Two Jain inscriptions dating to the reign of Harihara II of the Vijayanagara Empire have been discovered in agricultural fields at Dodda Antapur in Sandur taluk of Ballari district.
The inscriptions have been documented by the Vijayanagara Tirugata Research Team, consisting of field archaeologists and historians comprising H. Thippeswamy, Govind, Krishnegowda and researchers H. Ravi, Maruti, Ismail Siddiqui and Ashok Nayak Diddigi, with the assistance of residents Thayappa, Ragi Shivaramappa and Bandri Papayya.
The discovery adds to evidence of a strong Jain presence in the Sandur region during the Vijayanagara period. An earlier inscription referring to 17th Jain Tirthankara Kunthunatha was also found in the area.
Land grant
Researchers said that the two inscriptions were found in the fields of Harijan Huligemma and Hatti Ramesh.
One has seven lines and the other eight. Both record a land grant by Harihara II to Sri Kunthutirthankara.
The inscriptions state that 12 kolagas of cultivable land in Antapur have been donated. The records provide insights into the patronage extended to Jain religious institutions and their links with the agrarian economy of the period.
One inscription begins with the words “Vijayanagari Harihararaya”, while the other refers to “Harihararaya”.
Prof. Thippeswamy, who is the director of the Nandihalli Postgraduate Centre of Vijayanagara Sri Krishnadevaraya University, said that the use of “Vijayanagari” is of particular interest in the study of the nomenclature of the Vijayanagara Empire and its capital.
“An ordinary stone standing on the edge of a small field can provide information on the political, geographical and religious history as well as the agricultural economy of an era,” he said.
Jain link
Harihara II, son of Bukka Raya of the Sangama dynasty, extended patronage to different religious traditions, including Jainism.
Historians say that the 14th-century Ganagitti temple (Ganagitti Jain Basadi) near Kampli Road in Hampi is an important example. Its inscriptions, dating to 1385 CE, refer to Kunthunatha and indicate that Irugappa, a military commander under Harihara II, was associated with the construction of the temple.
The references to Kunthunatha at Dodda Antapur can point to a link between Jain traditions in Hampi and those in the Sandur region.
Basadi
The inscriptions are carved on granite slabs about five feet high and one-and-a-half feet wide. The stones bear carvings of the Sun and the Moon, with a seated Jina in Padmasana beneath a triple canopy.
Written in Kannada (language and script), the records contain information on donation practices and Jain monastic traditions.
Researchers believe that one inscription may also have a connection with Sallekhana, the Jain practice of ritual fasting unto death.
Dr. Govind, who is a senior grade assistant professor in the Department of Kannada Literary Studies at Kannada University, said that the discovery of the sculptures associated with Kunthunatha in the village suggest that a Jain Basadi or religious centre may have existed in the vicinity.
The inscriptions also indicate that present-day Dodda Antapur was known simply as Antapur during the Vijayanagara period, he said.
Conservation call
The researchers have urged the Archaeology Department and local authorities to protect the inscriptions which remain exposed in agricultural fields. They have also called for their scientific documentation, including transcription, photography, location mapping and conservation.
“If we preserve the stone today, we preserve history for tomorrow,” said Dr. Krishnegowda of the Department of Visual Arts, Kannada University.
The researchers said that the discovery can lead to further study of the historical landscape of the Sandur region. The fields around Dodda Antapur may contain more evidence that can shed light on the religious, agricultural, administrative and social history of the Vijayanagara period, they added.
Published – August 25, 2026 06:45 pm IST
