Post No. 11,182
Date uploaded in London – 10 AUGUST 2022
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Tamil Nadu has the highest number of inscriptions and epigraphs in India. Muslim invasions destroyed most of the inscriptions in North India. When Dr R Nagaswamy became the Head of the Department of Archaeology in Tamil Nadu, the inscriptions in Tamil received full attention of the general public. But such a trend is not seen anywhere in India. There are lot of Sanskrit inscriptions in India. Most f the Tamil copper plates have the first part in Sanskrit and then comes the Tamil part. Prof. D B Diskalkar of Pune has published an excellent book with 800 poets found in inscriptions in his book Sanskrit and Prakrit Poets known from Inscriptions. But t is only a list and the exact verses composed by the poets are not included. So we need a book with the beautiful verses composed one thousand or thousand five hundred years ago. Here is some interesting information of poems done and inscribed in Temple walls of Srirangam and Tiruvannamalai; for Vaishnavites Temple means Sri Rangam and for Saivites, Tiruvannamalai Temple is important because it is one of the Panchabhuta shrines.
Vedanta Desika
Vedanta Desika (1268- 1369) was a great Vaishnavite scholar who wrote over 100 books 700 years ago. His Sanskrit verses engraved on the Srirangam temple eulogises the restoration of Ranganatha image by Gopanaarya in 1370 CE in the time of Telugu Chola king Singa (E.I.25/324)
(The book says “Vedanta Desika, son of Madhava” and the “year 1370”. According to Wikipedia Desikar died in 1369. So it seems one of the entries is wrong ; either the Epigraphica India or Wikipedia is wrong. “Vedanta Desika, Son of Madhava” says the book, which also differs from the Wikipedia version).
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Srinivasa Dikshita
Srinivasa Dikshita of Saktimangalam; son of Andampillai and Lakshmi ; his sons were named Kesava Dikshita Ardhanarisvara Dikshita and Rajachudamani Dikshita. He had the ‘biruda’ Divaapradipa. He composed four Sanskrit verses in praise of the gopura/tower of 11 storeys of the Arunachaleswara temple at Tiruvannamalai in Saka 1494 (A.R.S.IE.1929, No.419)
(Is it inside the temple or outside; the book doesn’t say it)
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Tamil inscription in Kerala
Vaikundan Udayanan
He wrote Vellaani inscription of the Venadu king Vira Rama Varmaa of Kerala in the Kollam year 371 (1169 CE) which records a grant of lands and labourers by the king of the Venad. The record is written in Tamil in Vatteluthu characters.
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Srinivasa
Son of Sthirananda , composed the first part consisting of 45 verses of the Bilhari (Jabalpur) stone inscription. It is in praise of Kalachuri king Yuvarajadatta II who ruled in the tenth century CE. The inscription traces the genealogy of the Haihayas. It gives a list of Saivite ascetics. Second part of the Prasasti (praises) from 46 to 78 were composed by Sajjana , son of Thira; concluding nine verses were composed by Kayastha (writer or engraver) Siruka.
The inscription records the building of a Siva temple by the queen of the Chedi prince Keyuravarsha.
In verse 85, it says that Sanskrit poet Rajasekhara is said to have been struck with wonder at the composition of the eulogy. He must have found in it the qualities which make a good piece of literature, free use of the metre Sardulavikridita and the poetic quality Samadhi which means an alternate combination of heavy and light syllables. He must have also liked the reference to several parts of India, says historian V V Mirashi.
My comments
In addition to beautiful Sanskrit verses these inscriptions give us the names of people, places, gotras, temples, development of a particular script, Vamsavali (lineage) and general history. Each one of the aspects must be analysed under different topics. For instance Tamil archaeologist Dr R Nagaswamy has listed the Gotras found in the inscriptions in his Tamil book Yaavarum Kelir. It is necessary for us to list them under different headings. Sanskrit verses must be published in full with translations in English and vernacular languages/
–subham–
Tags- VEDANTA DESIKAR, INSCRIPTION IN SRI RANGAM , DIKSHITAR INSCRIPTION, TIRUVANNAMALAI TEMPLE,
Tamil and Vedas 