Current Version: draft, 2024-05-22Z
Editor: Jens Christian Thomas.
DHARMA Identifier: INSTelugu00008
Summary: The inscription mentiones a pannasa given at the instance of (the) Kuṇḍikāḷḷu of Śrī Erikalmutturājullu to the Brahmin of the residence. The witnesses are mentioned.
Hand Description:
Alternative identifier:
Origin: Written in 575-600.
Classification: donative-religious land grant
Languages: Telugu
Corresponding Artefact: ARTTelugu000008 inscription on Slab set up outside the north prākāra of the same temple [i. e. the Cennakēśavasvāmi temple at Erraguḍipāḍu]
Layout: 1495 lines are observed/preserved on the artifact.
Faces A 1svasti śrī Erika-
2lmutturājulla
3kuṇḍikāḷḷu (n)ivabuka-
4nu Iccina pannasa
5dujayarājula
6muturājulu nava-
7priyamutturājulu
8vallavadukarajulu śākṣi-
9kanu Icci⟨na⟩ pannassa
Faces B
10koṭṭa(ṁ)buna pā-
11ṟaku kuṇḍikāḷḷu-
12ḷā Iccina pannasa
13Iravadiyādina-
14lku maṟu(nt)uṟlu nēla
3–4 (n)ivabuka/nu ◇ (n)ivabukā/nu NS+V
6 muturājulu ◇ mutturājulu NS+V
8–9 śākṣi/kanu ◇ śakṣi/kānu NS+V
11–12 kuṇḍikāḷḷu/ḷā ◇ kuṇḍikāḷḷu/ḷa NS+V
13–14 Iravadiyādina/lku ◇ Iravadiyādinā/lku NS+V
14 maṟu(nt)uṟlu ◇ maṟuntuṟlu NS+V
ll. 1-9 Hail! Prosperity! At the instance of Kuṇḍikāḷḷu (an officer?) of Erikal-Mutturājulu, a pannasa was granted, the witnesses to the deed being Dujayarājula Mutturājulu, Navapriya Mutturājulu and Pallava Dukarajulu. ll. 10-14 Kuṇḍikāḷḷu granted pannasa of twenty-four maṟuntuṟs of land to a brahmin of ¿of? the territorial division (koṭṭaṁbu).
Svasti! At the instance of (the) Kuṇḍikāḷḷu of Śrī Erikalmutturājullu a pannasa was given. (With) Dujayarājula Muturājulu, Navapriyamutturājulu, and Vallavadukarajulu being the witnesses the pannasa was given to the brahmin at the residence. The pannasa given by (the) Kuṇḍikāḷḷu (is) twenty four maṟuntuṟlu land.
The expression nivabukanu (*nivambu+kānu) may well correspond to modern Telugu nevamu/nepamu which means ’blame, pretext, pretence’ but also ’cause’. It is traced to either skt. nibha- (Sastri 1969: page 372) or skt. nivāpa- (Radhakrishna 1971: page 364). Kuṇḍikāḷḷu (i.e. skt. kuṇḍin- + kāḷḷu, pl. of kālu ’foot’ as loan translation from skt. pāda-) could be a proper noun but it also could be a desgnation of an official (e. g. a higher religious official). This ambivalence is indicated by (the) in brackets. Although a village name is not mentioned the expression koṭṭaṁbu can refer to the spot where the inscription has been found (Eṟṟaguḍipāḍu). It is noteworthy that the generic expression “brahmin at the residence” was either sufficient to identify the brahmin who was given the pannasa or that only the donation act itself was the deed that was ment to be remembered. On the other hand there are villages that are named koṭṭam.
The incription was noted twice in the Annual Report and edited by K. A. Nilakanta Sastri and M. Venkataramayya with picture and annotations but without translation (1947-1948: pages 225–228, № 42 B). Following Nilakanta Sastri’s and Venkataramayya’s edition K. M. Sastri re-edited and translated the text (1969: pages 282–283, № 2).