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Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s6.t16: XVI. Tirupparankunram

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s6.t16

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XVI. Tirupparankunram

c28.s6.t16.1

**53.1 antuvaṉ** N. of the donor.

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Cf. LT *antuvaṉ* 'a Cēra king' (*Patiṟ. Patikam* 7); *antuvaṉ kīraṉ* 'a liberal patron' (*Puṟa.* 359:colophon). It is significant that a poet named Antuvaṉ was associated with the hill at Tirupparankunram: *paraṅkuṉṟattu antuvaṉ pāṭiya cantukeḷu neṭuvarai* 'the lofty hill covered with sandal trees, praised in song by Antuvaṉ of Paraṅkuṉṟam' (*Aka.* 59:11-12). Antuvaṉ sang rapturously of this hill:*paraṅkuṉṟu imayakkuṉṟam nikarkkum* 'Paraṅkuṉṟam equals the Himalaya mountain!' (*Pari.* 8:11). It seems that a learned family or clan of Antuvaṉs lived at Tirupparankunram, who were deeply attached to the hill.

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**53.2 koṭupitavaṉ** (*koṭuppittavaṉ*) (v.) 'he who caused to be given'. See **11.2**.

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**54.1 mārayatu** Read *mārāyatu* (*mārāyattu*); oblique form of *mārāyam* (n.) 'honour or title bestowed by the king' (*Tol. Poruḷ.* 63:5; *Cilap.* 25:142); here probably 'one so honoured'.-*tu* (LT *-ttu*) is the suffix of the oblique case. See section **4.6.10**.

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Cf. *mahārāja* (Skt.) 'king'; (Pkt. inscr.) *rāyan* 'king' (Lüders List:No. 1113); *maharaya* (*mahā-rāya*) (K.G. Krishnan, ed. 1989:Nos. 80, 84).

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Cf. LT *mārāyam* (*Iṉiya.* 5:1).

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Cf. (inscr.) *pāṇṭi mārāya-p-peruṅkollaṉ cirīvallavaṉ* 'a personal name' (*Pāṇṭiyar Ceppēṭukaḷ*: No. 4, Lines 234-235, Pāṇṭiya, 9th cent. a.d.); *mārāyaṉ* 'a personal name or title' (*SII.* XVII:No. 597; Cōḻa, 10-12 cent. a.d.).

c28.s6.t16.8

**54.2 kaya[m\*]** (n.) 'tank' (D. 1251)

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Cf. LT *kayam mūḻku makaḷir* 'women bathing in the tank' (*Kuṟun.* 9:6); *kayam* 'tank' (*Tivā.* 895; *Piṅkala.* 3298; *Cūṭā.* 11:154).

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Cf. (inscr.) *pāṇṭiyaṉ kaya-tt-ellai* 'the boundary of the Pāṇṭiyaṉ tank (*kayam*)' (*Pallava Inscrs.* No. 17, ca. 6th cent. a.d.).

c28.s6.t16.11

**55.1 erukāṭur** Read *erukāṭūr* (*erukkāṭṭūr*) (P.) See **52.1**.

c28.s6.t16.12

**a. eru** (n.) 'manure'. See **52.1.a**.

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**b. kāṭ(u)-** (n.) 'forest, jungle'. See **52.1.b**.

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**c. ur** Read *ūr*. (n.) 'village'. See **19.2**.

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55.2 *ila-kutumpikaṉ* Title of the donor.

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**a.** *īla-*. Read īla- Attribute from *īlam* (n.) which may be interpreted in one of two ways:

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(i) *īlam* (P.) 'Ceylon' (Sri Lanka) (D. 550; < Skt. *siṁhala-*, Pkt. *sīhala*- ?).

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Cf. LT *īḻattu uṇavum* 'food from Īḻam' (*Paṭṭiṇa*. 191); *ilaṅkai īḻattu* 'of Īḻam (in) Sri Lanka' (*Peruṅ*. 1.58:37); *īlam'ciṅkaḷam* (*Tivā*. addition to 945; *Piṅkala*. 467; *Cūṭā*. 5:41).

c28.s6.t16.19

Cf. (inscr.) *matiraiyum īḻamum koṇṭa* 'he who took Maturai and Īḻam'. (*SII*. XXIV: No. 7, Cōḻa, 10th cent. A.D.).

c28.s6.t16.20

(ii) *īḻavaṉ* (N.) 'one of the caste of toddy-drawers'. Cf. *īlam* (n.) 'toddy, arrack' (D. 549).

