Current Version: draft, 2024-04-22Z
Editor: Emmanuel Francis.
DHARMA Identifier: INSPallava00155
Summary: Grant of three villages (Ceṭṭuppākkam, Viḷāṅkāṭṭāṅkaṭuvaṉūr and Iṟaippuṇaiccēri) in the Kīḻvaḻivākūrnāṭu in the Aruvānāṭu as vidyābhoga and brahmadeya to the vidyāsthāna of Vāgūr/Vākūr.
Hand Description:
Sanskrit spelling influenced by Tamil usage. Grantha ṛ and ra, pa and va not distinguished. Grantha ba and ya, bha and ha, ga and śa very similar. Tamil medial i and ī not distinguished and interchangeable. Tamil medial u and ū not always distinguished and interchangeable. Tamil oblique suffix -iṉ with initial i. The punctuation marks, gomūtra-like, at the end of stanzas have various forms. In several instances, the first element looks like a visarga, whereas in other instances, there is really a visarga at the end of the verse. Hyphen-like horizontal line occasionally used at the hemistiche. For further paleaographical details, see Hultzsch 1925–1926: pages 5–6.
Alternative identifier:
Origin: Written in 850-900.
Classification: religious land grant
Languages: Sanskrit and Tamil
Corresponding Artefact: CONARTPallava000001
Technique: engraved.
Layout: 79 lines are observed/preserved on the artifact.
⎘ plate 1r 1r1=1svast¡ī!⟨i⟩ śrī
kō-vicaiya-nṛ ⎘ plate 3v 3v1=46(pa)t¡o!⟨u⟩ṅkavarmmaṟku yāṇṭu Eṭṭāvatu
vēcāli-p-pēraraiyaṉ viṇṇap
3v2=47pattāl viṭēlviṭuku-kāṭupaṭṭi-t-tamiḻ-p-pēraraiyaṉ Āṇaṭṭi Āka
3v3=48Aruvā-nāṭṭu k-k¡i!⟨ī⟩ḻ-vaḻi-vākūr-nāṭṭu nāṭṭār kāṇka
ta¡n-n!āṭṭu ceṭṭu-
3v4=49p-pā⟨k⟩kam-um viḷaṅkāṭṭaṅkaṭuvaṉūr-um Iṟaippuṇaiccēri-y-u-
3v5=50m āka I-m-muṉṟūr-um paḻ¡a!⟨ai⟩ya-v-aṟam-um brahmadeyam-um n¡i!⟨ī⟩kki mu-
3v6=51ṉ-peṟṟār-ai māṟṟi yāṇṭu Eṭṭāvatu vākūr vidyā-sthāṉat-
3v7=52tārkku vidyā-bhogam-āka-p paṇittōm
tāṅkaḷ-um paṭākai naṭan-
3v8=53tu kallum kaḷḷiyum n¿a?⟨ā⟩ṭṭi Aṟai-y-ōlai ceytu viṭu takav’ eṉ(ṟu)
3v9=54nāṭṭārkku-t tirumukam viṭa nāṭṭār tirumukaṅ kaṇṭu toḻutu talai-
3v10=55(k)ku vaittu-p paṭākai naṭantu kalluṅ kaḷḷiyu⟨m⟩ nāṭṭi Aṟai-[y]-(ō)[lai]
⎘ plate 4r 4r1=56ceytu nāṭṭār viṭunta Aṟai-y-ōlai-p paṭi nilattukk’ ellai
viḷā-
4r2=57ṅkāṭṭaṅkaṭuvaṉūrk=kuñ ceṭṭuppāk=kattuk=kum-āka Iraṇṭūrk=kuṅ
Iṟaippuṇaiccērikk’ ellai
Ivvicaitta perunāṉk’ ellai-
4v2=67kaḷil-um akappaṭṭa nilaṉ n¡i!⟨ī⟩r-nilaṉum puṉ-ce¡yy!⟨y⟩um Ū¿ma?⟨ru⟩m Ūr-irukkaiyu-
4v3=68maṉaiyu maṉai-p-paṭappu maṉṟuṅ kaṉṟu-mē¡yi!⟨y⟩-pāḻuṅ kuḷamuṅ koṭṭakāra-
4v4=69muṅ kiṭaṅkuṅ kēṇiyuṅ kāṭuṅ kaḷarum Ōṭaiyum Uṭaipp-um Uḷḷiṭṭu n¡i!⟨ī⟩(r)-
