BENGALURU: Historians and experts have expressed their anguish after a 5th Century Ganga Dynasty stone inscription has gone missing from a temple site in Kanasavadi village of Doddaballapur Taluk in Bengaluru Rural.
Members of the Karnataka Itihasa Academy, who have been documenting and studying antiques, heritage stone inscriptions, and veeragalus (monoliths), have said that this partially deciphered stone inscription speaking of the donations made by rulers has gone missing. They alleged that the stone has been destroyed and used for constructing a compound wall, attached to a temple.
“During a study, I had found this granite stone inscription in the village. I had informed the villagers of its importance and the need to protect it. I had also suggested shifting it to a museum. But the villagers had assured me that it would be protected. Three days back when I went to the site once again to photograph the stone for more studies, it was missing,” researcher and academy member Madhusudhan KR said.
The stone had Sanskrit written in Kannada script. It had 20 lines of shlokas. The work on deciphering the stone inscription was being done by the academy with the help of the Mythic Society. A 3D scan of the stone has been done and documented but was not yet published, as work on transcribing the stone was still underway, said experts working on the stone.
Academy president Devara Kunda Reddy said, “It is unfortunate that the state archaeology department is not paying attention to such important stones and sites. This is a part of the state and country’s history that has now been lost.”
Commissioner, Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, Devaraju A told The New Indian Express that the protection of all sites and stones is the moral responsibility of the state and people. A detailed report on this will be sought, and legal action will be taken against the accused, he said.