Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s23: 4.20 Place names

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s23

Language: English

c23.s23.t1 4.20.1 Countries — 7 parts
c23.s23.t2 4.20.2 Regions outside the Tamil country — 3 parts
c23.s23.t3 4.20.3 Territorial divisions — 6 parts
c23.s23.t4 4.20.4 Cities and ports — 25 parts
c23.s23.t5 4.20.5 Other place names — 3 parts
c23.s23.t6 4.20.6 Common toponyms — 3 parts

4.20 Place names

4.20.1 Countries

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Two expressions from these inscriptions have been regarded as suggesting links with Sri Lanka, but neither is quite conclusive.

The expression *iḻa-kuṭumpikaṉ* at Tirupparankunram (No. **55**, ca. 1st century A.D.) has been connected with Īḻam, the Jaffna region of Sri Lanka. However, it is preferable to regard *īḻa-kuṭumpikaṉ* as a 'householder of the family of toddy-drawers (*īḻavar*)', as personal names in this inscription betray influence of Kannada pointing to Karnataka rather than Sri Lanka.¹

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¹ For discussion, See section 3.2.4.

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(ii) Caiyaḷaṉ

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The personal name *caiyaḷaṉ* occurring in an inscription from Muttuppatti (No. **57**, ca. 1st century A.D.) has been interpreted as one belonging to Sri Lanka; cf. Skt. *saimhala/aka-* 'one from *simhala* (Sri Lanka)'. However, other interpretations are also possible deriving the name from Skt. *siṁha* 'lion' or *sahya* (Ta. *caiyam*) 'the Sahyādri' (as discussed in the Commentary).

4.20.2 Regions outside the Tamil country

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Erumi-nāṭu

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The expression *erumi-nāṭu* occurring in the inscription at Sittannavasal-A (No. **49**, ca. 1st century B.C.) is probably a variant of *erumaināṭu* generally identified with the Mysore region (*mahiṣha-maṇḍala*) of Karnataka. The occurrence of expressions influenced by Kannada in this inscription corroborates the proposed identification.²

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² See Commentary for details.

4.20.3 Territorial divisions

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(i) Teṉ-ciṟuvāyil-nāṭu

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The inscription at Sittannavasal-A referred to above also mentions that the *iḷayar* (LT *iḷaiyar*) who gifted the stone bed in the cave shelter belonged to *teṉku-ciṟu-pocil* probably the ancient territorial division called *teṉ-ciṟuvāyil-nāṭu* which lay immediately to the east of the hill at Sittannavasal.

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(ii) Pāṇāṭu

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The Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscription at Paraiyanpattu (No. **115**, ca. 6th century A.D.) mentions an ancient territorial division called *pāṇāṭ(u)* which may be construed as *pāṇ* + *nāṭu* 'the *pāṇ* country'; *pāṇāṭu* is also mentioned in ancient Tamil literature.³ The territory is referred to as *pāṇa-rāṣhṭra* in the *Lōkavibhāga*, a Digambara Jaina work in Sanskrit, which also mentions the city of *pāṭalikā* in the territory.⁴ The city has been identified with modern Tiru-p-patiri-p-puliyur, a suburb of Cuddalore in South Arcot District; *pāṇāṭu* spread over parts of South and North Arcot Districts. The territory was known in later times as *perum-pāṇa-p-pāṭi* ruled over by the Bāṇa chieftains.

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³ *Aka.* 155. See Commentary (115.2) for discussion.

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⁴ A. Chakravarti 1941 (revised edn. by. K.V. Ramesh 1974): pp. viii and 16.

4.20.4 Cities and ports

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**(i) *Madurai, the capital city of the Pāṇḍiya kingdom***

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The earliest epigraphic reference to Matirai, the capital city of the Pāṇṭiya kingdom, is found in the cave inscriptions. The city is mentioned four times, twice at Mettuppatti (Nos. *24 & 27*, ca. 2nd century B.C.) and twice at Alagarmalai (Nos. *36 & 38*, ca. 1st century B.C.). While the literary form is *maturai*, the preferred inscriptional form is *matirai* even in later inscriptions.

