A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c6.32

c6.32

Some of the longer inscriptions are dedicatory and commemorative and often contain valuable *praśastis* of long lines of rulers; the Aihole inscription of the reign of Pulakeśin II and the Tālagunda pillar inscription of the Kadambas are the most conspicuous examples of this class. But few are so purely historical in their contents as the Tiruvendipuram inscription of the reign of Chola Rājarāja III which gives an unvarnished account of the troubles of this ruler and of the manner in which he got relief from the intervention of the Hoysalas. Two other inscriptions deserve particular mention. One is the fairly long Kuḍumiyāmalai inscription from Puḍukōṭṭai region, beautifully engraved in the ornate Pallava Grantha of the seventh or eighth century on a wide rock face and containing groups of musical notes arranged for the benefit of his pupils by a king, who was a *māheśvara* (worshipper of Śiva) and a pupil of a certain Rudrāchārya. The other inscription comes from Tiruviḍaivāyil in the Tanjore district and contains an entire hymn, otherwise unknown, composed by Ñānasambandar to the local deity and bearing all the marks of a genuine composition of the great saint.