Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s6.t11: XI. Mudalaikulam
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s6.t11
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XI. Mudalaikulam
c28.s6.t11.1
**35.1 *vēmpiṟ-ūr* (*vēmpiṟṟūr*) (P.)**
c28.s6.t11.2
The village may be identified as Vēmbaṟṟūr in Teṉ-kaḷavaḻi-nāṭu (modern Vempattur in Ramanathapuram District) (*ARE* B. 322-344/1959-60). The place is associated with the Caṅkam poets, Kaṇṇaṉ Kūttaṉār (author, *Kuṟun.* 362) and Kumaraṉār (author, *Puṟa.* 317). U.Ve. Swaminathaiyar has noted that this village has been famous for producing Tamil savants and poets from the days of the Kaṭaiccaṅkam up to the present. (*Caṅka kāla pulavarkaḷ*: pp. 409-411). The village is mentioned as *kaḷavaḻi-nāṭṭu vēmpaṟṟūr* in the Larger Siṇṇamaṉūr Plates of Rājasimha (*Pāṇṭiyar Ceppēṭukaḷ*: No. 5, Line 163, 10th cent. A.D.). See Table 4.3.
c28.s6.t11.3
The inscriptional name *vēmpiṟ-ūr* may be analysed as *vēmpil* (basic name) + *tt* (suffix of the oblique case) + *ūr* (suffix of the place name); *-iṟ* (*-iṟṟ* < *il* + *tt*) is oblique suffix with locative signification. The consonant *-ṟ-* is not doubled.
c28.s6.t11.4
*vēmpil* (*vēmpu* + *il*) is attested in an inscription as another name of *vēmpaṟṟūr* (modern Veppattur in Thanjavur District) (*SII.* XIV: No. 10, Pāṇṭiya, ca. 9th cent. A.D.).
c28.s6.t11.5
**a. *vēmp(u)*** (n.) 'neem' (D. 5531). Villages named after the neem tree are quite common in Tamil Nadu.
c28.s6.t11.6
Cf. LT *vēmpu* (*Tivā.* 644; *Piṅkala.* 2679; *Cūṭā.* 4:17).
c28.s6.t11.7
**b. *il*** (n.) 'place'; occurs here with locative signification. See **33.1.b**.
c28.s6.t11.8
**c. *ūr*** (n.) 'village'. See **19.2** .
c28.s6.t11.9
The plural verb *cētava* (see below) indicates that *ūr* occurring here in free form suffixed to the place name, stands not merely for the 'village' in the literal sense of the term, but also for the 'assembly' of the village. See section 4.6.12.
c28.s6.t11.10
Cf. (inscr.) *ūrōm*, *ūravar* 'members of the village assembly' (*Pallava Inscrs.* Nos. 88 and 126 respectively, ca. 8-9 cent. A.D.); *ūrāl yicainta ūrōm* 'the village meeting in assembly' (*SII.* V: No. 307, Cōḻa-Pāṇṭiya, 11th cent. A.D.).
c28.s6.t11.11
***pēr-ay-am* (*pērayam)** 'large tank'.
c28.s6.t11.12
There is a large water reservoir with a circumference of about 2 km. near the village, which may probably be the one mentioned in this inscription. Cf. Mudalaikuḷam, lit., 'crocodile tank', the modern name of the village.
c28.s6.t11.13
The three segments of the word are written separately. The use of initial vowels in non- initial positions is the result of such 'analytical' writing, a characteristic feature of the Early Ta. Br. inscriptions. Cf. ***avviru-a-ar-um*** (45.3) and ***eḻa-a atan*** (46.3).
c28.s6.t11.14
**a.** ***pēr-*** (adj.) 'large'; *peru-* > *pēr-* before a vowel. See 13.2.a.
c28.s6.t11.15
**b.** ***ay-am*** (***ayam***) (n.) 'spring, tank, pond' (D. 188).
c28.s6.t11.16
Cf. LT *pū malintu aruvi ārkkum ayam* 'the pond filled with flowers by the freshes' (*Aka.* 262: 13-14); *ayam* 'tank' (*Tivā.* 895; Piṅkala. 3073; *Cūṭā.* 11: 154).
c28.s6.t11.17
***-am*** is the nominative neuter singular suffix written in free form.
c28.s6.t11.18
**35.3** ***cētavar*** (v.) 'they who made (constructed)'; past participial noun, third person epicene plural, from *cē* (LT *cey*) 'to make' (D. 1957). Cf. LT *ceytavar*. Cf. 35.1 above on the significance of the plural verb here.
c28.s6.t11.19
**Analysis** : *cē* (stem) + *t* (past tense marker) + *avar* (PNG suffix). See 2.10 for further comments.