Epigraphia Indica Vol 18

Author(s): H Krishna Shastri, Hirananda Shastri
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 99

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. XVIII
the same boundary), as far as Bhatça Unmilans-svāmin's grant; from the south thereof, (the boundary), turning along further by the same boundary to the north, proceeds as far as the boundary of Bharani-8Vāmin's grant, thence in a straight line enters the pond of VakhataSimilikä on the boundary of Bhatta Unmilana-bvāmin's grant, and goes as far as the same boundary of the Brāhmaṇs of Kutkuta-grama,
No. 8.-NIDUR INSCRIPTION OF KULOTTUNGA-CHOLA.
BY K. V. SUBRAHMANYA AYYAR, B.A., OOTACAMUND. The subjoined two inscriptions are engraved on the south wall of the Siva temple at Nidūr, & village situated on the north bank of the Kāvēri in the Mayavaram taluk of the Tanjore district. This temple is one on which the Saiva saint Sundaramürti-Näyapár of the 8th century has composed hymns. Though the preservation of the records is not good, there are enough traces left in them to make out the inscriptions almost completely. It would have been certainly much better if they had not suffered damage. I am editing the inscriptions from impressions secured during the field season of 1921-22 by Mr. A. S. Ramanathier of the office of the Assistant Archeological Superintendent for Epigraphy, Madras, and registered as Nos. 534 and 535 of Appendix B of the Annual Report on Epigraphy for that year, where, however, the importance of these metrical records has not been noted.
The two inscriptions are dated in the reign of Kulõttunga-Chola. The king bears no distingaishing epithets : but to judge from the characters employed, the records appear to be of the time of Kulottunga I, who reigned from A.D. 1070 to 1119. The high regnal years 46 and 38 given to the king in these records also point to the same conclusion. As will be shown below, the inscriptions are of great value to students of Tamil literature as they almost fix the time of one oi the most important works on Tamil Prosody.
Inscription A is dated in the 46th year of the reign of Kulottunga-Chola and registers that a certain Kandan Mādavan-called also Milalai-nātu-Vēl, Tondsi-Kavalan, and chief of Kulattür (Karigai-Kuļattür in B)--caused to be made of stone the shrine of SonnevaFarivār and constructed a pavilion for expounding the Purāņas in the temple at Tillai, i.e. Chidambaram. Incidentally reference is made to the Tamil Prosodist Amudasāgara and his work Karigai which was begun and completed at Kulattar as well as to the construction of the temple at Nidar with stone, by the same chief, in the thirty-eighth year of the reign of the Chola king (Neriyan).
Inscription B, which is dated in the 38th year of the king's reign, states that this same Kandan Mādavan--who receives here also the epithets Milalai-náttu-Vēl and Tondai-Kavalanis stated to have built the excellent stone vimāna at Niļür. This inscription further tells us that Kandan Madavan was the marumagan (i.e. nephew or son-in-law) of an un-named person at whose instance Amudasāgara-Muņi of Tamil fame composed the work called Karigal, and was the chief of Karigai-Kulattür in Siru-Kunra-nadu in Jayangonda-sola-mandalam (ie the a..cient Tondai-mandalam).
The mention of the name of the Jaina teacher Amudasagara-Muņi and of his composing the work Kärigai, by which is no doubt meant the well known Tamil work on Prosody Yapparungalakkärigai, is of great interest inasmuch as it enables us to determine the age when that author flourished. The fact that Amudasāgara was a contemporary of the uncle or father-in-law of Kandap Mādavan shows that he lived in the 12th century A.J., the date of the subjuined epigraphs.
Neriyan, Senni, Ponni-tturairan and Neri-verpan are some of the synonyms of "Chõla," according to the amil lexicon Chidamasi-Nigandu. (Soo Makkafpeyar-togidi, v. 18.)
• By vimana is meant the temple for the other inscription uses the word kaprali in its place.