11th-Century Kalyani Chalukya Inscription Found at Dundigal in Medchal

An 11th-century stone inscription dating back to the Kalyani Chalukya period was found in the premises of the Lakshmi Narayana Swamy temple in Dundigal village of Medchal district.

The inscription is engraved on three sides of a stone pillar in 41 lines, written in Kannada and 'Telugannada' script, a hybrid mix of Telugu and Kannada. The top of the pillar features carvings of the Moon, the Sun, a Jain Tirthankara, and a cow with its calf.

The pillar, which was roughly broken in the middle, had previously been brought to the temple from a small local tank in Dundigal, according to the temple priest. It was found by Narsagari Jagan and sent for study to Sriramoju Haragopal, president of the Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam.

According to Haragopal, the epigraph records a donation made during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya emperor Tribhuvanamalla Deva, also known as Vikramaditya VI, who ruled from AD 1076 to 1126. The text notes that the emperor was camping at Kalyana-pura Nelavidu at the time the donation was issued.

The inscription was commissioned by a Mahamandalesvara belonging to the Soma lineage, though his full name is partly lost because of damage to the stone. He is mentioned alongside several titles of praise.

The text also details the construction of a Jain basadi dedicated to the Jain Sasanadevata. The construction was undertaken out of devotion to the feet of Jina by a person named Nalama, who is described in the text as resembling Sri Lalana, or Sri Lakshmi.

To support the basadi, the Mandalesvara donated several marturu of land. One marturu is understood to measure approximately one-and-a-half acres.