Devotion, a refined feel of human being seems to be above all other feelings when it is in condensed manner inside the heart. It doesn’t care other feelings like enmity, hatred and anger. Even in historic days, devotion was respected above the hereditarily rivalry. This can be easily gleaned through inscriptions of that period. The following inscription of Parāntaka I is clearly stating the truth discussed above. The inscription is from Tiruvendipuram of Cuddalur district. This inscription is chiseled in a pillar erected at the prākāra of Devanāyaka perumāḷ temple. The same is published in S.I.I volume XXXII with the number 37. The text is as follows.
Line 1: Svastiśī (ll)
Line 2: Śrī Madi
Line 3: rai ko
Line 4: ṇḍa
Line 5: Koppa
Line 6: ra keśari[pa]
Line 7: ṉmaṙku yā
Line 8: ṇḍu Muppat
Line 9: toṉṙāvatu
Line 10: Tiruvendi
Line 11: ra purattu De
Line 12: varkku Pāṇ
Line 13: ḍiyaṉār Irā
Line 14: caciṅga p[e]rumā
Line 15: ṉār Magaḷār Vā
Line 16: ṉavaṉ mādevi
Line 17: yār Candirādi
Line 18: ttaval….
Line 19: erippadāga Vai
Line 20: tta Nondā Vi
Line 21: ḷakku oṉṙu
Line 22: kku vaitta ā
Line 23: ḍu Toṇṇū
Line 24: ṙṙaiyndu Iv
Line 25: viḷakku….
The above inscription belongs to 938 CE since it mentions the 31st regnal year of Parāntaka Coḹa (907-953 CE). It records a gift of ninety five sheeps for burning a perpetual lamp to the god of Tiruvendirapuram by Vāṉavaṉmādeviyār, daughter of Rācaciṅga pāṇḍiyaṉār. The pāṇḍya king mentioned here is none other than Rājasiṃha II (900-920 CE) who was defeated time and again by Parāntaka I and was driven to Lanṅkā and there to Keraḷa.
It is very interesting to note that the daughter of a pāṇḍya king who is hereditarily rival gave gift to a temple which was built inside the Coḹa’s territory. This shows that the kings had a deep devotion to made gifts to the god of rival’s territory and to accept the same by the same rival. Such type of tolerance is needed today.
