Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c8.7

c8.7

| Section | Page | Section | Page |
| 2.16.7 Linguistic evidence | 95 | ## 4. Polity | |
| 2.16.8 Revised chronological scheme | 95 | 4.1 Introduction | 115 |
| 2.17 Documentation | 95 | A. STATE | |
| 2.17.1 Tracings | 95 | 4.2 The Pāṇḍiyas | 115 |
| 2.17.2 Estampages | 96 | 4.2.1 Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ | 115 |
| 2.17.3 Direct photographs | 96 | 4.2.2 Peruvaḻuti | 116 |
| ## 3. Language | | 4.2.3 Kaḷumāra Nataṉ | 116 |
| | | 4.3 The Cēras | 117 |
| 3.1 Language of cave inscriptions | 101 | 4.3.1 Irumpor̲ais of the Pugalur inscriptions | 117 |
| 3.1.1 The unsolved problem | 101 | 4.3.2 Coịns of the Irumpor̲ais | 118 |
| 3.1.2 How much Tamil? | 101 | 4.3.3 Cēra inscriptions from Kerala | 118 |
| 3.1.3 What kind of Tamil? | 102 | 4.3.4 Silver portrait coins of the Cēras | 118 |
| 3.1.4 The language of the inscriptions is Old Tamil | 103 | 4.4 The Cōḻas | 118 |
| 3.1.5 Dravidian and Indo-Aryan in the inscriptions | 103 | 4.4.1 Tittaṉ | 119 |
| | | 4.4.2 Neṭuṅkiḷḷi | 119 |
| 3.2 Dravidian element | 104 | 4.5 Chieftains | 119 |
| 3.2.1 Phonemic inventory | 104 | 4.5.1 Atiyaṉ Neṭumāṉ Añci | 119 |
| 3.2.2 Lexical items | 105 | 4.5.2 Piṭṭaṉ and Kor̲r̲antai | 120 |
| 3.2.3 Grammatical elements | 107 | 4.5.3 Kaṇimāṉ | 121 |
| 3.2.4 Influence of Old Kannada | 108 | 4.5.4 Atiṇṇaṉ Etirāṉ Cēntaṉ | 121 |
| 3.3 Indo-Aryan element | 109 | 4.5.5 Patumaṉ Kōtai | 121 |
| 3.3.1 Phonology: presence of non-Tamil sounds | 109 | 4.6 Administration | 122 |
| | | 4.6.1 King | 122 |
| 3.3.2 Orthography | 109 | 4.6.2 Heir apparent | 122 |
| 3.3.3 Vocabulary | 109 | 4.6.3 Princes | 122 |
| 3.3.4 Prakrit grammatical usages | 110 | 4.6.4 Chieftains | 122 |
| 3.3.5 Prakrit of the cave inscriptions | 111 | 4.6.5 Servant (of the king) | 122 |
| 3.3.6 Lexical items of doubtful etymology | 112 | 4.6.6 Superintendent, chief | 122 |
| | | 4.6.7 Superintendent of pearls | 123 |
| 3.3.7 Changeover from Prakrit to Sanskrit | 114 | 4.6.8 Chief of scribes | 123 |
| | | 4.6.9 Title of ministers, palace officials and merchants | 124 |
| | | 4.6.10 An honour or title bestowed by the king | 124 |