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Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s6.t1: 4.5.1 Atiyaṉ Neṭumāṉ Añci

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s6.t1

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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.

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