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Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s6: 4.5 Chieftains

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s6

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4.5 Chieftains

4.5.1 Atiyaṉ Neṭumāṉ Añci

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The donor of the cave shelter at Jambai is referred to as *satiyaputō atiyan neṭumān añci* in the inscription (No. **59**, ca. 1st century A.D.). He may be identified as the famous chieftain Atiyamāṉ Neṭumāṉ Añci of Takaṭūr (modern Dharmapuri) celebrated in Caṅkam literature.

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Añci was a great warrior and a liberal patron.¹ Once, the poetess Auvaiyār went as his ambassador to the court of Toṇṭaimān.² The most famous legend connected with Añci is that when he was presented with a miraculous *nelli* (gooseberry) fruit which would confer immortality, he chose to give it away to Auvaiyār on the ground that her longevity would be more beneficial to the public good.³ Añci was defeated by Peruñcēral Irumporai, the Cēra king, who took Takaṭūr in a famous battle.⁴

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¹ *Puṟa*. 99 & 103.

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² *Puṟa*. 95.

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³ *Puṟa*. 91.

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⁴ *Patiṟ. Patikam* 8.

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It is significant that Jambai, the site of the present inscription, is near Kōvalūr (modern Tirukkoyilur in Viluppuram District), the seat of the Malaiyamān chieftains. The sack of Kōvalūr by Añci was a famous event celebrated in song by Paraṇar as mentioned by Auvaiyār.⁵ Perhaps the grant was made by Añci to celebrate this victory.

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⁵ *Puṟa*. 99.

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The title *satiyaputō* occurs in Asoka's second rock edict at Girnar⁶ (and with slight variations at other sites). As the discovery of the Tamil-Brāhmī inscription at Jambai has finally settled the question who the Satiyaputras were,⁷ it is not necessary to go into the details of this long debate here, except to mention the remarkably accurate identification made on purely linguistic grounds by Sesha Iyer and improved upon by Burrow.⁸ According to Burrow, the linguistic developments are *atiya* < *satiya* (*\*catiya*) with the loss of the initial palatal, and *māṉ* < *makaṉ*, shortened as in *cēramāṉ* corresponding to *kēralaputō*. The Jambai inscription which has, side by side, both the Prakrit and Tamil forms *satiyaputō* and *atiyan*, furnishes conclusive evidence for the correctness of this identification. Cf. *kaṭummiputa cēra* for an interesting parallel from the Edakal inscription (**No. 80**).

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⁶ *CII*. I. Gir. II. 2.

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⁷ R. Nagaswamy 1981a & b.

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⁸ K.G.Sesha Iyer 1937: p. 18. T. Burrow 1968b: pp. 158-159.

4.5.2 Piṭṭaṉ and Korṟantai

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Two of the Pugalur inscriptions (Nos. **65** & **66**, late 2nd century A.D.) record the gift of the daughter of Pi(t)taṉ alias Pi(ṭ)ṭantai. In another inscription (No. **67**, early 3rd century A.D.) at this site, Korṟantai (I)ḷavaṉ (that is, Iḷavaṉ, son of Korṟantai) figures as the donor. The names Piṭṭaṉ and Korṟantai occurring in such close proximity to the Irumporai inscriptions (Nos. **61** & **62**) on the same hill, remind one of Piṭṭaṉ, the famous chieftain of Kutiraimalai and commander of the Cēra army and his equally famous son Piṭṭaṅkorṟaṉ or Korṟaṉ. Though the evidence is circumstantial, it is not improbable that Piṭṭaṉ and Korṟantai mentioned in the Pugalur inscriptions are the same as Piṭṭaṉ and Korṟaṉ celebrated in Caṅkam literature.⁹ It is interesting that, as in the Irumporai records (Nos. **61** & **62**), three generations of Piṭṭaṉ's family also figure in these inscriptions (Nos. **65**-**67**).

