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Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s8.t6: XXXVI. Erettimalai

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c28.s8.t6

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XXXVI. Erettimalai

c28.s8.t6.1

**114.1 tuṟukay** (n.) 'vent of a sluice' (?).

c28.s8.t6.2

The inscription is incised on a small, shoe-shaped stone (see Fig. 1.17). Similarly shaped stones are still in use in the Tamil countryside as stoppers to close the outlet (*tūmpu*) of a water channel.

c28.s8.t6.3

The phrase ***tuṟukayyuḷḷāru*** is segmented **tuṟukay** + **uḷ** + ***āru***. The stem-final **-y** and **-ḷ** are doubled due to sandhi. The doubling of the stem-final **-y** is exceptional. See **63.4.b** for more examples and discussion.

c28.s8.t6.4

Cf. LT *tuṟu*, *tuṟu-kal* 'stone for closing the *tūmpu* (outlet) of a channel' (*Apitāṉa*. 1217); *tuṟukal* id. (*TL* ); *tūmpiṉil putainta kallum* 'stone buried in the *tūmpu*' (*Vivēka*. 61). The expression ***tuṟukay*** (*\* *tuṟukai*) is not attested elsewhere. This is probably a verbal noun formed from the stem *tūṟu*/*tuṟu* 'to enter (a hole)' + *kay* (*-kai* in LT), the nominal suffix, to yield the meaning 'a narrow opening', which is interpreted in the present context as 'the vent (in a sluice)'.

c28.s8.t6.5

Cf. Ta. *tuṟu* 'to cram, stuff, press, to be closed' (D. 3367); Ka. *tūṟu* 'to enter or go through a (narrow) hole', Te. *tūṟu* 'to enter, penetrate' (D. 3399a); Ta. *tuṟu* 'hole, cavity', Ka. *tūtu*, *tūntu* 'hole', Te. *tūṭu*, *tūṇṭu* 'hole' (D. 3399b).

c28.s8.t6.6

Cf. LT *tuṟu*, *tuṟṟu* 'to cram, be closed' (*Tivā*. 1351).

c28.s8.t6.7

**114.2 uḷḷāru** (compound v.) 'which is fitted inside'.

c28.s8.t6.8

**a. uḷ** (n.) 'inside' (D. 698).

c28.s8.t6.9

**b. āru** (v.) 'filled'; adjectival participle. Cf. Ta. *ār* (v.) 'to become full'; Ka. *ār* 'to be filled', *āru* 'full of'; Te. *āru* 'to become full' (D. 368). Here *āru* (LT *ār*) occurs as a *viṉaittokai* (participle without tense marker or participial suffix). See. **10.4** for further comments. The *-u* ending indicates the influence of Kannada in this region close to the border with Karnataka.

c28.s8.t6.10

Cf. LT *ari ār cilampiṉ* 'of the anklet filled with tinkling pieces' (*Kuṟun*. 369:2); *cilampu ār cīṟ-aṭi* 'small feet fitted with anklets' (*Aka*. 17:9); *ārtal* 'to be full' (*Tivā*. 1382; *Piṅkala*. 2228; *Cūṭā*. 8:15); *uḷḷārnta* 'that which is inside' (*Taṟ*. Ta. *Aka*.).

c28.s8.t6.11

Cf. (inscr.) *taṇṭ(u)=ār mūppu* 'having a stick (in) old age' (*Pallava Inscrs*. No. 98, 9th cent. A.D.).

c28.s8.t6.12

**114.3 kal** (n.) lit., 'stone', here for a 'stone stopper'. See **14.3.a**. for further comments.

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