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No. 15.)
TIRUVELLARAI INSCRIPTION OF DANTIVARMAN.
157
King Dantivarman of the subjoined record is stated to have been born in the Pallavatilaka family which had sprung from the Bhåradvāja-gotra. In editing the Triplicane inscription of Dantivarma-Mahārāja, Mr. Venkayya remarked that he was perhaps the immediate successor of Nandivarman Pallavamalla and added in a note that his successors probably spoke of themselves as belonging to the "family of the Pallavatilaka." And Pallavatilaka is a shortened form of Pallavakulatilaka which was actually borne as a title by Dantivarma-Mahārāja of the Triplicane inscription. Nandivarman Pallavamalla was a usurper as we know from the Kasakudi plates. Subsequent kings (there are at least two known so far) claiming descent in the Pallava line, trace their ancestry apparently to Dantivarman of the Triplicane inscription as evidenced by the epithet Pallavatilaka-kulodbhava prefixed to their names. The application of this epithet to the king of the present record necessitates our distinguishing him from Dantivarma-Mahäräja, "the ornament of the Pallava race." That such a distinction has to be made is also evident from the fact that this is not the only inscription which introduces this family. Not less than five records have, so far, been found where members belonging to the Pallavatilaka family are mentioned, and it is therefore difficult to suppose that all the writers did not intend any difference between the terms Pallavakula and Pallavatilakakula.
From the Tiruvalangadu grant of Rajendra-Chola I., we know that Āditya I, father of Parāntaka I. (A.D. 907-947) fought with the Ganga-Pallava Aparājita. This king may be supposed to be the son of Nripatungavikramavarman and his successor. In two records of the 18th and 22nd years of Nfipatunga, Adigal-Kamban-MārambĀvai, queen of Nandivarman of the Palla vatilaka family makes grants and there is a much damaged inscription in the Airavatēsvara temple at Niyamam apparently dated during the reign of a Chola king also registering a grant made by the same queen. From these facts it may be concluded that, of the two kings of the Pallavatilaka family hitherto known, Nandivarman was either a contemporary of the Ganga-Pallava Nřipatungavikramavarman or lived prior to his time by a few years. As Dantivarman of the subjoined inscription has been shown to be closer in point of time to this Nandivarman, he may be assigned roughly to the beginning of the 9th century A.D.
TEXT.
First Section. 1 Svasti sri [1] Bhāradvāja-gotrattin vali-ttopriya Pallave-tilata5-kulörbhavan
Dantivarmmarku yandu nangåvad=eduttukkondu [ain ]davada murravittap
Alamb[@]kka-Visaiyanallülān 2 tambi Kamban Araiyan Tiruveļļasai-Ttepnūr=pperuă-ginaru [l*) Idan piyar
Märppidugu-spe]runginar-enbadu - Idu ratshipparo ivv=tr-Müväiratt.ba olunurruvarum -
Second Section. i śri [118] Kaņdār kāņāv=ulagattir=kādalseydu villādēg? paņdēy? Paraman
padaitta nå! párttu nipru naiyyådėy? 2 tandārg mũppu vand-unnai-ttalara-chcheydu nillämupp=uņdēll'=uņņu mikkadu
ulagamm-ariya [v]aimminēy?
1 Above, Vol. VIII. p. 292.
Nos. 16 of 1899, 300 and 309 of 1901 and 587 and 541 of 1905 of the Madras Epigraphical collection. 1 Annual Report on Epigraphy for 1905-06, p. 66, paragraph 10. Ibid. for 1898-9. p. 7, paragraph 18 > Tilata is a tadbhava of the Sanskrit tilaka.
Read rakshi,
Read Mürayi. "In these four instances tbe final y seems to have been inserted to represent the full sound produced in proDOUDcing the words.
# Tandu is a variaut of the Sanskpit danda. • The doubling of the consonant liss mistake. The first of them has to be deleted.
