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South
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INTRODUCTION
The earliest epigraph in this volume, barring the Asokan inscriptions from Jaugada (Nos. 87-99) and Siddapura (Nos.
54-56), is from a cavern called Jnaniyarmadam on the hill at
Kunnakkudi in Tiruppattur Taluk of Ramanathapuram District (No. 45).
This record in Brahmi characters of about the 2nd century B.
C. is written strangely, the letters of which resemble the mirror
images. It mentions Cattan, the son of Atan of Upiur.
The same cave has an inscription on one of its
pillars in Vatteluttu characters of the 7th-8th
centuries referring to Masilichchura. This is evidently the name of the
deity called Masilisvara, after which the rock-cut temple came to be
called Masilisvaram.
Pallavas. âNo. 68 from Tirukkalukkunram in
the Chingleput District, representing the Pallava dynasty is of the king
Narasingappottarasar who took Vatapi.
[1]
No. 79 is from Tirupporur of the same district, which has been assigned
to Narasimha II[2]
on the basis of the epithets occurring the in the record. The next king
represented in the volume is Dantivarman whose short name is indicated
as Danti.[3]
(No. 774). The mandapa dedicated to Siva and Siva (i.e., Gauri)
in the Kailasa temple here built by Danti, was constructed by a certain
woman named Valli, during his reign. A temple of Tambiran was also his
gift (No. 778).
The undated and the only inscription of Kampavarman
is from Olakkur (No. 378) which refers to the destruction of the
village.[4]
Cholas.
âOf the innumerable Chola inscription included in the volume the
earliest record (No.411) of this dynasty belongs to the Chola king
Madirai-konda Parakesari.
But reference to an order issued in the time of
Vijayalaya directing the grant of a tax-free devadana (No.726) is
made in the reign of Tribh Konerinmaikondan. This mentions a
Kalappalarayan as a signatory of the grant made in accordance with the
order of the early Chola king. He was an officer under Kulottunga III[5]
whose part in the administration is indicative enough from the records
of the Chidambaram temple.
The donor Maladudaiyan Natan Siddavadavan
mentioned in No. 411, which is from Siddhalingamadam, South Arcot
District, is a chief of Miladu, who may be identified with Virasola
Miladudaiyan.
[6]
It may be recalled that Parantaka I had Virasola as one of
His titles and if this is the earliest record that
mentions this title of the chief it is not impossible that he was a
subordinate of the same Chola king. These Chedi chiefs of Miladu[7]
or Maladu who figure in a number of records of Tirukkoyilur and other
adjacent places in South Arcot District were related to the Chola kings
by their matrimonial alliance and by owing their allegiance to them.
An inscription from Konerirajapuram dated in the
14th year of Parakesari (No. 672) records an agreement of
five persons belonging to the temple of Tirunallam, a Brahmadeya
in Vennadu to provide for food offerings and worship to god
Ganapatibhatarar during the 3 sandhis in the temple from out of
the grant of 7 ma of land endowed by paramesvara-Perilamaiyar of the
village. Ilamai, also termed elame in the Kannada
inscriptions, is a group or body which seem to have taken part in the
land transactions of the temple, as is evident from the present record.
They are like the urar, Nagarattar, the nattar and the
sabhaiyar. The Parakesari[8]
of this record has been identified with Uttamachola.[9]
About 4 records of this volume assigned to
Uttamachola have been published in S. I. I., Volume III (Nos. 130, 147,
151 and 151-A).
About 22 inscriptions in this collection are
assignable to Rajaraja I. No. 412 from Siddhalingamadam dated in the 4th
year records a gift made by Maladudaiyan . . . . . .
Of 10 kalanju of gold for 12 sandhi lamps to
be burnt during the evening sandhi to god Tiruppulippagavar of Sirringur,
a brahmadeya in Kurukkaik-kurram in Maladu. This Maladudaiyan may be
identified with Raman alias Arumolideva maladudaiyar, called after the
surname Arumolideva borne by his overlord Rajarja I.
