ASI Finds 16th-Century Inscription At Tirumala Temple
It records a charitable deed in favour of Perarulalayyan, one of the Ekangi Srivaisnavas residing at Tirumala.
Vijayawada: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has recently found a 16th-century inscription of Achyutadevaraya at the Venkateswara temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh.
The inscription, written in Tamil, was found on the south wall of the temple’s third prakara.
It records a charitable deed in favour of Perarulalayyan, one of the Ekangi Srivaisnavas residing at Tirumala.
It states that 675 panam were deposited in the bhandaram (temple treasury) to provide food offerings to Lord Venkateswara on auspicious occasions, including Brahmotsavam, the Uri-ati festival held during Krishna Janmashtami, and Adhyayanotsavam.
The inscription states that each panam was equivalent to 0.36 grams of gold.
The copy estimates its present value at approximately `5,000.
It also provides for the maintenance of tanks and irrigation channels in the temple villages known as Tiruvitaiyata-urkal.
Agricultural produce harvested from these villages was to be remitted to the temple treasury.