South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

No. 2.─ TIRUVADI INSCRIPTION OF RAVIVARMAN ;

A.D. 1313

BY PROFESSOR E. HULTZSCH, PH.D.; HALLE (SAALE).

This inscription (No. 34 of 1903) is engraved on the south wall of the Vîraṭṭânêśvara shrine at Tiruvadi near Panruṭṭi in the Cuddalore tâluka of the South Arcot district. It consists of a passage in the Sanskṛit language and the Grantha alphabet, and of a sentence in the Tamil language and alphabet.

The Sanskṛit portion (ll. 1-3) is identical with the first four lines of the Raṅganâtha inscription of Ravivarman, which has been published and translated by Professor Kielhorn,^[1] as far as the word Kulaśêkharadêva. The Tamil portion (l. 3 f.) records that Ravivarman alias Kulaśêkharadêva bathed and repaired the central shrine of the Tiruvîraṭṭânam temple at Tiruvadigai^[2] in the fourth year of his reign, the Kaliyuga year 4414 and the Śa[ka year 12]35, on the day of Rôhiṇî, Saturday, the eleventh tithi of the first fortnight of Makara.

Professor Kielhorn kindly informs me that this date corresponds to Saturday, the 29th December A.D. 1313, when the 11th tithi of the bright half ended 6 h. 14 m., and the nakshatra was Rôhiṇî for a about 21 hours, after mean sunrise.

In verse 4 of the Aruḷâḷa-Perumâḷ inscription of the same king we are told that he stayed at Kâñchî in his fourth year.^[3] The subjoined inscription is dated in the same year, and adds the information that this year corresponded to A.D. 1313.

TEXT.^[4]

1 Svasti śrî-Jayasi[ṁ]ha ity=abhihitas=Sômânvay-ôttaṁsakö râj=âsîd=iha Kêraḷêshu vishayê nâthô Yadu-kshmâbhṛitâm || jâtô=smâd=Raviva[r]mma-bhûpatir= Um[â]dêvyâṁ kumâraś=śivâd=dêhavyâpya-Śakâbda-bhâji samayê dêh=îva vîrô ra[sa]ḥ (symbol) [1*] Kshayan=nîtvâ sô=yaṁ kali-bala[m=iv=âr]âti-nivaha[ñ]= ja[ya*]śrîvat kṛitvâ nija-sahacharîm Pâṇḍya-tanayâm || trayastriṁśad-va[r]shô yaśa i[va] yayau Kêraḷa-padam(daṁ) raraksha svaṁ râshṭra[n=na]garam=iva Kôḷambam=adh[i]paḥ (symbol) [2*] [Ji]tvâ Saṁgrâmadhîrô nṛipatir=adhira[ṇa]m(ṇaṁ) vidvisham(shaṁ) Vîra-Pâṇḍyam(ṇḍyaṁ) kṛitv=âsau Pâṇḍya-Chôḷân=naya iva tanum[â]n Kêraḷêbhyô=py=adhî[n]ân || shaṭcha-
2 tvâriṁśad-abdas=taṭa-bhuvi mukuṭan=dhârayan=Vêgavatyâḷ krîḍâṁ siṁhâsana-sthaś= chiram=akṛita mahî-kîrtti-vâṇî-ramâbhiḥ (symbol) [3*] Â Mêrôr=â Malayâd=â pûrvvâd=â cha paśchimâd=acha[l]ât || Yadukula-śêkhara êsha kshôṇîṁ Kulaśêkharas=svayam bubhujê || (symbol) [4*] (symbol) Svasti śrî [||*] Chandrak[ula- maṁgala]pradîpa || Yâdava-Nârâyaṇa || Kêraḷadêśa-[puṇyapariṇâma || Nâmântara- Karṇṇa || Kûpaka-[s]ârvvabhauma || Kulaśikhari-pratishṭhâpita-Garuḍaddhavaja || Kôḷamba-puravar-âdhîśvara [||] Śrî-Patma(dma)nâbha-padakamala-paramârâdhaka [||] Praṇatarâja-pratishṭhâchâryya || Vimatarâja-bandîkâra || Dharmmataru- mûlaka[nda] || Satgu(dgu)ṇ-âlaṁkâra || [Cha]tushshashṭi-
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^[1] Above, Vol. IV. p. 149.
^[2] For this ancient name of Tiruvadi see above, Vol. VII. p. 162.
^[3] Above, Vol. IV. p. 147.
^[4]From an inked estampage prepared by Mr. G. Venkoba Rao.