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No. 12.]
JAMBUKESVARAM GRANT OF SAKA 1630.
be taken to convey to as the traditional history regarding the origin of the god Jambukēsvara in Trichinopoly. The illustration itself includes the figures of the sun and the moon, a tree supposed to take its root from the head of a devotee seated below with folded hands (afjali) in the virtsana postare, a liriga placed on & pedestal underneath the tree, an elephant with its trunk raised over the linga, & spider-like creatore flying above the linga and a goddess standing on the right. The figures of the sun and the mooa are perhaps indicative of the overlordship of the Vijayanagara house over the Nayakas of the south, the sun and the moon being found on the seal and coins of the Vijayanagara kings. There is a belief, as recorded in the Sthalapurāna of Jambukėśvaram, that the place was called after Jambuka Muni, from whose bead the jambūku tree had its origin. The elephant and the spidar, it is believed, worshipped the linga representing the God Jambukëśvars and attained salvation. The linga on the pedestal is the god of Jambukēśvaram, and the goddess represented as standing on the right side is probably Akhiläņdēsvari.
The language of the inscription is Telaga and Sanskrit combined. Lines 1-3, which contain the epithets of the donee, are in Sanskrit. Lines 4-35 are in Telugu, and lines 35-44. are in Sanskrit, containing the admonitory verses at the end of the plate. The characters of the inscription are Telagu.
There are a few orthographical peculiarities worth noticing. There is an unnecessary reduplication of consonants in Omanddu (1. 15); nadipiíchchao and ajñāpimchchi" (1. 18); Omangalanllo (1. 22); puranllo (1.23); Jeinbbukēšvara“ (1. 28); vr&yinchchi (1. 33) and anubhavinchchu (1. 34). Instances of dravidianised forms of Sanskrit words are seen in
tambra" for otāmrao (L. 21); sårbrajyan instead of simrajyan (1. 9) and oubhaya in the place of ubhaya (30-1).
The inscription records the grant of lands in certain villages in the Trichinopoly district and Bome landis on both sides of the Kávēri river for the conduct of worship, offerings and charities in the Samkaricharya matha at Jambukógvaram (Tiruvanaikaval), where even now the head of the Kumbhakopam matha has his residence for a portion of the year. The grant was made by Vijayaranga Chokkanatha Nayaks at the instance of the then presiding guru of the matha. The name of the latter is not explicitly given in the grant. He is styled Lokaguru Srimad Sankaracharya 8vd mula dru.
The objects for which the grant was made were annadāna kattala (endowment for gift of food) and the naivēdya which was to be offered to the god. For the former pnrpose certain lands were granted. These were sitaated in Mahendramangalam, Krishnapuram, Karaikkadu, Kondayamettai, Mangamámbapuram, Ariyūra and Ariyamangalam. For the naivēdya, which was to include four measures (padi) of cooked rice, došai, atirasa, sugiya and dipari chamaru (oil for lights),' it was ordered that certain to Hs collected should also be assigned
The grant is dated Saks 1632, Vikriti, Kartika, Suddha, full moon, Monday, Rohininakshatra.
Vijayaranga Chokkanātha and his line are said to belong to the Dakshiņa-simhasana, styling themselves Dakshina-siin häsan-adhyakshāk (Lords of the southern throne'). They were vioeroys in the south, aoting under the kings of Vijayanagara. They were lords of the regions of the Pandyas, comprising Madara and Tinnevelly districts. The circumstances under which the Näyskas became rulers of the south are recorded thus. In 1558 " the then Chola raler
1 [The symbols of sun and moon are quite common in all Chalukya inscriptions also. They are not peculiarly the symbols of the Vijayanagan royalty. These in my opinion indicate the a-chandr-arka-sthagită of the gift conveyed by the document over which they are engraved.-H. K. S.]
* Dipam ohamaru is the supply of oil for lamps in addition to the offerings which were to be made to the god.
• Bes Gasttoer of the Madura District, Vol. I, p. 4L
