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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[SEPTEMBER, 1889.
thundering drums were carried to the battle-field on elephants, and tall banners were borne on chariots as well as on elephants. The soldiers fought on foot or on horseback; the nobles and princes rode on elephants, while the commanders drove in chariots. Umbrellas, with straight handles and flat circular tops covered with white cloth, were carried behind the officers of the army as tokens of their dignity. Another curious fact mentioned in the poem is that women went to the battlefield, to recover the bodies of their slain kindred (St. 29). Such of the bodies as were not taken away by their relations, lay on the field to be devoured by crows, hawks, eagles, and jackals. The Kârttikai feast or the "feast of lights," peculiar to the Dravidian people, is also alluded to in the poem (St. 17).
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The date of the poem cannot be later than the sixth or seventh century A.D.; for ChenKannan or Kochchenkannan (the prefix ko means 'king') is mentioned in the Leiden grant (see Archaeol. Surv. South. India, Vol. IV. p. 217) as one of the ancient and illustrious ancestors of Rajaraja-Chôla, who lived in the eleventh century A.D., and the poem is to be taken as composed in his life-time, very shortly after the battle described in it. He is similarly mentioned as a progenitor of Vira-Narayana-Chôla, whose date is presumed to be about A.D. 935 to 955 (see the grant of the Bâna king Hastimalla, published by Mr. Foulkes, Manual of the Salem District, Vol. II. p. 369). It will be seen from other poems which I shall translate, that his date is also anterior to that of Pallava-Malla-Nandivarman, who lived most probably in the seventh or eighth century A.D. (see his grant published by Mr. Foulkes in the Manual of the Salem District, Vol. II. p. 855). In the later Tamil poems which I shall notice hereafter, Chenkan is described as having extended his authority over the Pandya and Chêra kings; as having settled Brahmans, and built for them houses, at Chirrambalam (now known as Chillumbrum, a station on the South Indian Railway, in the South Arcot District), where there is a famous temple of Siva; and as having built no less than seventy temples, dedicated to the worship of that god, in different parts of the Chôla country. He was, in fact, one of the earliest of the Chôla kings who favoured Saivism, and helped the revival of the Brahmanical religions in Southern India.
(1) Nan ñâyirarra cheravirku vilntavar
vân mây kuruti kaliralakka tânmâyntu mun pakal ellâm kulampâki pin pakal tuppa takalil kelâum punanadan tappiyâr adda kalattu.
(2) Nalpina) elohiya üälañcher yinaikki] pôrppil idi murasinûdu pôm oņkuruti karppeyal peytapin chenkulak kôddukki! nirtûmbu nirumilva pônṛa punanâdan ârttamar adda kalattu.
TEXT.
(3) Olakkuňkurati alakkittalarvår iJukkankalirukkôdânşi eļavār malaikkuran mamurachin malku nir nådan pilaittârai adda kalattu.
(4) Uruvakkaduntêr murakki marṛatter paratichumantelunta yânai yiravichumbil chelchudar chêrnta malai pônṛa Chenkanmal
pullarai adda kalattu.
(5) Terikaņai ehham tiranta vâyellâm
kuruti padintunda kakam uruvilantu kukkil puratta chiralvâya Chenkanmal tappiyâr adda kalattu.
(6) Nânâṛrichaiyum pinam piranka yanai adukkupu êrrikkidanta iditturari ankanvichumpin urumerintenkum perumalaittûrerintaṛrê arumani pûnêntelin mârpiyaṛrindêrch Chembian tev vêntarai adda kalattu.
(7) Añchanakkunrêykkum yânai amarulakki inkulikak kunṛe pôrrônṛum chenkan varivarâl minpiralum Kaviri nadan porunarai adda kalattu.
(8) Yanai mêl yânai neritara ânâtu
kanner kadunkaņai meymmâyppa evvâyum ennarum kanṛil kurtinam pônṛanavê pannår idi murachil pay punal nir nådan napparai adda kalattu.
