South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

In the year called two after twenty of the eminent Kulôttuṅga-Śôladêva,─ Viḍugâdalagiya-Perumâḷ, who never breaks his word, (who is the son of)^[1] Râjarâja- Adigan, whose chest wears a fragrant garland, the lord of three sacred rivers, (viz.) the Pâli (whose banks are) fertile, the Peṇṇai (and) the Ponni, the king of Tagaḍai where large lotus-flowers are surrounded by the ripples (of tanks), he whose hand resembles a cloud (in showering gifts), granted (the village of) Śirukkôṭṭai on the bank of the Peṇṇaî (river) to Nâ[gai]-Nâyaka of Ku[ḷa]n and gave his own name (to) a stone temple.

No. 35.─TEKI PLATES OF RAJARAJA-CHODAGANGA ;
DATED IN THE SEVENTEENTH YEAR (OF KULOTTUNGA I.).

BY E. HULTZSCH, PH.D.

These copper plates were sent to me through the Government of Madras by the Collector of Gôdâvarî, who in his letter of 30th April 1901 states that they were “ found about two months ago by one Kodi Dosigadu of Ṭêki^[2] in the Râmachandrapuram tâluka, while working in his field.”

The plates are five in number and measure about 11¼″ in breadth and about 6″ in height. The first and last plates bear writing only on the inner side, and the three middle ones on both sides. The edges of the inscribed sides are raised into rims for the protection of the writing, which is in a state of very good preservation. On the left of each inscribed side is bored a circular hole, through which passes a copper ring measuring about 6″ in diameter and about ⅝″ in thickness. The ring had not yet been cut when I received the plates. Its ends are secured in the base of a four-petalled flower, which is surmounted by a circular seal measuring 4″ in diameter. This seal bears the following emblems in high relief on a countersunk surface :─ across the centre the legend śrî-Tribhuvanâṁkuśa ; at the top a boar, standing, facing the proper left, flanked by two chaurîs, and surmounted by a crescent, an elephant-goad and the sun ; and at the bottom a conch. a drum, a four-petalled flower, a flower-bud and a throne.

The alphabet is Telugu and the language Sanskṛit verse and prose. The Telugu letters r and ḷ occur in a number of Telugu names which are quoted in l. 90 f. Of graphical peculiarities I would note that in yû (ll. 54 and 90) and mû (l. 95) the vowel û is represented by the marks for u and â.

The inscription opens with the same genealogical account of the Eastern Châḷukya family as the Chellûr and Piṭhâpuram plates of Vîra-Chôḍa,^[3] but begins to differ in the description of the reign of Kulôttuṅga I. It does not mention his queen Madhurântakî, but states that he had several queens (v. 11), who bore him several sons^[4] (v. 12). On one of these, Mummaḍi-Chôḍa,─ whose name is given as Râjarâja in the Chellûr and Piṭhâpuram plates,─ he conferred the governorship of Vêṅgî after the death of his own paternal uncle Vijayâditya (VII.) (vv. 13-16). One year later (v. 17) he bestowed the same appointment on Mummaḍi-Chôḍa’s younger brother, Vîra-Chôḍa (v. 18), who held it for six years (v. 19), when he was recalled (v. 20). Then the eldest son, Chôḍagaṅga, surnamed Râjarâja (vv. 21-26), ascended the throne of Vêṅgî (v. 33) in Śaka-Saṁvat 1006 (in numerical words), on Thursday, the full-moon tithi of Jyaishṭha, in the nakshatra Jyêshṭhâ and in the lagna Siṁha (v. 34). This date

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^[1] The words in brackets are supplied on the strength of the Sanskṛit portion of the Tirumalai inscription (A. above).
^[2] No. 122 on the Madras Survey Map of the Râmachandrapuram tâluka of the Gôdâvarî district.
^[3] South-Ind. Inscr. Vol. I. No. 39, and above, Vol. V. No. 10, respectively.
^[4] According to v. 13 of the Chellûr plates and v.12 of the Pi¬ṭhâpuram plates Kulôttuṅga I. had seven sons by Madhurântakî.