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EPIGRAPHTA INDICA.
(VOL. XXIII.
The record comes from a village close to Telláru where Köpperuñjinga claims to have defeated the Chola monarch. The reason for engraving the inscription in a place about twelve miles from the scene of action is not clear, Telläru is remembered in South Indian history in connection with the Pallava monarch Nandivarman III, who assumed the title. Tellárrerinda-Nandi' to perpetuate his victory over his enemies in this place. Our poet seems to have been conversant with Nandikkalambagam, & poetical work recounting the exploits of Pallava Nandivarman, wherein the victory at Tellāru is frequently mentioned. Some of the titles given to Köpperuñjingadēva in our inscription such as Avarinārāyana, king of Mallai, lord of Tondai, lord of the land watered by the Kāvēri, patron of Tamil literature, etc., are found applied to Nandivarman in the Kalambagam mentioned above.
The identity of Köpperuñjinga mentioned in our record must first be established. As early as 1906,1 the late Mr. Venkayya suggested that "there must have been two or more chiefs with the name Köpperuñjingadēva". The late Mr. Krishna Sastri also accepted the existence of two Kādava kings of this name and identified the later one with Kādava-Kumāra who is stated in the Tiruvannamalai record to have driven the Telungar to the north so that they may perish in the north;' but his further identification of the same chief with Peruñjinga who captured and confined the Chola king at Sēndamangalam is not borne out by the latest discovery, as will be shown presently. Sewelle also accepted with caution the lead given by his predecessors and distinguished two chiefs of the name Köpperuñjingadēva. But recently an opinion has been expressed against the theory of two Köpperuñjingas and postulating only one king of the name in the period A.D. 1229 to 1278. This interval really becomes still wider because Köpperuñjinga is mentioned in ingcriptions as early as the 35th year of Kulõttungs-Chēļa III corresponding to A.D. 1213. The acceptance of two KÕpperuñjingas so far rested on mere inference, but an important discovery made recently at Villiyanür in the French territory when I went there at the request of Prof. Dubreuil of Pondicherry, settles this question conclusively.
A record in this village, dated in the 6th year of Sakalabhuvanachchakravarttigal Avaniyālappifandār Köpperuñjingadēva refers to the audit of temple accounts by Perumangalam-Udaiyar Udaiyapperumāļ alias Käduvettigal for the period commencing from the 37th year of Tribhuvanaviradēva, i.e., Kulõttunga-Chola III down to the 11th year of (another) Köpperuñjingadēva Alagiyasiyar. Since this inscription? which is dated in the 6th year of Köpperuñjingadēva refers to the 11th year of (another) Köpperuñjingadēva, it is evident that there must have been two KÕpperuñjingas and that the earlier had at least a reign of 11 years. Probably the last year of the reign of the first Kõpperuñjingadēva was the 11th, because we know that he made an attempt to supplant the Chola king by imprisoning him at Sēndamangalam in A.D. 1232 and that from A.D. 12436, another Köpperuñjingadēva counted his reign. Thus the Villiyanür inscription establishes beyond doubt the existence of two Kopperuñjingas, the first commencing his reign, probably from A.D. 1232 and the second from A.D. 1243. Köpperuñjingadēva I. was probably a vassal of the Chola king or & semi-independent chief from at least the 37th year of Tribhuvanaviradēva,
1 A. R. on Epigraphy, Madras, for 1906, p. 63. * No. 480 of 1902 of the Madras Epigraphical collection. . A. R. on Epigraphy, Madras, for 1913, pp. 128-27. • Historical. Inscriptions of Southern India, pp. 144 and 376.
• The Pandyan Kingdom by K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, p. 164, n. 4 and Prof. Krishnaswami Iyengar Commemoralios Volume. pp. 212-14.
• No. 487 of 1921 of the Madras Epigraphical collection.
All the dates in this record are expressed in words so that there is no doubt about their correct reading. • No. 38 of 1890 of the Madras Epigraphical collection.
