Vallam, Vedānteśvara, pillar inscription of Kantacēṉaṉ

Metadata

Current Version:  draft, 2024-04-22Z

Editor:   Emmanuel Francis.

DHARMA Identifier: INSPallava00036

Summary: Records the foundation of a cave-temple by Kantacēṉaṉ (Skt. Skandasena), son of Vayantappiri (Skt. Vasantapriya) and servant of Mayēntirappōttarēcaru (Mahendravarman I Pallava).

Hand Description:

Additional Metadata

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    Corresponding Artefact:

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    Edition

    Left/South Pillar

    1pakā-p·-piṭuku👤 laḷitāṅ·kuraṉ·👤

    Right/North Pillar

    2cat(·)turu¡m(·)m!⟨m⟩allaṉ·👤 kuṇaparaṉ·👤
    3mayēn·tira-p-pōt·t-arēcaru👤 Aṭiyāṉ·
    4vayan·tap·piri Arēcaru👤 makaṉ· kan·tacēṉa-
    5ṉ·👤     ceyivit(·)ta tēvakulam· finalGomutra

    Translation by Hultzsch 1895

    Kantaceṉaṉ (Skandasena), the son of Vayantappiriarecaru (Vasantapriyarāja), the servant of Pakāppiṭuku Laḷitāṅkuraṉ (Lalitāṅkura) Catturummallaṉ (Śatrumalla) Kuṇaparaṉ (Guṇabhara) Mayentirappōttarecaru (Mahendrapōtarāja), caused [this] temple (devakula) to be made.

    Translation by Emmanuel Francis

    Temple (tēvakulam, Skt. devakula) caused to be made by Kantacēṉaṉ (Skt. Skandasena), son of the king (arēcaru) Vayantappiri (Skt. Vasantapriya), servant (aṭiyāṉ) of Pakāppiṭuku Laḷitāṅkuraṉ (Skt. Lalitāṅkura) Catturummallaṉ (Skt. Śatrumalla) Kuṇaparaṉ (Skt. Guṇabhara) Mayēntirappōttarēcaru (i.e. Mahendravarman I Pallava).

    Commentary

    It is not clear what the relation is between the two discrete inscriptions, each on a different pillar. We read them in succession as Pakāppiṭuku, Lalitāṅkura, Śatrumalla and Guṇabhara are well attested birudas of Mahendravarman I. We follow here the interpretation of Hultzsch 1895.

    Pōttarēcaru (and its variants, e.g. Pōttaraiyar) is a title of the Pallava kings. Mayēntirappōttarēcaru is Mahendravarman I (r. ca. 580-630).

    Bibliography

    Edited in Hultzsch 1895 (SII 2, no. 72) with facsimile and English translation; text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP no. 36); re-edited here for DHARMA (ERC n° 809994) by Emmanuel Francis (2020), based on autopsy and photographs (2004).

    Primary

    Hultzsch, Eugen Julius Theodor. 1895. South-Indian Inscriptions: Tamil Inscriptions of Rajaraja, Rajendra-Chola, and Others in the Rajarajesvara Temple at Tanjavur.  Volume II, Part III: Supplement to the First and Second Volumes. South Indian Inscriptions, 2.3. Madras: Government Press.
    Pages 340–341, № 72. [siglum EH]
    Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi; Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan.
    Page 134, № 36. [siglum IP]

    Secondary

    ARIE 1892-1893. Pages 2, 8, appendix A/1892, № 185. [siglum ARIE 1892-1893]
    Srinivasan, K. R. 1964. Cave-Temples of the Pallavas. Architectural Survey of Temples 1. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India.
    61–64.
    Lockwood, Michael, Vishnu Bhat A, Gift Siromoney & Dayanandan P. 2001. Pallava Art. Madras, Tambaram: Tambaram Research Associates.
    267.
    No identifier given for pakā-p·-piṭukuNo identifier given for laḷitāṅ·kuraṉ·No identifier given for cat(·)turu¡m(·)m!⟨m⟩allaṉ·No identifier given for kuṇaparaṉ·No identifier given for mayēn·tira-p-pōt·t-arēcaruNo identifier given for vayan·tap·piri ArēcaruNo identifier given for kan·tacēṉa-
    5ṉ·