MEVUNDI/GADAG: A rare inscription has been discovered in Mevundi village near Gadag. The record reveals that it is a ‘veeragallu’ — a memorial stone — belonging to a servant who chose to give his life after the death of his king.
During the Rashtrakuta era, a ruler known as Kuppe Arasa, who governed Puligere in the present Lakshmeshwar region, is said to have died of illness. The inscription further states that his servant, Ratteyanna, would journey toward what is now the Mevundi region and would die in front of his master’s samadhi, as an act of atma balidan (self-sacrifice).
However, the inscription also makes it clear that this keelugunte is unlike the more common veeragallu traditions. It notes that the servant arrived from hundreds of miles away, pointing out the unusual scale and devotion behind the ritual.
Such practices in earlier times were colloquially referred to as Keelugunte. History scholars in Gadag explain that the term Keelugunte likely derives from two Kannada words — “Keelu”, meaning to pull, and “kunte/kundi”, meaning grave.
The veeragallu was unearthed during a recent, in-depth research drive by a team of history enthusiasts focusing on veeragallu traditions across Karnataka. Shweta Bhasme and her team, who were preparing a thesis on the veeragallu of the region, uncovered this exceptional inscription while documenting memorial stones.