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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. IV.
The Malayalam alphabet of this inscription offers the following peculiarities. The group kk is expressed by adding a second horisontal stroke above the line which passes throngh the middle of the single letter. The vowel ai consists of three symbols, the second and third of which are considered sufficient in modern Grantha and Malayalam to denote that vowel. The first two wonld now be used when the ai is prefixed to a consonant. This peculiarity occurs twice, viz. in gintola (for andola) (1.9) and in ain-kammálar (1. 11). Probably the engraver was only accus. tomed to Vatteluttu, but not well.conversant with Malayalam. The Tamil rough r is used twice, while in all other cases the Vattelatta form occars. Theso are: ru in pesu (1. 7) and rd in pér-dga (1. 18) In the first case the u is added exactly as in modern Malayalam, i.e. by adding about the bottom of the letter a small semicircle. In the second case the & of rd is made a distinct symbol instead of its being added to the r as in Tamil. This shows that the writer had only a superficial knowledge of the Tamil characters as well as of the Malayalam alphabet.
The language of the inscription is Tamil prose, mixed with a few Malayalam forms, of wbich the following deserve to be noticed : irunnarula (1.5) (for irundarula), aļannu (1.12) (for alandu); påváda (1. 9) (for pávddai), knda (1. 10), adima (1. 11), para and nira (1. 12). sakkara, enna, ida, and ullada (1. 14), and ida (1. 16); and videshal (1.16) (for viséshát). Kóyil agam (1. 5) would in modern Tamil mean the inside of a temple. In ancient Tamil inscriptions of the time of Rajaraja 1. the word kóyil alone is used in the sense of a royal palace. In the present inscription köy ilagam means '& royal palace' as in modern Malayâļam. Of the words mentioned above, pavadai, kudai and parai oocar also in the Cochin plates. The fact that they are there spelt exactly as in Tamil, and that in the subjoined grant they are spelt as in modern Malayalam, suggests that the Kottayam plate is later than the Cochin grant. The form uffada (1.14) occurs in the former, while irukkumadu and pesumadus oocur in the latter. This again points to the same conclusion. The transitional form onninra (1. 13), which resembles the seyyinra of the Cochin plates, also deserves to be noted.
The inscription belongs to the reign of Vira-Bøghava-Chakravartin, who claims to be a lineal descendant of Vira-Kerala-Chakravartin. It is dated on the day of the nakshatra Rôhiņi, a Saturday, which corresponded to the twenty-second day of the solar month Ming of the year during which Jupiter way in Makara. On this day the king, while residing in the great palace, probably at Kodungalûr, which is mentioned farther on (1. 15), conferred the title of Manigramam and certain honours and rights connected therewith on Iravikkorrap of Magôdaiyarpattinam, who was also called Sêramåg-lôka-pperuň-jetti. The oil-mongers and the five classes of artisans were made his slaves. The inscription then enumerates the sources of income available to the grantee as lord of the city-by which we have probably to understand Kodangalar- and defines the limits within which his authority was to extend over Kodungalûr. It is further stated that the grant was not personal, but hereditary and perpetual. The witnesses to the grant are then mentioned, and the inscription closes with the signature of the goldsmith who engraved it and who boasted of the title Seraman18ka-pperun-dattag, 1.e. the great goldsmith of the world (which belongs to the Chora king.'
The approximate date of the inscription is not easy to ascertain. Dr. Burnell, speaking of the date of this grant, remarked : "Some time ago I showed the passage to the ablest
South Indian Inscriptions, Vol. II. p. 2, text line 6 of the first section. Above, Vol. III. p. 68, text lines 9 and 10. ibid. p. 68, text line 14
. ibid. p. 67. The name Iravikorttap is evidently vulgar form of the Tamil lruvikkorran, which means the sun-king." According to the rules of Tamil Grammar the k of korray would have to be doubled in this compound.
• Dr. Gundert has explained this name as the grant merchant of the Chéraman world. The meaning of this curious title is probably the great merchant (feffi) of the world (which belougs to the Chêra king.'
7 From elaborate satronomical calculations Mr. Kookel Keloo Nair concluded that A.D. 230 was un. questionably the date of the grant! See the Mudra: Journal, Vol. XXI. P. 39.
. Ind. Ant. Vol. I. p. 229.
