Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c26.s13: 6.13 Medial vowel notations in legends on inscribed objects
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c26.s13
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Contents
- c26.s13.t1 6.13.1 Coins — 8 parts
- c26.s13.t2 6.13.2 Seals with TB-I notation — 3 parts
- c26.s13.t3 6.13.3 Rings with TB-I notation — 6 parts
6.13 Medial vowel notations in legends on inscribed objects
c26.s13.1
All three types of vowel notations appear in Tamil-Brāhmī legends on inscribed objects like coins, seals and rings.¹² The TB-I notation occurs in fewer and earlier legends. The *puḷḷi* appears only rarely. Only legends with the TB-I notation or the *puḷḷi* are noticed below.
c26.s13.2
¹² See Tables 1.6 to 1.8 and Figs. 1.22 to 1.24.
6.13.1 Coins
c26.s13.t1.1
| Apparent reading | Actual reading |
| **(i) With TB-I notation** | |
| **pe ru vā ḷu ti** | ***peruvaḷuti* (Early Pāṇṭiya)**¹ |
| **ka ṭā la a ṇa** | ***kaṭalaṉ* (coin from Sri Lanka)**² |
| **ū ti rā ṇa** | ***u(t)tiraṉ* (coin from Sri Lanka)**³ |
| **pi ṭā ṇa** | ***pi(ṭ)ṭaṉ* (coin from Sri Lanka)**⁴ |
| **(ii) With the *puḷḷi*** | |
| | ***vāciṭṭi makaṉ* (portrait coins of the Sātavāhanas; the *puḷḷi* is placed next to -*ṭ*-).**⁵ |
| | ***atiṇṇaṉ etirāṉ cēntaṉ* (coin from Andippatti; the short vowel *e* has a *puḷḷi* inside).**⁶ |
| | ***kuṭṭuvaṉ kōtai* (Early Cēra; with two *puḷḷi* marks, one of them incorrectly placed).**⁷ |
c26.s13.t1.2
¹ See Nos. 1 & 2, Table 1.6 and Fig. 1.22A. See also section 4.2.2.
c26.s13.t1.3
² See No. 4, Table 1.6.
c26.s13.t1.4
³ See No. 5, Table 1.6. See also section 4.19.5 (iv). For the use of *ū* in lieu of *u*, see section 6.15.
c26.s13.t1.5
⁴ See No .6, Table 1.6.
c26.s13.t1.6
⁵ See Nos. 9 & 10, Table 1.6. See also section 5.15 and Fig. 5.9.
c26.s13.t1.7
⁶ See No. 13, Table 1.6. See also section 4.5.4.
c26.s13.t1.8
⁷ See No. 12, Table 1.6 and Fig. 1.22 E. See also section 4.3.4.
6.13.2 Seals with TB-I notation
c26.s13.t2.1
| **pā rā ta ṇa** | ***parataṉ*, 'a clan name'. (A terracotta seal from Kadathur).**⁸ |
| **ku ṟā vā ṇa** | ***kuṟavaṉ*, 'a clan name'. (A silver seal from Karur).**⁹ |
c26.s13.t2.2
⁸ See No. 3, Table 1.7 and Fig. 1.23 B. See also section 4.18.1 (v).
c26.s13.t2.3
⁹ See No. 2, Table 1.7 and Fig. 1.23 A. See also section 4.18.1 (iii).
6.13.3 Rings with TB-I notation
c26.s13.t3.1
The following legends are on gold rings from Karur:
c26.s13.t3.2
| **ū pā ā ṇa** | ***upa[c*]aṉ* 'preceptor'** ¹⁰ |
| **ti yā ṇa ō tā lā ṇa** | ***tiyaṉ ōtalaṉ*, 'a personal name'** ¹¹ |
| **mi ti rā ṇa** | ***mi(t)tiraṉ* 'a personal name'**¹² |
| **ti yā ṇa** | ***tiyaṉ* 'a personal name'**¹³ |
c26.s13.t3.3
¹⁰ See No. 4, Table 1.8 and Fig. 1.24 A. See also section 4.9.3 (iii).
c26.s13.t3.4
¹¹ See No. 2, Table 1.8 and Fig. 1.23 D. See also sections 4.18.1 (v) and 4.19.4 (i).
c26.s13.t3.5
¹² See No. 3, Table 1.8 and Fig. 1.23 E. See also section 4.19.3 (i).
c26.s13.t3.6
¹³ See No. 1, Table 1.8 and Fig. 1.23 C. See also section 4.19.4 (i).