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284
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[Остовкв, 1892.
The concluding portion of the inscription, which is in prose, records a deed of sale, executed by the Brahman proprietors of a village named Vanavanmahadevichaturvedimanga..am in Kumilinadu in Amarkottam in JayankondachóJamandalam. The property sold was a portion of the village, which was intended to be used as garden land for the Matha of Naminandi Adigal attached to the Saiva temple at Tirukkalukkupram. Naminandi is the name of one of the 63 devotees of Siva, an account of whose lives is given in the Tamil Periyapuranam, and the Matha was probably founded by him or by his descendants in his memory. The fact that the proprietors of the village met together in a Mahasabha or great assembly, and executed this deed of sale, is evidence of the ancient system of land tenure peculiar to the Dravidian people, under which the residents of each village were the common proprietors of all those parts of the village, which were not appropriated to any individual. Two taxes are mentioned, the peruváram (great share) and silavuvari (expenditure tax). The first is the king's share, which is generally one-sixth of the produce; the second appears to be a local cess, levied to meet expenses incurred in the repair to tanks &c. in the village.
TEXT.
Svasti Sri! Pukal chûlnta punari akal chûlnta puviyil Ponnémi alavum tannêmi nadappa
Vilanku chaya makalai ilankôpparuvattu Chakkarakkoddattu vikkiramattolilal (5) Pata manam puṇarntu mata varai Iddam Vayir akarattu vari ayil munai Kuntala arachar tantalam iriya Val urai kalitta tôļ vali káddi Pôrppari nadatti kirttiyai nirutti (10) Vada tichai vâkai chûdi ten tichai Têmaru kamala pâmakal potumaiyum Ponni âdaiyan nannilappâvai Tanimaiyum tavira vantu punitaru Tiru mani makudam arimaiyil chudi (15) Tannadi irandum tada mudiyaka Tonnila ventar chûda munnai Manu varu peruka Kali yara varappa Chenkôl tichai torum chella venkudai Irunila vilakam enkaņum tanatu (20) Tiru nilal vennila tikala
Oru tani mêruvil puli vilaiyâda Al kadal tivântatarttu pûpâlar
Tirai vidu kuñcharam murai saurai niṛpa Vilaikiya Tennavan karuntalai paruntalait (25) Tidattan ponnakar purattidai kidappa
Cholletir kôdirrallatu tankai
Villetir kôdâ Vikkilan kallatar
Nankili todańki Manalar naduvin
(30) Tunkapattirai puka turatti enkanum
Padda veikaliṛum kedda tan mânamum Kuriya viramum
Erina malaikalum mutuku nelippa
Ilinta natikalum Aṛudaintôda
[Compare fil-vari pery, vari, 'the small tax (and) the large tax,' in Dr. Hultzsch's South-Indian Inscriptions, Vol. I. p. 87, text line 6.]
