Rare 300-year-old Telugu, Odia Inscription Found at Paralakhemundi Temple
The rare inscription is under protection of the Odisha Archaeology department
Visakhapatnam: A rare 300-year-old inscription on stone in both Odia and Telugu has been discovered at the Hanuman Temple in Paralakhemundi town located in Gajapati district of Odisha.
This is the first epigraphic evidence in Odisha, where a historic inscription has appeared in both Telugu and Odia scripts. The rare inscription is under protection of the Odisha Archaeology department.
The inscription had first been noticed by P. Appala Raju, a history teacher and resident of Purunapatana, who immediately informed epigraphist Bishnu Mohan Adhikari for proper identification and historical assessment. After preliminary study, Adhikari confirmed that the inscription explicitly refers to “Dharma” of Udayagiri Yenkata Rao Pantulu, indicating patronage and religious donations.
According to the epigraphist, paleographical features of Odia text closely resemble the script style prevalent around 1700 CE. The inscription likely belongs to the regime of Gajapati Prataparudra of the Khemundi royal line, whose reign is estimated to have lasted between 1706 CE and 1748 CE. The individual named in the inscription may have been associated with the Kamma-agrahara, an important administrative and cultural institution under the Gajapati rulers.
The Hanuman Temple houses sculptural images of Prataparudra, apart from the original builder of the shrine. This adds cultural weight to the discovery.
Scholars believe the inscription not only offers insights into the religious patronage of the time, but also reflects the linguistic coexistence of Odia and Telugu communities in southern Odisha during the early modern period.
Adhikari highlighted the deep antiquity of Hanuman worship in this region, pointing to the 4th Century CE Mathara-era Hanuman Temple at Parikota standing as an early example.
The epigraphist says the newly discovered stone record makes the Paralakhemundi Hanuman Temple the first known site to bear a bilingual inscription in Odisha dedicated to Lord Hanuman.
Further study of the inscription is expected to shed new light on the cultural history of the Gajapati region.
