HYDERABAD: A 7th-century inscription discovered near Nakkalapadu village in present-day Mahbubnagar district records a land grant of 127 mattars — ranging between 200 and 300 acres — to a religious figure named Shankaraswami, raising questions about his identity and possible links to the Advaita tradition.
According to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Director (Epigraphy) K Muniratnam Reddy, the inscription is in Telugu, written in Telugu-Kannada script, and belongs to the reign of Badami Chalukya king Vikramaditya I (654-681 CE).
The incomplete inscription records a grant by Baladitya Maharaja, believed to have ruled the Alampur region as a subordinate of Vikramaditya I. Shankaraswami, of the Kaundinya gotra, received 127 mattars. Four other Brahmins — Ayichasharma, Devasharma, Revasharma and [Pi]riswami — were each granted 12 mattars, while Vinayasharma of the Kashyapa gotra received eight.
Speaking to TNIE, Muniratnam said the inscription did not establish whether Shankaraswami was connected to Adi Shankaracharya or the Advaita tradition. However, he said some literary works placed Adi Shankaracharya in the period of rulers from the Badami Chalukya and Pallava dynasties.
The unusually large grant suggests that Shankaraswami may have held an important religious position, he said. Further research into inscriptions from the 7th to 9th centuries and extensive surveys are needed to understand the evolution of Advaita and the life and legacy of Adi Shankaracharya.