Current Version: draft, 2024-05-22Z
Editor: Jens Christian Thomas.
DHARMA Identifier: INSTelugu00062
Hand Description:
Alternative identifier:
Origin: Written in 700-800.
Classification: commemorative-memorial-hero memorial #donative-religious land grant
Languages: Telugu
Corresponding Artefact: ARTTelugu000055 inscription on On a slab set up near the old village-site at Mailavaram, Ongole taluk, Guntur district
Layout: 7 lines are observed/preserved on the artifact.
1svasti śrī raccayillu-
2(ṁ) jeṟuvuḷu guḷḷu gu[ca]-
3pōṟērivi Ip-prati(ma) vī-
4ri pedda koḍuku niḍumrāni kayya-
5ṁbuna jaccinavānṟu
6iru-gaṇḍug āṟla paṭṭu sēnu
7bhaṭaraḷaku ra(ṭṭō)ḍi yiccinadi
1–2 raccayillu/(ṁ) ◇ raccayillu/(O) • The reading of B. Radhakrishna (i.e. ⟨O⟩) seems to be a printing mistake at first
glance (and this might indeed be the case here). Yet, initial ⟨O⟩ in "archaic Telugu"
- and that is what the script is described as - is quite similar to ⟨gu⟩ and this
reading would make sense insofar as it could represent one of the several forms of
the so called conjunctive or connective particle. It may be noted, though, that while
this suffix is attested with a glide, the form is attested as ⟨vu⟩ and not ⟨gu⟩.
2 jeṟuvuḷu ◇ jeṟuvu — 2–3 guḷḷu gu[ca]/pōṟērivi ◇ guḷḷu gu/pōṟērivi ; guḷlugu[?1*] / pō(ḍē)rivi • The text of J. Ramayya Pantulu is edited in modern Telugu script where the retroflex
double/ḷḷ/ is normally represented via ⟨ḷl⟩. The reading of B. Radhakrishna, however,
makes clear that ⟨ḷḷ⟩ was written which was to be expected. The element pōṟ(i)- can be found in several proper nouns but it is always attributed or itself attribute.
Hence, there is a certain probablility that the last akṣara and another probably lost akṣara (B. Radhakrishna does not insert a dot in his edition) of line 2 form this attribute.
In reference to Nilakanta Sastri and Venkataramayya 1947–1948: page 244 (kūcapōṟi-) I have tentatively supplied the akṣara ⟨ca⟩ to form guca- (i.e. gūca) without claiming that both names refer to the same person. The form pōṟēri comes from *pōṟi-yāri with the so called honorific suffix in gen. case
4 niḍumrāni ◇ niḍumrani
6 āṟla ◇ āḍla
7 ra(ṭṭō)ḍi ◇ ra(ṭṭo)ḍi • The inscription is of old age (confer forms like (āṟla) and the information about
the archaic script) wherefore we can assume a long vowel which is a contraction of
the diphthong as a result of the loss of the intervocalic/g/: raṭṭōḍi from raṭṭaguḍi/raṭṭakuḍi (attested).
Hail. Prosperity. The court-house, the tank and the temple belong to (i.e. are endowed by) Pōḍēri. This sculpture is of his eldest son who died in the battle of Niḍumranu. The raṭṭoḍi gave land sowable with two gaṇḍus of paddy to the God.
My reading consists in small changes on grammatical grounds which were done without consulting the original in absence of a picture in the editions. The basic reading is due to J. Ramayya Pantulu and the corrections of B. Radhakrishna. The content seems to be quite heterogeneous but there is no reason to assume originally distinct inscriptions here. An inner connection might be produced by the assumption that the raṭṭōḍi is identical with Pōḍēru. The anusvāra in the beginning of lines 2 and 5 shows that the anusvāra was written on top of the akṣara that it was meant to be pronounced before as it is the case in some inscriptions.