1844.] 



Account of Mamattaipur. 



47 



At a little distance to the North west of this temple, on a 

 fiat stone, (No. 32 in the map), level with the surface, occurs 

 the following in old Tamil characters : 



" Salutation ! two Mas 1 of land in Mapatti 2 for a sufficient daily meat 

 " offering, and a Kalanji 3 of gold for maintaining a lamp, are granted to 

 - 1 Ijjagatala 4 Tamanar." 



About 100 yards north of the Mantapam is a mass of na- 

 tural rock, (No. 33 in the map), one end of which is covered 

 with a long inscription in ancient Tamil. The character, 

 as well as that on the flat stone just mentioned, is quite 

 different from those above alluded to ; but corresponds with 

 the one first described in Dr. Babington's paper, as " seen 

 on a face of rock by the side of the inner entrance to ike 

 Varahaswami pagoda" 5 on the south side of the hill at Ma- 

 hamalleipur, and of which an alphabet is given in plate 13. 

 The greater portion is buried in the sand ; but in l'S40 this was 

 cleared away, and a transcript of the whole carefully made, 

 of which the following is a translation. The original in modern 

 characters is given at the end of this article ; (marked A.) 



« Salutation ! 



" In the presence of Tiruvackejavi 6 



" In the 37th year (Andu) of the reign of Tribhuvana Vira Deva, 

 " Sovereign of the three worlds/ who having taken (or holding) Ma- 



1 A ma is a 20th part. 



2 Mapatti is probably the name of a field. 



3 Kalanji, an ancient weight. 



4 Ijjagatala Tamanar " the Lord of this world." Tamanar should probably be Tarn.' 

 banar; the title refers to Atirana Chandeswara. 



5 Page 263. 



6 This is read in two senses. Some explain Tiruvackejavi as Sarasicati, the goddess 

 of learning; while others read the invocation thus, May the Agamas and Veda-she 

 pre-eminent. 



7 Tribhutana Chackra vartigal, a repetition of the Kings titular name. 



