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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[ VOL. XI.
and I agree with the editor in considering that Srinātha, who was Vallabha's contemporary, was the real author of this little poem. The poetry is certainly that of Srinātha.1
In the introduction to his Bhimakhandamu, the poet tells us that he was a Brāhmana of the Pākanāti sect. The Pākanātis are found mostly in the Nellore District and there is a family of them at Sulirupota, whose honsonamo is Srinātham (Srināthuni). These Brāhmaṇs usually call their sect Prānnūti to distinguish it from that of Pākanāti Kāpus or Reddis and interpret that term as meaning the “Eastern Country." This etymology is obviously incorrect. The Telugu term Pākanāda is evidently derived from Tamil Pakkainādu, which is found in several Tamil inscriptions in the Nellore Districts and the word pakkai is the Tamil rendering of the Sanskrit pūga, meaning areca-nut. Pangi, a variation of Pūgi, appears in inscriptions as the name of the country " which extended from the eastern slopes of Srigiri to the eastern sea on both sides of the river Kundi." 4 In my paper on the Madras Museum plates of Vēma, I was unable to explain the signification of this term, but there is no doubt about it now. Tłe Telugu form of pīgi is pöla-. o being nasal- and a sect of the Reddis of the Cudappah District call themselves Pökanāți and not Pakanäţi Reddis.
Śrīnātha was a much travelled man for his times. He tells us, in a stray verse attributed to him, that he visited the courts of the Vijayanagara king Harihara II. and Rāva SarvajñaSingamany of the Velngai family, and that he was patronised by Sāļuva Telungu Rāya. He spent, however, the best part of his life at the courts of the Reddi chiefs of Kondavidu and Rajahmundry and dedicated most of his works either to those chicfs or to their officers. The traditional history of the Volneni family tells us that Lingamanāyudu of that family having killed Vima-Reddi of Rajahmundry in battle and taken his sword called the Nandikantapolarāju, Srinātha was doputol by Vēca's brother Virabhadra to get back the sword and that the poot succeeded in doing so by eulogizing Lingamanayudu in three verses.
B.
This inscription plso belongs to the time of Pedda-Kömaţi-Vēma and is engraved on both sides of uve copper plates. About ten years ago, the plates were sent by the Tahsildar of Guntur to the Collector of the Kistna District in which Guptür was then included, and I edit the inscription from impressions taken by mo at that time. The inscription consists of two
1 Srinūtha is also the reputed author of the ballad Palaüliriracharitramu; but some dispute his authorship and the point requires investigation.
? [The Bitragunta plates of Samgama II (above, Vol. III, p. 27, verse 19) describe Paka-visbaya or Pāka-nadu As district situated on the shore of the Eastern Ocean (i.e. the Bay of Bengal), including within it the town Vikramasinilapura, i.e. the modern Nellore. Pugi or Pungi vishaya, on the other hand, was a part of Paka,
• bank of the river Kundi or Gundlakamina and extending from Srisaila to the Bay of Bengal. Prānuādu Eastern Conntry' as applied to themselves, by the Pakanāti Brāhmaṇas of the Nellore district appears, therefore, to have been the correct etymological interpretation of the term Paka-nadn, though the form Pakkni-tudu of Tamil inscriptions was undoubtedly derived from pingi, pigi or poka, which formed a part of the name of the northern sub-clivision of Paka-nadu and menut an avec not. Consequently it looks as if the larger territorial division Paka-nadu or Paklai-nidu derived its name from the smaller Pungi-visbaya, which was perhaps the earlier and the more ancient.-II, K S
Millor Last by Most's, Butterworth and Venu Gopaul Chetty, Vol. II, p. 873, and Vol. 111, Pp. 1397 and 1401.
• Above, Vol. VIII, p. 10.
In another place it is called Sandikantapötaraju.
• The Telugöfirari-ransacharitram by Vellala Sadasiva Sastrulu and Avadbinamu śēsla Šāstrulu, Madras edition of 1910, pp. 59 and 60. In this book the Reddi king who was killed, is called Anayēma-Reddı. But this is clearly a mistake for Allaya-Vēma-Reddi.