Two of his records dated in the 11th
(No. 673) and 26th (No. 666) years from Konerirajapuram in
Tanjore District refer to the perunguri sabhai of Triunallam, a
Brohmadeya in Vennadu who met in the tirukkavanam in front
of the srikoyil in the temple of Tirunallam-unaiyar and received
the order (srimugam) from Udaiyapirattiyar, same as queen
Udaiyapirattiyar Sembiyan-Madeviyar who built a stone temple in the name
of Gandaradityar for god Mahadeva at Tirunallam before the 3rd
year of the reign of Uttamachola, (No. 680).[10]
No. 686 from the same place, dated in the 12th
year of Rajaraja I, records a gift of lands made by a certain Arinjigai
Ninran of Vadaga[rai]mangalam or Vadakanmangalam in Vennadu to provide
for food offerings, worship, lamps for bathing the image on the
occasions of Sankranti, eclipse, for the kalasa-puja, and
for clothes to god Tirumalattanam-udaiya-mahadeva of this village. The
name Arinjigai suggests that the donor is named after king Arinjaya,
also called Arinjigar-varman, the grandfather of Rajaraja I. The
village, to which this donor belonged, is perhaps the same as is
referred to in the record of Parakesarivarman Uttamachola, as
Vadakannamangalam in the same nadu.
Another inscription of the same yare of this king
records a gift of a silver image (of a deity) weighing 24 kalanju
and a copper image of Chandesvaradeva weighing 500 palam,
By a certain Nakkan Nallattadigal, belonging to the
Rajarajatterinja-Kaikkola community, who was the son of Anukkan
Mahamalli, a servant in the palace establishment (velattu-pendatti)[11]
of Rajakesariparmar, i.e., the king.
It may be inferred from the expression Velattu
pendatti in relation to Anukkan that the latter term
represents a group of people attending upon the person of the king or in
attendance of the king always. It may also be inferred from this, that
Rajaraja I had continued the practice of his great-grandfather in
maintaining the servants in the palaceestablishment, who attended on the
king like the Anukka-Bhimar-padai. (S. I. I., VoI. XIII,
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No. 79), we know that the group of anukkar came into being during
the reign of the Chola king Parantaka I. (S. I. I., VoI. XVII, Introd.,
p.v). One of the records (No. 455) of Rajarajan I from Adnur dated in his
24th year (1008-09 A. D.) affords an instance of the use of
the titles Kavi (probably Kavidi) and Etti. It may
be observed that these were conferred respectively on the persons of
high rank who attended on the king or a revenue officer and on the
merchants. The earliest use of the title Etti In Epigraphy, so
far, is found in an inscription of Maranjadaiyan, were a vettlkkudi
Etti-Jatadevan is referred to (S. I. I., VoI. XIV, No. 18). This
expression in knows to us also from Tamil literature (Manimekalai,
XXIV, 144) though the period is far removed from the date of the present
record. Another record of this king from Edirkottai in Sattur Taluk,
Ramanathapuram District gives a reference to the use of the title
kavidi (No. 503).
The Adilirigesvara temple inscriptions from Adanur
dated in the reign of Rajaraja I (Nos. 455 and 456) mention the temple
Surangudi-Nattichchuvvaram and Nattisvarman of Adanur in Surangudi-nadu,
thus indicating that the temple came to be constructed probably by the
nattar of Surangudi-nadu. We do not know whether Adanur had
another name Surangudi and if it was so, the identification of
Nattichchuvaram with Adilirigesvara temple is justifiable.