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Cf. LT *īḻam* 'toddy' (*Cūṭā*. 11:254).

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Cf. (inscr.) *ivvūr ellaiyil teṅkum paṉaiyum īḻavar ēṟa-p-peṟātār-ākavum* 'the Īḻavar shall not be entitled to climb the coconut and palm trees within the limits of this village' (*Pallava Inscrs*. No. 89, Lines 36-37, 8th cent. A.D.).

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**b.** *kuṭumpikaṉ* (n.) may also be translated in two ways:

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(i) Cf. *kuṭumbika* (Skt.) 'taking care of a household'; *kuṭumbin* 'a householder'; (MW); *kuḍumbiya* (AMg.) 'a member of a family' (AMD).(Sinh. Pkt. inscr.) *kuṭubika* 'householder' (Paranavitana 1970: No. 233; according to him, the term has almost the same significance as *gahapati*; ibid. Intr. p. lxxxix).

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(ii) Cf. (Pkt. inscr.) *kuṭuṁbika* 'husbandman' (Lüders List: No. 1147).

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Cf. LT *cēṭa-k-kuṭumpiyaṉ* 'a personal name' (*Cilap*. 30:52, 135).

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Cf. (inscr.) *kuṭumpiyar* 'husbandmen' (*Pulankurichi Inscrs*. II.8, ca. 5th cent. A.D.).

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On the whole, rendering *īla-kuṭumpikaṉ* as 'a householder of the family of toddy-drawers' seems preferable as the personal names in this inscriptions point to Karnataka rather than to Sri Lanka.

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55.3 *polālaiyaṉ* N. of the donor. Sandhi: *polāl(a)* + *aiyaṉ* > *polālaiyaṉ*.

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**a.** *polāl(a)-* An obscure expression, probably a place name or a caste-name. A somewhat similar expression (with several variant forms) occurs in later Kannada inscriptions. Cf. *polaḷa*, *poḷala*, *pōḷāḷuva*, etc. (*Epi. Car.* XIII: Index).

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Cf. (Ta. inscr.) *karunāṭaka pulalaya ceṭṭi*, *karunāṭaka pulalaiyan* (*SII*. VIII: Nos. 634 & 636 respectively, Cōḻa, 11-12 cent. A.D.).

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**b.** *aiyaṉ* an honorific suffix. Cf. *ai* 'lord, master'; *ayyaṉ*, *aiyaṉ*, 'superior person, master' (D. 196a; alternative derivation from *ayya* (Pāli) < *ārya* (Skt.) suggested with a query). The variant *ayaṉ* (*ayyaṉ*) occurs in this inscription itself (**55.5.b**).

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Cf. (Pāli inscr.) *aya-* (Asoka, *CII.* I:Brah.1). Cf. (Pkt. inscr.) *aya-* 'frequent prefix to personal names' (*Bhārhut Inscrs.* Word Index). See No. 6, Table 1.5, for a pottery inscription in Ta. Br. with *-aya (-ayya)* (masc.) and *-ayai (-ayyai)* (fem.) as honorific suffixes after personal names.

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Cf. LT *aiya!* (*Aka.* 81:15, *Kuṟun.* 139:6); *eṉ ai* 'my lord' (*Puṟa.* 84:1); *ayyaṉ* 'elder person' (*Tivā.*173); *aiyaṉ* id. (*Piṅkala.* 907, 3238; *Cūṭā.* 2:9, 11:156).

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**55.4 ceytā[ṉ\*]** (v.) 'he who made'; past participial noun, 3rd person masculine singular, from *cey* 'to make'. The word-final *ṉ* has not been engraved. It may be an omission or its absence may indicate nasalisation in the spoken language. The verb form is treated here as a participial noun and not as a finite verb on account of the syntax, the predicate preceding the subject. Cf. **ceyitaṉ** (73.7).

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**Analysis:** cey (stem) + *t* (past tense marker) + *ā(ṉ)* (PNG suffix).

