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No. 18.]
KULIDIKKI INSCRIPTION OF VIJAYA NANDISVARAVARMAN.
maternal uncle1 to the Ganga chief at Karkaṭṭur. After the storming of Penkulikkōṭṭai, the Bāņas must have been subdued completely by the Pallavas, as we find a Mahavali Vāṇaraiyar figuring as a subordinate in the 62nd year of Pallavamalla. Subsequently, we find the Bāņa chief ruling the Ganga six-thousand provinces also, which must evidently have been possible only with Pallava support. It will thus be seen that by storming the fortress of Penkulikköṭṭai, Pallavamalla was able to check the growing power of the Ganga king Sripurusha and also to subdue the Bāņas who from this time onwards accepted the overlordship of Pallavamalla and his successors.
The question why the death of Gangadiyaraiyar should be recorded in an inscription of his adversary the Pallava king Nandivarman is easily answered. After the siege, the village Penkulikkōṭṭai belonged to Nandivarmen and inscriptions of this place had necessarily to be put up in the name of its overlord.
From the fact that the Ganga chief of Karkaṭṭur is called Kannadu Perungangar, it may be inferred that his ancestors, like himself, died on battle field.
Of the places mentioned in the record, Karkaṭṭür may be identified with Kalakattür near Palamaner in the Chittoor district. This Kalakattur was in Puli-naḍu which was under the Banas, but was subsequently conquered by the Nolamba king under orders of the Ganga ruler. Pepkujikkottai may be identified with Kulidikki itself where the present inscription is found.
1 Sri [||]ko-Videya-Nandi
2 chchuraparumarku yāṇḍu
3 ambattiraṇḍāvadu
113
4 Perumapaḍigal měl
5 Pallavaraiyan padai van
6 du Pepkulikköṭṭai, a
7 litta ñāņu Väparai
8 yar mamaḍi tiriga enat
9 tirindu paṭṭar Karkat
10 tür-udaiya Gangadiyarai
11 yar Kappadu Perunga12 ǹgar [||]
TEXT.
TRANSLATION.
Prosperity! In the fifty-second year of (the reign of) king Viseya-Nandichchuraparumar, Gangadiyaraiyar Kannadu Perungangar, (the chief) of Karkattür died, (when) Vanaraiyar, (his) uncle (directed him) to proceed on the day (when) the Pallava (1) army marched against Perumanadigal and destroyed (the fortress of) Penkulikköṭṭai.
1 One would look for the term mamadi to precede the proper name Vaparatyar as in Allan Tikka, M Some vara, Aliya Ramariya etc. This word is so used in the present inscription that it might also open that Vanaraiyar was the 'unole of Perumanadigal, fe., Sripurusha himself.
8. I. I., Vol. III, p. 91.
Ep. Carn., Vol. X, p. VI.
• Madras Epigraphical Beport for 1918; pp. 90-91.
