Gangaikonda Cholapuram – Epigraphs
Twelve inscriptions and a few fragments have been
noticed so far on the temple. An inscription of Virarajendra Chola, the third
son of Rajendra-I is the earliest and lengthiest running to about 216 lines. It
relates to gifts of lands in a number of villages in the Chola Empire, the
proceeds from which were to be utilized for worship and maintenance of the
temple.
The accuracy with which the boundaries and measurements
of the lands are recorded, the taxes from which the lands were exempted, the
crops that were raised in the lands, the total quantity of grains to be
measured out to the temple by each village, the names of the officers who
drafted the endowment, the name of those who compared the drafting the names of
those who entered them in registers etc., recorded in detail in this epigraph,
show the efficiency and thoroughness of Chola administration.
These gifts were ordered by Virarajendra while he was in
the royal palace at Kanchipuram in his fifth regnal year. Though this is a
single record, it relates to more than six orders of the king. The epigraph
records that the order would take effect from the regnal years of Rajendra-I
and Rajadhiraja-I. The earliest regnal year of Rajendra from which an order was
to take effect, is mentioned as the 23rd, evidently the temple was
completed and consecrated before that (1035 A.D.). It is likely that Rajendra,
the builder of the temple, himself made these gifts. Probably they had not been
recorded and Virarajendra ordered them to be entered in the proper registers.
There are two orders, which took effect from the 26th
and 30th years respectively of Rajadhiraja I, the son and successor of
Rajendra. Evidently, some gifts were made in the reign of Rajadhiraja as well.
From the records it is seen that more than one hundred and ten thousand bags of
paddy were to be measured out to the temple every year by the villages
mentioned in epigraphs.
A careful study of the inscription reveals that most of
the lands and proceeds recorded in these inscriptions are also recorded in the Thanjavur
inscriptions of Rajaraja as gifts to the great temple of Thanjavur. It is
strange that most of the lands gifted to Thanjavur temple by Rajaraja should
have been transferred to the temple of Gangaikonda Cholapuram by his son within
twenty five years of the original gift.
The inscription is of great value. It mentions the names
of the various divisions and sub-divisions of the Chola Empire. It also gives a
long list of officers who were in charge of the administration in the reign of
Virarajendra. A certain Pallavarayan is mentioned as the Thirumandira Olai
(royal secretary) of Virarajendra. He received orders verbally from the king
and drafted them. The orders were scrutinized and approved by three senior
secretaries (Thirumandira Olainayakam) whose names are recorded as
Vanadhirajan, Madhurantaka Brahmadhirajan and Pallavarayan. Sixty four other
officers are also named; their names are given at the end of this chapter.
The inscription is of interest from another angle. In
listing the villages gifted it gives the names of various temples, tanks,
colonies, irrigation channels; cremation grounds etc., in each village, thus
furnishing details for a study of the contemporary history of these villages.
The name of the temple according to this inscription is
Gangaikonda Cholisvaram. Rajendra is referred to as the father, the victor of
Purvadesa, Gangai and Kadaram (Puruvadesamum Gangaiyum, Kadaramum, Kondarulina
Ayyar). Rajadhiraja is referred to as the elder brother, the victor of
Kalyanapura and Kollapura who laid down his life while seated on an elephant. The
inscription also details the victories gained by Virarajendra.
Another inscription of interest is a fragment found on
the front steps of the great mandapa. It mentions Vanavan mahadevi and Ammanga Devi.
Vanavan mahadevi was the name of Rajendra's mother (Rajaraja's wife). One of
Rajendra's queens was also named Vanavan mahadevi. It is not known who is
referred to in this inscription; but in all likely-hood it refers to Rajendra's
queen. Ammanga Devi, the other, was one of the daughters of Rajendra-I. She was
given in marriage to the Eastern Chalukya ruler Rajendra Narendra. Their son
was the celebrated Kulottunga-I.