4v5=70pūci neṭum paramp’ eṟintu Uṭump’ ōṭi Āmai tavaḻntat’ ellā-
4v6=71m Uṇṇilaṉ oḻi-v-iṉṟi vākūr-vidyā-sthāṉattārkku vidyā{[1×]}-
4v7=72bhogam-āyi vākūrōṭē Ēṟi vākūr peṟṟa parihāram-um vyavas¿te?⟨thai⟩(yu)-
4v8=73m peṟṟu sarvva-parihāram-āyi brahmatēyam-āyi-p paradatti ceṉṟa-
4v9=74tu |
5r3=78kaccipēṭṭu k¡i!⟨ī⟩ḻ-paicārattu Uditodaya-peru⟨n⟩-taṭṭā⟨ṉ⟩ makaṉ mādevi-peru⟨n⟩-taṭṭā-
5r4=79ṉ maka¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ nṛpatuṁga⟨ṉ⟩ Eḻuttu |
1 svast¡ī!⟨i⟩ śrī ◇ svasti śrī⟨ḥ⟩ EH
3 yat teja⟨ḥ⟩ ◇ yat teja⟨ḥ⟩ EH • EH suggets to read ’bhūt tejaḥ.
8 dro(ṇā)n ◇ droṇān EH • The ṇā is akwardly written. — 8–9 sa{(r)}mba/bhū¿pa?⟨va⟩ ◇ samba/bhūva EH • According to EH, pa and va are not distinguished.
9 ¿U?⟨yaḥ⟩ ◇ ¿U?⟨yaḥ⟩ EH
14 °(b)āhuḥ ◇ °(b)āhuḥ EH • The letter bā looks like yā.
16 yuktānā(ṁ) ◇ yuktā¿(nāṁ)?⟨nyān⟩ EH • EH’s emendation is tentative.
17 ¿pa?⟨kā⟩ṇḍāni ◇ ¿pa?⟨kā⟩ṇḍāni EH • EH’s emendation is tentative.
22 (ba)bhūva ◇ (ba)bhūva EH • The letter ba looks like ya.
23 kalā¿vān?⟨pa⟩° ◇ kalā¿vān?⟨pa⟩° EH • EH’s emendation is tentative. As EH notes, the metre requires the last syllable of this word to be short.
24 nṛpatu(ṁ)ga° ◇ nṛpatuṁga° EH • The letter ṁ looks like a medial e.
27–28 °m(ā)/(r)ttā(ṇḍaḥ) ◇ °mā/rttāṇḍaḥ EH
29 ◇ EH
31 saḥ ◇ sa{ḥ} EH
34 iṟaippuṉaiccerin ◇ iṟaippuṇaiccerin EH
36 (ba)bhāra ◇ (ba)bhāra EH • What must be ba looks like a conjunct or corrected letter.
37 tathāg¿ath?⟨ādh⟩ā ◇ tathāg(ā)¡th!⟨dh⟩ā EH — 37 juṣ[āṁ] ◇ juṣ(āṁ) EH
40 pū(r)vvakān ◇ pūrvvakān EH
44–3r9=45 a/yam‧ ◇ ayam EH • Hultzsch notes: "The reading imām would be more suitable." But see SB (p. 741, fn. 1476):"Les autres éditeurs proposent imām au lieu de ayam. Cette correction est possible, mais pas absolument nécessaire; praśastim, en effet, peut être dépourvu de démonstatif, et ayam servir de déterminant à nāgayaḥ, ce qui aurait pour effet de mettre en relief le nom de l’auteur."
53 viṭu takav’ eṉ(ṟu) ◇ viṭukka-v eṉru JV; viṭu¿tka?⟨kka⟩-v eṉru EH • The editor of SII adds in note: "This word may be read as viṭutaka" . See also Zvelebil. We follow here a suggestion by Jean-Luc Chevillard in reading
viṭu takavu eṉṟu, "It is suitable to send".
61–62 viḷāṅkāṭṭ¿ā?⟨a⟩ṅkaṭuvaṉū/r ◇ viḷāṅkāṭṭāṅkaṭuvaṉū/r EH • In its other two occurrences (lines 49 and 56) this village’s name is spelled viḷāṅkāṭṭaṅkaṭuvaṉūr. See Hultzsch 1925–1926: page 15, note 1.
