No. 73 to 74 Inscriptions at Cholapuram & Conjeeveram

No. 64 to 65 Inscriptions at Tiruvorriyur & Tiruvalangadu

No. 66 to 68 Inscriptions at Kolar, Somangalam & Conjeeveram

No. 69 to 70 Inscriptions at Tirukkalukkunram & Srirangam

No. 71 to 72 Inscriptions at Kilappaluvur & Tiruvidaimarudur

No. 75 to 76 Inscriptions at Tirukkalukkunram & Jambukesvara temple

No. 77 to 78 Inscriptions at Kavantandalam & Perumber

No. 73.- Inscription at Cholapuram

The inscriptions of Kulottunga I. inform us that he conquered and colonized Kottaru.[1]  This ancient town now belongs to the Travancore State and is situated about 10 miles north of Cape Comorin and near the British Post Office.  “Nagercoil.”  A temple named Cholesvara is now included in a quarter of Nagercoil which bears the name Cholapuram, while according to the subjoined inscription it belonged to Kottaru itself.  The inscription (No. 31 of 1896) is engraved on the north, west and south walls of the first prakara of this temple.

The date is the 180^th day of the [30]th year of the reign of Kulottunga I.  The historical introduction agrees on the whole with that of No. 72.  But, among the queens, Dinachintamani is omitted and Tyagavalli mentioned in the first place.  Hence it may be concluded that Dinachintamani died between the 26^th and 30^th years of the king’s reign.[2]

 The inscription records that Kulottunga I. himself, while staying in his palace at Kanchipuram, granted to the temple the village of Andayakkudi, which received the new name Rajendra-Sola-nallur.  The temple itself, we are told, was built by one of the king’s officers and named Rajendra-Sola-Isvara.  Both this name and the new name of the village granted must have been chosen with reference either to Rajendra-Chola II.,[3] the name which Kulottunga I bore during the first few years of his reign, or to Rajendra-Chola I., the name of his maternal grandfather.  Kottaru had the surname Mummudi-Sola I., the name of his maternal grandfather.  Kottaru had the surname Mummudi-Sola-nallur[4] and belonged to Nanji-nadu,[5] a subdivision of Uttama-Sola-valanadu, a district of Rajaraja-Pandi-nadu.[6]

The inscription is incomplete at the end, and lines 5 and 6 are so much damaged that they cannot be published.  They contain a detailed description of the boundaries of the village granted and mention the villages of Alagiya-Pandiyapuram (11.  4 and 6), Sivindiram,[7] Tarumapuram, Irasak[ka]mangalam (1. 5), Sillur, and the temple of Manivannisvara (1. 6).

[The historical introduction is the same as in No. 69, with the following differences.]

(Line 12 f. of No. 69.) For “Vikkalan” No. 73 substitutes “Velpulattarasu.”

(L. 13 f. of No. 69.) “At Altti there were lying low herds of elephants abandoned (by him), the dead (bodies of his) fiery horses, his lost pride and (his) boasted valour.

(L. 16 of No. 69.) “(The Chola king) seized simultaneously the two countries (called) Ganga-mandalam and Kongana-desam,[8] troops of furious elephants,” & c.

[Instead of the passage in line 4 f. of No. 72, which was translated on page 158 above, No. 73 reads :] “(He) was pleased to take his seat on the throne of heroes for life-time with the mistress of the whole earth, while (his) valour and liberality shone like (his) necklace acquired in warfare and (like) the flower-garland on (his) royal shoulders ; while (all men on) earth worshipped (him) ; while the mistress of the whole earth, Tyagavalli, was present, as Uma near Siva ; (and) while the mistress of the seven worlds, Elisai-Vallabhi, - may she prosper ! – the ornament of women, was pleasantly and joyfully seated, as Ganga takes her seat with him (viz., Siva).”

(L. 3.) While this king Rajakesarivarman, alias the emperor Sri-Kulottunga-Soladeva, was graciously seated on the sottai (?) in the while (?) mandapa  (called after) Rajendra-Solan in the west of the octangular (court ?) within the royal palace at Kanchipuram,[9] he was pleased to order as follows : - “To (the god) Mahadeva (of the temple) of Rajendra-Sola-Isvara, which Araiyan Madurantakan, alias Kulottunga-Sola-Keralarajan, the lord of Mulaiyur in Manni-nadu,[10] (a district) of Sola-mandalam, had caused to be built at Kottaru, alias Mummudi-Sola-nallur, in Nanji-nadu, (a subdivision) of Uttama-Sola-valanadu, (a district) of Rajaraja-Pandi-nadu, shall be paid, for the expenses required by this god, from the [30]th year (of my reign) forty-five and a half, three twentieths and one fortieth madai[11] by (the village of) Andayakkudi in the same nadu.  According to (the settlement of) payments (that had taken place) in the seventh year after the accession of Rajendra-Soladeva,[12] (this) tax was paid instead of the (original) land-tax of seventy-nine kasu and three hundred and twenty four kalam of paddy.  The previous name of this village having been cancelled and the name of Rajendra-Sola-nallur (having been substituted), let it be entered in the revenue-register (vari)[13] as a tax-free devadana from the thirtieth year (of my reign), including rents, internal revenue,[14] and small rights, such as ur-kalanju, kumara-kachchanam, the fishing-rent,[15] the tax on looms,[16] the rent of the goldsmiths,[17] madai-kuli, dasavandam[18] and kal-alavu-kuli.”

(L. 4.) In accordance with this royal order, received with the signature of the royal secretary, Keralantaka-Pallavarayan, it was entered in the revenue-register as a tax-free devadana on the one-hundred-and-eightieth day of the . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  ..  . .. . . . . . the year (of the king’s reign) in the presence of the Puravaritinaikkala-nayagam[19] Panchanedi Tirukkannapuram-Udaiyan, the lord of Nagangu[di] in Arumolideva-valanadu ; Velan Kumaran, alias Kuvalayasundara-Muvendavelan, the headman of Mullur ; the Puravaritinaikkalattu-Mugavetti[20]  N[a]rayanan Tiruchchirrambalam-Udaiyan, the lord of Andakku[di] in Abar-nadu, (a subdivision) of Rajasundara-valanadu; and Araiyan Kuditangi, alias Rajan[a]rayana – Muvendavelan, the lord of Ku . . . . . . . . . . . . . [lur].  The chief (on) of this village, Rajarajan alias Kulottunga-Sola-Nanjinad-Udaiya[n], (drew up) a document specifying[21] the four great boundaries of this village.  According to the document drawn up (by him),  the eastern boundary of this (village is) to the west of the road leading to Alagiya-Pandiyapuram . . . . . . . .  . . . . .. . . .

No. 74.- Inscription in the Pandava-Perumal Temple

This inscription (No. 18 of 1893) is engraved on the south wall of the Pandava Perumal temple at Conjeeveram.  As in No. 68 above, the name of the temple is given as Tiruppadagam (1. 3).

The date is the 39^th year of the reign of Kulottunga I.  But the historical introduction agrees almost literally with an inscription of the 5^th year in the same temple (No. 68 above), while the intervening inscriptions (Nos. 69 to 73, 78, and Vol. II. No. 58) contain much additional matter.