The next king represented in the inscription is Kulottunga
I (1070-1120). A record of his dated in 49th regnal year does not pertain to
this temple but relates to the gift of a village Sungam thavirtha Cholanallur,
as a devatana gift, for provisions etc., to the temple of Rajendra Cholisvaram
in Pottalimada. Probably this temple was built in the reign of Rajendra I and
was named after him. The inscription states that worship in the temple was
stopped as sufficient provisions were not available. Kulottunga made the gift
tax free and arranged for regular worship. The epigraph also records that the
order of the king was issued when he was seated on a throne, at the eastern
porch in the ground floor of Gangaikonda chola Mallikai in Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
The last Chola king represented in inscriptions is
Kulottunga III. His inscriptions are in fragments and found by the side of the
steps to the eastern entrance to the great mandapa. They record the victories
gained by Kulottunga and the erection of a victory pillar. From the fragmentary
nature of these inscriptions it may be surmised that a number of other Chola
inscriptions of the temple have been lost. Reference has been made to the
presence of an incomplete inscription of a Ghadawala king, probably of
Madanapala.
The earliest Pandya king to be represented here is
Jatavarman Sundara Pandya, identical with the ruler who uprooted the Chola Empire.
He ascended the throne in 1251. The sole inscription of his found in this
temple is dated in his second regnal year. Evidently the gift was made when the
Pandya emperor captured Gangaikonda Cholapuram and paid a visit to the temple.
He established a special worship called Sundara Pandyan Sandhi, after his name
to be performed daily. For this purpose Sundara gifted lands etc, in
Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The inscription mentions a number of places, in
Gangaikonda Cholapuram like the gateway lane, Suddhamali lane, Rajendra Chola
fort wall and Vembugudi gate.
Gangaikondacholapuram is said to lie in Ponparappiparru
of Mannaikonda Chola Valanadu, a subdivision in Vadakari Vikrama Chola Valanadu.
The next Pandya to be represented is Vikrama who ably
assisted his brother Sundara. His record is dated in his sixth year (1157).
Vikrama like his brother established a special worship in the temple after his
own name as Rajakkalnayakan Sandhi for which he gifted twenty velis of land.
The epigraph names two villages Kulottunga Cholanallur, and Rajendra Cholanallur.
It also mentions the boundaries of lands gifted. The river Madhurantaka
Vadavaru and irrigation channels called Anaivettuvan kal and Adigai Nayakan
vaykal. A highway called the Rajendra Cholan highway is also referred to in
this inscription.
Two inscriptions of Pandya Maravarman Kulasekhara who
ascended the throne in 1268 A.D. are found engraved on the temple. The first
one dated in his fourth year, records the purchase of lands in Devaniputtur
belonging to a certain Kumarmangalam Udayan, Sivatandan. The other inscription
which is incomplete is dated in Kulasekhara fifth regnal year. It records the
sale of lands belonging to a number of individuals to the temples of
Gangaikonda Cholisvaram. The epigraph mentions highways named the Kulottunga
Cholan for wall highway; the Vilangudaiyan highway and a highway through which
a short elephant passed.
Two inscriptions of a chieftain, Thiruvengadamudaiyan
Ekamranatha Gangeyan of Vaippur, who was in control of this area, are recorded
in this temple. One of the inscriptions gives the Saka date 1385 (1463 A.D.).
From the inscription it may be seen that this chieftain probably erected a
mandapa named after himself, Ekamranathan Mandapa. While the chieftain was
seated in a matha of Ekamranatha Mandapa the Mudalis, the temple priests, the
tanattars (those who looked after the properties of the temple), the
Parikarathar (temple attendants) and a certain Kasmiraraya (probably a person
from Kashmir) assembled before him.
The chieftain bestowed the right (probably on
Kasmiraraja) of duties-over Thirumaligaikuru (maintenance of the enclosure and
the right to enjoy proceeds apportioned for the purpose) for fifteen days in a
month and lordship over the Natha for the other fifteen days of the month. For
this purpose he gifted two house sites in the northern row and two in the
southern row of Rajendra Chola Street. A certain Kihurudaiyan is mentioned as
the temple accountant. The other inscription of the chieftain relates to a
similar gift. Mention has been made of the inscriptions of Vijayanagara rulers
in the temple.
Another Inscription of Virarajendra on the quantity of
paddy measured or gold paid per annum as due to the temple by various villages was
found in the temple. As the inscription is damaged at some places, either the
name of the village or the quantity measured is lost in certain cases. The
total quantity of paddy measured amounted to 1, 03,893 kalams (bags) per annum.
As there are many gaps in the inscriptions, the total measurement should have
been many thousand kalams more of paddy. The maximum measure received from a
single village is 20,585 kalams. Unfortunately the name of the village is lost.
Vayalur is the next village to measure 16,900 kalams. Evidently these villages
should have been the most fertile villages during the Chola period. Kalam,
Tuni, Pathakku and Nali are grain measures.