67 Ū¿ma?⟨ru⟩m ◇ Ū¿ma?⟨ru⟩m EH
71–72 vidyā{[1×]} /bhogam ◇ vidyā{bho} /bhogam EH • It seems that the engraver intended to write bho at the end of this line, but found place only for bhe, and thus decided to write the full syllable bho at the beginning of the next line.
75 mūrd(dhnā mu)kunda-(caraṇā)⟨m⟩ ◇ mūrddhnā mukunda-cara(ṇām) EH
76 °ś[āstra]° ◇ °(śāstra)° EH
1 Hail! Prosperity!
45 In the eighth year (of the reign) of king Vijaya-Nṛpatuṅgavarman, at the request of Veśāli-pēraraiyaṉ; Viṭēlviṭugu-Kāṭupaṭṭu-Tamiḻa-pērarāiyaṉ being the executor (āṇatti). Let the headmen of Kīḻvaḻi-Vākūr-nāṭu, (a subdivision) of Aruvā-nāṭu, see (this order):↓7
48 In the eighth year (of our reign), we have granted three viIlages of nāṭu, viz. Ceṭṭuppākkam, Viḷāṅkāttaṅkaṭuvaṉūr, and Iṟaippuṇaiccēri,―dispossessing the former tenants, (and) excluding ancient charities and Brahmadeyas,―to the residents of the seat of learning at Vākūr as a source of revenue for the promotion of learning (vidyā-bhōga).
52 And issued an order (tirumukam) to the headmen of the nāṭu, telling them to circumambulate the limits,↓8 to plant stones and milk-bush (along the boundaries), and to draw up and submit a report (aṟaiyōlai)!
54 When the headmen of the nāṭu saw the order, thet raised (their) joined hands (before it), placed (it) on (their) heads, circumambulated the limits, planted stones and milk-bush, and drew up a report.
56 According to the report submitted by the headmen of the nāṭu, the boundaries of the land (granted are as follows):―Of the two villages of Viḷāṅkāttaṅkaṭuvaṉūr and Ceṭṭuppākkam, the eastern boundary is to the west of the boundary of a forest and of the boundary of Neṉmalippākkam; the southern boundary is to the north of the boundary of Neṉmalippākkam, of the boundary of Nelvāyippākkam, and of the boundary of Uṟattūr; the western boundary is to the east of the boundary of Māmpākkam and of sixty rice-fields (ceṟuvu) which form a Brahmadeya near this Viḷāṅkāttaṅkaṭuvaṉūr;↓9 the northern boundary is to the south of the boundary of Vākūr.
63 The boundaries of Iṟaippuṇaiccēri (are):―The eastern boundary is to the west of a forest surrounding the village (nattam); the southern boundary is to the north of the boundary of Neruñcikuṟumpu; the western boundary is to the east of the boundary of Vākūr; and the western boundary is to the south of the boundary of Kiṟimāṉpātti.
66 Altogether, the land enclosed by the four great boundaries specified here, including wet land and dry land, villages and village-buildings, houses and house-gardens, clearings and young trees, waste grounds for grazing,↓10 tanks, store-houses,↓11 ditches, wells, forests, brackish ground, water-courses and breaches,↓12 wherever watter is conducted (?), long harrows are applied,↓13 iguanas run, and tortoises creep, not excluding the cultivated land,↓14 being joined↓15 to Vākūr itself as a source of revenue for the promotion of learning to the residents of the seat of learning at Vākūr, enjoying the immunities and agreements,↓16 enjoyed by Vākūr, possessing all immunities, (and) being a Brahmadeya,―the grant was made.↓17
78 The writing of Nṛipatuṅga, the son of Mātēvi-peruntaṭṭāṉ (who was) the son of Uditodaya-peruntaṭṭāṉ, (a resident) of Kīḻ-Paicāram in Kaccippēṭu.
1 Prosperity! Fortune!
45-46 Seventh year of the victorious king Nṛpatuṅgavarman.
46-48 May the nāṭṭārs of the Kīḻvaḻivākūrnāṭu in the Aruvānāṭu see [what follows, which is made] at the petition of Vēcālippēraraiyaṉ, whereas Viṭēlviṭukukāṭupaṭṭittamiḻppēraraiyaṉ is the executor.
