TANJAVUR
Brihadhiswara TEMPLE
Inscriptions
INSCRIPTIONS
ON THE WALLS OF THE CENTRAL SHRINE
No.20.
On the south wall, first and
second tiers
This
inscription records that, on the 242nd day of the 19th
year of this reign, Rajendra-Choladeva granted a yearly allowance of
paddy to a Saiva priest of the Rajarajesvara temple. He issued this
order from his palace at Gangaikonda-Sorapuram.
The
most important part of the inscription is the end of its historical
introduction, which adds a number of names of places, which the king had
conquered between his 12th and 19th year, to those
mentioned in two Tirumalai inscriptions of the 12th year.
Among these additional names of localities I can identify none but the
last, viz., Kadaram (line 11), whose king, called
Samgramavijayottungavarman, was attacked by sea and caught (II. 8 f).
This king must have been a successor of Maravijayaottungavarman, the son
of Chudamanivarman and king of Kataha or Kidaram, who is mentioned in
the large Leyden grant
as a vassal of Rajaraja. Kidaram is now the headquarters of a talluqa of
the Ramnad Zamindari in the Madura district.
The remaining names of localities, which I am unable to identify, must
probably be looked for in the same neighborhood, as the inscription
seems to imply that they were all taken from the king of Kadaram,
together with Kadaram itself, which is the last item in the list.
At
the beginning of each line of the second tier of this inscription, a few
letters are lost. Most of these can be supplied with certainty from
other inscriptions of Rajendra-Chola. Those letters which are lost at
the beginning of lines 9 to 11, are taken from an undated inscription of
the Kailasanatha temple at Uttaramallur. The Bilvanathesvara temple at
Tiruvallam contains inscriptions of the 21st, 26th
and [3] 1st years of Rajendra-Chola.
Owing to their imperfect preservation, these were of very little use for
the restoration of the text. As the historical passage at their
beginning adds nothing new to that of the subjoined inscription, they
serve at least to prove, that Rajendra-Chola did not make any further
conquests after the 19th year of his reign.
Translation
Hail!
Prosperity! On the two-hundred-and-forty-second day of the 19th
year (of the reign) of Ko-Parakesarivarman, alias the lord
Sri-Rajendra-Soradeva, who, â in (his) life of high prosperity,
(during which he) rejoiced that, while Fortune, having become
constant, was increasing, the goddess of the great earth, the goddess of
victory in battle, and the matchless goddess of fame had become his
great queens, â conquered with (his) great and warlike army
Idaiturai-nadu ; Vanavasi, whose warriors (were protected by)
walls of continuous forests ; Kollippakkai, whose walls were surrounded
by sulli (trees) ; Mannaikkadakkam of unapproachable strength ;
the crown of the king of Iram, (who was as impetuous as) the sea
in fighting;
the exceedingly beautiful crown of the queen of the king of that (country)
; the crown of Sundara and the pearl-necklace of Indra, which the king
of the South had previously given up to that (king of Iram) ;
the whole Ira-mandalam on the transparent sea ; the crown praised by
many and the garland of the sun, family-treasures, which the
arrow-shooting (king of) Kerala rightfully wore ; many ancient is
lands, whose old and great guard was the sea, which resounds with
conches ; the crown of pure gold, worthy of Lakshmi, which Parasurama,
having considered the fortifications of Sandimattivu impregnable, had
deposited (there), when, raging with anger, (he) bound the
kings twenty-one times ; the seven and a half lakshas of Iratta-padi,
(which was) strong by nature, (through the conquest of which)
immeasurable fame arose,
(and which he took from) Jayasimha, who, out of fear (and)
full of vengeance, turned his back at Muyangi and hid himself ; the
