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Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s7.t12: XXX. Mannarkoil

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s7.t12

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XXX. Mannarkoil

c28.s7.t12.1

The two inscriptions at Mannarkoil belonging to ca. 2nd cent. A.D. were discovered when this volume was ready for the press. They have been placed at the end of the section on Late Tamil-Brāhmī Inscriptions in the Corpus.

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(n.) 'hermitage'. **paḷḷi**

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This is the earliest occurrence of the word spelt with the doubled consonants *-ḷḷ-* as in LT. (See **83.6** for another example.) However, cf. *paḷi-* (for *paḷḷi-*) (**89.4**) in the adjacent inscription of about the same period, illustrating the optional use of single or doubled consonants in Ta. Br. See **1.9** for further comments.

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(v.) 'he who caused to be made'; past participial noun, causative, 3rd person masculine singular, from *cey* 'to make'. **ceyvittāṉ**

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**Analysis:** *cey* (stem) + *vi* (causative suffix) + *tt* (past tense marker) + *āṉ* (PNG suffix). The verb form is the same as in LT.

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(n.) 'assembly of learned persons or institution of higher learning or the place of such assembly or institution'. See section 4.6.13. **kaṭikai**

c28.s7.t12.7

This is a loanword from IA. Cf. *ghaṭikā* (Skt.) 'assembly', ultimately derived from *ghaṭ* 'to join, unite', *ghaṭā* 'assembly'. Cf. *ghaṭa* 'multitude, crowd' (Pāli); *ghaḍī*, *ghaḍiā* 'congregation, assembly' (AMg.). The expression occurs in Tamil inscriptions as *kaṭikai* and in Kannada inscriptions as *ghaṭige*.

c28.s7.t12.8

Cf. LT *kaṭikai*, the ancient name of Sholingur (North Arcot District) (*Nālāyira: Ciṟiya Tirumaṭal*). The town got its name from the *ghaṭikā* functioning there.

c28.s7.t12.9

Cf. (inscr.) *kaṭikai* 'assembly'(*SII.* III: No. 42, Pallava, 9th cent. A.D.); *trairājya-ghaṭikā-madhyasthaṉ* 'title of an officer of the assembly' (*ARE* 194, 195 & 197/1915, Cōḻa, 10th cent. A.D.); *kaṭikai mārāyaṉ* 'title of an officer of the assembly' (*SII.* XVII: Nos. 591 & 593, Cōḻa, 12th cent. A.D.); *kaṭikaiyār* 'members of the assembly' (*SII.* XII: No. 119; 13th cent. A.D.).

c28.s7.t12.10

Not all the *ghaṭikās* were restricted to Brahman membership or engaged in Vedic studies. Thus, for example, the *ghaṭikā* at Poyyāmoḻimaṅkalam had as one of its members (*kaṭikaiyār*) a renowned Tamil scholar referred to as *muttamiḻ ācāriyar āṉa tamiḻ karaikaṇṭa cāttaṉār* 'Cāttaṉ of unbounded Tamil learning and teacher of the three branches of Tamil (i.e., *iyal, icai* and *nāṭakam*)' (*SII.* XXVI: No. 319, fragmentary, from Tirukkacciyūr). This *kaṭikai* was obviously an institution devoted to Tamil studies.

c28.s7.t12.11

The name *kaṭikaippaṭṭaṇam* occurs in the Tirupparappu Plates (*TAS.* I, 1988 reprint, p. 295, ca. 9th century A.D.) of the Āy dynasty. As the site of the present inscription is quite near Āykuṭi, the ancient capital of this dynasty (*Puṟa.* 132, note by U.Ve. Swaminathaiyar at p. 609), it is probable that the *kaṭikai* mentioned in the present inscription was at Kaṭikaippaṭṭaṇam which may be identified as the village now known as Kaḍayam situated to the north-west of Mannarkoil. See Table 4.3.

c28.s7.t12.12

**88.4 [*kō*\*]*viṉ* 'of the chief' from *kō* (n.) 'chief'. The interpretation is tentative as the rock has flaked off at this point and the word *kō* is restored from the context. *-v-* is the glide; *-iṉ* is the genitive suffix.

c28.s7.t12.13

Cf. LT *kō* 'great person' (*Piṅkala.* 837).

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**88.5 makaṉ** (n.) 'son'.

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**88.6 *peruṅkūṟṟaṉ*** N. of the donor of the hermitage. He is referred to as the son of the chief (?) of the *kaṭikai* (assembly).

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**a. *peru(m)-*** (adj.) 'senior'; attribute to a personal name.

