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OCTOBER, 1892.)
TAMIL HISTORICAL TEXTS.
· 281
TAMIL HISTORICAL TEXTS.
BY V. KANAKASABHAI PILLAI, B.A., B.L.
No. 3.-AN INSCRIPTION OF KULOTTUNGA-CHOLA! THE inscription, which I now publish, is on the southern wall of the Bhaktavatsalasvamin
1 temple at Tirukkalukkugram in the Chingleput District, Madras Presidency. It was copied by me on the spot, but I have not been able to make out a correct reading of the whole of the inscription, as it is much faded and in some parts illegible. It is in Tamil characters of the Eleventh Century A.D. The first part of it is a eulogy on the reigning king, and is in verse in High Tamil; the latter part is in ordinary prose and records the purchase of a piece of land by the temple authorities. The original text of the poetical portion appears to have been composed by a writer well versed in classical Tamil. It has beep engraved, however, either very carelessly or by ignorant hands; even common words have been misspelt, and no distinguishing mark has been made to denote the end or commencement of each line of the verse portion. The language being High Tami], and the characters somewhat indistinct, the deciphering of this part of the inscription would have been impossible, if I had not fortunately had with me copies of inscriptions, which I had taken from other temples in the Tamil country. Three of these, which I detail below, have been of much 180 to me in reading this text.
INSCRIPTION No. 1. An inscription on the northern side of the Vimána of the temple dedicated to Pandava data-Perumaļ at Kanchipuram, which commences with the first 25 lines of the present test, and continues as follows:
Text. Nan mani dramum tiruppayattalankalum pôla vîramum tiyakamum vilanka pârmicha mêvalar vananka vira chimmichanattu puvanamulutadaiyalodum virrirontaruliya Korajakogarivarmmarana Udaiyar sri-Kulottunga-Choladevarkku yaņda añchâvatu .......
Translation. In the fifth year of the lord sri-Kulottunga-Chladeva, alias KO-RAjaksarivarman, (here enter the translation of the first 25 lines) whose valonr and munificence shone like the necklace of faultless gems and the garland of flowers on his shapely shoulders; who deigned to sit on the throne of heroes with the goddess Earth, while his enemies bowed down to the ground before him.
INSCRIPTION No. 2. An inscription in very clear characters, on the western wall of the Saiva temple at Kilpaluvur in the Trichinopoly District, which begins with the same words as in the present text up to the end of the 62nd line, and continues as follows:
Text. Neritorum nilaika! iddaruli tiral ko! vira simhasana vêddaruļi ponkoļiyaramum tiruppayattalankalum pola viramum tiyakamum viļanka pårmichai mêvalar vananka vîra simhâsanattu avanimulatudaiyâlodum virsirauntaruliya Korajakesarivarmmarana Tiripuvanachakkaravarttikal sri-Kulottunga-Choladdvarkku gându irupatavatu ........
Translation. In the twentieth year of the emperor of the three worlds, bri-Kulottunga Choladova, alias K-Rajakesarivarman, (here enter the translation of the first 62 lines) who erected on all the public paths boundary-marks of his territories) and obtained the throne of mighty heroes ; whose valour and munificence shone like the resplendent necklace and the garland of flowers on his sacred shoulders; who was pleased to sit on the throne of heroes with the goddess Earth, while his enemies bowed down to the ground before him.
1 The spelling of vernacular words in the English portion of this paper has been altered in accordance with the system followed in this Journal. The Tamil texts have been left intact, as no facsimiles were to hand.-ED.)
