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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
PART-III NOTES AND FRAGMENTS V. INSCRIPTIONS OF THE KAILASANATHA TEMPLE AT KANCHIPURAM No.144. FRAGMENTS OF GRANTHA INSCRIPTIONS Besides
the fragments notices below, the shrine of Rajasimhavarmesvara
and its mahamandapa contain a number of fragments in the Grantha
character, which must have belonged to one or more
inscriptions in Sanskrit verse and prose. One of the fragments,
which is found on the floor of the mahamandapa and which consists of 10 lines, mentions the Cholas in the
genitive case (Cholanam, line 3). A second fragment,
which is found on the roof of the mahamandapa, consists
also of 10 lines and seems to be connected with the first.
It mentions Chola-trinetra (lines 1 and 10) and three
Eastern Chalukya kings, viz., [Vijay]aditya-Gunakanga,
Chalukya-Bhima and Kollaviganda (line 3.) The name of V[ai]dumba,
a king who is known to have been conquered by the Chola king
Parantaka I., occurs at the beginning of line 5.
In lines 7 and 8, (the temple of the god) Bhimesvara
is mentioned. The 8th
line of both fragments seems to have contained a date in the
Saka era, of which the first number was 9 and the third was 3. A
third fragment, which is found on the floor of the
Rajasimhavarmesvara shrine and consists of 49 lines, mentions
the Eastern Chalukya king Daranava (line 17) and the Chola king
Karikala-Chola[1]
(line 38) and contains a long list of birudas of some
king. Another list
of birudas is
contained in a fourth fragment, which is found on the roof of
the mahamandapa and consists of 30 lines.
There is a fifth fragment in 9 lines on the roof of the mahamandapa.
Two small fragments, each of which contains 8 lines, are
found near the window, which opens from the mahamandapa into
the front mandapa. No.145. ON THE FLOOR OF THE RAJASIMHAVARMESVARA SHRINE Each line of this inscription is incomplete at the end. It is dated during the reign of Madirai-konda Ko-Parakesari[varman]. Line2mentions âthe holy stone-templeâ (Tirukkarrali), i.e., the Rajasimhavarmesvara Temple. According to lines 3 and 4, the inscription seems to have recorded an agreement made by the inhabitants of two quarters (seri) of Kachchippedu (i.e., Kanchipuram), of which the second was called Ekavirappadi-chcheri and the name of the first also ended in ppadichcheri. The term pallichchandam occurs in line 5.
No.146. ON THE ROOF OF THE MAHAMANDAPA OF THE RAJASIMHAVARMESVARA SHRINE This fragment is dated in the twelfth year of Ko-Rajakesarivarman, âwho built a jewel (-like) hall at Kandalur.â The mention of Kandalur shows, that the king. has to be identified with that Rajaraja-deva, who causd the inscriptions Nos. 40,41 and 66 to be engraved, and that he built the hall at Kandalur before his twelfth year. The inscription seems to have recorded, that the assembly (sabha) of some village pledged themselves, to furnish a yearly supply of paddy to the temple-treasurers (Siva-pandarigal) from the interst of a sum of money,[2] which they had received from âthe large holy stone-temple, alias Rajasimhesvara, at kanchipuram,â or to pay a fine of a quarter pon daily. The document is signed by [Pu]rambi Surya of Tiruvirapuram. No.147. ON THE FLOOR OF THE RAJASIMHAVARMESVARA SHRINE These
two fragments belong to the time of Ko-Rajakesarivarman.
The second is dated in his 3rd year.
Each of them records an agreement made by the inhabitants
of some village, who pledged themselves to furnish daily one urakku
of oil for a
nonda or nanda lamp in exchange for a loan of 15 karnjus
of gold, and is signed by Manatongal Malleruman, a member of
the village-assembly (kuttam). No.148. ON THE ROOF OF THE MAHAMANDAPA OF THE RAJSIMHAVARMESVARA SHRINE This fragment, which is dated in the fifteenth year of Ko-Parakesarivarman, contains an agreement made by the inhabitants of some village, who had received a certain sum of money from âthe large holy stone-temple (i.e.,the Rajasimhavarmesvara Temple) at Kachchippedu (i.e.,Kanchipuram).â From the interest of this sum, they pledged themselves to supply a ghee for a lamp at the rate of 1 urakku per day or 7 naris and 1 uri per mensem.[3] The measure to be used was a nari, which was equal to rajakesari[4]. As the Chola king alternately bore the surnames Rajakesarin and Parakesarin,[5] it must be assumed, that this measure was called after one of the predecessors of the king, to whose reign the inscription belongs. The writer of the inscription was the village-headman Naga Alappadi. No.149. ON THREE STONES AT THE RAJASIMHAVARMESVARA SHRINE These are three fragments of what must have been a very long inscription. Its extent may be estimated from the fact, that line 1 of the first fragment corresponds to line 1 of No.67, line 1 of the second fragment to line 6 of No.67. None of the fragments is in its original position. The first and second are built into the roof of the mahamandapa of the Rajasimhavarmesvara Shrine. The third fragment is built into the pavement of the veranda near the entrance into the mahamandapa ; some letters of each line are covered by a pillar. Although the name of the king, during whose reign the inscription was engraved, is lost, the existing fragments of the first line, which agree literally with parts of the first, fifth and sixth lines of the inscription No.67, prove, that the inscription was one of Rajendra-Chola-deva. As the list of his conquests reaches here only as far as âthe high mountains of Navanedikkula,â the date must fall between the 7th and 10th years of the king. The inscription seems to have recorded some gifts of paddy, gold and money.
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