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TANJAVUR
Brihadhiswara TEMPLE
Inscriptions
INSCRIPTIONS
ON THE WALLS OF THE CENTRAL SHRINE
No.
84. On
a pillar of the west
enclosure.
This
inscription records the setting up of seven copper images of the god
Ganapati by King Rajarajadeva, viz., two in the dancing posture,
one big and the other small ; three of varying heights comfortably
seated ; and two in the standing posture.
Translation.
Hail
! Prosperity ! The (following) copper images which the lord
Sri-Rajarajadeva had set up until the twenty-ninth year (of his reign)
in the temple of the lord Sri-Rajarajesvara mudaiyar were measured by
the cubit measure (preserved) in the temple of the lord and
engraved (i.e., recorded) on stone :
2.
One solid image of Pillaiyar Ganapatiyar in the dancing posture,
with four divine arms, (and measuring) fourteen viral in height
from the feet to the hair.
3.
One lotus on which this (image) stood, set with jewels (and
measuring) two viral and torai in height.
4.
One pedestal on which this (image) stood, (measuring)
sixteen viral and two toral in length, thirteen viral
in breadth and three viral in height.
5.
One solid aureola, covering (this image and measuring) two muram
and seventeen viral in circumference.
6.
One solid image of Pillaiyar Ganapatiyar, in the standing posture, with
four divine arms, (and measuring) fifteen viral in height
from the feet to the hair.
7.
One lotus on which this (image) stood, set with jewels, (and
measuring) three viral in height and one cubit in circumference.
8.
One solid image of Pillaiyar Ganapatiyar, in the, standing posture, with four divine arms, (and
measuring) eight viral in height from the feet to the hair.
9.
One lotus (measuring) two viral in height and
eighteen viral in circumference, forming part of this (image).
10.
One solid image of Pillaiyar Ganapatiyar, comfortably seated, with four
divine arms, (and measuring) nine viral in height from the
feet to the hair.
11.
One shrub (sedi), half a viral in height, forming part of this (image).
12.
One solid image of Pillaiyar Ganapatiyar, in the dancing posture, with
four divine arms, (and measuring) three viral and a half in
height from the feet to the hair.
13.
One pedestal forming part of this (image and measuring) two viral
and two torai in length, two viral in breadth, and one
viral in height.
14.
One solid aureola forming part of this (image), covering (it,
and measuring) nine viral in circumference.
15.
One solid image of Pillaiyar Ganapatiyar, comfortably seated, with four
divine arms, (and measuring) two viral and a half in
height from the feet to hair.
16.
One lotus forming part of this (image and measuring) one viral
in height and seven viral and a half in circumference.
17.
One aureola covering this (image) and made with a circumference
of seven viral and a half.
18.
One solid image of Pillaiyar Ganapatiyar, comfortably seated, with four
divine arms, (and measuring) one viral and a half in
height from the feet to the hair.
19.
One lotus forming part of this (image and measuring) half a viral
in height and four viral in circumference.
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No.
85. On
a pillar of the west enclosure.
This
inscription belongs to the reign of rajendra-Chola I. and records the
gift of copper, zinc and bell-metal vessels to the image of Ganapatiyar
set up in the principal temple. This
image was probably in the central shrine and was perhaps known as
Alaiyattu-Pillaiyar as distinguished from the
Parivaralaiyattu-Pillaiyar
set up apparently in the enclosing verandah of the temple.
A portion of the inscription is damaged (II. 23 to 30).
Translation.
Hail
! Prosperity ! The copper, zinc (tara) and bell-metal (vessels)
presented to (the image of) Pillaiyar Ganapatiyar in the (principal)
temple (alaiyam) until the third year (of the
reign) of the lord Sri-Rajendra-Choladeva by Adittan Suryan alias
Tennava Muvendavelan, the headman of Poygai-nadu, who carries on the
management of the temple of the lord Sri-Rajarajesvaramudaiyar, were
engraved (i.e., recorded) on stone after (they) had been
weighed with the scale (tilakkol) known as Adavallan.
2.
One copper dish, weighing .
. . . . . . . . . palam.
3.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . cup . . . . . . . . . . . weighing . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
4.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .
[plate] . . . . . . . . . . . . . weighing . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
5.