principal great mountains, (which contained) the nine treasures ;
Sakkara-kottam, whose warriors were brave ;
Madura-mandalam, whose forts (bore) banners (which
touched) the clouds ; the fertile Namanaikkonai, which was full of
groves;
Panchappalli, whose warriors were hot with rage ;
Masuni-desam, whose paddy-fields were green ;
a large heap of family-treasures, together with many (other treasures),
(which he carried away) after having seized Indiradan
of the old race of the moon together with (his) family, in a
fight which took place in a hall (at) Adinagar, (a city)
which was famous for its unceasing abundance ; Odda-vishayam, which was
difficult to approach, (and which he subdued in) close fights ;
the good Kosalai-nadu, where Brahmanas assembled ; Tandabutti (i.e.,
Danda-bhukti), in whose gardens bees abounded, (and which he acquired)
after having destroyed Dharmapala (in) a hot battle ;
Takkanaladam (i.e., Dakshina-Lata), whose fame reached (all)
directions, (and which he occupied) after having attacked
Ranasura, (whose) strength departed,
Vangala-desam, where the rain did not cease, (and from which)
Govindachandra, (whose) fortune diminished, fled ; elephants of
rare strength and treasures of women, (which he seized) after
having been pleased to frighten on a hot battle-field Mahipala, who was
deprived (even) of his slippers, bracelets and ear-rings ;
Uttiraladam (i.e., Uttara-Lata) on the vast sea of pearls
; the Ganga, whose waters
sprinkled tirthas, which were full
flowers ;
and (who), â having dispatched many ships in the midst of the
rolling sea and having caught Samgramavijayottungavarman, the king of
Kadaram, along with (his) vehicles, (viz.) rutting
elephants, (which were as impetuous as) the sea in fighting, â
(took) the large heap of treasures,
which (that king) had rightfully accumulated ; the (arch
called) Vidyadhara-torana at the âwar-gateâ of the
extensive city of the enemy ; the âjewel-gate,â adorned with great
splendour ; the âgate of large jewels ;â Vijayam, of great fame ;
Pannai, watered by the river ; the ancient Malaiyur (with) a fort
situated on a high hill ; Mayirudingam, surrounded by the deep sea (as)
a moat ; Ilangasogam (i.e., Lankasoka), undaunted (in)
fierce battles ; Mappappalam, having abundant high waters as defense ;
Mevilimbangam, having fine walls as defense ; Valaippanduru, possessing
(both) cultivated land (?) and jungle ; Talaittakkolam, praised
by great men (versed in) the sciences ; Madamalingam, firm in
great and fierce battles; Ilamuri-desam, whose fierce strength was
subdued by a vehement (attack); Manakkavaram, whose
flower-gardens (resembled) the girdle (of the mymph) of
the southern region ; and Kadaram, of fierce strength, which was
protected by the neighboring sea; â having been pleased to make gifts
in the college (kalluri), which surrounds the kingâs
flower-garden (aram) on the northern side of the royal hall (tiru-maligai)
of Mudikonda-Soran within the palace (koyil) at
Gangaikonda-Sorapuram, the lord Sri-Rajendra-Sora-deva vouchsafed to
order, that two thousand kalam of paddy, fully measured by the marakkal
(preserved) in the temple of this god (and) called (after)
Adavallan, should be supplied every year, as long as the moon and the
sun endure, to the treasury in the city, to be enjoyed (bhoga) by
the priests (acharya) of the temple of the lord Sri-Rajaraja-Isvara,
(viz.) by our lord, the [Sai]vacharya Sarvasiva-pandita,
and by those who shall deserve it among the pupils (sishya) of
this lord and the pupils of his pupils (prasishya), who are
natives of Aryadesa, Madhyadesa or Gaudadesa. (The above order)
was written by the royal minister (who writes the kingâs)
orders,
Sembiyan Virupparaiyan, (and) engraved on stone, as heard from
the mouth of the king. Let the saiva-acharyas of this (spiritual)
line (vamsa) protect this charity (dharma)!
|
>
|
Home
Page
|
>
|
|