11th-Century Stone Inscription of Kalyani Chalukya Era Discovered in Dundigal

An 11th-century stone inscription dating back to the Kalyani Chalukya era has been discovered on the premises of the Lakshmi Narayana Swamy temple in Dundigal village of Medchal district. The historical record documents a land donation made during the reign of emperor Vikramaditya VI and mentions the construction of a Jain basadi.

The inscription was found by Narsagari Jagan and subsequently sent for study to Sriramoju Haragopal, president of the Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam. According to the temple priest, the pillar had broken roughly in the middle and was earlier brought to the temple from a small tank located in Dundigal.

The inscription is engraved across three sides of the stone pillar in 41 lines. It is written in Kannada and 'Telugannada' script, which is a hybrid mix of Telugu and Kannada. Carvings of the Sun, the Moon, a Jain Tirthankara, and a cow with its calf are etched at the beginning of the inscription.

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

The inscription was commissioned by a Mahamandalesvara belonging to the Soma lineage, though his exact name is partially lost because of damage to the broken stone pillar. The ruler is praised in the surviving text with several titles of honor.

The text also commemorates the construction of a Jain basadi dedicated to the Jain Sasanadevata. The shrine was built by a person named Nalama, described in the text as resembling Sri Lalana (Sri Lakshmi), out of reverence and devotion to the feet of Jina.

To support the basadi, the Mandalesvara donated several marturu of land. Under the historical measurement system referenced in the record, one marturu corresponds to roughly one-and-a-half acres of land.