Over 800-Year-Old Inscription Links Warangal to Chalukyas
The inscription was identified during field exploration by G. Kishore, a research member of the Kotha Telangana Charitrabrundam.
Hyderabad:A 10th-century inscription recording a land donation has come to light at Mulkanoor in Bheemadevarapalli mandal of Hanamkonda district, offering details of the region's history during the period of the Kalyani Chalukyas.
The inscription was identified during field exploration by G. Kishore, a research member of the Kotha Telangana Charitrabrundam. It is carved on a rock locally known as Katamayya rock, located behind the Mahila Sahakara Dairy in Mulkanoor.
The rock also contained sculptures of Ganesha, a Shivalinga on a Vedibhadra pedestal, Nandi and Mahishasuramardini, along with representations of the Sun and Moon. Votive Naga stones are located opposite the rock. The sculptures have been described as belonging to the post-Rashtrakuta style.
According to Sriramoju Haragopal, president of the Kotha Telangana Charitrabrundam, the inscription is written in Telugu-Kannada script and the Kannada language. However, several portions have been damaged and worn away, making it possible to decipher only part of its contents.
The readable portion indicates that during the rule of the Kalyani Chalukyas, a Mahasamanta, possibly named Bijjana, who held the title “Samadhigata Pancha Mahashabda,” made a land donation at Mulkaluru. The inscription appears to mention the donation of land with water (neer nelanu) on the 12th day of the bright fortnight of the month of Chaitra, though the year is not clear from the damaged text.
The inscription begins with the customary Swasti and refers to the Mahasamanta and his lineage before recording the details of the donation. The text also contains a reference to the continued prosperity of the kingdom and concludes with a customary appeal for rulers to protect the charitable grant.
Haragopal said the damaged condition of the inscription has limited the information that can currently be established, and further study of the surviving letters could help clarify the name of the donor, the exact date and other details of the land grant.
