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No. 12)
MADRAS MUSEUM PLATE OF BHUVANATRINETRA of this family of chiefs. The Vaidumbas appear to have reached the height of their power in the 9th century A. D. under Ganda-Trinētra who was ruling over the territory of Rēnādu 7000, the home province of the Telugu Chola chiefs. Bhuvana-Trinētra might be a direct descendant of Ganda-Trinētra removed by a few generations. Vaidumba Mahärāja mentioned as the subordinate of the Rashtrakūta king Krishna III in an inscription from Palagiri' in the Cuddapah District, was probably a predecessor of Bhuvana-Trinētra. By the time of Bhuvana-Trinētra, the Rashtrakūta power had reached its final phase and it is significant to note that neither of the inscriptions of this chief contains any reference to the suzerain. Bhimarāja and Bachayva, for whose merit the gift was maintained, might be the parents of this chief.*
Reverting to the place names occurring in the epigraph, Pottepi is identical with Pottapi in the old Pullampet or the present Rajampet tāluk in the Cuddapah District. This town is said to have been founded by Madhurāntaka Pottapi Chola, an early ancestor of the Telugu-Chöļa family.. Kadapa, the headquarters of the small tract of Kadapa-Twelve which included the gift village, is identical with modern Cuddapah. Aftirēvula has been identified with Attirala in the Rajampet taluk. Mamjaram, which seems to be identical with Mandaram mentioned in the two accompanying records referred to above, may be identified with Mandapalle in the same täluk.
Lastly, we take up the region called Pāka-nāļu which contained the tract of Kadapa-Twelve. This seems to be the earliest reference to the territorial unit and it would be useful to recall here in brief its origin and history. In the Prakrit inscriptions of Nagarjunikonda (circa 3rd century A. D.) is mentioned a people or clan called the Pūkiyas. The domicile of these people appears to have been styled the Pūgi or Pungi Dēša by the Sanskritists as attested by a late epigraph. In Sanskrit pūga or pūgi means arecanut? and its corresponding equivalents, pūka and pākku are found in Telugu and Tamil. Consequently, Pūgi Dēsa might have been changed to Paka-nädu in course of time, its other variants being Päki-nāļu, Pākkai-nādu, etc. This territorial unit preserved its entity till the 16th century A. D., though its extent and content might have varied under different regimes. From the provenance of the inscriptions containing allusions to this region, it may be gathered that Päka-nādu extended approximately over the major portion of the Nellore District including parts or whole of the Venkatagiri, Rapur, Nellore, Atmakur, Kovur. Kavali and Kanigiri tāluks, small areas of the Ongole and Bapatla tāluks of the Guntur District and the Cuddapah and Rajampet taluks of the Cuddapah District. Under the Chola regime during 12-13th centuries A. D., the western portion of this tract was designated Mēr-Pākkai-nāļu forming part of the Jayangondachöjamandalam and Adhirajēndrachölamandalam. A subdivision of the Mēr-Pākkai-nādu was called Pottapi-nādu, evidently after the village Pottapi noted above. Under the Vijayanagara administration Pāka-nāļu was incorporated in the Udayagiri-rajya.1
TEXT13 1 Svasty-anēka-samara-samghattan-Õpalabdha-vijaya-lakshmi-samälimuitu-visala-vaksbasthala
Bhu1 Above, Vol. XXIV, p. 192. * No. 323 of 1935-36 of Mad. Ep. Coll. . A. R. 8. I. E. for 1935-36, part II, para. 9. • Above, Vol. VII, p. 121. . Above, Vol. XX, PP. 5, 12, etc. • Nellore Inscriptions, Vol. III, p. 1028. Compare A. R. 8. I. E., 1935-36, p. 57.
Compare, above, Vol. XX, p. 12. Pūga also means 's multitude' or 's oorporation. • Nellore Inscriptions, Kanigiri No. 11, Kavali Nos. 8, 43; Nos. 243 of 1897, 398-99 of 1911, of Mad. Ep. Col., eto.
Ibid., Venkatagiri, No. 1 ; Nos. 398-99 of 1911 of Mad. Ep. Coll. * No. 399 of 1911 of Mad. Ep. Coll. * Nellore Inscriptions, Nellore No. 34 A, eto. 13 From ink-impressions.