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**(ii) *Toṇḍi, the seaport of the Pāṇḍiyas***

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The place name *toṇṭi* occurring in the Kīḻavalavu inscription (No. *10*, 2nd century B.C.) may be identified as the ancient seaport of the Pāṇṭiya kingdom on the east coast involved in pearl-fishery and maritime trade from the earliest times. While the Cēra seaport of Toṇṭi on the west coast was more famous in the Caṅkam Age, the eastern port is also referred to in early Tamil literature.¹ Presently a small port on the east coast, Tondi is connected by a highway to Melur near Kīḻavalavu, probably tracing the ancient route (see Map I).

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¹ *Kuruṇ.* 210 & 238. See note by U. Ve. Swaminathaiyar (5th edn., 2000: p. lxxxv).

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**(iii) *Karur, the Cēra capital***

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Karuvūr, the capital city of the Irumporai kings, is referred to as *karu-ūr* (modern Karur) in one of the stone-bed inscriptions (No. *69*, ca. 3rd century A.D.) at Pugalur.

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Karur is near Pugalur (ancient Pukaḻiyūr), the site of the Irumporai inscriptions. The city straddled the ancient trade routes from the west coast through the Palghat Gap to the east coast and southward to Madurai. Numerous Roman gold and silver coins found in and around Karur attest to the importance of the place in the trade with the Western world in Classical times. It was known to Ptolemy, the Greek geographer, who refers to it as *Karoura* 'the inland city' and capital of *Kerebothros* (*kēralaputra*).

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Karuvūr is mentioned as the capital of Peruñcēral Irumporai. Though the name Karuvūr occurs only once in the body of the Caṅkam poetry,² 11 poets of the Caṅkam Age are known to have hailed from this city. The city was known as Vañci in Caṅkam literature. The commentators clearly identify Vañci with Karuvūr. The long debate on the correctness of identifying Karuvūr with Vañci has now become academic after the discovery of the Irumporai inscriptions at Pugalur (Nos. *61 & 62*, ca. 2nd century A.D.), and of enormous quantities of Cēra coins from the Amaravathi riverbed at Karur. Hundreds of square copper coins with the Cēra insignia of bow and arrow have been picked up from the riverbed in recent years. The numismatic finds range from the earliest copper coins without inscriptions in ca. 2nd century B.C. to the latest inscribed silver portrait coins in ca. 3rd century A.D.³

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² *Aka.* 93:21.

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³ R. Krishnamurthy 1997a: chapter 3 (Coins of the Cēras): pp. 59-108.

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Figure 4.3. A Roman ship calling at Alagankulam. Graffito on pottery. ca. 1st century A.D.

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Figure 4.4. A *mithuna* couple engraved on a gold ring. Karur. ca. 2nd century A.D.

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(iv) *Muciṟi, the Cēra seaport

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The place name Muciṟi occurring in one of the Muttuppaṭṭi inscriptions (No. 56, ca. 1st century B.C.) near Madurai may be identified as the famous Cēra seaport on the west coast.¹ Muciṟi has been identified as Cranganore on the west coast in Kerala (not included in Map I). Muciṟi was the prime port of call in India for Western shipping in the Classical Age and was well-known to Pliny and the *Periplus*. Muciṟi's prosperous trade, especially in pepper, with the Classical Western world is attested in the following famous lines:

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¹ There is a small town with this name in Tiruchirapalli District; but it is not heard of in antiquity. Further, the personal name Muciṟi Kōṭaṉ in this inscription reminds one of Muyiṟi-k-kōṭu, another name for Muciṟi, the Cēra port.

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*yavaṉar tanta viṉai māṇ naṇ kalam*
*poṉṉoṭu vantu kaṟiyoṭu peyarum*
*vaḷam keḻu muciṟi.*

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'The Yavaṉar (Romans) bring their well-built ships, arriving with gold and departing with pepper from prosperous Muciṟi' (*Aka.* 149:9-11).