48-52 In their nāṭu, Ceṭṭuppākkam, Viḷaṅkāṭṭaṅkaṭuvaṉūr, and Iṟaippuṇaiccēri, these three [villages], after removing the old pious donations and brahmadeyas, after ousting the earlier possessors, in [our] seventh year, we have ordered [their donation] as vidyābhoga for the members of the vidyāsthāna of Vākūr.
52-53 It is suitable (takavu) that themselves, [after] having walked [with] the flag (paṭākai naṭantu↓21), having planted stones and thorny bushes, and having made the palm-leaves settling this (aṟaiyōlai), send (viṭutaka) [them].
52-53 While the royal order specifying (eṉṟu) [the above] was sent to the nāṭṭārs, the nāṭṭārs having seen the order (tirumukam), having payed homage [to it], having put [it] on their heads, having walked [with] the flag (paṭākai), having planted stones and thorny bushes, having made the palm-leaves settling this (aṟaiyōlai), the boundaries to the land according (paṭi) to the palm-leaves settling this (aṟaiyōlai) that the nāṭṭārs sent [are as follows]:
56-63 As for both Viḷāṁkāṭṭāṅkaṭuvaṉūr and Ceṭṭuppākkam:
63-66 As for the boundaries of Iṟaippuṇaiccēri:
66-74 The land comprised within these four great boundaries [just] described --- [that is,] wet land (nīr-nilam), dry land (puñ-cey), villages (ūr), villages’ buildings (ūr-irukkai), houses (maṉai), gardens of the houses (māṉai-p-paṭappu), ... (maṉṟu), waste land for grazing calves (kaṉṟu mey pāl), tanks (kuḷam), store-houses (koṭṭakāram), canals (kiṭaṅku), wells (kēṇi), forests (kāṭu), ... (kaḷar), ... (ōṭai), ... (uṭaippu), including (uḷḷiṭṭu) [all these], ... (nīr pūci neṭu), ... (paramp’ eṟintu), all [the land where] the iguana runs and the tortoise creeps (uṭump’ ōṭi āmai tavaḻntat’ ellām), the land included (uṇ-ṇilam) [in the above], without [any] exception --- becoming a vidyābhoga for the members of the vidyāsthāna of Vākūr, being joined with Vākūr, having obtained the exemptions and agreements that Vākūr has obtained, being endowed with all exemptions, becoming a brahmadeya, [as far as it is concerned], a donation [as described above] goes.
78-79 Writing of Nṛpatuṅga, son of Mahādeviperuntaṭṭāṉ, son of Uditodayaperuntaṭṭāṉ, of Kīḻpaicāram in Kaccippēṭu.
1 Salut ! Prospérité !
Online images: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52509208s. Note that plate 4 recto and verso are interverted.
IP dates the plates to circa 877, SB to circa 862.
About stanza 2, Hultzsch 1925–1926: page 6 notes: "The metre of verse 2 is Praharṣiṇī; but its fourth Pāda is Anuṣṭubh, and in each of the two first Pādas the tenth and eleventh syllables of the Praharṣiṇī metre are missing. I am unable to correct and translate this verse in a satisfactory manner."
The transliteration of Indian terms in the translation by Hultzsch 1925–1926 (EI 18, no. 2) reproduced above have been standardised according to the DHARMA Transliteration Guide.
Tamil portion edited in Tamil script in Vinson 1903; first fully edited (in Nāgarī, Tamil script, and transliteration) and translated into French in Vinson 1905; re-edited in Krishna Sastri 1916 (postscript to SII 2, no. 98); corrections and translation in Jouveau-Dubreuil 1917; re-edited in transliteration and translated into English in Hultzsch 1925–1926 (EI 18, no. 2), with facsimiles; re-edited and translated into Tamil in Subrahmanian 1966; text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP no. 155); Sanskrit text and French translation in Brocquet 1997 (B no. 62); Francis 2013 (IR no. 91).
Re-edited here for DHARMA (ERC n° 809994) by Sylvain Brocquet & Emmanuel Francis (2022), based on previous editions, mostly that by Hultzsch 1925–1926, photographs, and autopsy of the original plates in the BnF.
↑1. i.e. he either imprisoned or shot his enemies.
↑2. Verse 19 and 20 suggest that the word Mārtāṇḍa (i.e. the sun) is not a mere metaphor (rūpakam), but has to be taken here as a proper name.
