CHENNAI: A sculpture recovered from an ancient brick structure in a Karnataka village last month has given the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) a fresh lead in its search for traces of Adi Shankaracharya in thousands of inscriptions.
The ASI’s iconography team has confirmed that the sculpture found at Hampapura village in KR Nagar taluk of Mysuru district depicts Adi Shankaracharya, ASI epigraphy director K Munirathnam Reddy told TNIE. The idol was found inside a brick structure dating back to the ninth century, he said.
The ASI’s Epigraphy Branch has taken up a project to identify and compile inscriptions associated with Adi Shankaracharya. The initiative, assigned by the Union Ministry of Education, began just a fortnight ago and aims to create a comprehensive collection of epigraphic records relating to Shankaracharya for academic research and curriculum development.
“There are very few epigraphical records [known so far] that can be directly linked to Adi Shankaracharya. One of the earliest possible references is a copper-plate inscription discovered in Gujarat, dating to around 500-515 CE.
Another significant reference is the 11th-century inscription found at Cholamadevi temple in Tiruchirappalli district, which refers to his philosophical work. If implemented effectively, this project could bring to light more historical evidence about Adi Shankaracharya, his travels and the spread of his philosophical teachings,” G Sankaranarayanan, professor of Sahitya at National Sanskrit University, Tirupati, told TNIE.
ASI to discuss Shankara inscription project with union officials today
The ASI epigraphy division has drawn up a list of more than 86 places believed to have been visited by the philosopher, including Kanchipuram, Srisailam, Tirupati, Sringeri, Gokarna and Thiruvananthapuram, as well as Varanasi, Badrinath, Dwarka and Puri. It is examining its inscription database to identify references associated with him. The project aims to bring together historical evidence of Shankaracharya’s travels, philosophical contributions and influence.
Reddy, who is heading the project, said the department has a collection of over 84,000 inscriptions. “We are examining all the inscriptions available and segregating the ones which have references related to Shankaracharya.”
The preliminary list also indicates the extensive inscriptional material available at several of these locations. For instance, the department’s records include 645 inscriptions from Srisailam, 625 from Kanchipuram, 352 from Chidambaram and 159 from Tirupati. These records will be examined to establish whether any contain references relevant to the project.
Among the references re-identified during the search so far is an 11th-century inscription dated to the reign of Chola king Virarajendra (1065 CE) at the Kailasanatha temple in Cholamadevi of Tiruchy. Engraved on the southern wall of the temple’s central shrine, the bilingual inscription is written in Sanskrit and Tamil, using grantha and Tamil scripts.
The inscription records a grant of land for the maintenance of a teacher who taught a commentary called Pradipaka, written by Chidananda Pidarar on the Sariraka Bhashya of Bhagavatpada, another name for Adi Shankaracharya.
The record is considered significant as it indicates that Shankaracharya’s philosophical work was being studied and taught in the Chola country in the 11th century, added Reddy.
The inscription’s significance was highlighted by renowned archaeologist R Nagaswamy in an article titled, ‘Earliest inscription mentioning Adi Sankara’, published in the Indian Express on May 18, 1991. “Further the inscription shows that Sankara Bhashya on Brahma Sutras was known as Bhagavad Paadeeyam in Chola times,” he wrote.
The ASI has also begun copying the inscriptions at Cholamadevi afresh, as the earlier estampages (impressions of inscriptions) made in 1991 are missing.
Reddy said the team was also receiving fresh information about places associated with Shankaracharya’s travels. “We recently received information that he had visited a few places in Amravati as well. We will examine the inscriptions wherever necessary and also send teams to these locations to verify the information,” he said.
Reddy will meet officials of the union education ministry on November 6 to discuss the project’s progress and outline the next course of action. The inscriptions documented and authenticated will be digitised and uploaded on BharatSHRI.