7th century Chalukya era stone inscription found in Karnataka

HUBBALLI: In a unique finding, a stone inscription of King Adityavarman of the Chalukya dynasty of Badami was found near the Lokaparameshwari temple in Hirekoumshi village of Hanagal taluk in Haveri district. Considered to be the first stone inscription of Adityavarman, the letters are in Kannada.

Adityavarman, who ruled in the 7th century CE, was the son of Pulakeshi II. Epigraphy experts from ASI Mysuru circle, who decoded the inscription, recorded the exemption of tax of the village Kagumasi and the gift of land to the Gods Vishnu, Arkeshvara (Surya) and Mahadeva by Ramari Daman while administering the village Kagumasi as gamunda, which is present-day Hirekoumshi.

“It is interesting to note that this is the first stone inscription of Adityavarman so far. It is also the earliest reference to a temple dedicated to three Gods in Karnataka: a tradition regularly followed by Kalamukhas in building Tripurusha temples during the 10th-13th centuries. King Adityavarman is known to us through the Kurnool plates issued in his first regnal year (642-43 CE),” said an expert.

The expert team, which visited the site recently, also thanked Sankanagouda Devikoppa from Hanagal who has been documenting lesser-known stone inscriptions in Haveri district.

The finding was made when the administration took up protection works on monuments in Hirekoumshi. Under the MGNREGA scheme, the administration plans to restore some of the neglected monuments in Haveri district. A senior district official said that for each taluk, one heritage monument will be selected and restoration work will be taken up. “We have made a list of important monuments and have taken up restoration of Lokaparameshwari Temple in Hirekoumshi which has many monuments and heritage structures,” said Akshay Sridhar, ZP CEO, Haveri.