South Indian Inscriptions

PANDYA INSCRIPTIONS

PREFACE

The volume is the sixth in the series presenting South Indian Inscriptions arranged dynastically in a chronological order and comprises epigraphic records of the Pandya dynasty copied by the Epigraphic Branch of the Department of Archaeology during the period between 1904 and 1935.  The work was undertaken by the late Mr. A. S. Ramanatha Ayyar who served the Department as an Epigraphical Assistant for over 23 years from 1918 to 1941 with a brief interval from 1922 when his services were lent to the old Travancore State.  For about for years, he served with distinction as Superintendent of the State Archaeological Department and issued Volumes V, VI and VII of the Travancore Archaeological Series besides the Departmental Reports published during the period in question.  It was hopped that this volume of South Indian Inscriptions containing Pandya records undertaken by Mr. Ramanatha Ayyar would be issued simultaneously with the Chola and Pallava volumes of the Series, which were taken up by his colleagues Messrs G. V. Srinivasa Rao and V. Venkatasubba Aiyar, respectively.  But unfortunately Mr. Ramanatha Ayyar suddenly fell ill on his return from one of his official tours in 1941 and passed away on the 28^th April of that year.  The work of making the volume ready for the press was later entrusted to Mr. M. Venkataramayya who, however, could not complete it before he left the Epigraphic Branch.  It has now been finalized by Mr. K. G. Krishnan who has also prepared a short Introduction for the volume.

The 267 inscriptions comprised in the volume have been divided into three sections.  The first of these contains 130 records belonging to the Early Panyas, the second 67 epigraphs of the Chola-Pandya Viceroys and the third 70 inscriptions of king Jatavarman Srivallabha whose records have been selected out of the numerous epigraphs of the medieval and later Pandya rulers.  It is hoped that this volume  of inscriptions, like its predecessors in the series, will be of interest to scholars engaged in the study of Pandya history not only for their value from the point of view of political history but also for the light they throw on the social, economic, literary and other aspects of the history of the age to which they belong.

Ootacamund,                                                            D.C. SIRCAR,

May 14, 1956.                                               Government Epigraphist for India.

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