Epigraphia Indica Vol 27

SR No.: 032581
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hirananda Shastri
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1947
Total Pages: 490
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 27 MB

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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[Vol. XXVII No. 47–TIRUVORRIYUR INSCRIPTION OF CHATURANANA PANDITA :
20th year of Krishna IIL.
(1 Plate)
V. RAGHAVAN, MADRAS
The inscription' edited here is well-known and has tempted every writer to refer to it for the interesting account it gives of the romantic career of a distinguished Chola general. A sad interest attaches to this contribution, owing to the unexpected passing away of Mr. A. S. Ramanatha Ayyar of the Epigraphy Office, Madras, who, during the study of it for editing, brought it to me for correction and interpretation of the Sanskrit portion. For enabling me to edit it in these pages, I must thank the Government Epigraphist for the permission given by him, and the Superintendent for Epigraphy, Madras, for the facility he gave for consulting the impressions and trangcripts of this and the related inscriptions.
The inscription is engraved on a stone slab built into the floor between the first two pillars in the inner prākāra on the southern side of the entranos to the garbhagriha of the main shrine of Adhipuriśvara at Tiruvorriyür near Madras. The lower part of the stone has evidently been cut off and consequently some of the lines towards the close of the inscription have been lost. An examination of it on the spot now shows that, since the time when it was copied by the Department in 1912, further obliteration of some letters, especially towards the end, has been caused.
The inscription, which is engraved in an ornamental style, is in two parts, Sanskrit and Tamil, the former being in Grantha characters. In the Sanskrit part, the following orthographical peculiarities may be noticed. The avagraha is omitted (1.6); in two places where the visarga coalesces with a following 8, only one s is written (Il. 4,8); in some cases, a gonsonant following & répha is duplicated (11.7,8,9,11). In writing the name of the place, Tiruvorriyür the peculiar Tamil sound , is written in Tamil character (1. 11). The marking off of the halves and ends of verses is irregular ; the halves are not marked at all, and, except in one case, the ends are shown by a single danda. In one instance, even the third quarter of a verse is so marked off. : In the Tamil part, the chief feature is the writing of Sanskrit words and sounds in the text in Grantha characters, sri, dēva, bha, bali, dhū and dēvāra. Long medial é is always written only with the sign of the short medial. Some of the expressions in the Tamil part are literary.
The palaeography of the inscription does not call for any remarks. .
The object of the inscription is to record a gift of one hundred gold Nishkas, bearing an interest of three Mashas per Nishka per annum, to the assembly of Narasimhamangala, by Vaļabha Chaturānana for conducting a special service on the day of Dhanishthā, the star of his nativity, to Lord Siva at Tiruvorriyür.
The inscription is dated in the 20th year of Kannaradēva, the conqueror of Kachchi (Kāñchi) and Tañjai (Tanjore), i.e., the Rashtrakūta king Krishna III who came to the throne in A.D. 939. It therefore belongs to the year A.D. 959, which is ten years after the battle of Takkõlam to which our inscription has a vital reference. It is stated here that the subject of the account herein who was the beloved general of Räjäditya eould not, unfortunately, be present on the battle field of Takkolam.
1 No. 181 of 1912 of the Madras Epigraphical Collection. • Above, Vol. XXVI, pp. 164-165.