One zinc . . . . . . . . . . . . . stand, weighing eighty palam.
6.
One zinc pitcher with a spout for pouring water, weighing one hundred
and one palam.
7.
One zinc box, weighing one hundred palam.
8.
One bell-metal dish,
weighing seventy-five palam.
9.
One bell-metal kaichcholam
weighing four palam and (one) kaisu.
10.
One bell-metal given by the same man to the copper image of
Pillaiyar Ganapatiyar, weighing one palam and (one) kaisu.
No.
86. On
a pillar of the west enclosure.
On
this pillar are recorded gifts to the shrine of Ganapatiyar in the parivaralaya
made (1) by king Rajaraja until the twenty-ninth year of his reign, (2)
by Adittan Suryan alias Tennavan-Muvendavelan, the manager of the
Rajarajesvara temple and (3) by the same donor until the 3rd
year of Rajendra-Chola I. The
date of No. (2) is not mentioned. This
inscription shows that the 29th year of Rajaraja I. could not
have been very far removed from the 3rd year of rajendra-Chola
I.
Translation.
Hail
! Prosperity ! The gold presented until the twenty-ninth year (of the
kingâs reign) by the lord lSri-Rajarajadeva to (the image of)
Pillaiyar Ganapatiyar in the parivaralaya of the temple of the
lord Sri-Rajarajesvaramudiayar was engraved (i.e., recorded) on
stone as follows (after) it had been weighed by the stone called
(after) Adavallan :-
2.
One sacred armlet (Sri-bahuvalaya), (consisting of)
twenty-five karanju and a quarter and seven-tenths
of gold.
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3.
One sacred armlet, (consisting of) twenty-five karanju of
gold.
4.
The jewels presented to this (god) Ganapatiyar by Adittan Suryan alias
Tennavan Muvendavelan, the headman of Poygai-nadu, who carries on the
management of the temple of the lord Sri-Rajarajesvaramudaiyar, were
weighed, without the threads, by the stone called (after)
Dakshinameru-Vitankan and the gold by the stone called (after)
Adavallan and (both) were engraved (i.e., recorded) on
stone as follows :-
5.
One ring (?) for the tusk (kombirkolgar), weighing fourteen karanju
and three quarters and (one manjadi inclusive of the gold and lac,
and of the eight rubies, two crystals and fourteen crystal diamonds
fastened on (it), and of the one hundred and nineteen pearls in
all (strung on it, viz.,) round pearls, roundish pearls, polished
pearls, small pearls and sappatti.
(Its) price (was) twenty-three kasu.
6.
One sacred gold flower, (consisting of) eight karanju and
a half, (one) manjadi and (one) kunri of
gold,â with one crystal
fastened (on it) and the pinju, weighing six manjadi,â valued at four kasu.
7.
One front-plate (kumbhattagadu), (consisting of)
two karanju, four manjadi and (one) kunri of
gold,â with one crystal
fastened (on it) and the pinju, weighing six manjadi,â
valued at four kasu.
8.
One sacred eye (tirunayanam), (consisting of) half a
karanju, three manajadi and one tenth of gold,â
with one sapphire set on (it) and the pinju
weighing four manjadi and one kunri,â
valued at one kasu and a half.
9.
One plate made into a mango fruit, (consisting of) three karanju
of gold.
10.
One sacred arm-ring (tirukkaikkarai), (consisting of)
six karanju and a quarter of gold.
11.
One sacred arm-ring, (consisting of) six karanju and (one)
manjadi of gold.
12.
(The following) was presented by the same man until the third
year (of the reign) of king Parakesarivarman alias Sri-Rajendra-Choladeva
: -
13.
One forehead plate (mattagattagadu), (consisting of) ten karanju
of gold.
No.
87. On
a pillar of the west enclosure.
This
inscription records the gifts made to the Ganapatiyar shrine in the
principal temple by a servant of king Rajarajadeva named
Madurantakan-Parantakan, who was a native of Marudattur in Serrur-kurram,
a subdivision of Kshatriya-sikhamanivalandu. The last of the gifts was
made during the reign of Rajendra-Choladeva and the others during the
reign of Rajarajadeva. Lines
8 and 9 are engraved over an erasure.
