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No. 19] SEVEN VATTELUTTU ÎNSCRIPTIONS FROM THE KONGU COUNTRY. 108
ABSTRACT OF CONTENTS Hail ! Prosperity ! (Issued) with the royal signature in the 24th year, current, of the reign of king Viraśõla-Kalimūrkkap-Perumal. In this year, queen (nambirattiyar) Vaļavan-Mādēviyar alias Ittiymüttār purchased from the members of the asembly and gave the following land as tirumelukkuppuram (i.e., for the requirement of washing with cow-dung) to the temple of Tiruvalanjulidēva at Virasangada-chaturvēdimangalam :
One mā and half a kāņi of land in Madurāntakavalāgam on the south western side of the land of Nāraṇan Madurantaka .... and one kāņi and a half of land adjoining the land (called) Virasangādan-mērtalai, in all one mā and a half of land was given for the requirement of persons that wash the temple with cow-dung.
IV.-Piramiyam Inscription of the 20th year of Könātān-Vikrama-Chola
The subjoined inscription, in Vatteluttu characters and Tamil language, is engraved on the west wall of the central shrine of Tiruvalañjulināthasvāmin temple at Piramiyam. The peculiarity of this inscription consists in the fact that at the outset, immediately after the auspicious opening words Hail ! Prosperity !' the king himself proclaims his name, country and the year of his reign"I am Vikrama-Chola of Könādu (Konāttän). This is) the twentieth year of my (reign)". It then proceeds to say (using the first person plural) that he deposited 12 kalanju of gold, as weighed (or tested) by the nagarak-kal, with the ürār of Veļļakal-Veļlāņūr in Kāngaya-nādu and enjoined that the ürār should measure out annually 90 nāli or 45 käna-näli of oil (at the rate of one ulakku of oil per day) to the assembly of Virasangāda-chaturvēdimangalam, and that, receiving this quantity of oil, the assembly should burn a perpetual light in the temple of Tiruvalañjuli-Mahādēva at Virasargāda-chaturvēdimangalam, for the merit of the king's daughter who was the Chola queen (Soļamādēviyār), wife of Vikrama-Chēļa.
The whole record from the announcement of the king's name and country to the very end of the grant is a statement made by the king himself and the grant was made by him for the merit of his daughter. The statement of ARSIE for 1920that the lamp was ordered to the temple by Vikramasölan-Solamädēviyār' is therefore not correct. The occasion for the endowment is contained in the word pramadikka. Though the word pramāda is generally used in the sense of carelessness or blunder', it seems to indicate here some accident or calamity resulting in the death of the king's daughter who is stated to be the queen of VikramaChõla. In this sense, the word is found used in an inscription of Vikrama-Chõļa relating to the accidental death of a calf by the chariot of Manu-Chēļa's son. The word also occ rs in anothr inscriptoin edited here (No. VII, line 4).
It is gathered from this record that the year consisted of 360 days, that 4 ulakku made ne nāli and that a kana-näli had double the capacity of a Parakēsari-nali.
As the 40th year of the reign of king Kalimūrkka-Vikrama-Chõla of Kõnādu corresponded to Saka 967 (1045A.D.), the date of the present inscription i.e. the 20th year of reign must be 1025 A.D. The Chola king at the time was Parakēsarivarman Rājēndra-Chola I. That he had the surname Vikrama-Chöla was known previously but that he had married the daughter of Könättan Kalimūrkka-Vikrama-Chõļa was learnt only from this inscription which relates also her death.
The word Könāttān preceding the king's name clearly indicates that his original home was Könädu, one of the big districts of South India that had several subdivisions in it. It bordered
This may also be rendered as ou the westorn alde of toe land of Virasangidan'. See remarks against No. 187 of App. C . SII, Vol. V, No. 456.
