TulAbhAra

[N. Ganesan]

Here is the poem, one of the most beautiful I ever read,
which Sundara Pandyan, the Madurai king, got inscribed
on a Chidambaram temple gopuram. Probably the Pandyan was
very happy that he has captured the Chola country, his traditional
rival land, and to say thanks, he donates tulAbhAram twice:
1) a gold tulAbhAram and 2) a pearl tulAbhAram (pearls are a product
of Pandya country (cf. Arthashastra, MBh., Raghuvamsham)
and special to Pandyas and their daughter, Meenakshi)
amounting to  his own weight to Lord Natarajan of Tillai.

  in2avarik kimpuri veNpiRaik kOTTikal veGkaTuGkaT
  cin2amatta veGkaric cuntarat ten2n2avan2 tillaiman2Ril
  van2acat tiruvuTan2 ceJcol tiruvai maNantatokkum
  kan2akat *tulai*yuTan2 muttat *tulai*yil kalantatuvE!

After explaining the power of the elephant army of the
Sundara Pandyan, his two tulAbhArams are described.
First tulAbhAram, with gold on one side and S. Pandyan on the other
side of the weighing scale, the King looks like VishNu marrying
Sri (compare: Devaraja concept); the second tulAbhAram
with the said king on one side and *pearls* on the other,
the Pandyan appears like the one who married Sarasvati.

Ref: SII, iv, p. 189; centamiz, vol. 4, 1904, p. 491.

Regards,
N. Ganesan


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