South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

4 nru [|*] idu śe[y]vitt=iḍuvittân i-ppaḍaikku nâyagam śeyda Mârâyan Paluvûr Nakkan [|*] ivanê tiru-kaiykku śatti aruḷa taḍavi kaṭṭina sphaṭikam onru mutt=^[1]êrina kâ-
5 rai onru po[n kala]ñju [|*] ivai pan-Mâhahêśva[ra*]-^[2]ra[kshai] [||*]

TRANSLATION.

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the .. th year of king Parakêsarivarman alias the glorious Râjêndra-Chôḷadêva,─ the chosen bowmen of Vîranâyaṇa,[3] a regiment of the king, made and gave 1 necklace, consisting of three and a half kalañju of gold, to (the god) Âḍavalâr[4] of the Tiruttoṇḍiśvara (temple) at Tirunâvalûr alias Râjâdittadêvapuram in Mêlûrnâḍu, (a subdivision) of Tirumunaippâḍi, (a district) of Jayaṅgoṇḍa-Śôla-maṇḍalam. In this (necklace) was fixed eighteen pieces of crystal, including the central gem, and two sapphires.

(L. 3.) One necklace of pearls. This was caused to be made and to be given by Mârâyan Paluvûr Nakkan,[5] who commanded this regiment.

(L. 4.) The same person (gave) one bracelet, to be placed on the arm of the god (and consisting of) one kalañju of gold, in which one crystal was fixed (and) on which pearls were mounted.

(L. 5.) These (gifts are placed under) the protection of all Mâhêśvaras.

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No. 20.- FOURTEEN INSCRIPTIONS AT TIRUKKOVALUR.
BY E. HULTZSCH, PH.D.

Tirukkôvalûr is the head-quarters of a tâluka of the South Arcot district. It contains a Vishṇu temple named Trivikrama-Perumâḷ, and the suburb of Kîlûr a Śiva temple named Vîraṭṭânêśvara. Of the subjoined inscriptions, ten (A. to J.) are in the Śiva temple and four (K. to N.) in the Vishṇu temple.

The sacred writings of the Śaivas and Vaishṇavas of the Tamil country mention both of the Tirukkôvalûr temples. Tiruñânasambandar refers to the Śiva temple as ‘ Vîraṭṭânam at Kôvalûr,’^[6] and Tirumaṅgai-Âlvâr to the Vishṇu temple as ‘ Iḍaikali at Kôvalûr.’ The subjoined inscription have the forms Tiruviraṭṭânam (A. to J.) and Tiruviḍaikali (K.) or Iḍaikali (L.). Tirukkôvalûr (A. to C., E. to K.) or Kôval (L.) bore in the time of the Chôḷa dynasty the surname Madurântaka-chaturvêdimaṅgalam (K.). It was included in Kurukkai-kûrram, a subdivision of Malâḍu or Milâḍu,^[7] a district of 2,000 (villages), which in the time of the Chôḷ ;as was surnamed Jananâtha-vaḷanâḍu (K.).

The subjoined inscriptions incidentally mention three villages, viz. Uṇaṅgalpûṇḍi (G.), Nenmali and Śirriñjûr (H.). Of these, I can only identify the second, which is the modern Nemali.^[8]

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^[1] The first t of mutt= is entered below the line.
^[2] Read -Mâhêśvara-.
^[3] This regiment was probably named after Parântaka I., who had the surname Vîranârâyaṇa ; see South-Ind. Inscr. Vol. II. p. 379. Two Tanjore inscriptions mention another regiment entitled Paṇḍita-Śôla-terinda-villigaḷ, which was named after a surnamed of Râjêndra-Chôḷa I. himself ; see ibid. Vol. III. p. 127 and note 17.
^[4] Âḍavalâr or Âḍavallâr is a Tamil synonym of Naṭêśa, a form of Śiva.
^[5] This person may have been a native of Kîlappaluvûr, which is mentioned in the Dêvâram under the name
of Paluvûr ; see South-Ind. Inscr. Vol. III. p. 152.
^[6] One of the sixty-three devotees of Śiva, Meypporuṇâyanâr, is supported to have resided at Tirukkôvalûr ; see
South-Ind. Inscr. Vol. II. p. 167.
^[7] See page 135 above.
^[8] No. 159 on the Madras Survey Map of the Tirukoilur tâluka.