Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s7.t8: 4.6.8 Chief of scribes
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s7.t8
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4.6.8 Chief of scribes
c23.s7.t8.1
An inscription at Alagarmalai (No. *40*, ca. 1st century B.C.) refers to 'Ataṉ Ataṉ, son of Ataṉ, the accountant (*kaṇaka-*), the chief of scribes (*kaṇatikaṉ*)'. He figures as one of the many donors from Matirai (Madurai) who collectively made endowments to the cave shelter at Alagarmalai. He was by vocation an accountant and, judging from his title, served as the chief of scribes probably in the royal court at Madurai.
c23.s7.t8.2
The term *kaṇaka* (<Pkt. *gaṇaka*) means an 'accountant'. The term *gaṇaka* occurs in this sense in the Sinhala-Brāhmī inscriptions.⁷ In later Tamil inscriptions, *kaṇakkaṉ* meant the 'accountant who maintained the accounts of the village or temple'.
c23.s7.t8.3
⁷ S. Paranavitana 1970: p. xcv.
c23.s7.t8.4
The expression *kaṇatikaṉ* is construed as *kaṇa* 'scribe' + *atikaṉ* 'chief' and interpreted as the 'chief of scribes'. In Sinhala-Brāhmī inscriptions, the term *kaṇa* (<Skt. *karaṇa*) 'scribe' occurs in the same sense as *gaṇaka* 'accountant', and the duties of both functionaries appear to be more or less similar.¹ This was also the case in the Tamil country where the terms *karaṇam*/*karṇam* and *kaṇakkaṉ* were synonymous and meant 'village or temple accountant'.
c23.s7.t8.5
¹ S. Paranavitana 1970: p. xcv.