Current Version: draft, 2024-05-22Z
Editor: .
DHARMA Identifier: INSTelugu00052
Alternative identifier:
Origin: Written in 675-700.
Classification: donative
Languages: Telugu
Corresponding Artefact: ARTTelugu000045 inscription on On a pillar lying in front of the Agastyēśvara temple in Cilamakūru
Layout: 22 lines are observed/preserved on the artifact.
1svasti śrīmaT-
2vikramāditya-
3cōḻamahārā-
4juL ĒḷaN cō-
5ḻamahādēvuḶ
6Uttam(ā)dityasā-
7mantakamuḶ ciṟuṁ-
8buru Ēḷan ūra
9Eḻu pāṟla(pā)-
10kāṭuḻuna vaṇaṁ (pa)-
11riyāramu maru(tu)-
12ṇḍu pā[?2*](pra)-
13sādacēsiri Āca-
14ndradararkaṁbu nilva(nu)
15tolpakāmi raṭṭaguḷḷu
16cōḻiya raṭṭaguḷḷu
17Atiśa(ya ra)ṭṭaguḷḷu
18Aḻikō[?6*]ri-
19kki prasāda
20pūrvvama[?4*]
21tēni ḻaccu[?2*]-
22hāpāta(ka)[?2*](gu)
1–2 śrīmat/vikramā° • The editors did not publish a picture of the edition. A ⟨t⟩ with virāma, however, is used in the Telugu edition of Ramayya Pantulu.
3–4 °mahārā/juL ĒḷaN ◇ °mahārā/jula Ēḷana • Nilakanta Sastri and Venkataramayya discuss the form of the halanta ⟨L⟩, namely
that it could be ⟨rlu⟩ although the u-vowel was omitted, yet publish it as ⟨lē⟩. The
halanta ⟨N⟩ is inferred from the edition of Ramayya Pantulu who reads ⟨°na cō°⟩. Both
the halanta ⟨L⟩ and ⟨N⟩ should be easily discernible if they follow the usual graphemic
practice in that the right upwards stroke of the halanta ⟨L⟩ stops as such and is
not bent towards the left side and in that the ⟨N⟩ lacks the "roof". Interestingly,
the akṣara was read ⟨ñcō⟩ in the Annual Report of Indian Epigraphy.
7–8 ciṟuṁ/buru ◇ ciṟu/ṁbūru • The line break is significant in so far as the anusvāra is often written on top of the akṣara that it is pronounced before instead of being written on top of the akṣara that it is pronounced after. Both editions give contradictory information in this
regard.
8 Ēḷan ūra ◇ Ēḷana[?3*] • Since there is no information given by Nilakanta Sastri and Venkataramayya I can
not decide whether the inscription reads ⟨nū⟩ or ⟨N Ū⟩.
9 Ēḻu pāṟla(pā) ◇ Ēṟupāṟla[?3*]
10–11 °kāṭuḻuna vaṇaṁ (pa)/riyāramu ◇ °kāṭuḍu[?4*]/ri[?4*]
11–12 13 maru(tu)/ṇḍu pā[?2*](pra)/sādacēsiri ◇ ma[?4*]/ṇḍu[?6*]/sāda[?5*]
13–14 Āca/ndradararkaṁbu nilva(nu) ◇ (Ā)ca/(ndra)dhara[?1*]bu ni(lva)nu
16 cōḻiya ◇ cōḍiya
17 Ati[?5*]gu(ḷḷu) ◇ Atiśa(ya ra)ṭṭaguḷḷu
18–19 Aḻikō[?6*]ri/kki ◇ Aḻi[?4*]/kki • Nilakanta Sastri and Venkataramayya write ri/ikki which is phonotactically impossible
and contradicts Ramayya Pantulu’s edition. It may be a misprint.
19 prasāda ◇ prasā[?1*]
20 pūrvvama[?4*] ◇ pūrvvamā[?4*]
21 tēni ḻaccu[?2*] ◇ ¡tē!⟨dī⟩ni ḻaccu[?4*] • Ramayya Pantulu marks the normalization in the same way as he would do with unclear
characters so that one could interprete his edition as saying that after ⟨tē⟩ there
is another ⟨dī⟩ written in the inscription. This, however, contradicts the edition
of Nilakanta Sastri and Venkataramayya and does not render a meaningful word. I therefore
regard it as a normalization that is, however, unnecessary since the interrogative
pronoun often occurs in this position..
22 hāpāta(ka)[?2*](gu) ◇ hāpāta[?5*]
Hail! During the reign of the illustrious Vikramāditya Cōḻa mahārāja, while the queen Cōḻa mahādēvi, with Uttamāditya as sāmantaka was ruling Ciṟuṁbūru, they gave to the seven brahmins of the village, the (tax?) vanam pariyāramu in Pākāṭuḻu and a marutu (of land), (the gift) to stand as long as the Sun, Moon and Stars exist. Tolpa-kāmi-Raṭṭaguḷḷu, Cōḻiya-Raṭṭaguḷḷu, Atiśaya-Raṭṭaguḷḷu ... (those obstructing) which (gift) ... incur the (five) great sins.
The width of the gaps follows the number of dots that are printed in the editions.