Srinivagilu (Bengaluru) Inscriptions and Herostones

The Pedestal of the Srinivagilu 750CE Palchtereyamma Herostone, Picture Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

10th-century Shiva Temple at Srinivagilu Picture Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Srinivagalu is a sub-locality in Koramangala, Bengaluru. It houses two inscriptions, one a Kannada Herostone inscription that is very significant as it mentions the old name of Srinivagilu as Siyanelvagila and an other Tamil Inscription. Srinivagilu has a recorded history dating back to at least the 9^th Century CE, both the inscriptions are located in the vicinity of a Shiva temple in the Ibbalur Military Camp, as this is a defence land, entry is restricted to general public.

Srinivagilu 800CE Palchatereyamma's Turugol Herostone With Inscription

It is a Kannada Herostone Inscription paleographically dated to the 8^th Century CE, the inscription commemorates the valiant demise of Palchhatereyamma, who fought against thieves to rescue cows (turugol) in the village of Siyanelvagila (present-day Srinivagilu). It is a very significant inscription mentioning the historical name of Srinivagalu as Siyanelvagila. Dr. P.V Krishnamurthy, Historian and Epigraphist provides an interesting etymology for the name of the place Siyanelvagila, which he derives from siya or sihi (sweet) + nel (paddy) + bagilu (place), essentially meaning "the place where sweet paddy was grown". Over time, the name has evolved into the fairly different yet similar name of Srinivagilu today. Turugol refers to the act of 'cattle raiding,' which involved the theft of cattle. Historically, Cattle was regarded as an important source of wealth and raids by thieves was commonplace. Numerous inscriptions exist, documenting instances of cattle raids in various villages and recounting the heroic deaths of individuals who bravely defended against these raids.

Physical Characteristics

The Inscription is 64 cm tall and 87 cm wide. The Kannada Characters are approximately 3 cm tall, 4 cm wide & 0.15 cm deep (very, very shallow depth). The hero stone has a sculpture of a man standing, grasping a bow in one hand and a long dagger in the other. Over his shoulder, a quiver is strapped, holding several arrows. Some arrows are also depicted piercing his body. In the upper section, there is a depiction of a man seated on a stool, flanked on both sides by apsaras holding flywhisks (chamara). The lower part of the hero stone is either buried or damaged, resulting in only the upper portion of the man's sculpture, from the knees upwards, being visible.

Transliteration of the Inscription

3D Scanned Digital Image of The Srinivagilu 750CE Palchtereyamma Herostone, Picture Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

The Inscription was first published by P V Krishnamurthy in Itihasa Darshana Vol 24, 2009. The text below is the rereading published in the Journal of The Mythic Society.

Line Number	Kannada	IAST
1	ಸ್ವಸ್ತಿಶ್ರೀ ಪಳ್ಚತೆಱೆ	svastiśrī pal̤c̤atĕṟĕ
2	ಯಮ್ಮ ಸಿಯ್ಯನೆಲ್ವಾ	yamma siyyanĕlvā
3	ಗಿಲ ತುಱುವನಿಕಿಸಿ	gila tuṟuvanikisi
4	ಸತ್ತು ಸಗ್ಗಿಯಾದಂ	sattu saggiyādaṃ

Srinivagilu 15th-century Kailaiyam Udayar Boundary Inscription

It is a Tamil Inscription in Grantha and Tamil Characters that is paleographically dated to the 15^th Century CE. The context of the inscription cannot be said with much clarity as the text is incomplete as read in the Inscription. It was discovered by the Mythic Society Bengaluru Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project team and published in the Quaternary Journal of the Mythic Society. It appears that the inscription may have some connection with the Shiva Temple. The inscription and temple are located in Defence lands, so prior permission and coordination may be required to access the site.

Physical Characteristics

The Inscription is 94 cm tall and 36 cm wide. The Grantha and Tamil Characters are 4.5 cm tall, 3.6 cm wide & 0.5 cm deep.

3D Scanned Digital Image Of The Srinivagilu 15th-century Kailaiyam Udayar Boundary Tamil Inscription, Picture Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Translation

The text was published in the Quaternary Journal of the Mythic Society.

“Swasthi Sri Paadirakodu. Sri Kailaiyamudayar temple’s land. Puliya patta.....”