Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s2.t13.15

Language: English

c28.s2.t13.15

| **ILL.** | Tracing: Fig. 8.36A. Estampage: Pl. 34A. |
| **Locus** | Inscription at left on the brow of the cave called Ñāṉiyārmaṭam to the west of the Subrahmaṇya temple on the hill. It runs from left to right, but the letters are engraved upside down. The illustrations are printed in the normal orientation. See section 5.8 on direction of writing. The inscription is legible and not 'much damaged' as stated in *ARE*. |
| **No. of lines** | 1 |
| **Length** | 105 cm. |
| **Date** | ca. 3rd century A.D. |
| **Publ.** | *ARE* 44/1909; *ARE* 1917-18:Pl. facing p. 6. *SII*. XXVI:No. 45. IM:69/1966. *HTS*:17.1 (p. 62); MSV: 3(pp. 40-42); RN:15.1 (pp. 65-66); TVM:15 (pp. 285-287, Pl. 26). T.V. Mahalingam 1958: pp. 5-7. |
| **Notes** | |
| 1. | The first letter was partly hidden under mortar which was scraped off by our team in 1992. |
| 2. | The three dots shown with this letter in the eye copy by TVM are not seen *in situ*. |
| 3. | The *puḷḷi* marks with these two letters came to light when the rock surface was cleaned. The *puḷḷi* is placed in each case to the right of the respective letter in the middle of the line. |
| 4. | The letter is *tā* and not *ta* as copied by me earlier and in TVM's eye copy. |
| 5. | *kāppi-*. Cf. LT *kāppi-yāṟṟu kāppiyaṉ-ār*. |
| 6. | Read *cāttaṉ*. It is possible that the orthography is archaic. See n.6, No. 52. |