HYDERABAD: A 10th-century inscription documenting a land donation during the rule of the Kalyani Chalukyas has been found at Mulkanoor in Bheemadevarapalli mandal of Hanumakonda district.
The inscription was identified during field exploration by G Kishore, a researcher with the Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam, on a flat rock surface locally known as Katamayya rock, behind the Mahila
Sahakara Dairy in Mulkanoor. It was deciphered and explained by Sriramoju Haragopal, president of the organisation.
Carved in large Telugu-Kannada script and written in Kannada, the inscription is badly damaged, with several sections worn away, apparently due to human activity on the exposed rock surface.
“Despite the damage, the surviving text indicates that it belongs to the Kalyani Chalukya period and records a donation of land along with water rights. According to the deciphered portions, a Mahasamanta, apparently named Bijjana or Bijjanaraja and bearing the title ‘Samadhigata Pancha Mahashabda’, made the donation at Mulkaluru, the ancient name of Mulkanoor,” Haragopal told TNIE.
The grant appears to have been made on the 12th day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, which fell on a Sunday. However, the precise regnal or calendar year is no longer legible, he added.
The reference to a Mahasamanta is significant. The title denoted a high-ranking feudatory or subordinate ruler who exercised authority under a larger imperial power. The title “Samadhigata Pancha Mahashabda” further indicates the donor’s position within the political hierarchy of the period.
The surviving text refers to the prosperity and expansion of the ruler’s kingdom and calls for the grant to continue “as long as the moon, sun and stars” endure. It also carries the customary religious injunction urging future rulers to protect the donated land and uphold the grant as an act of dharma. The concluding section invokes Ramachandra and contains a conventional Sanskrit-style appeal to preserve charitable endowments.
The donated property appears to have included nirnelanu, or land associated with water, highlighting the importance of irrigated agricultural land in the medieval economy. Though the exact extent and boundaries are obscured, surviving portions indicate that the inscription originally recorded details of the land and its transfer.
The rock is also notable for its religious sculptures. It bears representations of Ganesha, a Shiva linga on a Vedibhadra pedestal, Nandi and an embossed half-figure of Mahishasuramardini. Sun and Moon symbols are carved above the sculptures, while the inscription is positioned higher on the rock. Several votive Naga stones are located opposite the rock.
The combination of the inscription, celestial symbols and sculptures suggests that the site functioned as a sacred space associated with religious activity and the land donation. Researchers have identified the sculptures as belonging to the post-Rashtrakuta artistic tradition, providing additional cultural context.
Researchers said the discovery is significant as it brings to light both a previously undocumented inscription and a wider archaeological site linked to Mulkanoor’s medieval history. The exposed rock has suffered considerable damage, underscoring the need for further documentation and conservation.