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Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s7.t8: XXVI. Edakal-A

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s7.t8

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XXVI. Edakal-A

c28.s7.t8.1

**79.1 *opaṇapa vira-a*** (N.) in genitive case. The cave, the walls of which are covered with prehistoric carvings, does not have stone beds and does not appear to have been a Jaina hermitage. The Ta. Br. inscriptions in the cave (Nos. **79-82**) belong to the Early Cēra period and appear to be secular records. These are the earliest known inscriptions of Kerala (I. Mahadevan 1999). See section 1.2.2.

c28.s7.t8.2

**a. *opaṉ* (*oppaṉ*).** A personal name derived from *oppu* 'beauty' (D. 924) with the addition of the PNG suffix *-aṉ*. The consonant *-p-* is not doubled. Cf. Ka. *oppa*, Te. *oppu* 'elegance, beauty' (ibid.).

c28.s7.t8.3

Cf. LT *oppu uṭai oruvaṉai* 'him, possessing beauty' (*Tēvā.* III:4.7); *oppu* 'great beauty' (*Tivā.* 1397); 'beauty' (*Piṅkala.* 1941).

c28.s7.t8.4

**b. *apa-* (*appa-*)** Attribute from *appaṉ* (n.) 'an honorific'. The consonant *-p-* is not doubled. Cf. Ka. *appa* 'frequently added to the proper names of men as a term of common respect' (D. 156a).

c28.s7.t8.5

Cf. LT *eṅkaḷ appaṉ iṭam tiruvālaṅkāṭē* 'Tiruvālaṅkāṭu is the place of our Father (Lord)' (*Tēvā.* XI:2); *appaṉ* 'father' (*Cūṭā.* 2:75); 'honorific' (ibid. 11:156).

c28.s7.t8.6

The word *appaṉ* does not occur in Caṅkam literature, though it is undoubtedly ancient. Its occurrence here as an honorific suffix reveals Kannada influence in the region (North Kerala bordering on Karnataka). See section 3.2.4(ii).

c28.s7.t8.7

**c. *vīra-a*** Read *vīra-*. 'of Vīra(ṉ)' in genitive case. The term occurs here as part of a personal name. Cf. *vīraṉ* 'hero, warrior' (*TL*) < *vīra* (Skt.) 'a brave or eminent man, hero, chief' (MW).

c28.s7.t8.8

Cf. (Pkt. inscr.) *vira-* (*vīra-*) 'part of a personal name' (Nagarjunakonda, D.C. Sircar 1963-64a, *EI.* XXXV: pp. 1-36, Glossary).

c28.s7.t8.9

The genitive suffix *-a* is added to the noun stem after elision of the PNG suffix *-aṉ*. Cf. **cēnta-a** (**28.1.b**).

c28.s7.t8.10

Cf. LT *vīrar* 'warriors' (*Aka.* 36:23; *Tivā.* 272 ); *vīraṉ* 'a brave man' (*Cilap.* 6:4; *Maṇi.* 30:11; *Piṅkala.* 3896; *Cūṭā.* 2:50).

c28.s7.t8.11

Cf. (inscr.) *kō vira* (*vīra*) *pāṇṭiya*(*ṉ*) (*SII.* XIV: Nos. 79-84, Pāṇṭiya, 10th cent. A.D.).

c28.s7.t8.12

80.1 *kaṭummiputa cēra* N. or title of a Cēra king.

c28.s7.t8.13

***kaṭummiputa* (*kaṭumi-putta*)** appears to be a hybrid expression, the first part in Tamil and the second in Pkt., recalling ***satiyaputō***, the Pkt. equivalent of Ta. ***atiyamāṉ* (*satiya* > *atiya*; *putō*: *makaṉ* > *māṉ*)** (**59.1**). Analogously, the present expression may be interpreted as follows:

c28.s7.t8.14

**a. *kaṭummi*** A title, lit., 'the ferocious one', derived from *kaṭumai* 'ferocity' (D. 1135); Cf. Tu. *kaḍuve* 'hero, courageous man', *kaḍume* 'pride'; Te. *kaḍimi* 'valour, bravery' (ibid.). The attribute *kaṭum-* occurs frequently with Cēra names. See **61.9.b** for further comments. The corresponding form *kaṭumi* is not attested in LT; but cf. *neṭumi* 'tall woman, tall tree' from *neṭum-* (D. 3738).

c28.s7.t8.15

Sandhi: *kaṭum* + *i* > *kaṭummi*, with exceptional doubling of the stem-final consonant *-m*. See **63.4.b** for more examples and discussion.

c28.s7.t8.16

**b. *puta* (*putta*)** (Pkt.) < *putra* (Skt.) 'son'. The term occurs here as an honorific suffix and appears to be a loan-translation of *-māṉ* < *makaṉ*. See *-putō* (**59.1.b**) and *-māṉ* (*-māṉ*) (**59.2.c**).

c28.s7.t8.17

Thus **kaṭummiputa** may be equated with Ta. *kaṭumān*, a title occurring with the names of several kings and chieftains in Caṅkam literature. Of particular interest in the present context is the occurrence of the title in the Cēra dynasty.

