134 DESCRIPTIVE REMARKS ON 



Map No. 



is a Sanskrit inscription engraved on 

 the north and south end walls of the 

 Atiranacandesvara Mandapa (rock excava- 

 tion) at Saluvankuppam (No. 58). 

 It consists of ten lines, or five slokas, in three 

 different characters, Pallava, Nagarl and 

 old Grantha. The Pallava writing is a 

 still more developed form than that of the 

 Kamaraja Pallavesvara (24), but Dr. 

 Burnell puts them down together as about 

 700 A.D. (p. 38). 



The Nagari transcript is of the eighth or ninth 

 century, and the old Grantha transcript 

 " very near to that of the eleventh century." 



This thrice- written inscription is in dedication 

 to, and in praise of, Siva and of the foun- 

 der ; and its first, second, third and fourth 

 4lokas are identical in matter with lines No. 

 8, 9, 10, and 4 (respectively) of the Kamaraja 

 inscription, lines 1, 2, 3 ; 5, 6, 7 ; 11 and 

 12 of which are here wanting, but a fresh 

 one, No. 5, containing the name of the 

 founder Atiranacanda and an invocation 

 of " Siva, Parvati, Kartikeya, and their 

 suite of deities." This is especially inter- 

 esting as descriptive of the Siva tableau 

 which so often accompanies the linga set 

 up in these shrines. It runs thus : " Ati- 

 ranachanda, Lord of Kings, built (?) this 

 place called Atiranacandesvara. May 

 Siva the beloved, accompanied by the 

 daughter (Parvati) of the snowy mountain, 

 by Kartikeya, and their suite of deities, 

 be present in it for ever." (Carr, p. 59.) 