In the Siva temple at Pattukanampatti in Salem
District is a record of the 25th year of the king (No. 268)
which records an endowment of land as iraiyili to god Mahadeva at
Nelvay by Nanni-gamundan, son of Erumaiyanal-gamundan alias
Virasola-gamundan of Ariyur in Puramalai-nadu while Panchavan
Brahmadarayar, a peruntaram of the king was ruling from
Tagadur-nadu, which he held as jivita from the king. This
division was included in the Gangavadi,[12]
which territory the king conquered before the 14th year of
his reign. The other-division, i.e., Puramalai-nadu, to which the native
village of the donor belonged viz,. Ariyur along with Tagadur-nadu both
representing the former Salem District, have formed part of the major
division Gangapadi. Erumaiya-nadu is identified with the Mahisha-mandala,
same as Mysore derived from the first portion of this title. The
expression peruntaram connotes an office of high rank.[13]
The next king is Rajendra I who is represented in
this volume by 14 inscriptions ranging in date between the 5th and 31st years
of his reign. No.684 from the Umamahesvara temple at Konerirajapuram,
Tanjore Taluk and District dated in the 5th year of his reign
refers to a grant of land as Atularbogam (for medical relief) by
the queen AIvar Parantakan Kundavaipirattiyar, while staying in her
palace at Palaiyaru. The queen purchased the lands and the house-sites
through the sabhai, who made them tax-free (iraiilichchi)
from the residence of the Tirunallam, like Vaiyan Satan Kunran and his
wife (brahmani), Vadugan Nakkarpiratti, etc. We have a record of
this king dated in his 3rd year[14]
making a reference to the establishment of a free medical dispensary or
hospital by the same queen and the gift of 9 ma of land, made after
purchase for 70 kasu, for its maintenance. She made another grant
in the 7th year of the king, of a house-site of 11/4 ground,
bought from a resident of Kalakarachcheri of the village
Rajakesarichaturvedi marigalam to make up the shortage of the
Vaidyabhaga (charity for medical relief) provided by her earlier,
for the relief hospital called Sundarasola-uinnagar-Atulasalai at
Tanjavur, which must have been named after the queenâs father
Sundara-Chola. Two years later than the institution of the hospital and
two years prior to the above-mentioned additional gift for its
maintenance, she made the gift, recorded in the present epigraph for the
people of Tirunallam, a brahmadeya in Vennadu in
Uyyakkondar-valanadu and entrusted to a certain Vannakkannuvan Araiyan
Pasuran-ambalavan Mangalapper and his descendents who were natives of
Pudannur in Marusal-nadu, a brahmadeya in
Kshatriyasmani-vala-nadu who were to enjoy the endowment by rendering
medical service to the people of the place. It is mentioned that the
queen seemed to have ordered the sabhai from her palace, for the
transactions to be engraved in this temple.
The queen AIvar parantakan Kundavaip-pirattiyar
was the daughter of Parantaka II i. e., Sundara-Chola and elder sister
of Rajaraja I.
No. 674 from the same place refers to the setting up of
an image to god Kshettirapaladever in the temple of
Tirunallam-udaiya-mahadevan of Tirunallam a brahmadeya in Vennadu
in Uyyakkondar-valanadu by queen Arindavan Mahadeviyar. She may
probably be a queen of Rajendra I. It records a gift of land which she
had purchased in the 16th year of this king from a lady
Vennai Nangai Muttalisani, wife of Kaviniyan Narayanan Nakkapiran
Somayaji of the village.
Senapati Rajendrasola-Brahmarayar is mentioned in a
record from Aiambakkam, Lalgudi Taluk, Tiruchchirappali district dated
in the 23rd year of his reign in connection with a land being
brought under cultivation by one of his agents (kanmi) named
Kandayan and the land was named after the senapati, as
Vipranarayana-masakkal[15].It
is this land that was endowed previously as tax-free (iraiyile)
to Kayilasam-undaiya_mahadeva by the sabhai of
Madurantaka-chaturvedimarigalam in Rajendrasiriga-Valanadu, for
food-offerings to the deity and the record referring to this gift was
found engraved on the north wall of the ardha-mandapa of the same
temple (No.770).