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Sandhi: *-m* > *-ṅ-* before *-k*.

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See **61.9.a** for further comments.

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**b. *kūṟṟaṉ*** a personal name. It is probably in origin an appellative noun derived from *kūṟu* 'division' (D. 1924); cf. *kūṟṟam* 'a territorial division'.

c28.s7.t12.20

Cf. (inscr.) *kō-c-cēntaṉ-kūṟṟaṟku* 'of King Cēntaṉ Kūṟṟaṉ' (Pulankurichi Inscrs. II. 1, ca. 5th cent. A.D.).

c28.s7.t12.21

**89.1 *kuṇāviṉ*** (P.) 'of Kuṇā', probably a place name. *-v-* is the glide; *-iṉ* is the genitive suffix.

c28.s7.t12.22

The expression *kuṇā* is not attested elsewhere; however, it appears to be connected with *kuṇa-* 'east, eastern'; hence probably 'a place to the east'; cf. *kuṇakku* 'east'.

c28.s7.t12.23

Cf. LT *kuṇa(m) mutal* 'from the east' (*Patiṟ.* 59:6); *kuṇāatu* 'to the east' (*Aka.* 90.9; *Puṟa.* 6:3); *kuṇātu* id. (*Aka.* 4:14; *Kuṟun.* 164:3); *kuṇakku* 'east' (*Tivā.* 848; *Piṅkala.* 13; *Cūṭā.* 5:5).

c28.s7.t12.24

Cf. (inscr.) *kuṇapāl* 'to the east' (*Pāṇṭiyar Ceppēṭukaḷ*: No. 2, Line 29, 8th cent. a.d.).

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**89.2 [*i*\*]ḷaṅkō** (N.) 'Name or title of a member of the Vaiśya caste' occurring as a personal name.

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Cf. *iḷaṅkō-k-kaḷ* (pl.) 'caste name of the Vaiciyar' (*Tivā.* 192; *Piṅkala.* 773, 777; *Cūṭā.* 2:25).

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Cf. LT *maṇikaḷ terinta iḷaṅkōkkaḷ* 'the Vaiśyas who are knowledgeable about gems' (*Ñāṉa. Upatēca.* 1252); *kūṭal iḷaṅkōkkaḷ* 'the Vaiśyas of Kūṭal (Madurai) (*Tiru. Ulā* 409).

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A truly remarkable confirmation of the correctness of this interpretation comes from several epigraphic records in the local Viṣṇu temple at Mannarkoil, the site of the present inscription. (The following references are from R. Tirumalai 1980, *Rajendra vinnagar*, containing the texts of unpublished Pāṇṭiya records of the 13th cent. a.d.)

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Cf. (inscr.) *iḷaṅkō-v-arayaṉ*, *iḷaṅkōva-rāyaṉ*, *ciri[i\*]ḷaṅkō*: names of signatories (*ARE* B.407/1916); *iḷaṅkō-v-araiyaṉ kuḷam* 'a local tank' (ibid.); *cir[i]ḷaṅkōv[ē]nta-vēḷāṉ*, name of a signatory (*ARE* B.405/1916). Furthermore, the town of Ambasamudram, about 3 km. from Mannarkoil and formerly belonging to the same Caturvēdimaṅgalam, was known as Iḷaṅkō(y)kuṭi in the 7th cent. a.d. (*EI.* IX: pp. 92-93).

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Thus the local epigraphic records reveal that a prosperous community of Vaiśyas also known as Iḷaṅkōkkaḷ lived in the area from before 7th cent. a.d. down to at least the 13th cent. a.d. The present inscription of the 2nd cent. a.d. is the earliest record of an Iḷaṅkō from this village donating a Jaina hermitage.

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The initial [*i*\*] is not engraved and was probably elided in speech. See **[*i*\*]ḷaṅkō** (**61.12**, & **62.12**) where, however, the expression means 'prince, heir apparent'.

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**a. [*i*\*]ḷa(m)-** See **2.7.a.**

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**b. *kō*** See **61.6.**

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**89.3 ceypita** (*ceypitta*) (v.) 'which was caused to be made'; adjectival past participle, causative, from *cey* 'to make'.

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**Analysis:** *cey* (stem) + *pi* (causative suffix ) + *t* ( past tense marker) + *a* (participial suffix). The consonant *-t-* is not doubled. See **ceyipita** (**65.5**) and **ceyivitta** (**83.5**). Cf. LT *ceyvitta*.

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**89.4. paḷi-i** (*paḷḷi-*) (n.) 'hermitage'. *-i* is the paragogic suffix. See **1.9** for comments.

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