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Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s6.t3: III. Tiruvadavur

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s6.t3

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III. Tiruvadavur

c28.s6.t3.1

**8.1** ***pāṅkāṭa*** (*-kāṭṭa*) 'of Pāṅkāṭ(u)'. (P.) in genitive case.

c28.s6.t3.2

**a.** ***pā-*** (n.) 'expanse' (D. 4088). Cf. LT *pā aṭi yāṉai* 'elephant with broad feet' (*Puṟa.* 233:2). *-ṅ-* (< *-m-*) is an addition due to sandhi. Cf. *mā-ṅ-kāy* 'mango'.

c28.s6.t3.3

**b.** ***kāṭa*** (*kāṭṭa*) 'of the *kāṭu*' (n.) 'forest, jungle' (D. 1438). *kāṭu* when suffixed to place names generally refers to 'uncultivated land' as distinguished from *nāṭu* 'cultivated land'. Cf. ***erukāṭu-ūru*** (**52.1**).

c28.s6.t3.4

Cf. LT *kāṭu* 'forest' (*Tivā.* 713; *Piṅkala.* 537; *Cūṭā.* 4:55).

c28.s6.t3.5

***kāṭa-*** (*kāṭṭa-*) is analysed as *kāṭu* (stem) + *a* (genitive suffix). The consonant *-ṭ-* is not doubled. Cf. LT *kaḷḷiyaṉ-kāṭṭa* 'of the spurge jungle' (*Aka.* 53:7, 97:1).

c28.s6.t3.6

**8.2 ar-itaṉ** (*aritaṉ*). N. of the donor. Cf. *harita* (Skt.) 'N. of several persons, a descendant of Harita' (MW). Cf. (Pkt. inscr.) *harīta*- 'part of a personal name' (Lüders List: No. 42). See section **6.19.2** on the pause between *r* and *i*.

c28.s6.t3.7

**8.3 koṭṭupitōṉ** (*koṭṭupittōṉ*) (v.) 'he who caused to be carved'; past participial noun, causative, 3rd person masculine singular, from *koṭṭu* 'to hammer'.

c28.s6.t3.8

**Analysis:** *koṭṭu* (stem) + *pi* (causative suffix) + *t* (past tense marker written without doubling) + *ōṉ* (PNG suffix). See **1.8** for further comments.

c28.s6.t3.9

**9.1 upacaṉ** (*upaccaṉ*) (n.) 'preceptor, spiritual teacher'. See section **4.9.3** (iii).

c28.s6.t3.10

The consonant *-c-* is not doubled. Cf. **upaca-aṉ** (*upaccaṉ*) (**10.1** & **11.3**).

c28.s6.t3.11

Cf. *upajjha*, *upajjhāya* (Pāli); *uvajjhaya*, *uvajjhāya*, *uvajhāya*, *ōjjhāya* (AMg.) < *upādhyāya* (Skt.).

c28.s6.t3.12

Cf. (Pkt. inscr.) *upajhaya* (Lüders List: No. 1273); *uvajha* (K.G. Krishnan, ed. 1989: No. 80).

c28.s6.t3.13

Cf. (Ka. inscr.) *uvajjar* (*TAS*. I, 1988 reprint: p. 340).

c28.s6.t3.14

Cf. LT *ōcaṉ*, '*ācāriyaṉ*' (*Piṅkala*. 783); *ōcaṉ* '*upāttiyāyaṉ*' (*Cūṭā*. 2:7); *ōccaṉ* '*kaṇakkāyaṉ*' (*TL Supplement*), all with the meaning 'teacher'; *uvaccaṉ* 'member of a caste of temple drummers and pūjāris of *kāḷi*' (*TL*). Cf. *DEDR* Appendix: No. 18 for derivation from IA.

c28.s6.t3.15

Cf. (inscr.) *uvaiccaṉ* 'temple drummer' (*Pallava Inscrs*. No. 265, ca. 9th cent. A.D.); *uvaccaṉ* 'temple servant' (*SII*. XIV: Nos. 84 & 85, Pāṇṭiya, 10th cent. A.D.).

c28.s6.t3.16

Cf. (inscr.) *śrīkōyil koṭṭum uvaccar* 'Uvaccar, drummers of the temple' (*SII*. XIX: No. 321, Cōḻa, ca. 10th cent. A.D.); *caṅku ūtum uvaccarkaḷ* 'Uvaccar who blow the conches' (*SII*. XIII: No. 170, Cōḻa, 11th cent. A.D.).

c28.s6.t3.17

**9.2 par-acu** (*paracu*) N. of the donor; lit., 'one who worships by singing'.

c28.s6.t3.18

Cf. *paracu*, *paravu* 'to praise, extol, worship, adore, sing' (D. 3951). See section **6.19.2** for the pause between *r* and *a*.

c28.s6.t3.19

Cf. LT *paraval* 'benedictory singing' (*Pari*. 10:116); *cen nāvalar paracum* 'extolled by eloquent poets' (*Tiruvā*. 34:1); *paravutal* 'to worship' (*Tivā*. 1637, 1780); *paravai* 'dance' (*Piṅkala*. 3788); *paracaivaṉ* 'the Uvaccar caste' (*TL*); *pāracavar* 'dancers' (*Tol. Poruḷ*. 91, comm., Nacc.); *pāracavar* '*uvaccar*' (*Naṉṉ*. 115, comm., Caṅkara., Note by U.Ve. Swaminathaiyar).

c28.s6.t3.20

Cf. (inscr.) *kūttāṭum pāracivaṉ* 'Pāracivaṉ, the dancer' (*SII*. XIV: No. 237, 12th cent. A.D.).

c28.s6.t3.21

Pāracavar are the pipers, drummers and conch-blowers of the temple at Suchindram, who belong to the Uvaccar (Ōccar) caste (K.K.Pillay 1953: p. 248).

c28.s6.t3.22

Paravar are the devil-dancers of the Tulu country (E. Thurston and K. Rangachari, vol. VI, reprint 1987: pp. 139-140). The names Paracaivaṉ and Pāracavaṉ are apparently later corruptions of **paracavaṉ* (*paracu* + *avaṉ*) 'one who worships by singing and dancing', as indicated by their traditional occupations of singing, dancing and playing musical instruments in temples, the variant form Paravar for their name and, above all, their virtual identity with the Uvaccar. The accidental similarity with *pāraśava* (Skt.) seems to have given rise to the later legend that the Pāracavar were the offspring of a Brāhman through a Śūdra woman (ibid. p. 139). What is of exceptional interest in the present context is the very early association of the term *upaccaṉ* (LT *uvaccaṉ*) with *paracu* (**paracavaṉ* > LT *paracaivaṉ* / *pāracavaṉ*) as revealed in this inscription.

c28.s6.t3.23

**9.3 uṟai** (n.) 'abode (of ascetics)' < *uṟai* 'to dwell, place of residence' (D. 710).

c28.s6.t3.24

Cf. LT *iruṉkuṉṟattaṭi uṟai iyaika* 'let (our) abode be at the foot of (the hill) Iruṉkuṉṟam' (*Pari.* 15:65). However, the expression *uṟai* in the cave inscriptions has the technical meaning 'abode (of ascetics)'. Cf. **uṟai** (24.4), **uṟai-y** (61.5 & 62.5) and **uṟaiyuḷ** (60.2).

c28.s6.t3.25

**9.4 koṭṭupitōṉ** (*koṭṭupittōṉ*). See 8.3.

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