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The recently discovered Vienna Museum Papyrus (ca. 2nd century A.D.) written in Greek is a bill of lading or a shipping contract between a merchant at Muziris (Muciṟi) and his counterpart at Alexandria. Steven Sidebotham gives the following brief description of the document:²

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² S.E. Sidebotham 1991: p. 30.

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A recently published papyrus, purchased in Egypt in 1980, sheds light on the importation into Roman Egypt of Indian products. The incomplete papyrus, dated on palaeographic grounds to the mid-second century A.D., was written on both sides. One side (obverse) records a business loan drawn up in Muziris. The other side (reverse), written in Alexandria, mentions the shipment of crates of Gangetic nard, ivory, and bales of cloth from Muziris. The text recounts the arrival of the merchandise into one of the Egyptian Red Sea ports whose name is lost, its conveyance by camel across the Eastern Desert to Coptos, and its loading onto a Nile ship for transport to Alexandria. The business contract recorded on the papyrus covers the period of shipment from Muziris until the arrival of the cargo at Alexandria and mentions the specific type of merchandise, the quantity, and value as well as the 25 percent tax rate levied by Roman customs officials.

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(v) *Pictorial representation of a Roman ship at Alagankulam

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A unique graffito found at Alagankulam³ during 1996-97 depicts the stern of a sailing ship (Fig. 4.3). Fine details like the steering oars, aftermast and its rigging, the mainmast and a latticed bulwark running above the hull are shown. Lionel Casson, an expert on ancient Greco-Roman ships, has examined a photograph of the graffito and has compared the features depicted in it with those of the Mediterranean ships of the Imperial Roman period (ca. 1-3 centuries A.D.). On the basis of the comparison, he has been able to identify the Alagankulam graffito as depicting a three-master Roman sailing ship, the largest type of Greco-Roman merchantmen used on the long and demanding voyage between Egypt and India.¹ We should be thankful to the unknown Tamil artist who has so vividly portrayed the Roman ship calling at the Alagankulam port, no doubt bringing in gold and wine and taking off with pepper and pearls, ivory and textiles.

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³ Natana Kasinathan 1997: p. 72, No. 9; Pl. IV, No. 9. See Fig. 4.3.

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¹ Lionel Casson 1997.

4.20.5 Other place names

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The Index to Place Names (Appendix III) lists the place names numbering about 50 in the inscriptions included in the Corpus. The places which could be identified are included in Map I which shows the modern names in roman and the corresponding inscriptional names in italics. A list of identified inscriptional place names in the Corpus is given in Table 4.3.

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Table 4.3. Identification of inscriptional with modern place names.

4.20.6 Common toponyms

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The most common suffix to place names is *-ūr* 'village, town or city'. Other common names of villages include *-paḷḷi*, *-pēṭu*, *-cēri* and *-il*.

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A noteworthy feature of the place names is the occurrence of common toponyms based on local geographical features like hill (*-aṟai*, *-kuṉṟu*, *-malai*), jungle (*-kāṭu*), territorial division (*-nāṭu*), river (*yāṟu*), tanks (*ēri*, *poykai*), waterfront (*-tuṟai*). Village names are also derived from local flora and fauna; these names are given in the following section. Directions like *mēl-* (western), *kīḻ-* (eastern) and *teṉku-* (southern) are prefixed to place names to distinguish them from other places with the same names.

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A complete list of common toponyms occurring with place names in the inscriptions is annexed to the Index of Place Names in Appendix III.

Linked texts (7)

Akanāṉūṟu — Uruttiracaṉmaṉ, Tamil
Kuṟuntokai — Pūrikkō, Tamil
Graffito — Gāndhārī
No. 55 (No. 489 of 1913) — Prakrit
No. 57 (No. 501 of 1913) — Prakrit
No. 56 — Prakrit
No. 49 (No. 565 of 1907) — Prakrit