No. 9 to 11 north wall of the mandapa

No. 1 to 4 north & west wall of the same shrine

No. 5 to 8 south wall of the same shrine

No. 12 to 14 west & south wall of the same mandapa

No. 9.- On the North wall of the Mandapa

This interest record contains an order which Rajaraja I issued at (his capital) Tanjavur on the 124^th day of the 24^th year of his reign, and which was engrossed on the 143^rd day of the same year.  This order deals with defaulters of land revenue in villages held by Brahmanas, Vaikhanasas and Jainas in the Chola, Tondai and Pandya country.  The villagers were authorized to confiscate and sell the land on which no taxes had been paid for two full years.

The royal order was written by the secretary Rajakesarinallur Kilavan, or, as he is called in two of the Tanjavur inscriptions, Karayil Eduttapadam.[1]  It was signed by the chief secretary Mummudi-Chola-Brahmamaharaja, and by Mummudi-Chola-Bhoja.  These two officers are mentioned in the large Leyden grant[2] and in inscriptions of the Tanjore temple.[3]  Their original names were Krishna Rama and Irayiravan Pallavayan.  During the reign of Rajaraja I.  they bore the titles Mummudi-Chola-Brahmamaharaja and Mummudi-Chola-Bhoja, which are derived from Mummudi-Chola, a surname of Rajaraja I.  After the accession of Rajendra-Chola I they received the additional titles Rajendra-Chola-Brahmamaharaja and Uttama-Chola-Pallavaraiyan.

(Line 1.) Hail! Prosperity! On the 124^th day of the 24h year (of the reign) of the glorious king Rajaraja-Kesarivarman, alias Sri-Rajarajadeva, who, (in) his life of growing strength, during which,- (in) the belief, 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, which was victorious in great battles, Vengai-nadu, Ganga-padi, Nulamba-padi, Tadigai-padi, Kudamalai-nadu, Killam, Kalingam, Ila-mandalam, (the conquest of which) made (him) famous (in) the eight directions, and the seven and a half lakshas of Ilatta-padi, - deprived the Selinas of (their) splendour at the very moment when Udagai, which is worshipped everywhere, was (most) resplendent ; - the lord Sri-Rajarajadeva, being graciously seated in the college (kalluri)[4] on the south of the painted hall (chitra-kuta) at the great hippodrome gate (periya-sendu-vayil) in Tanjavur, was pleased to order as follows : -

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(L. 4.) “(The land of) those landholders in villages of Brahmanas, in villages of Vaikhanasas, and in villages of Sramanas (i.e., Jainas) in Sonadu, in the adjacent districts included in Sonadu, in Tondai-nadu, and in Pandi-nadu, alias Rajaraja-valanadu,[5] who have not paid, on the land owned by them, the taxes due from villages, along with the (other) inhabitants of those villages, for three years, (of which) two are completed, between the 16^th and the 23td years (of my reign), shall become the property of the village and shall be liable to be sold by the inhabitants of those villages to the exclusion of the (defaulting) landholders.  Also, (the land of) those who have not paid the taxes due from villages for three years, (of which) two are completed, from the 24^th year (of my reign), shall be liable to be sold by the inhabitants of those villages to the exclusion of the (defaulting) landholders.”

(L. 8.) Accordingly, having been written by the royal secretary, Rajakesarinallur Kilavan, and having been approved by the chief secretary, Mummudi-Sola-Brahmamarayan, and by Mummudi-Sola-Posan, (this order) was engrossed from dictation on the 143^rd day of the 24^th (year of the reign). 

No. 10.- On the north wall of the mandapa

This inscription is dated in the 4^th year of the reign of Parakesarivarman, alias Rajendra-Choladeva, and records that the villagers of Ukkal sold 3000 kuli of land and five water-levers[6] to a servant of the king, who assigned this land for the maintenance of two boats plying on the village tank.[7]

(Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 4^th year (of the reign) of king Parakesarivarman, alias Sri-Rajendra-Soladeva.  The hand-writing, (referring to) a deed of sale (Vilaiyavanam) of land, of us, the great assembly of Ukkal, alias Vikramabharan-chaturvedimangalam, (a village) in its own subdivision of Kaliyur-kottam, (a district) of Jayankonda-Sola-mandalam.

(L. 2.) The following land was sold for the maintenance of two boats (odam) which had been assigned to the tank in our village by Komulan Arai[ya]n Baladevan, a servant of the lord Sri-Rajendra-Soladeva (and a native) of Kuvalaikodu, alias Anavara[ta]sundaranallur, (a village) in Kuvalaikodu-nadu, (a subdivision) of Venkunrakottam.

