Talavāṉūr, time of Narēntirappōttaraiyaṉ

Metadata

Current Version: draft, 2024-04-22Z

Editor: Emmanuel Francis.

DHARMA Identifier: INSPallava00020

Summary: A Tamil verse recording the foundation of the cave-temple named Catturumalleśvarālaiyam (Skt. Śatrumalleśvarālaya) by Narēntirappōttaraiyaṉ.

Hand Description:

Additional Metadata

Alternative identifier:

Origin:

Classification: contruction religious building

Languages:

Corresponding Artefact:

Layout:

Edition

Eastern face of the pillar

Veṇpā

¹śrī toṇṭai-y-an-tār²-vēntaṉ narēntira³p-pōtt-araiyaṉ^👤

ve⁴ṇpēṭṭiṉ ṟeṉ-pā⁵l mika makiḻntu ka⁶ṇṭāṉ

cara mikka ve⁷ñ-cilaiyāṉ (ca)⁸tturu-mall^👤eś(va)⁹rāl(ai)yam (eṉ) -

(ṟ’ ara)¹⁰ṉukk’ iṭam āka-(v) āṅku

Southern face of the pillar

¹¹Ivvūr (b)ram-
¹²mamaṅkalavaṉ
¹³cellaṉ civadā-
¹⁴sa¡n!⟨ṉ⟩^👤 colliya-
¹⁵tu

Apparatus

Eastern face of the pillar

¹ śrī • We follow here EG in considering śrī as an initial benediction. It could alternatively be analysed as a prefix to toṇṭai-y-an-tār-vēntaṉ, that is "the glorious (śrī) king with the beautiful garland of toṇṭai". — ¹ vēntaṉ ◇ vēntāṉ IP
⁴ ṟeṉpāl ◇ ṟeṉp(ā)l EG; ṟeṉp(ā)l IP
⁵ kaṇṭāṉ ◇ ko(ṇṭāṉ) IP
⁷ (ca)tturu-malleś(va)rāl(ai)yam ◇ catturumalleśvarālaiyam EG; śattrumalleśvarālayam IP • Examination in situ enabled to reject the reading °ālayam. The alternative reading °āleyam is possible.
⁹ (eṉṟ’ ara)ṉukk’ ◇ eṉṟ’ araṇukk’ EG; eṉṟ’ araṇukk’ IP
¹⁰ āka-(v) āṅku ◇ āka-v aṅku EG; āka-v aṅku IP

Translation by Hultzsch 1913-1914

Translation by Hultzsch (1913-1914). Standardised according to DHARMA TG and EG.

Eastern face of the pillar

^1-10 Prosperity! The king [who wore] a beautiful garland of toṇṭai, Narendra-Pōttaraiyaṉ, whose cruel bow bristled with arrows, made with great joy in the south of Veṇpēṭṭu [this temple] named Śatrumallēśvarālaya, to be the residence of Hara (Śiva).

Southern face of the pillar

^11-15 Brahmamaṅgalavaṉ Śellaṉ Śivadāsa of this village composed this.

Translation into French by Emmanuel Francis

Eastern face of the pillar

^1-10 Fortune ! Le roi à la belle guirlande de toṇṭai (ou : Le glorieux roi à la belle guirlande de toṇṭai), le roi-Pallava (ou : le roi-taureau) (pōtt-araiyaṉ) Narendra, dont l’arc cruel/furieux regorge de flèches, au sud de Veṇpēṭu (le hameau blanc), avec grande joie, a fait en sorte (kaṇṭāṉ, littéralement : a supervisé) qu’il y ait pour Araṉ (Skt. Hara, i.e Śiva) un lieu (iṭam) nommé (eṉṟu) demeure du Seigneur de Catturumalla (Skt. Śatrumalla).

Southern face of the pillar

^11-15 Ce qu’a composé (colliyatu, littéralement : ce qu’a dit) Brammamaṅkalavaṉ Cellaṉ Civadāsan (Skt. Śivadāsa) de ce village.

Commentary

See also INSPallava00019, a probably earlier Sanskrit foundation inscription of the same cave-temple.

Identification of Narēntirappōttaraiyaṉ to be discussed.

¹⁰āṅku: either “there," that is, “here," that is in Veṇpēṭu, or “thus," concluding the verse, that is, “so was it done”

Bibliography

Edited and translated by Hultzsch 1913–1914 with facsimile and English translation (EI 12, no. 27/B); text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP no. 20); re-edited here for DHARMA (ERC n° 809994)by Emmanuel Francis (2020), based on autopsy and photographs (2008).

Primary

Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1913–1914. “Ramatirtham Plates of Indravarman.” EI 12: 133–36.

Pages 225–226, № B. [siglum EG]

Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi; Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan.

Pages 98–99, № 20. [siglum IP]

Secondary

ARIE 1904-1905. Pages 32, 39, appendix B/1905, № 50.

Venkatasubba Ayyar, V. 1943. South Indian Inscriptions. Volume XII: The Pallavas (with Introductory Notes in English). South Indian Inscriptions 12. Madras: Government Press.

Page 7, № 11.

Srinivasan, K. R. 1964. Cave-Temples of the Pallavas. Architectural Survey of Temples 1. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India.

71–68.