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No. 38.]
TIRUKKALUKKUNRAM INSCRIPTIONS
279
of Rajarajadêva and in all subsequent Tamil inscriptions. Assuming that the cessation of the employment of the pulli was gradual, the comparative frequency of its occurrence may be used as an argument to establish the priority of the present inscription to the time of Parantaka I. Again, in the subjoined inscription, the upper horizontal strokes peculiar to certain Tamil letters are represented by slight curves opening upwards, which remind of similar curves in the corresponding letters of the Sansksit inscriptions of the Pallava kings Rajasimha and Mahendravarman at Conjeeveram. On palæographical grounds we must, therefore, conclude that this is one of the oldest Tamil inscriptions yet discovered, though we cannot ascertain even its approximate date. The contents of the inscription do not furnish any materials for this purpose. Rajakesarivarman renewed, at the request of a certain Puttan (.e. Buddha), a grant which had been made by Skandasislya and confirmed by Narasimhavarman, both of whom are spoken of as "former kings" (parva-rajakka!). It is not said what the nature of the grant was thai had originaliy been made by Skandasishya, nor do we learn the circumstances that led to the petition (vinnappam) of Puttan for a renewal of the grant. But so much is certain that, at the time of Rajakesarivarman, a portion of the Pallava dominions had passed into the hands of the Chôļas.
In this and in the following three inscriptions, Tirukkalukkupram is said to have been situated in Kalattur-kottam and "in the subdivision (Kuru) called after itself."! In the Appendix to his Manual of the Chingleput District, Mr. Crole gives a list of kotams with the subdivisions contained in some of them. Among the former he mentions "Kallattur-kottam" in the Chingleput tâluka, which is evidently identical with the Kalattûr-kottam of the Tirukkalukkanram inscriptions.
TEXT. 1 Svasti eri [11] Köv=Irajakesari parmma[r*]kku 2 rubatt-elávadu
Ka[la]ttür-kkôţtattu-ttan
kûrru3 [T]tirukkalukkuprattu
Sri-Mülasthånattu 4 di[galujkku i sai]y-iliyeaga Skandasishyan
kuduttamaiyi. 5 [1 ]ppa[di]yê
Padavis konda
Narasimgappôt6 taraiyarum
apparige rakshittamaiyil
Anduraiya7 Gunavan
magan
Putten vinnappattinal pûrvv&8 râjâkka!
[vai]tta padiyê
vaittên(n)=Irájaké[sa]ripa-8 9 rmman-ên [1] i-ddharmmam rakshittân adi en muội mêlina ||
yându
i
perumân
TRANSLATION. (Line 1.) Hail! Prosperity! In the twenty-seventh year of the reign) of king Rajakesarivarman.
(L. 2.) “Whereas Skandasishya had given (certain land) free from taxes to the feet of the god of the holy Mülasthåna (temple) at Tirukkalukkunram in Kalattür-kőttam (and) in
The actual name of this subdivision was probably Tirukkalukkupra-kuru. • The akshara, from ma of spasti to ja of rdja are engraved over an erasure.
* Above the tu of kunrattu is engraved some letter whicb looks like the modern Tamil fa, and over the word Maasthana, the inodern Tamil numeral twenty-one.'
• The engraver had originally written bya instead of fi and then partially erased the y.
The rending Vadåvi or Patapi is also possible; Padavi, VadAvi and Vitapi are ancient names of Badami in the Bombay Presidency,
• The akshara, from jd to appear to be ongraved over an erasure. 7 Over the pa of padi, the modern Tamil numeral five' seems to be engraved.
. The engraver had originally written ja instead of aa and then corrected only the bottom, leaving the top as it Hood.
