Karnataka: Vijayanagara period inscription found in Kundapura taluk

UDUPI: Team of historical researchers have discovered a Vijayanagar period inscription at Baradakallu Bole in Kadali, near

Mahalingeshwara Temple

of

Iduru-Kunjadi village

in

Kundapura taluk

of Udupi. The inscription belongs to Sangama dynasty of Vijayanagar empire. Issued by Bukka I, it records epithets of Bukka II in glowing terms. During his tenure, his prime minister Goparasa Odeya was said to be ruling Barakuru as a governor.

The team led by

T Murugeshi

, associate professor, ancient history and archaeology, M S R S College, Shirva said the recorded date on the inscription is the Saka year 1290, Kilaka Samvat, which corresponds to 1368 AD. This date is supported by other records of Goparasa Odeya who was governing Barakuru between 1366 AD to 1373 AD, Murugeshi said.

On historical significance of the record, Murugeshi said Kolluru is a great centre of Shakta cult and celebrated centre of Shakti worship in India. The epigraph under study records the seize of Kolluru fort. It is said that 12 ‘yakkala’ (tenants) baliyavaru, Nada Nalvaru (four officials of Nadu) and Senabova (a village official) Tippa laid seize to the fort of Kollur and in that event a soldier named Kadada Mutta died in the fighting.

To support the cause of deceased, Goparasa Odeya gave a kind of ‘Manya’ (grant). At the end of the record, the place of record Kadali is mentioned as Kaduvali and in local dialect it has become Kadali. The record does not say anything about cause of seize, results of seize and against whom it was fought.

But, an inscription from Uppunda mentions an independent king Katarasa, an associate of king Kolarasa and an official Anna Senabova who were ruling in and around Kolluru as contemporaries to Vijayanagar in 1377 AD. Later in 1480 AD, Kolluru came under the control of Vijayanagar, Murugeshi said.

He thanked Kadali Sridhara Udupa, Ramananda Madhyasta, Chandra Shetty of Hosur High School, Vandaballi Sudhakara Shetty and Kolluru Murulidhara Hegade for their support and his students Prajna, Rakshitha and Suraksha for their work.