30. ĀLAṄKUṬI RECORD Contents | Previous | Next | Academy ________________________________________ An Inscription from Ālaṅkudi in Tanjore District is of great historic interest. The inscription records transactions that took place with reference to some lands in the village-spread over nearly one hundred fifty years. The transactions have taken place from almost 1000 CE to 1152 CE, in the reign period of five Cōḻa Emperors, Rājarāja I, Rājādhirāja II, Rājamahēndra, Kulōttuṅga Cōḻa I, and finally in the reign of Rājarāja II. Also the transactions relate not only to land but also to Jewels of the temple, the cash amount in gold and also silver and the interest due on the amount so received. Also are recorded the land price and tax exemption and details of land measures. The circumstances under which the transactions started are also of historic interest. It gives almost an insight into various aspects of Cōḻa society and administrative intricacies that have not attracted attention of Scholars. An attempt is made in the following to examine this inscription from all angles. The inscription is found on the base of the main shrine of Āpātaṣāyaēśvara temple of Ālaṅkuṭi in Naṉṉilam tāluk, Tanjore District, and is dated in 1162 CE (6th year of Parakēsari Rājarāja II. But it refers to the the transactions that took place in the reign of Rājarāja I, and others till the 45 th year of Kulōttuṅga I. The village Ālaṅguṭi which was also known as Jananātha-caturvedi-maṅgalam, was in the territorial subdivision mudi-conātu, in Suttamali-vaḷa-nādu. The exact date of the transaction is mentioned as well. The name of the God is mentioned as Tiru-irumpulai-uṭaiya-nāyanār. The village assembly met in full the catura-sālai named “Sembiyan mahādevi” and transacted the following resolution. The village Assembly earlier took some gold and silver from the temple treasury to meet some expenses of serious nature. The record says that there occurred a disaster to Rājadhirāja due to bad times in his third year (Rājadhirāja I, 1021 CE). To get over that and to pray for the recovery of the Emperor's body into a strong and pleasant body the village arranged for special worship in the temple. (Vijaya-Rājēndra cōḻarkku yāṇḍu mūnṟāvatu, kāladosāhamundaki perumāḷ tirumēṉi kalyāṇat-tirumēṉi yāy vajra kāyamum āy pūjai koṇḍaruḷakiakku). From the context it is clear that Rājadhirāja suffered some wounds in that year and that the villagers wanted that the emperor should regain his health and physic and arranged for the special worship in the temple (there are a few records of the Cōḻa times that mention the king should attain Kalyāṇa-tirumēṉi (auspicious physical power). But, in this record there is another phrase included which states he should regain vajra kāya that seems to suggest some wound). Among the Cōḻa rulers Rājadhirāja was a ruthless fighter to the very end of his life and took the front personally in most cases. His inscriptions reflect his ruthless fight and severity of treatment meted out to his enemies. He is the one Emperor among the Imperial Cōḻās who performed Aśvamedha sacrifice. Rājēndra Cōḻā, his father anointed him as his co-ruler very early in his regin and Rājadhirāja came to have joint rule with his father in 1018 CE.So, his third year falls in 1021 CE but he went on to rule upto 1054. Obviously, he recovered fully and went to take part in several battles till the last one in 1054 at his advanced age, fell fighting. It is not unlikely that he ought to have suffered some wound in a fight in the third year of his joint rule. From the study of the inscriptions of Rājēndra, Professor Sastri concludes that there took place a fierce battle in 1021 to 1023 with the Chāḷukya ruler Jayasimha and there are claims of success and counter claims about the success. Though finally Rājēndra Cōḻa won the battle, the war was severe in the initial stage. In all probability, Rājadhirāja ought to have taken part as a young man in the battle and sustained some war wounds that is mentioned in this Ālaṅkuṭi record. The specific prayer for Rājadhirāja to get vajra-kāya after the kāla-doṣa seems to confirm some set back to his health. However, this set back as a result of kāla-doṣa (bad times) and recovery of vajra-kāya (strong body) as prayer has not attracted the attention by historians including Prof. Sastri. The severity of the kāla-doṣa to Rājadjrāja may further be gauged