BHUBANESWAR: A 296-year-old bronze bull bearing an inscription in Odia has been discovered at Ramalingeswar temple near Ramsagar in Paralakhemundi.
The inscription, dating back to the reign of Gajapati Narayana Deva I in the 18th century, was recently deciphered by epigraphist Bishnu Mohan Adhikari.
According to Adhikari, the inscription states that the 3-foot-tall bull was donated to Lord Ramalingeswar during the Shiva Vivah (divine wedding) by a merchant named Aishiraju Narasingulu from the Khadura community. Crafted in the Kalinga style, the inscription also reveals that the cost of casting of the bronze bull, which weighs around 60 madangas (around one tonne), was Rs 217.
“While similar inscribed bulls have been found in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, this one is particularly significant as it is the earliest known Odia-language inscription on a bronze bull in India,” Adhikari noted.
Previously, metal inscriptions had been recorded on the Neelachakra of Athagada Patana Jagannath Temple in Ganjam, the Neelachakra of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, and on a few Padmapada (pedestal) bases of deities across Odisha. “This marks the first instance of an inscribed utsava-vigraha (festival image) bronze bull in the state,” the epigraphist said.