South Indian Inscriptions

INTRODUCTION

       The records belonging to the medieval period are comparatively more than the records of the earlier period. The next ruler Vīrapāṇḍyadēva figures in not less than nine inscriptions (Nos. 205-213). One of them dated 1254 A.D., is from Brahmāvara (No. 206) which states that the mahājanas of Brahmāvara should pay once in three years seven hundres gadyāṇas to the    King as tidduva-samudāya. A record from Nīlāvara (No. 207) dated 1258 A.D., similarly stipulates that the three-hundred mahājanas of Niruvāra should remit hundred gadyāṇas annually to the king, thirty gadyāṇas to the officer (adhikāri) and three hundred gadyāṇas to the village. A similar order was made applicable to the villages Kōṭa, Brahmāvara and Kōṭēśvara.

       These orders were issued on two different dates, by the king when he was holding the assembly in his palace at Bārahakanyāpura, in the presence of aḷiya Baṅkidēva, mayduna Oḍḍamadēva, the Purōhita and other ministers. In the Brahmāvara records, one Ballaveggaḍe figures as one of the ministers while in the Nīlāvara inscription, Narasiṁha-heggaḍe figures as one of the pradhānis.

       A thirteenth century damaged record from Hānehaḷḷi refers to Vīrapāṇḍyadēva as the son (suputra) of Paṭṭamahādēvī, the chief queen (paṭṭada-piriyarasi). Hence, she must have been the queen of Daṭṭāḷupēndra. It is likely that she was the sister of Vīra-Jagadēvarasa.

       At the time of Vīrapāṇḍyadēva’s death, he left behind him his queen Ballamahādēvī and two sons. The Keñjūru inscription (No. 216) dated 1281 A.D., describes paṭṭada-piriyarasi Ballamahādēvī as belonging to the family of Mānābharaṇēśvaradēva. It is tempting to identify this Mānābharaṇadēva with the Ceylonese king Mānābharaṇa and thus to conclude that she might have belonged to the family of that king, Dr. K.V. Ramesh has suggested that it is unlikely that the Āḷupas, whose rule was confined to the kingdom of Āḷuvakhēḍa, contracted marital alliance either with the Pāṇḍyas or with that of the Ceylonese kings. It may be seen from the records the Nīlāvara, Hērāḍi and Puṭṭige (Nos. 207, 208 and 209) belonging to Vīrapāṇḍyadēva, that Voḍḍamadēva is mentioned as mayiduna meaning ‘brother-in law’. It is possible that he might be a brother of Vīrapāṇḍiya’s wife Ballamahadevi.

       A record from Mūḍe-Ālevūr (No. 220) dated 1284 A.D. refers to Ballamahādēvī as ruling from Bārahakanyāpura. She is endowed with several titles like Sōmakulōdbhava, suvarṇadāna-sūrekāra, parabalasādhaka, etc. It also refers to her son Pāṇḍyadēvarasa (No. 220). This Pāṇḍyadēvarasa is different from Nāgadēvarasa, who figures in a record from Basarūru wherein