by this record. The Village Assembly took some important gold jewels and silver vessels of the temple to meet the expenses of special worship for the recovery of the King. It is surprising that Assembly members have taken sacred jewels used in the temple for the the main deity and other processional deities for their gold. The following are the Jewels of the temple listed that were taken for the gold value. • Kolakai one weiging 350 kalanju • Koccakam and kodukkum one each 150 kalanju • Paṭṭam one 25 kaḻañju • Paṭṭam three 15 kaḻañju All these golden items are very sacred in temple worship Kolakai is a globular golden object resembling a liṅga used in daily Śrībali ceremony. (Rājarāja Cōḻa made a fine golden Kōlakai dēva for the Tanjore temple which is the first to be mentioned in his record. The Koccakam and Kodukku are the spiral containers to hold the kolaka. The Paṭṭam is the most sacred face band that is used in decorating the main liṅga and there are special chapters on paṭṭa in Āgamas indicating their importance. That these were made of gold itself would indicate their importance. Even these have been taken from the temple for their gold value indicates the seriousness of the situation. But what is more surprising is that the assembly also took all these following jewels of lord Naṭarāja. • The neck chain • The belly band (udara-bandanam) • The snake hood • The coils and the tail of the same And the anklet of Lord Naṭaraja (kūttāṭum dēvar) were also taken from the temple treasury. It is unimaginable in modern times that the jewels of Naṭaraja could be taken from the temple for the gold value to meet some expenses. The total value of jewels of Naṭaraja taken amounted to 285 kaḻañcu. In addition the Assembly also took the jewels of Lord Riṣabha-vāhana-dēva (metal image) that included four neckalaces, the golden flowers for abhiṣeka, the golden ear ornament makarak-kuḻai) and also the gold of his consort amounting to 286 of kalañcu. A total of 1081 kaḻañcu gold was realized from these jewels. In addition, there were some silver vessels that weighed as follows: • Taḷikai five nos 360 palams • Vattil plate with stand 37 palams • Plate and and a container for sandal paste 9 palams • Chowries 2 nos 58 palams The village assembly thus received a total of 1081 kaḻañcu gold and 464 paḻams of silver from the temple treasury. They wanted to raise paddy in the village with the money, for buying seed paddy and paddy for providing special food offering during the pūja arranged by them for the welfare of the king. The village assembly made over to the temple 8 3/4 vēli of land which they owned in the village. The record also states the land of 8 3/4 vēli was in lieu of the gold and silver they took and also towards the interest. The exact amount of interest is not mentioned. Generally a sum of 12.50 % interest is levied under the Cōḻas. If one could surmise on the basis of this interest rate approximately 200 kaḻañcu were expected towards interest. Computing on this basis it looks one vēli of land is valued approximately 200 kaḻañcu of gold. This may be compared with value at other places at the same time.
We have seen the village Ālaṅkudi also had another alternate name Jananātha-caturvedi-maṅgalam. Rājarāja Cōḻa had I the title Jananātha and hence it is clear that he reconstituted the village as a Caturvedi-maṅgalam named after himself. The inscrption points out the same when it says that earlier when the emperor Rājarāja aquired the common land of the village (for constituting it as Caturvedi-maṅgalam) the land belonging to the God of this temple was included in the catukkam (Square). The lands were then measured by the measuring rod of 16 feet in length per one kuḻi ((pit). 128 kuḻi constituted one mā of land. The inscription says that the land measure at Ālaṅkudi consisted of 128 kuḻi per mā, measured by 16 feet rod. The lands now given to the temple in lieu of the gold and silver the Assembly was measured by this standard measure of 128 kuḻi, a mā. This land has been given to the temple towards the gold and silver and also towards making the land tax free. The Assembly agreed themselves to meet the tax dues in perpetuity. The lands given were thus made tax free land. This transaction was recorded on stone in the third year of Rājamahēndra Cōḻa (1063 CE). But these lands were found as small parcels in different hamlets of the village.