Translation.
Hail
! Prosperity ! The jewels presented until the twenty-ninth year (of
the kingâs reign) to Pillaiyar ganapatiyar of the (principal)
shrine (alaya) by Marudatturudaiyan (i.e., native of
Marudattur) Madurantakan Parantakan (of) Marudattur in
Serrur-kurram, (a subdivision) of Kshatriyasikhamani-valanadu, (and)
a servant (panimagan) of the lord Sri-Rajarajadeva, were engraved
(i.e., recorded) on stone after (they) had been weighed by
the stone called (after) Dakshinameru-Vitankan and (after)
the gold (had been) weighed by the stone called (after)
Adavallan.
2.
One forehead ornament (sutti), â
weighing, inclusive of the eleven pearls strung on (it)
and of the gold, four karanju, eight manjadi and (one)
kunri,â valued at
nine kasu.
3.
Two sacred gold flowers (tirupporpu), (consisting of) six karanju
and a half of gold â at three karanju and a quarter of gold for
one sacred gold flower.
4.
One sacred diadem (tiruppattam)
(consisting of) eight karanju and a half and two manjadi
of gold.
5.
(The following) was presented by the same man until the third
year (of the reign) of king Parakesarivarman alias Sri-Rajendra-Choladeva
to the same (image) :â
6.
One sacred thread (pun-nul), (consisting of) thirteen karanju
of gold.
No.
88. On
a pillar of the west enclosure.
This
inscription records the gift of a bell-metal dish to the shrine of
Ganapatiyar in the enclosure hall by a servant of Rajarajadeva who was a
native of Kamadamangalam in Purakkiliyur-nadu, a subdivision of
Pandyakulasani-valanadu. The
donor was apparently employed in the department
which regulated the levying of taxes from endowments.
Translation.
Hail
! Prosperity ! One bell-metal dish (taligai), weighing
twenty-nine palam, was presented, until the twenty-ninth year (of
the reign) of the lord Sri-Rajarajadeva, to (the shrine of)
Pillaiyar Ganapatiyar in the parivaralaya of the temple of the
lord Sri-Rajarajesvaramudaiyar by Kanjan Kondaiyan, a native of
Kamadamangalam in Purakkiliyur-nadu, (a subdivision) of
Pandyakulasani-valanaldu, a servant (panimagan) of the lord
Sri-Rajarajadeva and the master of the rent roll in the department (tinaikkalam)
of taxes (levied from) endowments.
No.
89. On a
niche of the west enclosure.
This
inscription records the gift of two ornaments to the shrine of Pillaiyar
Ganapatiyar by a merchant living in one of the suburbs of Tanjore.
The gift was made âuntil the 29th year (of
Rajarajadeva).â
Translation.
Hail
! Prosperity ! The jewels presented until the twenty-ninth year (of the
kingâs reign) of this
(shrine of) Ganapatiyar by Narayanan Kamappai-setti, a merchant living
in the suburban madigai
of Tanjavur in Tanjavur-kurram, were engraved (i.e.,
recorded) on stone after (they) had been weighed by the stone called
(after) Dakshinameru-Vitankan and after the gold had been weighed by the
stone called (after) Adavallan.
2.
One karkandu
filled with a conch (?) â weighing, inclusive of the two crystals
fastened on (it) and of the handle made of gold, four karanju,â
valued at one kasu and a
quarter.
3.
One string of round beads, (consisting) of nine karanju and three
manjadi of gold.
No.
90. In the Second Gopura,
left of entrance.
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This
inscription records the gift, by the priest Isanasiva Pandita, of 8 gilt
copper-pots âuntil the 29th year of Rajarajadevaâ
and one receptacle for sacred ashes, in the 2nd year of Rajendra-Chola.
A ninth pot was presented by Pavana-Pidaran, the Saiva acharya
of the temple in the 3rd year of Rajendra-Choladeva.
Sarvasiva Pandita mentioned in No. 20, dated during the 19th
year of the same king
was apparently a successor of Pavana-Pidaran in the office of the Saivaacharya
of the temple.
The
gilt copper-pots were all intended to be used as pinnacles.