(L. 4.) We have sold, and executed a deed of sale for, (1) three thousand kuli, - (measured) by a rod of sixteen spans (san), beginning (to measure) from the west,- of land, which was the common property of the assembly, (which belonged) to the field (kalani) of Sriyarur on the channel of the ‘Palmyra sluice’ (Panan-dimbu), (and) which was situated to the north of a heap of sand, to the east of the land of the villagers, and to the south of the land (paying) taxes to the villagers and of the Subrahmanya channel, and (2) five levers (ettam) to the east of this (land), excluding a lever on the open side[8] of the tank in the west, which Kalumbar-udaiyar had previously purchased and assigned for (the maintenance of) a boat.

(L. 7.) Twice as follows, and three times as follows.[9]

(L. 10.) Having received in full the purchase-money and the revenue of this land, we, the great assembly, sold (it) free of taxes and executed a deed of sale.

(L. 11.) Having been present in the assembly[10] and having heard (their) order, I, the accountant (and) arbitrator of this village, Porrikkuri Kalidevadi, alias Irandayirattunanurruvan, wrote (this).  This is my writing.

No. 11.- On the north wall of the Mandapa

This inscription is dated in the 16th year of the reign of the ancient Chola king Parakesarivarman,[11] and records that the villagers granted certain land to the temple, at the request and with the approval of the temple manager, Chakrapani Nambi (II. 3 and 10). (Line 1.) Hail ! Prosperity! In the 16th year (of the reign) of king Parakesarivarman, we, the great assembly, including the great men elected for the year and the great men elected for (the supervision of) the tank (being assembled) in the Puvanimanikka-Vishnugriham at Sivachulamanimangalam, alias Sri-Vikramabharana-chaturvedimangalam, (a village) in its own subdivision of Kaliyur-kottam, assigned, at the request of Chakrapani Nambi, the manager of the temple, to the god of the Puvanimanikka-Vishnugriham in our village (the following) land, for burnt oblations (havana), for festivals (utsava), (for) expiations (prayaschitta) and the bathing of the idol (tirumanjana) at the winter solstice, at the solstice in Adi, at the equinox in Sittirai, at the equinox in Aippasi, at eclipses of the sun, and at eclipses of the moon, and for burning all kinds of pots and all kinds of . . . . . . . . ..  . .. . . . . (L. 7.) Half (a measure) of land in the ‘Fresh clearing’ (pudu-ttiruttu) on the west of the village of [So]diyambakkam, which is a village (belonging to) this god ; half (a measure) on the south of the ‘Tamarind field’ (Puliyan-jeruvu) ; (and) one and a half (measure) on the west of the inundation channel (vellakkal) in the field (kollai) of [Svaba]la. (L. 9.) At the festival, on seven days, to four persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and (for) the annual worship, half a kalanju.  I, Chakrapani Nambi, approve of this order of the assembly. (L. 10.) This charity, etc.[12] [1]  See Vol. II. p. 131 f. and p. 285, note 3. [2]  Lines 129 to 133, 162 to 164, and 436 to 440. [3]  Vol. II.  Nos. 31, 12 and 55. [4]  Compare Vol. II. p. 109. [5]  See Vol. II. p. 320, note 3. [6]  A gift of two water-levers (jala-yantra) is recorded in the Udayendiram plates of Pallavamalla ; see Vol. II. pp. 364 and 372. [7]  One of the Nasik inscriptions states that Rishabhadatta established boats, on which certain rivers could be crossed gratuitously ; see Archaeological Survey of Western India, Vol. IV. P. 100. [8]  I.e., that side (vay) of the tank which is at a higher level, and opposite (edir) to the artificial embankment which stops the natural flow of water and thus forms the tank. [9]  Apparently the description of the land sold had to be repeated in words three times.  The second repletion is omitted in writing ; but after the word mukkalavathum, ‘and three times,’ the whole of the preceding description of the land (II. 4 to 7) is repeated with slight variations in II. 8 to 10. [10]  This translation of kuri  is based on the parallel passages in No. 2, 1, 6, No. 3, 1, 11, No. 6, 1. 22 and No. 12, 1. 11, where the corresponding word is sabhai. [11]  To the same reign belong Nos. 85 and 148 of Vol. I.  The king is perhaps identical with Vijayalaya, the grandfather of Parantaka I. [12]  The writer wants us to supply here a minatory sentence resembling No. 6, II. 13 – 15. Home Page

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