Srinivagilu (Bengaluru) Inscriptions and Herostones

Srinivagalu is a sub-locality in Koramangala, Bengaluru. It houses two inscriptions, one a Kannada Herostone inscription that is very significant as it mentions the old name of Srinivagilu as Siyanelvagila and an other Tamil Inscription.[1] Srinivagilu has a recorded history dating back to at least the 9th Century CE, both the inscriptions are located in the vicinity of a Shiva temple in the Ibbalur Military Camp, as this is a defence land, entry is restricted to general public.

Srinivagilu 800CE Palchatereyamma's Turugol Herostone With Inscription

edit
 
Digital Image of the Srinivagilu 800CE Palchatereyamma's Turugol Herostone With Inscription. Picture Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
 
3D Scanning of the Srinivagilu 800CE Palchatereyamma's Turugol Herostone With Inscription. Picture Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

It is a Kannada Herostone Inscription paleographically dated to the 8th Century CE, the inscription commemorates the valiant demise of Palchhatereyamma, who fought against thieves to rescue cows (turugol) in the village of Siyanelvagila (present-day Srinivagilu). It is a very significant inscription mentioning the historical name of Srinivagalu as Siyanelvagila. Dr. P.V Krishnamurthy, Historian and Epigraphist provides an interesting etymology for the name of the place Siyanelvagila, which he derives from siya or sihi (sweet) + nel (paddy) + bagilu (place), essentially meaning "the place where sweet paddy was grown".[2] Over time, the name has evolved into the fairly different yet similar name of Srinivagilu today. Turugol refers to the act of 'cattle raiding,' which involved the theft of cattle. Historically, Cattle was regarded as an important source of wealth and raids by thieves was commonplace. Numerous inscriptions exist, documenting instances of cattle raids in various villages and recounting the heroic deaths of individuals who bravely defended against these raids.

Physical Characteristics

edit

The Inscription is 64 cm tall and 87 cm wide. The Kannada Characters are approximately 3 cm tall, 4 cm wide & 0.15 cm deep (very, very shallow depth). The hero stone has a sculpture of a man standing, grasping a bow in one hand and a long dagger in the other. Over his shoulder, a quiver is strapped, holding several arrows. Some arrows are also depicted piercing his body. In the upper section, there is a depiction of a man seated on a stool, flanked on both sides by apsaras holding flywhisks (chamara). The lower part of the hero stone is either buried or damaged, resulting in only the upper portion of the man's sculpture, from the knees upwards, being visible.

Transliteration of the Inscription

edit

The Inscription was first published by P V Krishnamurthy in Itihasa Darshana Vol 24, 2009. The text below is the rereading published in the Journal of The Mythic Society.

Digital Images of the each of the characters of this inscription, images of the inscription itself, summary and the other information about the inscription have been shared via Aksharabhandara Software

Line

Number

Kannada IAST
1 ಸ್ವಸ್ತಿಶ್ರೀ ಪಳ್ಚತೆಱೆ svastiśrī pal̤c̤atĕṟĕ
2 ಯಮ್ಮ ಸಿಯ್ಯನೆಲ್ವಾ yamma siyyanĕlvā
3 ಗಿಲ ತುಱುವನಿಕಿಸಿ gila tuṟuvanikisi
4 ಸತ್ತು ಸಗ್ಗಿಯಾದಂ sattu saggiyādaṃ

Srinivagilu 15th-century Kailaiyam Udayar Boundary Inscription

edit
 
3D Scanned Digital Image Of The Srinivagilu 15th-century Kailaiyam Udayar Boundary Tamil Inscription, Picture Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

It is a Tamil Inscription in Grantha and Tamil Characters that is paleographically dated to the 15th Century CE. The context of the inscription cannot be said with much clarity as the text is incomplete as read in the Inscription. It was discovered by the Mythic Society Bengaluru Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project team and published in the Quaternary Journal of the Mythic Society. It appears that the inscription may have some connection with the Shiva Temple. The inscription and temple are located in Defence lands, so prior permission and coordination may be required to access the site.

Physical Characteristics

edit

The Inscription is 94 cm tall and 36 cm wide. The Grantha and Tamil Characters are 4.5 cm tall, 3.6 cm wide & 0.5 cm deep.

Transliterationvś

edit

Translation

edit

The text was published in the Quaternary Journal of the Mythic Society.[3]

“Swasthi Sri Paadirakodu. Sri Kailaiyamudayar temple’s land. Puliya patta.....”


edit

References

edit
  1. ^ L, Udayakumar P. (July 12, 2022). "Gayathri Nagar or Srirampura? How ward names can highlight Bengaluru's millennium-old heritage". Citizen Matters.
  2. ^ ಇತಿಹಾಸ ದರ್ಶನ, ಸಂಪುಟ 24 : ಎಂ. ಜಿ. ನಾಗರಾಜ : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
  3. ^ Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society (QJMS) VOl 113 2 2022 43 Undocumented Bengaluru Inscriptions : The Mythic Society : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive