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Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s6.t14: XIV. Aiyarmalai

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s6.t14

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XIV. Aiyarmalai

c28.s6.t14.1

**50.1 paṉaituṟai** (P.) **a. paṉai** (n.) 'palmyra palm' (D. 4037). The place was apparently named after the tree. Cf. LT *paṉai* 'palmyra tree' (*Tivā.* 700; *Piṅkala.* 2755; *Cūṭā.* 4:10). **b. tuṟai** (n.) 'waterfront', ('bathing ghat' D. 3370). Cf. LT *viravu maṇal akal tuṟai* 'the broad waterfront with a sandy stretch (*Aka.* 25:2). The term is generally suffixed to names of places on the seashore or river banks which served as fording points. The place was probably on the bank of the River Cauvery flowing not far from this site.

c28.s6.t14.2

**50.2 vesaṉ** (*vessaṉ*). N. of the donor. Cf. *vessa* (Pkt.) < *vaiśya* (Skt.) 'man of the third class or caste whose business was trade as well as agriculture' (*MW*).

c28.s6.t14.3

Cf. LT *vaicikaṉ peṟumē vāṇika vāḻkkai* 'the Vaiśya lives by trading' (*Tol. Poruḷ.* 632); *vayicciyar* 'Vaiśya' (*Tivā.* 192); *vaiciyar* 'Vaiśya'. (*Piṅkala.* 773; *Cūṭā.* 2:25).

c28.s6.t14.4

Alternatively, the name may also be derived from *vissa* (AMg.) < *vaiśva* (Skt.) 'the asterism Uttarāṣhāḍha'. The personal name *veśa* derived from the asterism occurs several times in the Early Brāhmī inscriptions of Sri Lanka (Paranavitana 1970: Nos. 214, 215, etc.). Cf. ***visuvaṉ*** (***vissuvaṉ***) (**27.2.b**). See section 4.19.4(iv).

c28.s6.t14.5

50.3 ataṭ-aṇam

c28.s6.t14.6

Read *atiṭ-āṇam* (*atiṭṭāṉam*) (n.) 'seat'. See **49.8** for further comments.

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