Indian Epigraphy c11.t9.43

c11.t9.43

We have some good specimens of the royal seal of the Coḷa kings of South India. Thus the seal of a copper-plate grant¹ of king Rājendra-coḷa is about 4½" in diameter and has 16 projections around the margin at about equal intervals, the whole of it apparently designed to give the appearance of an expanded lotus. The central area of the seal, which is flattened, is marked off by a circular line and exhibits the emblems, constituting the Coḷa coat of arms. The most conspicuous among these are a pair of fish with the scales, fins, gills, eyes and snouts clearly delineated and a tiger, seated like a dog, with its tail brought forward between the legs and touching one of the two fish which it faces. Above the figure of the tiger is a parasol which is flanked by two flywhisks. A miniature representation of the sun occupies the space between the parasol and the left flywhisk, while the crescent is seen to the left of this flywhisk. Two lamp-stands are also found among the emblems, one to the left of the fish and the other to the right of the tiger, in a straight row with them. Each of the stands has a piece of cloth tied round the middle of it, while a wick-lamp is shown burning on each. Below this row of emblems appears a strung bow, with its string forming the pedestal for the emblems. Around the circle which encloses all these symbols, is engraved the following metrical legend in Choḷa-Grantha characters :