Pics: Hemanath Padubidri
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (VM)

Udupi, Jul 29: “An ancient monument dating back to the Vijayanagara Empire has been found in Saligram,” said Professor T Murugesh from the ancient history and archaeological department in MSRS College, Shirva.

The ancient relic has 29 lines written in Kannada script. The writing in the left and right side of the monument are worn out. However, only letters are visible in the center.

The text begins with ‘Shaiva Stuthi’ and the time is also mentioned. The fifth line of the script reads ‘Rajadhi Raja Parameshwar’ while the sixth line reads ‘Rayara Ganda Shree Veere Hariha’. The seventh line is ‘Mallapa O’ while the eighth line has ‘Sunkappa’ and the rest of the lines say ‘Aaa Oora Adhikari, Mallapa Odeyar, Chandra Swa, Besta’ (fisherman).

Historical Importance:
Mallapa Odeyar ruled Barkur as administrator from 1386 AD to 1390 AD as per the source and meanwhile Shree Veera Harihara ruled the Vijayanagara Empire. The name Sunkappa is also mentioned in the inscription which is yet to be traced.

The monument is now preserved at Bhandarkar’s College in Kundapur. The monument research has been carried out by history lecturer Uday Kumar, professor Gopal and Prashant Shetty from SMS College in Brahmavar.