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No. 5.]
ANBIL PLATES OF SUNDARA-CHOLA : THE 4TH YEAR.
55
The document records the grant, by the king Sundara-Chola Rājakesarivarman to his learned Brāhmana minister Aniruddha, of ten vēlis of land in the village of Nalvilānkudi, which is situated in the Alandūr-rāshtra. This plot of land, defined by letting a she-elephant go round it, was given the new name of Karuņākaramangalam and was granted with its karanmai and miyachi; all the taxes on the land were abolished, and the enjoyment of the new village with all plants, trees, gardens, tanks, wells, etc., was bestowed on Aniruddha. The gift of a small village sufficient for the exclusive enjoyment of a single Brāhmana householder is called an ēkabhāga village. Regarding the ēkabhāga village the Mayamata, one of the authoritative text-books on the Silpa-fāstra, gives the following description :- A plot of land granted to a single Brāhmaṇa for his sole enjoyment and having on it his mansion and the houses of his dependants and farmers is called an ēkabhogaml; and a vāļikāor vēli is defined as 5, 120 square dandas, & danda being 4 cubits (18 inches). Therefore a vēli comes to be equal to 4:48 acros. The 10 vātikās of land granted to the Brahmaņa minister Aniruddha are approximately 44.8 acres. The ceremony of letting loose & she-elephant to go round a plot of land intended to be granted to any one is an ancient institution : it is referred to in the Leiden grant also as karini-parikramana-vispashta-sima-chatushțayam; a she-elephant is let loose, her wandering path is carefully marked, and, after she returns to the place from which she started, the plot of land enclosed by the path of the elephant is granted to the donee. This ceremony is called karini-parikramana or in Tamil pidi-fuldal.
The grant was made at the personal reqnest (vijnapti) of Aniruddha-Brahmādhiraja and by the order (ājñapti) of Aravanaiyān alias Pallava Māddhādhirāja or Pallava Muttaraiyar.
At the end of the document Sundara-Chola is called Parāntaka-Chola and is represented as exhorting future kings to protect his gift. The last verse in the Sanskrit portion iuforms us that the componer of the document was Mūdhava Bhatta yajvan, son of Bhatta Datta of the Pārāśarsa vamsa, that he was a very learned man and a disciple of Srinātha.
The Tamil portion of the grant is addressed to the residents of the Brāhmaṇa quarters of the Alundar nādu and to those residing in the villages granted to the (Vaidic) gods, to the (avaidika) places of Worship, such as those of the Jainas and the Bauddhas, and to astrologers (ganis). It is also in this portion that the date of the document is given as the fourth year of
विप्रेरथान्येवा मीग्यो ग्राम उदारतः । एको ग्रामणिको यत्र सभृत्यपरिचारकः । कुटिकन्तहिजानौयादक मोगस्म एव तु ।
Kamikāgama. प्रागुक्त गुणयुक्ताय वेदार्थनिपुणाय च । Fuita wafua ya AFNATA एकभोगमिति ख्यातं प्रशस्तमतिदुर्लभम् ।
Karanagama. पन्धदशक्तानां चैहानं दशभूसुरान्तमेकादि। एककुदुम्बिसमेत कुटिक स्था(च)दैकभीगमिति कथितम्।
Mayamata. अष्टधनुश्चतुरथा काकविका सच्चतुर्गुणं माषम् माषचतुर्वर्तनकं तपंचगुणं हि वाटिका कथिता ।
Yaya mata. Burgess and Natesa Sastri's Tamil and Sanskrit Inscriptions, p. 208.
