Epigraphic curses

[N. Ganesan]

Dear Michael,

If you can send me the grid photos, I can get it
deciphered in TN, me having contacts with many Tamilists;
I can particularly do it through Dr. ce. irAcu,
Head, Dept. of Epigraphy, Tamil university;
Raju discovered a 2-3rd century CE Tamil inscription
(4 lines) with bharatanAtyam jatis. Called the aRaccalUr (near Erode)
brahmi inscription, both Iravatham and Nagasamy have written on
Raju's discovery and Mahadevan and Nagasamy write that
this is the earliest inscription on Dance in India!

For the sin of "killing tawny cows on the banks of Kaveri",
see 100s of those statements in
ce. irAcu, koGku nATTuc camutAya AvaNaGkaL,
Social documents of the Kongu region, 1991, 417 p.
ISBN 8170901855.
Y. Subbarayalu has one similar, but not as comprehensive,
on Tiruchy district. Heard that he and Karashima are in
Sri Lanka documenting Tamil inscriptions.


Some day, I hope you will be able to compare the 684 CE
inscription from Srivijayan era in Indonesia with
those of Pallavas in Mamallapuram and Kanchipuram.
The art os South East Asia, 1998, H. N. Abrams, p. 340
"One of the inscribed stones relating to early Srivijaya
is also sculpted. It was found in Palembang and dates from
about 684. It contains a long list of curses against all
those who commit any crime whatsoever against the king
and the realm of Srivijaya. It speaks repeatedly of
"curse water" and "drinking the curse". The stone
containing this inscription has a remarkable shape, which
seems to be related to its function (fig. 663). The top is
decorated with a seven headed snake, the bottom has a spout.
It is assumed that the ruler summoned high officials to
the stone to have them drink the water that was poured
over it and collected via the spout. This validated
the curses. The motif of a snake on top of the stone is
significant, for in various South and Southeast Asian
countries a semantic relationship exists between snakes and
water."

Regards,
N. Ganesan





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