Peru-arasur-udaiyan Sirudaikkalalam of
Arkkatturkurram in Pandikulasanivalanadu figures, in a record from
Tiruvanmiyur, Saidapet Taluk, Chingleput District, dated in the 27th
year of Rajadhiraja I as an officer under the king, administering (vagai-cheyginra)
the Puliyurk-kottam in which the village Tiruvanmiyur and Kottur-nadu
were included (No.81).
No. 667 from Konerirajapuram of the reign of
Parakesari rajendra II states that an order under the rule panip-pani
passed by the Perungurisabhai of Tirunallam, a brahmadeya
in Uyyakkondavala-nadu which met in the Munnurruvan-madam of the place
on Friday, the 1st of the bright fortnight of Mesha (Chittirai) in the 5th
year of his reign and received 128 (?) kasu from the temple
treasury of the god Tirunallamudaiya-mahadevar of the same place, for
the land granted as iraiyili, to provide for the three sandhi
lamps with 1 kalam and 3 nali of paddy and for feeding two
ascetics (adiyar) with padakku-nali of paddy in the
aforesaid temple.
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Another notable family of chieftains who were
intimately associated with the Cholas as chiefs for generations from the
time of Kulottunga I, is the Malaiyamans of Killiyur on the bank of the
Pennai river in Tirumunaipadi-nadu in Damar-nadu in
Rajendravala-nadu, same as the region around modern Kilur in
Tirukkoyilur Taluk of the South Arcot District. They made a number of
benefactions to the temple of this area viz., Tirukkoyilur,
Siddhalingamadam, etc. These chieftains figures in a number of
inscriptions from Siddhalingamadam.
Malaiyaman Sadiran Malaiyan alias
Rajendrasola Malaiyaman of Kiliyur figures in a record from
Siddhalingamadam dated in the 10th year of Rajakesarivarman
Kulottunga I. Similarly this chief is mentioned in a record of the same
date from Tirukkoyilur. Both the places are in the Tirukkoyilur Taluk
of South Arcot District. In the former record (No. 440) mention is made
of a gift of 64 cows for 2 nanda lamps, made on behalf (chartti)
of Malaiyaman Sadiran alias Rajendrasola Malaiyaman to the deity
Tiruppulippagavadevar (Skt. Vyaghrapurisvara) of Sirringur, a
brahmadeya in Kurukkaik-kurram in Maladu alias
Jananada-valanadu. It is not impossible that this Sadiran alias
Rajendrasola Malaiyaman is identical with a chief of the same name on
whose behalf Malaiyaman Suriyan [Ma]ravan Suriyan alias
Malaiyakula-rajaan of Kiliyur included in the same division is stated to
have made a gift of 192 cows for two perpetual lamps, to god
Tiruvidaikalivalvar of Tirukkovalur in Kurukkaik-kurram in
Jananatha-valanadu. It appears as though these two chief were brothers,
the former being elder of the two on whose behalf the gift was made, and
it might not be wrong to suggest that this chief was a father of Suriyan
[Ma]ravan Suriyan alias Malaiyakularajan (S.I.I., Vol. VII, No.
133). But the exact relationship of these two chiefs is not clear.
Another Malaiyaman chief who is mentioned in a
record (No. 409) of this king dated in his 31st or 36th (?)
year in connection with a grant of 2500 kuli of land as tax-free
madappuram, to provide for food offerings the Andargal, offering,
worship in the temple of god Tiruppulippagava-madevar of Sirringur, a
brahmadeya in Kurukkaik-kurram in Miladu alias
Jananatha-valandu made by Suryyadevi alias Ninratavanjaidal, is
Malaiyaman Nanurruvan Malaiyan alias RajendracholaÂ-chedi [ya*]rayan.
The donor is referred to in the record as the wife of this chief. She
is also mentioned in a record of Kolottunga Iâ s successor Vikramachola
(No. 422).
