Vijayanagara king’s 16th-century inscriptions come to light in Seshachalam forest, Tirupati

An expert team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found three rare inscriptions dating to the 16th century in Sadasivakona, deep inside the Seshachalam forest in Tirupati district.

After an epigraphical survey carried out recently in the Nallamala, comprising the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR), the team focussed this time on Sadasivakona, a pristine and mostly under-explored forest stretch in the Seshachalam ranges.

A team from the ASI takes an estampage of a rock inscription at Sadasivakona in the Seshachalam forest range, Tirupati district, on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

With permission from the Ministry of Environment and Forest, headed by Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, the team led by K. Muniratnam Reddy, Director (Epigraphy), ASI Mysuru, ventured deep into the forest and worked for three days to find the inscriptions.

Interestingly, the inscriptions contained text in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada, representing characters of the 16th century C.E. The corresponding dates were deciphered as July 31, 1554 C.E. The inscriptions of the Sadasiva Devaraya era were copied in the form of estampages for preservation and further study.

The main inscription records the construction of a Siva temple and a monastery (Mutt) at Papavinasa in Sadasivakona by King Sadasivaraya during his pilgrimage to the site.

“It is thrilling to note that King Sadasivaraya personally visited this sacred spot to take a holy bath and grant a donation,” Mr. Reddy said.

It also records the entrusting of taxes collected from the Gudimallam Parasurameswara temple lands (Kaanika) to Sadasiva Basavanna Odeya, a disciple of Linganna Vodaya, of Bendekeri. Also, the temple Karyakarta was directed to provide daily food offerings to the deity and to conduct sacred services at the Sadasivakona temple.

Another text refers to the gift of several lands in two villages (names mentioned in the inscription) to Basavanna Vodaya by the King for providing food offerings and conducting worship to the God Parasurameswara in Gudimallam. The record was composed by Peddayya, son of Chembhaperiya, who served as the temple accountant (Gudi Karanam) in Gudimallam.

Though known to be India’s first Siva temple, the 2nd-century BC shrine in Gudimallam remained overshadowed by other temples in its vicinity, which gained prominence over time. However, this latest inscription of the 16th century is a pointer to its past glory, when it was personally visited by the ruler of this region.