from special correspondent
with inputs and pic
from Prof T Murugeshi

Udupi: An edict made of stone, said to be dating back to the Vijayanagar empire days, has been found in Saligrama in the district, says Prof T Murugeshi, lecturer in Ancient History and Archaeology at Shri Sundar Ram Shetty College in Shirva.

The stone inscription contains 29 lines in Kannada script and language. Its left and right sides have been worn out and hence the text etched in the middle only are legible.

The text begins with 'Shaiva Stuti' but, although the date was mentioned, that portion has been defaced. The fifth line says 'Rajadhiraja Raja Parameshwara...' and the sixth refers to Shri Veera Hariha..., which is an obvious reference to Harihara II, ruler of Vijayanagar.

The reference to Vijayanagar is also corroborated by a reference to 'Malappa' in the seventh line, since edicts discovered around here had made mentioned that Mallappa Odeya had ruled as a chieftain of Vijayanagar from Barkur.

Curiously enough, there is a mention of Sunkappa, a name unheard of in history so far. It needs to be researched. Interestingly, there is also a word 'besta', which in Kannada means a fisherman.

The edict has been preserved in Bhandarkar's College in Kundapur.