12th century hero stone discovered

Mysuru team led by CESCK Director digs out rare inscription belonging to Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana’s reign at Maniyur village in Mandya

Mysore/Mysuru: A 12th-century Turugōḷu (Battle for Cattle) hero stone (Vīragallu) has been discovered at Maniyur village in Nagamangala taluk, Mandya district. The ancient inscription was found in the garden belonging to one Ramakrishnegowda, which is believed to be dating back to the reign of Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana and is carved in soapstone.

This unpublished inscription is in Kannada script spread across seven lines. There are bass relief sculptures in other three panels. It is a memorial stone sculpted to commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of a hero, who died while fighting to protect cattle in the 12th century.

Based on information provided by local resident H.L. Umesh, Archaeologist Dr. C.A. Shashidhara of Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK) in Mysuru, undertook field exploration, leading to the discovery of this hero stone.

Mysuru-based team

Subsequently, after obtaining permission from the Director of Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) in Mysuru, a team was constituted under the leadership of Prof. N.M. Talawar, Project Director of CESCK, consisting of Archaeologist Dr. Shashidhara, Dance researcher Dr. Santoshi Subrahmanya, Library Assistant V. Nagendra and Videographer Ramesh Patel.

With the cooperation of local residents, hero stone was dug out and estampage of the inscription was taken on a white paper.

Summary of inscription

The first panel contains damaged and unclear letters. The second panel consists of three lines and begins with the auspicious word “Svasti.” Pañcā mahāśabda – It mentions the royal epithets of King Vishnuvardhana, “Possessor of the Five Great Sounds” (referring to the ceremonial sounds of instruments such as the drum, conch, kettle drum, trumpet and veena), “Mandalēśvara,” “Tribhuvanamalla,” “Talakāḍugonda” and “Vīraganga Poysaladevaru’ who was forever worth these Epithets.

The third panel contains two lines stating that in the Sādhāraṇa Samvatsara, that is, the cyclic year, Maviga Manimāra, son of Attisetti, died fighting in a cattle raid battle.

The CESCK team has expressed gratitude to CIIL Director Prof. Basavaraja Kodagunti, Assistant Director (Administration) Dr. Pankaj Dwivedi and Head of Classical Languages Dr. L.R. Premkumar, for their administrative support for research and also to the local residents.

In ancient times, many heroes sacrificed their lives while fighting to protect cattle, defend villages, safeguard women’s honour, serve their kings and protect their kingdoms. Hero stones were installed in memory of such warriors. Similarly, it has been found at Maniyur that about 900 years ago, during the Hoysala period, a shrine was constructed and this inscribed hero stone was installed and worshipped in memory of Maviga Manimāra, who died protecting cattle. The credit for discovering this hero stone of a deified hero belongs to our Centre. —Prof. N.M. Talawar, Project Director, Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK), Mysuru

One remarkable aspect of a Turugol Veeragallu inscription is the presence of several titles (birudus) of the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana, making it an important subject of research. Based on the Kannada language and script used in the inscription, as well as the style of the bas-relief sculpture carving, it is evident that the inscription belongs to the first half of the 12th century. Such new archaeological discoveries greatly enrich the study of Kannada as a classical language.   — Prof. N.S. Rangaraju, Senior Archaeologist and Heritage Expert

Based on the development of Hoysala-period script forms, the script of this inscription can be assigned to the first half of the 12th century CE. Furthermore, the inscription contains the royal epithets “Mandalēśvara,” “Tribhuvanamalla,” “Talakāḍugonda” and “Vīraganga Poysala Devaru,” which are associated with Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana. Therefore, the inscription can confidently be dated to his reign. Additionally, since the inscription mentions the cyclic year “Sādhāraṇa” and correlating it with the beginning of Vishnuvardhana’s reign in 1108 CE, the Sādhāraṇa year falls in the 22nd ruling year of the king. Accordingly, the inscription may be dated to 1130 CE. — R.V. Anilkumar, Assistant Superintendent Epigraphist, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Mysuru

In earlier times, our ancestors considered cattle not merely as wealth but as “living treasure.” Therefore, cattle were often raided for political reasons or personal gain. A similar incident appears to have occurred in the first half of the 12th century in Maniyur village of present-day Nagamangala taluk. In memory of Maviga Manimāra, son of Attisetti, who died fighting to protect cattle, this hero stone was erected. It may also be conjectured that the village itself derived its name “Maniyur” from the hero Maviga Manimāra, perhaps as a mark of respect for his sacrifice and valour. — Dr. C.A. Shashidhara, Archaeologist and Researcher,  Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada, Mysuru