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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL. VIII
The first, Vayiramégap, was apparently the saint's contemporary, while the builder of the Triplicane temple must bave lived prior to him. The military exploits of the third spem to have been fresh in the saint's mind, and if this impression of mine be correct, the former might have lived a short time before the latter.
It is not impossible that Vayiramégag, the Palava contemporary of Tirumangai-Alvar. is identical with Dantippóttarasar, during whose reign the Vayiramåga-tataka at Uttaramallar appears to have been built. If the battle of Mannai mentioned in verse 3 of the Paramèsvara-Vinnagaram hymn be the same as that fought at Mandaikudi by the Pallava general Udayachandra against the Pandyas sooording to the Udayêndiram plates, it may be concluded that the saint Tirumangai-Alvår must have lived soon after the reign of Nandivarman-Pellavamalla. If this surmise prove correct, Vayiramêgan, the contemporary of the saint, must have been one of the immediate successors of Nandivarman.
The facts and inferences above set forth would yield the third quarter of the eighth oontury A.D. for the period of the Vaishnava saint Tirumangai-Alver and of his Pallava contemporary Vayiramégap. The same would be the approximate date of the construction of the Vayiraméga-tataka at Uttaramallar, and probably also of the subjoined inscription. It is sufficient to note that palæographical considerations do not militate against this conclusion.
Against this date of Tirumangai-Âļvår may be urged the Vaishnava tradition that he was later than the saint Namma vår. And the latter would appear to have lived subsequent to the Pandya king Varaguna, whose accession took place in A.D. 862-63, as mention is made in the existing text of the Tiruvaymoli of the village Veragunamangai, called evidently after Varaguna-Pandya. This argument would bring Nammalvår down to the 10th century A.D. and make the interval between him and Ramanuja (11th century A.D.) very short. Vaishnava tradition asserts that this period was occupied by Tirumangai-Alvår and several dcháryan, the earliest of whom must have lived long after Tirumangai.7 Apart from this objection, there is some reason to suppose that the Tiruvaymoli known to Tirumangai-Alvår is different from what has come down to us. The acharya Nadamunigal, who probably lived in the 11th century A.D.,' was informed by Vaishnavas both at Kumbhakonam in the Tanjore district and at Alvår-Tiranagari, the birth-place of Namm&lvår, that they had only heard of the name Tiruvaymoli. It had disappeared somehow, and no copy of the work existed at the time. At
From the Kadabs plates of Prabhatavarsha (Above, Vol. IV. p. 386) it may be concluded that Vairamégha W38 & surname of the Rashtrakata king Dantidurga (A.D. 754). It is claimed for this king that he subjugated the ruler of Kanchi. The genuineness of the Kadaba plates is, however, open to question (ibid. p. 333), and we must have indispptable evidence of the occupation of the Pallava country by Dantidurga before we admit that the tank at Uttaramallûr could be called after him, or that reference could be made to his prowess in a Tamil hymn.
In certain copies of the Naldyiraprabandham the place is called Marveyil, which makes its identification with Mannsikudi less probable
South-Ind. Inser. Vol II. p. 372.
• The Tiruvaymoli composed by Namms]var had to be recited in the Srirangam temple according to certain arrangements made by Tirumangai-Alvår.
Annual Report on Epigraphy for 1905-6, Part II., paragraph 25.
• Verso 897. Srivaramangai or Srivaramangalam mentioned in the same poom (verses 509 to 519) is probably identical with the village of the same name founded by the Pandya king Jatilavarman (called Neduñjadaiyap in the Tamil portion) according to the Madrus Museum plates; Ind. Ant. Vol. XXII. p. 74.
This is clear from the fact stated later on that the Tirundymoli, which had been known to Tirumangai, disappeared during the time of the first acharya Nadamunigal, who was informed that it had been lost 'a long time ago. The mere name and a single hymn of the poem were all that remained of it at the time.
Nadamunigal is said to have visited Gangaikondachôļapuram founded by Rajendra-Chola I. (A.D. 1011-12 to at least 1033).
Nadamuniga! was led to make this enquiry on hearing a hyinn of the Tirodymoli (beginning with araramudd, the 48th decade of the existing text) recited in the Vishņu temple at his native place by certain Vaishnavas from Alvar-Tirunagari.
