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No. 42]
TELUGU CHOLA RECORDS FROM ANANTAPUR AND CUDDAPAH
293
is perhaps not quite necessary as it should have been enough for the day to have
opened with dvitiya. It is noteworthy that the present inscription belonging to the early 7th century A. D. mentious the week-day and the hora. The mention of the week-day is rather a rare occurrence till about the 9th century A. D. The early Pallava Prākrit and Sanskrit charters make no mention of the week-day anywhere. It begins to be mentioned in Western Chalukya grants from about the time of Pulakēsin II, i.e., just about the same time to which the present inscription belongs.
On the höra.we have the views of Burgese and Svamikannu Pillai that its mention in Iudia, either in literature or epigraphy, prior to the 5th century A. D. is improhahle. The present instance is the earliest so far available in South Indian Epigraphy.
The inscription was issued by Punyakumara while he was ruling Rēnāņdu fronı his capital Chirpali; the title Erikalla Muttuāju indicates the position held by him while ruling Rönāndu. This together with the nominative suffix nru attached to his name, to which attention has already been drawn, may be taken to indicate that he had not become supreme ruler on the throne. This may have been in the period before he issued the Mālēpādu grant and the Rāmēśvaram pillar inscription (ins. G below) wherein he is found to assume supreme titles in place of tbe subordinate title of Mutturāju held by him oarlier. That he wielded considerable power and dignity even as a Mutturaju is indicated by the string of birudas with which he is described in the present grant. He assumed most of the titles in imitation of the Pallavas. Marunrapidugu, a thunderbolt to the enemies ', is analogous to one of the birudas of Pallava Mahendravarman I, viz., Pagāppidugu found in several of his inscriptions. It is almost synonymous with Mārpidugu a probable title held by Punyakumara (see ins. G below). Madamulitunr u seems to have been modelled on Mattavilāsu, one of the birudas of the same Pallava king. Some of the titles of Punyakumāra borne by him in the present record were improved upon and later added to by hitn as noticeable in his Raměsvaram pillar inscription (ins. G below) and the Mälēpādu plates.
F. TEXT 1 Svasti Sri [1*] Erikalla-Mutu2 [ra]ju Punyakumărunru ganya3 månunru mafunrapiduku madamu4 ditung-uttamóttamuns-avinavā. 5 nru Chirpaliya pațukānu Rênande6 luchu Tarkkapulola pāradaya 7 Kilēvuru (Kilevuru) Kattisarmmaku Tirpalū. 8 ra panāsa konda Kārtti]ya-chiku9 na Bidiya Sõmavārambu Punaru10 Pushyambu Bra(Bri)haspati-höra ka11 nu ēmbadiye Chamanakäla dha [*]
TRANSLATION Hail! prosperity! While Punyakumăra, the Erikalla-Mutturāju, who was held in 1 MASI, No. 18, p. 37; J.R.A.S. 1912, pp. 1039 ff.; K. O. Sesha Iyer, Ceras, pp. 108-9. * The Kopparam plater, above, Vol. XVIII, p. 257. Indian Ephemeris: Vol. I, pt. 1. p. 19. Abovn, Vol. XI, p. 341. - Vallam rock ins. s.1.1., II, pl, X, pp. 340-1.
• The long medial á is attached to the letter p on its nght prong instead ot on its left prong by mistake. That this does not make it ha can be seen by comparing the latter lotter in l.10 where its right prong is tower down.
XVI-1-6
