Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c20.s8.t5: 1.8.5 A rock-cut shrine: Pillaiyarpatti
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c20.s8.t5
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1.8.5 A rock-cut shrine: Pillaiyarpatti
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The discovery of a cave inscription at Pillaiyarpatti (Tiruppattur Taluk, Sivaganga District) by the ASI in 1935-36⁷ marks a turning point in Vaṭṭeḻuttu palaeography; unlike the earlier inscriptions in natural caves, it is engraved in a rock-cut shrine, the earliest in the Pāṇṭiya territory marking the revival of the Saiva faith. The *ARE* describes the inscription as in 'archaic' Vaṭṭeḻuttu; but the attempt made in the Report to read the text is unsuccessful.¹ The dating of the inscription to the 7th century A.D. seems to be influenced by the belief that no rock-cut shrine in Tamil Nadu could antedate Mahendra Pallava who is credited with introducing rock-cut architecture in this part of the country. However, a palaeographic comparison with Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscriptions discovered subsequently leads to the conclusion that the date of the Pillaiyarpatti inscription is unlikely to be later than the middle of the 6th century A.D.²
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⁷ *ARE 156/1935-36*. See also Fig. 8.52 (tracing) and Pl. 51 (estampage).
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¹ *ARE* 156/1935-36.
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² See discussion in the Commentary on No. *117*.
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I published a revised reading of the inscription in 1965;³ but this has been superseded by the version published by Nagaswamy in 1972.⁴ The inscription records the name of the master mason (*peruntaccaṉ*) who excavated or made improvements to the rock-cut shrine. Thus the cave must be as old as, if not older than, the inscription found engraved on a smooth pilaster.
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³ I. Mahadevan 1965d. (Also in) *Corpus of the Tamil-Brāhmī Inscriptions 1966* (1968): No. 75.
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⁴ R. Nagaswamy 1972d: pp. 79-80.