No. 17 to 19 Cholesvara & Somananathesvara shrine

No. 15 to 16 on the Cholesvara shrine

 

No. 17.- On the north wall of the Cholesvara shrine

This inscription is written in beautiful florid characters, resembling those of the large Leyden grant, but mixed with letters of the usual type, especially after line 12.  It is dated in the same year as Nos. 15 and 16, and records the grant of a lamp to the Arinjisvara temple at Melpadi.

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 29^th year (of the reign) of the glorious king Rajarja-Rajakesarivarman, alias Sri-Rajarajadeva, who, etc.. – I, the cultivator (Vellalan) Aruva-[Kilal] Muttigandan of Marud[a-n]adu in Venkunra-kottam, gave one perpetual lamp to (the god) Mahadeva of the holy Arinjisvara (temple),- which the lord Sri-Rajarajadeva had been pleased to build as a resting-place for the king who fell asleep at Arrur, in Merpadi, alias Rajasrayapuram, (a city) in Tunadu, (a subdivision) of Perumbana-padi in Jayankonda-Sola-mandalam, - (and) assigned to (this lamp) ninety-six full-grown ewes, which must neither die nor grow old.[1]

(L. 14.) Having received (these ewes), I, the shephered Eni Gangadharan of Rajasrayapuram, shall pour out daily, as long as the moon and the sun endure, (one) ulakku of ghee, (measured) by the Rajakesari.

No. 18. – On the north wall of the Cholesvara shrine.

This inscription is dated in the 9^th year of the reign of Parakesarivarman, alias Rajendra-Choladeva.  It records that certain shepherds of Merpadi pledged themselves to supply ghee for a lamp in the Arinjisvara temple.  This declaration was made before Lakulisvara-Pandita, the head of a Matha connected with the temple.  The name Lakulisvara is interesting, because it suggests that the Matha at Merpadi was a branch establishment of the Lakulisa-Pasupatas of Karohana in Gujarat, who are referred to in the Cintra Prasasti.[2]   The inscription ends with the signature of a local merchant, who may have been the donor of the lamp.

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(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity !  In the 9^th year (of the reign) of king Parakesarivarman, alias Sri-Rajendra-Soladeva, who, - in (his) life of high prosperity, while Fortune, having become constant, was increasing, (and) while thegoddess of the great earth, the goddess of victory in battle, and the matchless goddess of fame rejoiced to have become his great queens, -conquered with (his) very great army Idaiturai-nadu ; Vanavasi, whose warriors (were protected by) walls of continuous forests ; Kollippakkai, whose walls were surrounded by sulli (trees) ; the camp of Mannai,[3] whose fortifications were unapproachable ; the crown of the king of Ilam, (who was as impetuous as) the sea in fighting ; the exceedingly beautiful crowns of the queens of that (king) ; the crown of Sundara and the pearl necklace of Indra, which the king of the South (i.e., the Pandya) had previously given up to that (king of Ilam) ; the whole Ila-mandalam on the transparent sea ; the  crown praised by many and the garland of the Sun, family-treasures which the arrow-shooting (king of) Kerala rightfully wore ; many ancient islands, whose old and great guard was the sea which resounds with conches ; the crown of pure gold, worthy of Lakshmi, which Parasurama, having considered the fortifications of Sandimattivu impregnable, had deposited (there), when, in anger, (he) bound the kings twenty-one times in battle ; the seven and a half lakshas of Ilatta-padi, (through the conquest of whose) throne[4] immeasurable fame arose, (and which he took from) Jayasimha, who, out of feat (and) full of vengeance, turned his nine treasures (of Kuvera) ;- before the Pujari (kanmigal) Lakulisvara-Pandita, (the head) of the Matha of (the god) Mahadeva of the holy Arinjisvara (temple) in Merpadi, alias Rajasrayapuram, (a city) in Tuy-nadu, (a subdivision) of Perumbana-padi in Kutteran, Punnai Singan (i.e., Simha), Eni Gangadharan,[5] Vanan So[m]a[da]n (i.e., Somanathan), Tandan Anai, Nambi Sadevan (i.e., Sahadeva), Ayidi Kadadi, Nambi Tinaiyan, Nambi Panri and vanan Puliyan, agreed to become security for Eran Sattan, a shepherd of this village, (who) had received ninety ewes of this temple, in order to supply ghee for burning one perpetual lamp.