The relationship of another Malaiyan, who is
probably called [Ra]jendrasola-Vanakularajan (No. 407) and his wife who
endowed some land to the same deity, with above mentioned chief who
belonged to the Chedi clan is not known. Yet another Maliyaman named
Puvan Marudan alias Alvanangara Malaiyaman of Kiliyur in
Damar-nadu, a sub-division of Tirumunaippadi, is stated to have made a
grant of 1650 kuli of land as tax-free, after purchase from the
sabhai of Sirringur, for tiruppali-elichchi of the god
Tiruppulippagavadevar of the same place. Since their place in the
genealogy of Malaiyaman chiefs belonging to known, they have to be
treated independently as chiefs belonging to that family. Two
Sanskrit
verse inscriptions in Tamil and Grantha characters of 11th
century (Nos. 388 and 390) refer to the minister of Rajendrachola named
Sabhanarttaka or Nartta also called Manavatara and Kalingaraja, the
ruler of Manavil, who built the temple of Sambhu or Pasupati in stone at
siddhalinga, an agrahara of great beauty and wealth. The latter
record states that besides the vimana, he also raised a
prakara with areca-grove and a mandapa in stone in the same
temple.
The minister surnamed as Kalingaraya has been
identified with Ponnambalakuttan of Manavi figuring in a later record of
this king (A. R. Ep., 1920-20 part II, para 21, p.79). The name
Sabhanarttaka is a Sanskrit expression of the Tamil word Ambalakuttun
mentioned above. Also he is identified with Naralokavira, who assumed
the title Manavatara in a record from Chidambaram (S.I.I., Vol.
IV, No. 225). These two records have been assigned to the Chola king
Kulottunga I do on the basis of the titles Rajendra and Jayadhara borne
by him. The king was called Rajendra mostly in the records prior to his
5th year.
That these Malaiyaman chiefs continued to serve
under Kulottunga-cholaâs successor Vikramachola is known from the
provenance of the records of latter king, viz., Siddhalingamadam.
No. 429 dated in his 2nd year states Nilasingi, the wife of
Malaiyaman, Tirukkalaimarudu alias Alvanangakkara Malaiyaman of
Kiliyur in Dama-nadu of Tirumunaippadi, made after purchase from the
mahasabhai of Sirringur, by paying the land value of 3
anradu-narkasu, of 500 kuli of land and granted as
devadana to god Tiruppulippagavadevar of Sirringur, in
Kurukkaik-kurram in Maladu alias Jananatha-valanadu, for worship,
offerings and for conducting the procession on the days of Amavasi
(i.e., Amavasya). This chief is not identifiable and it may only be
said that he belonged to the family of Malaiyamans of Kiliyur.
Yet another Malaiyaman chief in a record of the
same place (No. 399) dated in his 3rd year is Malaiyan
Rajendrasolach-chedirayan, whose daughter Sadiri married to
Tillainayagan Devargandan of the northern bank of Peringur in
Peringur-nadu, a sub-division of Tirumunaippadi in
Gangaikondasola-valanadu, gave 32 cows, of which sixteen were given by
her and for the rest after purchase, for an amount of 9 and 4 ma
of anradu-narkasu at the rate of ½ and one and-a-half ma kasu
a cow, for maintaining a perpetual lamp to god Tiruppulippa-gavardevar
of Sirringur. Though the identification of this Malaiyan chief, who
assumed a title similar to the Malaiyaman chiefs of Kiliyur viz.,
Nanurruvan Malaiyan and Nanurruvan Attimallan, is not known, it may be
suggested that he might have had some connection with the latter chief.
Further, it is not known whether Malaiyan Rajendrasola-chediyarayan,
father of Sadiri is identical with Malaiyaman Nanurruvan Malaiyan
alias Rajendrasola-chediyaryan. If this identification is possible,
then she must be a sister to Alavandal, anther daughter of Nanurruvan
Malaiyan. Perhaps, she comes from the family of this chief.
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