Hyderabad: Telugu inscriptions, dating back to 1517 CE, were unearthed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. One of the inscriptions was found engraved on a rock in Narasimhulagutta, Anantagiri and Rajanna Sircilla district of Telangana.
ASI director (Epigraphy) K Muniratnam Reddy confirmed the discoveries.
The inscription found in Anantagiri, written in Sanskrit but inscribed in Telugu, begins with a greeting to Lord Raghunatha and includes praise for Lakhaya, a minister of the Srivatsa-gotra, and his sons Krishnama, Ramakrishna and Krishna. It states that Krishna, son of Mallamamba and Lakhaya, built a Vishnu temple on Anantagiri hill. The inscription was brought to the ASI’s attention by Dr B Chandrashekar of Karimnagar, an epigraphy enthusiast.
Early medieval inscription
Another inscription was found outside the village of Pothugal in Kurnool district, AP. It is written in early Telugu script and language and dates back to the 9th-10th century CE. It describes the donation of twelve maruturu of land near a tank to the deity Kuppa Siva by a person called Rachayya, probably for temple festivals. The inscription also mentions that a Garayya was entrusted with this gift. M Mallesh Naidu of Kurnool informed ASI about this inscription.
Chola, Pallava-era records
In Veligandla village, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, a pillar bearing an inscription from the 13th century has been found in the field of P Navaiah. The inscription, written in Telugu and dated 1229 CE, records a donation to the god Bejavada Mallesvaradeva at Indrakiladri, known as Dakshina-Varanasi. The donation was by Podukayuri Siddayadeva and Sivamagi Maraya for the merit of their chief, Siddaraju alias Trilochana Pallava.
Thota Srinivasa Rao of Ongole found this artefact.
Another important find was from Mallur village, Chinnamandem mandal in Kadapa. A Tamil inscription on a boulder dates from the 32nd regnal year of the Chola king Kulottunga I (1102 1102 CE). It begins with the king’s meykkirtti and records a gift of the village of Muraluru in Maharajapadi to Irechchayasetti, a merchant leader, by Mahamandalesvara Duraiymaharajan alias Adhirajendra-Vaidumbamaharajan. All four inscriptions have been authenticated by the ASI’s Epigraphy branch.