↑3. According to the Tamil portion, the full name of this village was Viḷaṅkāṭṭaṅkaṭuvaṉūr,
to which the word vidyā is still prefixed here because it was granted for the promotion of learning.
↑4. With caturdiśa-gaṇa cf. the expression cātudīsasa bhikhu-sa[ṁ*]ghasa at Nasik, above, Vol. VIII, p. 73, text line 5.
↑5. The local authorities fixed the boundaries by letting an elephant walk round the limits.
Cf. piṭi naṭappittu or piṭi cūḻntu in the Leyden plates, passim; kariṇī-parikramaṇa-vipaṣṭa-sīmā-catuṣṭayam . . . . . grāmam, ibid. l. 85 f.; ibhī-parīta-sīmānam, above, Vol. XV, p. 63, text line 109 f.; piṭi cūḻntu, ibid., p. 64, text lines 134-136, and p. 65, text line 165: piṭi naṭatti, Travancore Arch. Series, Vol. II, p. 70.
↑6. i.e. king Nṛpatuṅga; see verse 15.
↑7. Cf. line 105 of the Kācākuṭi plates.
↑8. Paṭakai naṭandu corresponds to paṭākai valañ ceyitu in line 110 of the Kācākuṭi plates; piṭākai valañ ceytu in a Tiruvallam inscription of Nandivikramavarman, SII. Vol. III, p. 91,1. 11; piṭākai naṭantu in the Leyden plates, passim; and pradakṣiṇi-kṛtya in Sanskrit
↑9. In two other instances (ll. 49, 56 f.), the ā of ṭṭā is represented by short a.
↑10. These three doubtful terms occur also in line 281 of the Leyden plates, and in the
Aṉpil plates, above, Vol. XV, p. 65. text line 167 f., where they are translated by
’halls, wastes in which the calves graze.’ I adopt M. Vinson’s renderings of maṉṟum and kaṉṟum (as the Leyden plates read for kaṉṟu).
↑11. For koṭṭakāram, see S.I.I., Vol. Il, p. 61, n. 2; above, Vol. XV, p. 71, n. 3; Travancore Arch.
Series, Vol.. Ill, p 177, n. 3.
↑12. See S.I.I., Vol. III, p. 64, n. 1.
↑13. The expression nīr pūci occurs also in line 284 of the Leyden plates and neṭum paramp-eṟintu in line 305 (which ought to have been numbered 285) of the same. Both terms are used
in line 434 ot the Tiruvālaṅkāṭu plates, S.I.I., Vol. III, p. 410.
↑14. See S.I.I., Vol. III, p. 109, n. 2.
↑15. ēṟi may be the intransitive form of ēṟṟi, ’having joined.’
↑16. For vyavasthā, see S.I.I., Vol. I, No. 40, ll. 20 and 56; Vol. II, No. 98, ll. 58 and 62.
↑17. The, two words paradatti ceṉṟatu occur also in line 133 of the Kācākuṭi plates, and in line 63 of the Vēlūrpāḷaiyam
plates (S.I.I., Vol. II, p. 509), where I would read paradatti (with Grantha da) instead of paraṭatti and cancel the note on p. xiii of the Addenda aud Corrigenda. The Aṉpil plates (above,
Vol. XV, p. 65, text line 180 f.) read paradetti for paradatti.
↑18. On the Aricit River and the Pāṇdya king see Hultzsch 1925–1926: page 7: "The name of this river must be a Sanskritized form of Aricil, a branch branch of the
Kāvērī which enters the sea at Kāraikkāl (Karikal), [fn3: SI.I.I, vol. II, p. 25,
n. 3]. It may be concluded from verse 16 that Nṛpatuṅga allied himself with a Pāṇḍya
king and undertook an expedition into the dominions of the Coḷa king."
↑19. The word nilaitāṁgi written here in Grantha character is a Tamil word, meaning “support (tāṅki) of the earth (nilai)" .
↑20. It is noteworthy that the author of the Sanskrit portion is linked to Vāgūr.
↑21. JV translates (p. 225) as “en marchant avec la bannière” and comments (p. 237) “puis
ils vont solennellement, précédés du drapeau ou de la bannière, reconnaître le terrain
concédé”. EH translates as “circumambulate the limits” and provides parallels in note.