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⁹ Piṭṭaṉ (*Puṟa*. 170 & 172; *Aka*. 77 & 143). Piṭṭaṅkorṟaṉ (*Puṟa*. 168, 169 & 171).

4.5.3 Kaṇimāṉ

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The Mamandur inscription (No. 73, ca. 3rd century A.D.) near Kanchipuram refers to Kaṇimāṉ, 'the chieftain (*kōṉ*) who took Tēṉūr'. He was probably a local chieftain in this region before the Pallava occupation of Kanchipuram around the middle of the 3rd century A.D.

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Kaṇimāṉ was probably of Cēra lineage, like the Atiyamāṉs of Takaṭūr and the Malaiyamāṉs of Kōvalūr, as indicated by the *-māṉ* suffix in his name. As the site of the inscription is in Toṇṭaināṭu, he was also probably connected with the Toṇṭaimāṉs who ruled over this region before the Pallava occupation. But beyond what is suggested by the names, there is no other evidence for these connections.

4.5.4 Atiṇṇaṉ Etirāṉ Cēntaṉ

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The name occurs as that of a chieftain in the Tamil-Brāhmī coin-legend in a large hoard of identical lead coins found by chance at Andippatti near Chengam in North Arcot District.¹ The coin may be assigned to ca. 3rd century A.D. on palaeographic evidence.

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¹ See No. 13, Table 1.6.

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The coin-legend has been read as *atiṇṇaṉ etir=āṉa cēntaṉ* and translated as 'Cēntaṉ, the successor of Atiṇṇaṉ'.² The phrase *etir āṉa* does not occur in this sense elsewhere, but the interpretation is plausible, as it is based on a comparison with a similar usage *etirāṉa* 'succeeding' (year) occurring in the Pāṇṭiya inscriptions. However, as it is unlikely that a successor would issue a coin in his name when the predecessor was still alive, the expression may be read as *etirāṉ* and given the wider meaning 'descendant' (< *etir* 'to come to pass in future'; *TL*). It is perhaps in this sense that *etiraṉ* occurs as part of a personal name in *vēṭkōvaṉ etiraṉ cāttaṉ* (alias) *nāṉūṟṟuva-p-peruṅkō vēḷāṉ*.³ Perhaps Atiṇṇaṉ was an illustrious forbear from whom Cēntaṉ wished to trace his lineage. The name Atiṇṇaṉ is not attested in literary works, but may be compared with Atiṉaṉ occurring as a personal name in the Tamil-Brāhmī cave inscription at Arittapatti (No. 7, ca. 2nd century B.C.).

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² K.G. Krishnan 1973-74c: pp. 139-140.

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³ K.V. Subrahmanya Aiyer 1933-34, The Larger Leiden Plates of Rājarāja I, *EI*. XXII: p. 264, lines 230-232.

4.5.5 Patumaṉ Kōtai

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A pottery inscription, deeply incised in bold, stylised characters of ca. 1st century A.D., was found in the recent excavations at Alagankulam.⁴ The inscription reads *pa tu mā ṟ kō tai* (Patumaṉ Kōtai). The name is clearly that of a Cēra prince or chieftain as judged from *kōtai*, the second part of the name. The first part of the name *patumaṉ* reminds one of Vēḷ Āvi-k-kōmāṉ Patumaṉ, the high-ranking chieftain whose two daughters were married to the two Cēra rulers, Cēral Ātaṉ (of the main line) and Celva-k-kaṭuṅkō (of the Irumpoṟai line) respectively.⁵ He lived in a large palace in Karuvūr.¹ However, as the pottery inscription is fragmentary consisting only of the personal name and has been found in the Pāṇṭiya territory, the name in it cannot be positively identified as that of the famous chieftain of the Cēra country mentioned in the *Patiṟṟuppattu*.

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⁴ See No. 5, Table 1.5 and Fig. 1.20 B.

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⁵ *Patiṟ*. *Patikams* 4 & 8.

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¹ *Puṟa.* 13, colophon; *Cilap.* 28: 198.

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