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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXVII
Of the three sons of Peruñjinga the eldest seems to have been Solakōn. The first mention of him is made in the Tiruvendipuram inscription of A.D. 1232. From this inscription it looks as if Köpperuñjinga and Sōlakōn were powerful in and around Chidambaram, and had made Sendamangalam their stronghold. Numerous records found at Chidambaram and other places in its vicinity mention Sōlakōn. His brother, Vēṇāvudaiyan, was a 'hero among heroes'. He is said to have been the lord of Mallai, Mayilai, Tondaimangalam, etc. He was issuing royal orders (olai) in the latter part of Kopperuñjinga's reign, while Sōlakon, his elder brother, was performing a similar function from the 1st to the 19th years of Peruñjinga. The sons of Peruñjinga were his trusted generals and under their control and service there were other warriors and generals.1 Great as were the military activities of Peruñjinga displayed both in his early days and after he became king, the fame which he acquired in other walks of life was no less. He was pre-eminently, a patron of learning and fine arts. Besides being well known as one of the best wrestlers with the sword, he was renowned as a parina in the ocean of Bharatanatyaśāstra. He was recognised as the best poet of the day, a Kavisarvabhauma. He is called Devaramalagiyan and Tamilnaḍukattaperumal. Peruñjinga's devotion to the god at Chidambaram is borne out by numerous records registering his munificent gifts. The deity in the golden hall at Chidambaram was his favourite. He also presented a gold forehead plate set with jewels to the god at Vriddhachalam. Numerous were his gifts to the temple at Tiruvannamalai. Here we find a gift made by his queen also. Valuable were his gifts to the temple at Draksharama: they consisted of a throne (simhasana), Makaratörana, Kanakandolana, etc. In the 27th year of the reign of Peruñjinga, a service called Alagiyapallavansandi, called after the king, was instituted to be conducted on the day of Tiruvonam, the natal star of the king (i.e., Peruñjinga). A Tamil and Grantha inscription of his reign states that Avani-Alappirandan constructed a temple for Hēramba-Gaṇapati on the bank of the tank at Tribhuvaṇamadevi.10 Other minor shrines were also constructed."
The wide extent of country which acknowledged Peruñjinga's sway is indicated by the provenance of his inscriptions which lie scattered from Draksharama in the north to the extreme south. Among the places which shared the munificence of his costly gifts are mentioned Drakshäräma, Conjeeveram, Svētajambu, Viraṭṭānam, Madura, Kalahasti and others. The mention of Madura in this list is specially worthy of note as it evidences his friendly relations with the
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1 Some among the generals under Peruñjinga and his sons were:
Ediriganayan Pottappichōla (No. 136 of 1900).
Rajarajadevan Malaiyan Välavarayan (No. 447 of 1921).
Amudāndai alias Valuvarayar son of Añjadaperumal Gangayarayar-a mudali of the utkodu of the king (No. 95 of 1934-5).
Vtraganganādāļvān, above, Vol. VII, p. 167.
Sinattaraiyan
Alagiyapallavan Virarayan alias Kachchiyarayan (No. 62 of 1919).
Sundaranandipanman (No. 186 of 1892).
Cf. his surname Khadgamalla or Sarvajñakhadgamalla,-Nos. 191 of 1904, 197 of 1905 and 286 of 1921.
No. 419 of 1893 and Bharatamvalla-perumal in inscription I below.
No. 419 of 1893 notes also Sarasa-sahitya-sagara-samyatrika, Sahitya-ratnākara.
No. 85 of 1919.
No. 418 of 1922 and Inscription No. I below. Compare also the expression Sen-tamil väla-ppiranda-Kadava in the Vailur inscription of Köpperuñjinga, above, Vol. XXIII, p. 180.
No. 418 of 1922.
Nos. 488-and 513 of 1902.
⚫ No. 170 of 1918.
10 No. 182 of 1919.
1 No. 401 of 1903 dated in the 8th year of Perufijinga (A. D. 1251). It records the sale of a land to Sōlakön, for building a temple to Pidäriyär. No. 146 of 1902 states that the gopura of the temple was erected by Vêņa. vadaiyan. No. 518 of 1902 states that Nangaiyalvar, the wife of Nilagangaraiyan, built a shrine and called it Nangai-älvishuram.