Nine of them were presented, of which one is said to have been
for âthe temple of the lordâ (paragraph 9) and another for the
temple of the lord Sri-Rajarajesvaramudaiyar (paragraph 11).
The other seven appear to have been intended as pinnacles for the
shrines of the regents of the eight quarters.
The regents are eight in number, viz. Indra,
Agni, Yama, Nirriti, Varuna, Vayu, Soma and Isana.
As the inscription is damaged, we have not got the names of all
of them. The names of Nairitiyar, Agnidevar, Yamaraja and Varunaraja
are preserved. The shrine
of Indra who is the regent of the East seems to have been in the second gopura
for which five pinnacles had apparently been provided by the king
himself. Consequently,
seven pinnacles would be enough. The
shrine of Isanamurti is mentioned in No. 57 above as being to the north
of the gate of Rajaraja, i.e., the second gopura, while
the shrine of Agnideva was to the south of the same gate according to
No. 70 above. It is worthy
of note that some of the copper-pots (paragraphs 3, 4 and 5) were
weighed with the scale (tulakkol)
called Adavallan and the rest with the stone used in the city, bearing
the same name.
The
original is mutilated in the first section thus causing the complete
disappearance of about 6 letters in the first line, 10 in the second and
18 in the third line. In
the second section (II. 4 to 8) about 5 letters are damaged in each line
in the middle.
Translation.
Hail
! Prosperity ! . . . . . . . . . . .presented
by Isanasiva Panditar, the priest of the lord
Sri-Rajarajadeva, . . . . . . . . . . . .until the twenty-ninth year (of
the reign) of the lord Sri-Rajarajadeva . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
for placing on the shrines (alayangal).
2.
One pot for the pinnacle (stupikkudam),
(made) of copper (and) laid over with
fifteen karanju of gold, placed on . . . . . . . . . . . .
. (weighing) . . . . . . . . . . . .Ada[vallan].
3.
One pot for the pinnacle, (made) of copper (and) laid over with
ten karanju and a quarter of gold, placed . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . weighing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by the scale
(tulakkol) known as Adavallan.
4.
One pot for the pinnacle, (made) of copper (and) laid over
with ten karanju and a quarter of gold, placed on the shrine of
Nairitiyar, weighing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [pa]lam
by the scale known as Adavallan.
5.
One pot for the pinnacle, (made) of copper (and) laid over
with ten karanju of gold, placed on the shrine of Agnidevar,
weighing eighty-two . . . . . . . . . . . . .by the scale known as
Adavallan.
6.
One pot for the pinnacle, (made) of copper (and) laid over
with ten karanju of gold, placed on the shrine of . . . . . . . .
. . . weighing five hundred . . . . . . . . . . . . [karanju] and
a half by the stone called Adavallan (used in) the city (kudinai-kal).
7.
One pot for the pinnacle, (made) of copper (and) laid over
with fifteen karanju of gold, placed on the shrine of Yamaraja,
weighing . . . . . . . . . . . . .[eight] karanju and a half by
the stone called Adavallan (used in) the city.
8.
One pot for the pinnacle, (made) of copper (and)
laid over with ten karanju of gold, placed on the shrine of
Varunaraja, weighing five hundred and four karanju and a half by
the stone called Adavallan (used in) the city.
9.
One pot for the pinnacle, (made) of copper (and) laid over
with nine karanju and three quarters of gold, placed on the
temple of the lord, weighing four hundred and fifty-eight karanju
and a half by the stone called Adavallan (used in) the city.
10.
One receptacle for sacred ashes (madal) presented by the same (priest)
in the second year (of the reign) of the lord Sri-Rajendra-Choladeva
to the lord Sri-Rajarajesvaramudaiyar, (consisting of)
thirty-nine karanju and three quarters of gold by the stone
called Adavallan (used in) the city.
11.
One pot for the pinnacle,
(made) of copper (and)
laid over with six karanju and two manjadi of gold, placed
on the temple of the lord Sri-Rajarajesvara mudaiyar, until the third
year of the lord Sri-Rajendra-Choladeva,
by Pavana Pidaran, the Saiva acharya (of the temple) of
the lord Sri-Rajarajesvaramudaiyar, weighing five hundred and forty-five
karanju by the stone called Adavallan (used in) the city.
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