c28.s7.t8.18

Cf. LT *kaṭumān poraiya!* (*Puṟa.* 53:5), a title of Māntarañcēral Irumporai (ibid. colophon); *kaṭumān kōtai* (*Puṟa.* 54:8), a title of Kuṭṭuvaṉ Kōtai (ibid. colophon).

c28.s7.t8.19

The expression *kaṭumān* occurs in some contexts as the equivalent of *kaṭumā* 'a speeding horse'; however, there are many other contexts in which *kaṭumān* can only be interpreted as a personal name or title. See especially *kaṭumān tōṉṟal neṭumān añci* 'Neṭumān Añci, the scion of Kaṭumān' (*Puṟa.* 206:6; See also ibid. 162, 265 & 382).

c28.s7.t8.20

The proposed interpretation of *kaṭumān* as derived from *kaṭum makaṉ* 'the ferocious man' is confirmed by the loan-translations of *kaṭum-* as *ugra-* 'ferocious' in the name *ukkira peruvaluti* (*Puṟa.* 21 & 367, colophon) and of *-māṉ* < *makaṉ* as *-puta* in this inscription and *-putō* in No. **59**.

c28.s7.t8.21

**c. *cēra*** Generic name of a member of the Cēra dynasty. This is the earliest epigraphic occurrence of the name. The PNG suffix *-aṉ* is absent.

c28.s7.t8.22

Cf. LT *cēraṉ* (*Cilap.* 23:62; *Maṇi.* 26:90; *Tivā.* 180; *Piṅkala.* 745; *Cūṭā.* 2:18); *cēral* (*Aka.* 55:11; *Puṟa.* 8:5).

c28.s7.t8.23

A tree-like symbol is engraved at the end of the inscription. It may be interpreted in the present context as the palm tree, one of the insignia of the Cēra dynasty. See Symbol C in section 5.18.

c28.s7.t8.24

Cf. LT *pōntiṉ tārōṉ*, '(the Cēra king) decked with a garland of palmyra flowers' (*Cūṭā.* 2:18); *paṇantārāṉ* id. (*TL*).

c28.s7.t8.25

See also section 4.3.3 on the historical significance of the inscription. It is difficult to identify the Cēra kings mentioned in the Edakal records, as the name *ātaṉ* and the title *kaṭumān* were borne by more than one ruler. The titles **kaṭummiputa** (Ta. *kaṭumān*) and **satiyaputō** (Ta. *atiyamāṉ*) and the Pkt. genitive suffix in **utayanasa** indicate the extent of Pkt. influence on Tamil epigraphy in this period. (See **80.1**, **59.1** and **24.5** respectively.)

c28.s7.t8.26

(n.) 'king, great man', interpreted here as 'chieftain'.

c28.s7.t8.27

Cf. LT *em kō . . . pēkaṉ* 'Pēkaṉ, our chieftain' (*Puṟa.* 141:11-12).

c28.s7.t8.28

**81.2** ***pūti vira*** N. of a chieftain.

c28.s7.t8.29

**a. *pūti*** A personal name. Cf. *bhūti* (Pkt.) < *bhūti* (Skt.) 'wealth, prosperity'.

c28.s7.t8.30

Cf. (Pkt. inscr.) *dhanabhūti* (*Bhārhut Inscrs.* Nos. A1, A3); *jayabhūti* (Lüders List:No. 24); *ayabhuti* (Nagarjunakonda, EI. XXXV:Glossary: pp. 20-36); *buti* (Sinh. Pkt., Paranavitana 1970:No. 322).

c28.s7.t8.31

Pūti was a common name among the Vēḷir chieftains. As the present inscription is engraved in between two Cēra records, it is likely that it relates to a Vēḷ chieftain serving under the Cēra dynasty.

c28.s7.t8.32

Cf. LT *vēntarum vēḷirum* 'the (crowned) kings and the Vēḷir (chieftains)' (*Patiṟ.* 30:30); *iḷampūti* 'a personal name' (*Maṇi.* 13:16); *pūti* id. (*Maṇi.* 13:101); *pūti* 'wealth' (*Piṅkala.* 3880; *Cūṭā.*11:114).

c28.s7.t8.33

Cf. (inscr.) *tēvapūti* 'a personal name' (*Pallava Inscrs.* No. 71, 8th cent. A.D.); *bhūti vikramakēsarin* (alias) *madhurāntaka irukkuvēḷ* 'N. of a Vēḷ chieftain of Kodumbalur' (*SII.* III:p. 249).

c28.s7.t8.34

**b. *vira*** Read *vīra*. The PNG suffix - *aṉ* is omitted. See **79.1.c** for further comments.

c28.s7.t8.35

**82.1** ***kō*** (n.) 'king'. See **61.6**.

c28.s7.t8.36

**82.2** ***ātaṉ*** Read *ātaṉ* (N.) ***kōvātāṉ*** in the inscription is construed as *kō-v-ātāṉ* (-*ātaṉ*) 'King Ātaṉ'. The name *ātaṉ* is especially associated with the Cēra dynasty. See **80.1** for further comments. See also section 4.3.3.

c28.s7.t8.37

Cf. ***kō ātaṉ*** in *Nos. 61* & *62*.

c28.s7.t8.38

Cf. LT *cēral ātaṉ* (*Aka.* 55:11); *vāḷi-y-ātaṉ* (*Puṟa.* 8, 14:colophon).

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