South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

IV. Sakalabhuvanachakravartigaḷ Avaniy-âḷa-ppirandâr alias śrî-Kôpperuñjiṅgadêva.

1. 3rd year : Chidambaram, No. 462 of 1902.
2. Do. do. No. 465 of 1902.
3. Do. do. No. 466 of 1902.
4. 5th year : do. No. 459 of 1902.
5. Do. do. No. 464 of 1902.

V. Sakalabhuvanachakravartigaḷ śrî-Avaniya-âḷa-ppirandâr alias Kôpperuñjiṅgadêva.

1. 5th year : Chidambaram, No. 463 of 1902.
2. 8th year : do. No. 460 of 1902.
3. 34th year : do. No. 461 of 1902.
4. 36th year : do. No. 456 of 1902.

The Vallam inscription of the 14th year[1] mentions ‘ prince (piḷḷaiyâr) Nîlagaṅgaraiyar,’ apparently a son of Kôpperuñjiṅgadêva. An inscription in the Aruḷâḷa-Perumâḷ temple at Conjeeveram (No. 41 of 1893), which is dated in the 22nd year of Tribhuvanachakravartin Vijaya-Gaṇḍagôpâladêva,[2] records the gift of a flower-garden by Nîlagaṅga of Âmûr, who bore the surname Bhû-pâlan-ôdbhava (in Sanskṛit) or Puvi-âḷa-ppiranda (in Tamil), i.e. ‘ who was born to rule the earth.’ This person is no doubt identical with the prince Nîlagaṅgaraiyar of the Vallam inscription, and his surname is a slight modification of Avaniy-âḷa-ppirandâr, the title of his father Kôpperuñjiṅgadêva.

As stated on page 163 above, the Tiruvêndipuram inscription mentions among the partisans of Kôpperuñjiṅga a certain Śôlakôn. This person is probably identical with an officer whose name occurs in most of the Chidambaram inscriptions of Kôpperuñjiṅgadêva. In one inscription he is called “ Perumâḷppiḷḷai alias Śôḷakônâr, (one) among his (viz. Kôpperuñjiṅgadêva’s) officers,”[3] and in another (No. 462 of 1902) “ the lord of Araśûr, Śeṅganivâyar alias Piḷḷai Śôlakônâr Âḷiyâr.” The grant portion of the Chidambaram inscriptions of the 3rd to 16th year opens with the words Śôlakôn ôlai, i.e. “ the order of Śôlakôn,” and ends with the words ivai Śôlakôn eluttu, i.e. “ this (is) the signature of Śôlakôn.” Accordingly, Śôlakôn must have been the representative of Kôpperuñjiṅgadêva at Chidambaram until at least A.D. 1258-59.

A short undated inscription at Tiruvêndipuram supplied the name of Śôlakôn’s younger brother. This inscription (No. 146 of 1902) runs as follows :-

1 Svasti śrî [||*] Avani-
7 Sôlakôn ta[m]-
2 âḷa-ppirandâ-
8 bi Perumâḷ Vê-
3 n Kôpperuñ-
9 [ṇ]âḍuḍaiyân śe[y*]-
4 jiṅgadêvar ti-
10 vitta tirukkôpura-
5 rumênikku nanrâ-
11 m ||(Symbol).
6 ga Seṅganivâyan

“ Hail ! Prosperity ! For the benefit of the royal body of him who was born to rule the earth, Kôpperuñjiṅgadêva,─ Perumâḷ Vêṇâḍuḍaiyân, the younger brother of Śeṅganivâyan Śôlakôn, caused to be made (this) sacred gôpura.”

Vêṇâḍudaiyân seems to have succeeded his elder brother as officer in charge of Chidambaram. For, in two Chidambaram inscriptions of the 34th and 36th years of Kôpperuñjiṅgadêva (Nos. 461 and 456 of 1902), the grant portion opens with the words Vêṇâḍudaiyân ôlai and ends with the words ivai Vêṇâḍuḍaiyâṇ eluttu.
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^[1] Above, p. 165, clause II. No. 4.
^[2] As the 15th and 16th years of this king corresponded to A.D. 1265 (Ind. Ant. Vol. XXII. p. 220), the date of this inscription must fall in A.D. 1271-72.
^[3] No. 460 of 1902 :─ ivar mudaligaḷil Perumâḷppiḷḷai âna Sôlakônâr.