South
Indian Inscriptions, Volume 2
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Tamil
Inscriptions
part
- i
INSCRIPTIONS
OF THE TANJAVUR TEMPLE
INSCRIPTIONS
ON THE WALLS OF THE CENTRAL SHRINE
No.23
On
the south Wall, first tier
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This
inscription contains an order of king Tirumalaideva, by which a
number of villages were exempted from taxes.
This was probably done, because they had been granted to
the Tanjavur temple. The
date of the inscription is Saka 1377 (expired), the cyclic
year Yuvan, i.e., A.D. 1455.
Consequently, the king to whose reign it belongs, must be
distinct from the Karnata king Tirumalaideva, whose four
inscriptions near Velur are dated in Saka 1488 (expired).
It is not impossible that Tirumalaideva is identical with
Timma, the founder of the second dynasty of Vijayanagara, for
whose grandson Narasa, Nrisimha or Narasimha we have the dates
Saka 1404 and 1418. In favour of this identification it can be adduced, that in
the subjoined inscription, Tirumalaideva receives the same birudas,
which were borne by Narasimhadeva according to an inscription at
Virinchipuram, and that some of the fiscal terms, which occur in
the text of the royal order, are of Kanarese extraction.
Both
the spelling and the execution of this inscription are not very
careful.
Lines 2 to 6 are damaged by a crack, which has caused the
loss of a few letters. The
language is Tamil, with the exception of line 1, which consists of
a Sanskrit sloka.
Translation
1.
âOf a gift and protection, protection is more meritorious than a
gift; by a gift (one) obtains (only) heaven, by
protection the eternal abode.â
2.
Let there be prosperity! Fortune! [On the 17th day] of
the month of Sittirai in
the Yuvan year, which was current after the Bhava
year (and) after the Saka year one thousand three hundred
and seventy-seven, the illustrious Mahamandalesvara Medinisvara
Ganda Kattari Saluva-saluva Tirumalaideva-maharaja (addressed
the following) order (nirubam) to Variyan, the Karanattan
in the village (agaram) of Tanjavur . . . . . . .
Ta[n]jamamanigandangurai, Nagalapuram, Paramaraneri,
Velangudi, (which was)
the chief village (of a division) of fifty (villages),
Ammaia[ppapu]ram, Tenalur, Karuppur, Maruvur,
Rajendra-Sora-nallur, Sungandavi[r]tta-Sora-nallur,
alias Tirumalairajapuram, and Samudra . . . . . . puram : -
3.
âHaving remitted to your villages . . . . . . . the prime
ministerâs quit-rent (pradhani-jodi), the Karanamâs
quit-rent (karanikka-joli), the village-watchmanâs
quit-rent,
(the dues on) animals, trees and tanks,
and all other dues (? Upadhi) of whatever kind, (we order
that these villages) to the extent up to which they were granted,
shall remain tax-free (sarvamanya) and undisturbed, as long as the
moon and the sun endure.â
4.
Mantramurti caused (the above) to be engraved, as ordered
by the king.
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