|
South
Indian Inscriptions |
|
|
Tamil
Inscriptions
Preface
Inscriptions
of Southern India were begun to be collected systematically by Professor
Hultzsch from the latter part of 1886 when he was appointed Epigraphist
to the Government of Madras. The Publication of these documents with
texts and translations was taken up simultaneously and the following fascicule
of South Indian Inscriptions were issued between the years
1886 and 1903 : - Volume I ; Volume II - Parts i to iii; and Volume III
- Parts i and ii. They include 321 records edited critically and
supply all the material that may be practically be found necessary for
constructing the rough outlines of Chola and Pallava history. In the
year 1909, the later Mr. V. Venkayya, M.A., Rai Bahadur, Epigraphist to
the Government of India, volunteered his services to continue the work
of Professor Hultzsch and printed in Volume II, Part iv, such of the
inscriptions of the Brihadisvara temple at Tanjore, as had not been
published already in Parts i to iii of that volume. Before issuing
further volumes of South Indian Inscriptions it is found necessary to
complete Volumes II and III with an alphabetical index and a historical
introduction. The latter, in the case of Volume II, had been already
drawn up by Mr. Venkayya and appears under his signature. I have only
added here and there some foot-notes to Mr. Venkayya's introduction,
besides giving a complete index to the volume and the texts and
translations of two Pallava grants which are expected to supplement
materially, the information already supplied by the records of the
family published in the earlier parts.
It
will be found on perusal that Mr. Venkayya's introduction deals almost
exclusively with the reign of Rajaraja I, though the volume includes
many other records, viz., 29 of Rajendra-Chola I, one of Rajendradeva,
one of Kulottunga I, one of Vikrama-Chola, three of a probable Pandya
king Konerinmaikondan, two of the Vijayanagara kings Tirumalaideva
and Devaraya I, one of the Tanjore chief Achyutappa-Nayaka and one of a
certain Mallappa-Nayaka of about the same period, - coming from the
Tanjore Temple, and nine Pallava and Chola inscriptions from other
places. Any attempt at giving a full account of these kings will only
swell the introduction which is already big. I, accordingly,
reserve my remarks on them for future volumes of the South Indian
Inscriptions which will deal with Cholas (other than Rajaraja), Pallavas,
Pandyas and the Vijayanagara kings.
H. KRISHNA SASTRI
Home
Page
|
|