Epigraphia Indica Vol 22

SR No.: 032576
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hirananda Shastri
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1933
Total Pages: 408
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 21 MB

Page 337

268
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL. XXII
Katäha requested king Kulõttunga-Chola to have a copper-plate issued in favour of the sangha of the palli of Chūdamanivarma-vihāra. We have instances of edicts with opening verses of this nature.
The inscription is written in the Tamil language and alphabet throughout : but Grantha Jetters are used here and there where words of Sanskrit origin occur. For instance see si and sa in minincsa (1. 3), ja and nma (1. 3), sri (1. 4), rāja (1. 5), Räjëntra (1. 6), Räjarāja (1.7), dëshai (1.8), tämra-sāsana (1. 10), Rajavidyadhara-bri-samanta and Abhimanottunga-bri-samanta (11. 10-11), Räjavallabha (I. 12), prasāda (1. 13), Rājarāja (1. 14), brahmade (1. 18), brahma (1. 28), Vijayarā. jentra (1. 31), fri-Sailendra-Chūļāmanivarmma-vihāra (11. 39-40), Mahadeva (1. 42), santuvigriha and Rajao (1.49), and Raje(1. 50).
Unlike the plates of the Sanskrit and Tamil portions of the Larger Leiden set, the plates of this set are not numbered. The only orthographical peculiarities worth noting are: (1) the use of the vowels in some rare places where consonants are needed, e.g., kāņiālarai (11. 9, 38) and (2) the formation of u in cases of tu, nu, nu, lū, etc., by the addition of the length (vertical stroke) sign to their short. The inscription is not quite well worded and there are possibilities of engraver's mistakes.
The inscription which is dated in the 20th year of the reign of the Chola king Rajakēkarivarman alias Kulottunga-Chola I, commences with the historical introduction pugal-mādu vilanga, which refers in general terms to the king's conquest of the Chēra (Villavar), Pāņdya (Minavar), Vikkalan, i.e., Vikramaditya VI and Singanan, i.e., Jayasimha. It records that, while the king was resting on the reclining seat (palli-ppidam) called Kalingarājan in the bathing hall of his palace at Ayirattali alias Ahavamallakulakālapuram, two messengers (dütar) of the king of Kudaram, named Rajavidyadhara-bri-samanta and Abhimanottunga-sri-samanta, petitioned to him that the village granted free from the payment of taxes including antarāya, viraśēshai, panmai-pandai-vetti, kundāli and sungamērā, as paffichchanda for meeting the requirements of the shrines of Rajendraçõlapperumpalli and Rajarajapperumpalli which were constructed by the king of Kadāram at Solakulavallipattanam in Pattapa-kurram, a sub-division of Geyamāņikka-valanādu, may be entered in a copper-plate document and issued in favour of the Sangattar of the palli. The messengers also prayed that the Kāniyāļars of the paļlichchanda lands may be removed and the lands be left entirely in the charge of the palli and that this fact may also be noted in the same copper-plate deed. Accordingly, a royal order was issued to the adhikarin named RājēndrasingaMüvēndavējā, that he, in conjunction with the sandhivigrahin Rāja vallabha-Pallavaraiyan, should draw up a copper-plate deed to that effect. After giving a list of the paļlichchandas belonging to Rajarajapperumpalli, their situation, extent, kāņikkadan, and nichchayitta-nellu, the inscription states that (1) the taxes or incomes in money and kind have been assigned to meet the requirements of the monastery and that (2) the previous owners who were holding the lands of these paļļichchanda villages have now been removed and the same have been vested solely with the Sangattar of the monastery. The details furnished about the paļļichchanda villages are given in a separate table. Further, the inscription furnishes the under-mentioned boundaries of the monastery and its gurroundings (palli-nilai and paļļi-viļāgam) and states that the total extent covered by them was 314 véli, 2 ma and 1 mundirigai -
Eastern boundary--to the west of the sea-shore inclusive of the sand-hill in it; Southern boundary-to the north of the well called Pugaiyunpi-kinaru; to the north of the
land belonging to the temple of Tiruvirattānamudaiya-Mahādēva situated to the
west of the said well; and to the north of the line passing westwards from the north Nos. 136, 100, 764, 768-7 of the 8. I. I. (Texts), Vol. V.