HYDERABAD: Every inscription is a window into its time. A newly identified record at the Siddheshwara temple in Nandivanaparti village has opened one such window into 11th-century Telangana, carrying a 1077 CE eulogy of Kalyani Chalukya ruler Tribhuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI and details of a donation made by one of his regional officials.
The inscription, identified at the Siddheshwara temple in Yacharam mandal of Rangareddy district, belongs to the reign of Tribhuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI, one of the prominent rulers of the Kalyani Chalukya dynasty. Written in the 11th century Telugu-Kannada script and Kannada language, the inscription offers evidence of the political and religious landscape of the region during the Kalyani Chalukya period.
It was identified by Dr CV Pavan Kumar, research member of the Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam and professor at Government Degree College, Ibrahimpatnam. Sriramoju Haragopal, president of the history group, assisted in the field visit, preparation of the estampage and decipherment.
According to the researchers, the inscription was lying within the temple premises, with only one face initially visible. After the pillar was turned over, the beginning of the record on its other face was exposed, allowing researchers to examine a larger portion of the text.
“The upper portion of the inscription carries a series of sculptural symbols. These include half-reliefs of the moon, sun, Nandi, a Shiva Linga, a sword placed beneath a cow and elephants. Such imagery, along with the written record, provides clues to the religious and political context in which the inscription was created,” Haragopal told TNIE.
The first face contains a prasasti, or eulogy, of Tribhuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI. It refers to him by royal titles including Samasta Bhuvanashraya, Sri Prithvivallabha, Maharajadhiraja and Parameshvara, and describes him as an ornament of the Satyashraya lineage of the Chalukyas.
It also mentions Kalyana, the capital of the Kalyani Chalukyas, and invokes the continuing prosperity and expansion of the king’s victorious reign. However, the face is damaged and its lower portion is broken on one side, leaving only 15 lines legible.
The second face, comprising 20 lines, is particularly significant as it provides a specific date and details of a religious donation. It records that in Shaka year 998, on Chaitra Shuddha 12, a Friday, Tribhuvanamalla’s Mahamandaleshvara, identified in the reading as Mogata Rasara, made a donation to Iinjakeshvara.
The date corresponds to April 7, 1077 CE. While the surviving portion establishes the donor’s position and the religious endowment, details of the gifts have been lost due to damage to the inscription.
The second face begins with conventional praise of the Chalukya ruler, describing him in martial and royal terms. The surviving lines refer to him as the “moon of the Chalukya family” and praise his valour, wisdom and prowess in battle before identifying the Mahamandaleshvara and recording the date of the donation.
Researchers said the damaged portions make it difficult to establish the complete nature of the endowment. However, the surviving text links a local religious institution with an official serving under Vikramaditya VI.
The reference to a Mahamandaleshvara also points to the role of powerful regional officials within the Chalukya administrative structure, the researchers said, adding that the record warrants further study. Comparing its incomplete and damaged lines with other inscriptions from Vikramaditya VI’s reign could help establish the identity of the donor, clarify the institution or deity referred to as Iinjakeshvara and reconstruct the nature of the gifts made in 1077 CE.
Vikramaditya VI ruled during a period when the Kalyani Chalukyas exercised considerable influence over the Deccan. Records from his reign provide insights into political administration, local chiefs, religious patronage and cultural developments of the period.
With its combination of royal eulogy, dynastic reference, capital city, official title, religious association and precisely dated donation, the Nandivanaparti inscription provides a valuable record from nearly nine and a half centuries ago.
The researchers stressed the importance of preserving and systematically documenting such inscriptions, as records found in temple premises can provide historical information that may not survive in later sources.