Shikanathar Temple Complex, Kudumiyanmalai
– Musical Inscription
This temple is known for its celebrated musical inscription of Mahendra Pallava I. It is a rare treatise on musical notes. This inscription can be seen on the living rock to the south of the rock cut cave shrine. This inscription was discovered by Mr. Krishna Sastri in 1904 and was first edited by P R Bhandarkar in Epigraphia Indica volume XII. This inscription is written in the Grantha script and in Sanskrit language. It is carved on 13 feet by 14 feet wall and is in good state of preservation.
The wall and basement of the
mandapam in front of the
rock cut cave shrine hide parts of the last section of the inscription. The
inscription is divided into seven sections and starts with Sitham
Namasivaya. Each section consists of a collection of groups of four notes
(svaras), arranged in sub-sections of sixteen. Each sub-section takes up one
line of the inscription. The seven sections are arranged in a specific manner
and mentioned under specific heading, namely,
1.
Madhyamagrame Chatushprahara Svaragamah,
2.
Shadjagrame Chatushprahara Svaragamah,
3.
Shadave Chatushprahara Svaragamah,
4.
Sadharite Chatushprahara Svaragamah,
5.
Panchami Chatushprahara Svaragamah,
6.
Kaisikimadhyama Chatushprahara Svaragamah and
7.
Kaisike Chatushprahara Svaragamah.
There are two colophons at the
end of the inscription, one in Sanskrit and one in Tamil. The Sanskrit colophon
reads, “Texts of notes made for the benefit of pupils by the King, who is
devotee of the Supreme Lord (Lord Shiva) and a pupil of Rudracharya and the Tamil
colophon reads, “These are appropriate to eight or seven”. There is a
single label inscription, written in the Pallava Grantha script, is inscribed
near this musical inscription. This label reads, ‘Parivadini’. Parivadini
is a big vina with seven strings. This inscription describes the notations for this
seven-stringed musical instrument.