South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

TRANSLATION.

Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the seventeenth year of the glorious Kannaradêva,─ Hail ! the glorious Narasiṁhavarman, the sun of the eastern mountain─ the lineage of Śukra, Śaktinâtha,^[1] whose banner bore a lion, whose crest were a peacock and a makara, who was born in the Malaiyakula, the crest-jewel of the Malaiyakula, the lord of the country of Milâḍu,─ (this) Narasiṁhavarman who was called Siddhavaḍava^[2] gave one perpetual lamp to (the god) Mahâdêva of the Tiruttoṇḍiśvara (temple) at Tirunâvalûr in Munaippâḍi. For (this lamp he) gave ten kalañju of gold.

(L 2.) Having received these ten kalañju of gold, we, the members of the assembly and the inhabitants of the village of Śevalai in Veṇṇainallûr-nâḍu, shall have to bring every year one hundred nâli of ghee and shall have to pour (it) out (i.e. measure it) by the mâdêvi[^3] as long as the moon and the sun shall last.

(L 3.) One Îla lamp(-stand)^[4] (was also given). This (gift is placed under) the protection of all Mâhêśvaras.

D.- INSCRIPTION OF SAKA-SAMVAT 875.

This inscription (No. 356 of 1902) and the next one (E.) are remarkable for being dated according to the Śaka era, which is employed in very few of the earlier Tamil inscriptions.^[5] The inscription D records the gift of a lamp by a Munaiyadiyaraiyan, i.e. a chief of the district of Munai or Munaippâḍi, in which Tirunâmanallûr was included.^[6] ‘The chief of the people of Munai’ (Munaiyar kôn) is mentioned as a vassal of Vikrama-Chôḷa in the Vikkirama-Śôlan-Utâ.^[7] According to the Periyapurâṇam, the Śaiva saint Sundaramûrti was the protégé of another chief of Tirumunaippâḍi (Munaiyaraiyar), named Narasiṁha, who resided at   Tirunâvalûr (Tirunâmanallûr), and who is himself considered one of the sixty-three Tiruttoṇḍar or devotees of Śiva.

1 || Svasti śrî ||(Symbol) Śagar[ai] yâ[ṇ]ḍu
2 875âvadu Tirunâvalûr Ti-
3 ruttoṇḍi-Îśvara-[8]garattu
4 dêvarkku Munai[ya]diyarai[ya]-
5 n Kulamâṇikkan [I]râma-
6 dêvan vaitta nottâ(ndâ)-viḷak-
7 ku onru śâvâ mu(mû)vâ=ppêr-âḍu 100[|*]
8 ivv-âḍu [nû]ruṅ=goṇḍu śan-
9 dirâ[d]ittavalu[m]erikka n[e]y aṭ[ṭu]-
10 vâr=[â]nâr dêvadâṇam [Ê]kadî(dhî)ra-śa(cha)[tu]-
11 [rvvê]dimaṅgalattu sabhai[yâr] [||*]

TRANSLATION.

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the Śaka year 875, Munaiyadiyaraiyan Kulamâṇikkan Irâmadêvan gave to the god of the Tiruttoṇḍiśvara temple at Tirunâvalûr one perpetual lamp (and)100 undying (and) unaging big sheep.^[9]

____________________________
^[1] I.e. ‘the lord of the spear’ or ‘the lord of power.’ The same word is an epithet of the two gods Skanda and Śiva.
^[2] I.e. ‘(the owner) of renowned mares.’
^[3] I.e. a measure called after the chief queen (mahâdêvî).
^[4] See above, p. 134, note 3.
^[5] An inscription of the Śaka year 810 was published in South-Ind. Inscr. Vol. III. p. 95.
^[6] See page 133 above.
^[7] Ind. Ant. Vol. XXII. p. 143.
^[8] Read Tiruttoṇḍîśvara-.
^[9] See above, p. 134, note 2.