(L. 24.) (We) shall cause the shepherd Eran Sattan to supply daily to one perpetual lamp (one) ulakku of ghee, (measured) by the Rajakesari.

(L. 26.) If he dies, absconds or gets into prison, fetters (or) chains, we, all these aforesaid persons, are bound to supply ghee for burning the holy lamp as long as the moon and the sun endure.

(L. 29.) At the desire of these persons, I, the accountant of this city, Ponnali Arubattiruvan, wrote (this).  (This is) my writing.

(L. 30.) (The signature of) Am[mu]ri [I]la[m]-Perundi, a merchant (vyaparin) of Rajasrayapuram.

No. 19.- On the south wall of the Somanathesvara shrine

This inscription is dated in the 14^th year of the reign of the Chola king Rajaraja I. and mentions the conquest of Kudamalai-nadu and of the Seliyas (i.e., Pandyas) in addition to those recorded in No. 3 of this volume.  Instead of Tadigai-padi, Tadiga-padi or Tadiya-vali[6] it reads Tadiya-padi.  The king is designated by two different names, viz., Rajaraja-Rajakesarivarman and Mummudi-Choladeva.  The second name means ‘the Chola king (who wears) three crowns,’ viz., those of the Chola, Pandya and Chera kingdoms.[7]

The inscription records the Irayiravan Pallavayan, a well-known officer of rajaraja I and Rajendra-Chola I.,[8] made over 15 kalanju  of gold to the assembly of Tiruvallam,[9] who, in return, assigned 1,000 kuli of land in the hamlet of Vanasamudram near Tiruvallam to the Cholendrasimhesvara (now Somanathesvara) temple at Rajasrayapuram (i.e., Melpadi).  This land was made over to an inhabitant of Rajasrayapuram, who had to supply ghee for a lamp in the temple.

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity !  In the 14^th year (of the reign) of Sri-Mummudi-soladeva, (alias) king Rajaraja-Rajakesarivarman, who, (in his) tender youth, during which, - having formed the belief[10] that, as well as the goddess of fortune, the goddess of the great earth had become his wife, - (he) was pleased to destroy the ships (at) Kandalur-Salai and conquered by (his) army Ganga-padi, Nulamba-padi, Tadiya-padi, Vengai-nadu and Kudamalai-nadu, - deprived the Seliyas, whose luster had been growing, of (their) splendour ; - we, the assembly of Tiruvalam in Miyaru-nadu, (a subdivision) of Paduvur-kottam, have received fifteen kalanju of gold, weighed by the balance used in the case of charitable edicts (dharma-kattalai), from Irayiravan Pallavayan, alias Mumudi-Sola-Posan, the lord of Araisur (and a native of) Araisur in Pambuni-kuram, (a subdivision) on the southern bank (of the Kaveri) in Sonadu.

(L. 11.) For these 15 kalanju of gold, (we) assigned one thousand kuli, (measured) by the rod of Sirrambalam,[11] of land which formed the eastern manjikkam[12]  of va[na]samu[dr]am, a hamlet to the west of our (village),[13] to (the god) Mahadeva of the Solendrasimha-Isvara (temple) at Rajasrayapuram in Tuy-nadu, for burning one perpetual lamp as long as the moon and the sun endure.

(L. 16.) These one thousand kuli of land we, the assembly, made over (to) Kandan Maravan, alias Solendrasimha-Ma[yi]latti, of
Sankarappadi, (who resides) in the high-street of Arumolideva in this Rajasrayapuram, in order to supply to this perpetual lamp (one) ulakku of
ghee daily.

(L. 20.) This charity (is placed under) the protection of all Mahesvaras.