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Cf. LT *ceytāṉai* (participial noun in accusative case) (*Kali.* 147:48).

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**55.5 āycayaṉ neṭucātaṉ** N. of the person (probably a stonemason) who made (carved) the stone beds gifted by the donor.

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**āycayaṉ (āyccayyaṉ)** the first part of the composite name, written without doubling the consonants *-c-* and *-y-*. The name may be segmented *āycca* + *ayyaṉ*.

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Cf. (Ka. inscr.) *eḍav=āycayya* 'a personal name' (G. S. Gai 1946:Index).

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**a. āyca- (āycca-)** Attribute from *āyccaṉ* (N.). Cf. *āicca* (AMg.) < *āditya* (Skt.) 'sun', employed here as a personal name. See section 3.3.5(iii) and Table 3.3.

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Cf. (Pkt. inscr.) *ādica* 'sun' (Amaravati, C. Sivaramamurti 1977:No. 97).

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Cf. (Ka. inscr.) *āyca gāvuṇḍa*, *āyca seṭṭi* 'personal names' (G. S. Gai 1946:Index); (Te. inscr.) *āyica śarmmā* 'a personal name' (*ARE* B. 63/1963-64).

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Cf. LT *ātittaṉ* 'sun' (*Tivā.* 57; *Piṅkala.* 179; *Cūṭā.* 1:55).

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Cf. (inscr.) *māṟaṉ āditya* (alias) *māṟaṉ āccaṉ*, personal name of the same individual in Skt. and Ta. passages respectively, (*SII.* XIV:No. 5, Pāṇṭiya, ca. 8-9 cent. A.D.); *ātittaṉ* (alias) *āccaṉ vikkiramakēcari* (*SII.* XIX:Nos. 413-414, Cōḻa, 10th cent. A.D.); *ācciyaṉ korṟaṉ māṟaṉ* (*SII.* XIII:No. 164, Cōḻa, 10th cent. A.D.).

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**b. ayaṉ (ayyaṉ)** (n.) suffixed as honorific to personal names (D. 196a). Cf. **aiyaṉ** occurring in this inscription itself (55.3.b).

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**neṭucātaṉ (neṭucāttaṉ)** is the second segment of the personal name of the donor.

c28.s6.t16.48

**c. neṭu-** (adj.) 'senior'. See 1.5.a.

c28.s6.t16.49

**d. cātaṉ (cāttaṉ).** A personal name. The consonant *-t-* is not doubled. Cf. **cāttaṉ** (105.2).

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Cāttaṉ was a very common personal name in ancient Tamil country, especially popular with the merchant communities. Cf. *sārtha* (Skt.) 'having property' > *sattha* (Pkt.) 'caravan'.

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Cf. (Pkt. inscr.) *sattha-vaha* (K.G. Krishnan, ed. 1989: No. 108); *satha-vāha* (Lüders List:No. 1062); < *sārtha-vāha* (Skt.) 'trader'. See also discussion on ***satiya* (59.1.a)**.

c28.s6.t16.52

Cf. LT *cāttu* 'merchandise' (*Aka.* 119:8; *Kuṟun.* 390:3); *cāttaṉ* 'a personal name' (*Puṟa.* 178:5, 242:5, etc.).

c28.s6.t16.53

The name *cā ta a ṉa* (*cāttaṉ*) occurs in a Ta. Br. legend on a local coin from Sri Lanka (No. 3, Table 1.6); cf. *cātaṉ* 'a personal name' (Ta. Br. inscription on pottery from Quseir al-Qadim, Egypt. No. 8, Table 1.5 and Fig. 1.21B).

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Cf. (inscr.) *cāttaṉ ēṟaṉ* 'N. of a chieftain' (*ARE* 358/1959-60, Pāṇḍiya, 7th cent. A.D.).

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Early contacts with Karnataka

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The donor as well as the stonemason probably hailed from Karnataka, judging from their names and honorific suffixes. See **-aṇṇi (83.4.c)** and **-a(p)pa (79.1.b)**. Cf. also Nos. **49, 79, 83, 115, 116** and **121** for contacts with Karnataka and influence of Old Kannada. See also section 3.2.4 for discussion.

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