English: These are the first 16 lines of Tiruvallam inscriptions associated with a 8th-century Shiva temple. It is found on a boulder near the river and many early temple wall inscriptions about 1.5 kilometer northeast of Tiruvallam village. The language is mostly Tamil, with a few Sanskrit portions. The script is Tamil and Grantha respectively.
It is attributed to Nandivarman II (Vijaya Nandivikramavarman). It opens with "Om, obeisance to Shiva!" The rest is praise of Shiva, declaration of a charitable donation and a fine on anyone interfering with the charity or temple operations. On the north wall of Vilwanatheswarar (Bilvanatheswara) temple in Tiruvallam (Vellore), near this boulder, is a historically important inscription also of Nandivarman II where he makes a donation to support "Tevaram singers". This set is thus among the earliest known inscriptions mentioning the sacred hymns of Shaiva Siddhanta tradition in Tamil Nadu. The inscription also confirms the cultural importance of Shiva temples in Tamil Shaiva life by the 8th-century CE.
For complete text and translation of this and other inscriptions at Vilwanatheswarar temple of Tiruvallam, please see: Hultzsch, South Indian Inscriptions, Volume 3, Part 1, Inscription numbers 42 with 43 and 44–48, pages 90–119, Archaeological Survey of India
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