ONGOLE: An inscription of the Vijayanagara King Devaraya II period was found engraved on the four sides of a Nandi Pillar at Palutla village in Yerragondapalem mandal of Prakasam district. The 14th century pillar located in the Nallamala forest, bore Telugu text and it reads - dated Saka 1358, Nala, Karthika, Suddha Navami (9), Thursday - 1436 CE, October 18.
This Nandi pillar inscription was referred to the Archaeological Survey of Mysore for confirmation of its period and content by Vadde Madhav, a research scholar of the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, Acharya Nagarjuna University.
K Munirathnam Reddy, Director (Epigraphy), ASI, has confirmed the period of inscription and the content. The inscription belonging to the Vijayanagara King Devaraya II period was erected as a gift pillar. This Nandi pillar records the gift of 800 Varahas (gold coins) and a village Puluva (Probably the present Palutla village) as a ‘Sarva Maanya’ to Lord Mallikarjuna Deva of Sri Parvata (Srisailam) by the King for performing worship when he camped in Udayagiri.