) a brahmadêya.

(L. 28.) “ And to this village Pâṇṭûra we grant (all) immunities, having made (it) a brahmadêya.

(L. 31.) “ (Let it be) free from being entered, free from being meddled with, free from diggings for salt, araṭhasaṁvinayika, and endowed with immunities of all kinds.

(L. 35.) “ Exempt^[2] (it) with (all) these immunities.

(L. 36.) “ And having made this village Pâ[ṇ]ṭûra a brahmadêya, cause a charter to be drawn up^[3] to this effect.”

(L. 38.) The order was issued by word of mouth.^[4]

(L. 39.) (The charter) was signed^[5] by (the king) himself. Fortune, wealth, power^[6] and Victory^[7] were given (by the donees to the king as a reward for the grant).

(L. 40.) (This) set of plates was prepared on the 1st day of the 1st fortnight of winter of the 10th year by the Mahâdaṇḍanâyaka Bhâpahânavarman, the best of the Mahâtagi (family ?). (First plate, first side.) (Order referring) to the brahmadêya Pâṇṭûra in Kûdûrabâra, (granted) to 8 people, to Brâhmaṇas, to the Mahâjanas (headed by) Savagutaja.^[8] (On the seal.) (The seal) of the Mahârâja, the glorious Jayavarman, who belongs to the gôtra of the Bṛihatphalâyanas.

No. 32.- TWO CAVE INSCRIPTIONS AT SIYAMANGALAM.

BY E. HULTZSCH, PH.D.

The village of Śiyamaṅgalam near Dêśûr in the Wandiwash (Vandavâśi) tâluka of the North Arcot district contains a Siva temple named Stambhêśvara or (in Tamil) Tûṇ-Âṇḍâr,^[9] which consists of a rock-cut shrine, two maṇḍapas in front of it, and a stone enclosure.^[10] The two rock-cut pillars of the gate by which the shrine is entered bear the two subjoined inscriptions. Besides, there are several Chôḷa inscriptions on the walls of the enclosure and on the rock in the

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^[1] The second singular imperative is addressed to the official at Kûḍûra. The verb vyapâpeti is probably derived from avayava, the v having been hardened into p as in apâpesa (l. 31). In the Kârlê inscription No. 19 read also vyapâpehi instead of deya papahi (A. S. W. I. Vol. IV. p. 112, text line 3).
^[2] See note 1 above. I believe that the second singular imperative is also intended in A. S. W. I. Vol. IV. p. 112, text line 4 (parihariha), p. 104, text line 4, and p. 111, text line 14 (parihârehi) ; and the second plural imperative ibid. p. 106, text line 11 (parihereṭha).
^[3] The second singular imperative nibaṁdhâpehi, which is quite clear on the copper plate, has been intsread in various ways in A. S. W. I. Vol. IV. p. 105, text line 5, p. 111, text line 14, and p. 112, text line 5. The second plural imperative (nibaṁdhâpetha) is meant ibid. p. 106, text line 11.
^[4] On aviyena see A. S. W. I. Vol. IV. p. 105, note 2.
^[5] In his valuable paper on the Kârlê inscriptions, which will appear in Vol. VII. of this journal, Dr. Senart derives chhata from kshaṇ, ‘ to hurt ’ and hence ‘ to write.’ The king cannot have written the order himself, because the inscription expressly states that he issued it by word of mouth. Hence I propose to translate chhata by ‘ signed.’ The king’s signature may have been affixed to the original document, which was deposited in the royal secretariat, and from which the copper-plates were copied. In the latter the royal signature is represented by the seal on which they are strung.
^[6] On sattâ see Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 332.
^[7] Compare the Kârlê inscription No. 19, where Dr. Senart (see note b above) reads vijayaṭhavatâra or ºsatâkhe. If the second alternative is accepted, the compound would mean “ victory, wealth, power and fame.”
^[8] This passage is a kind of docket, stating the contents of the whole document.
^[9] I.e. ‘ the lord pillars.’ This name seems to refer to the two pillars in front of the cave.
^[10] Compare Mr. Sewell’s Lists, Vol. I. p. 170, and the Manual of the North Arcot District, new edition, Vol. II. p. 445.