UNPUBLISHED INSCRIPTIONS ON THE BUGLE AND CONCH

AT THE GOVERNMENT MUSEUM, BENGALURU
Kavyashree M* & S. Karthik**

The Government Museum in with the museum. However, from

Bengaluru is one of the oldest time to time, additions to the
museums in India and the second of museum's collection have occurred,
the museums in South India.1 Exhibits like the one in 1956, but, details of
in the museum include coins of the these artefacts are not available, with
various dynasty, paintings, the museum. In this context; that a
sculptures, musical instruments, recent assessment has found that
stone inscriptions, copper plate there are two unpublished
inscriptions, ruins/ sculptures found inscriptions found on the bugle
in the excavations, such as the musical instrument, though other
accumulation of valuable objects. A artefact almost are published, till now
much required, detailed catalogue of these to unpublished inscription have
these has to be yet prepared. To our not come to the notice and either of
notice, so far only three catalogues these inscriptions being published
have been printed.2 Apart from these, anywhere else. The central purpose
the Annual Reports of the Mysore of the present article is to publish the
Archaeological Survey (1885-1956), Text of these two inscriptions.
the Annual Reports of the Mysore Out of these two inscriptions, one
Government Museum of Bangalore inscription is engraved on the outer
(1885-1956) provides information mouth of the Bugle or Kahale (in
on the objects in the museum, as Kannada), has two lines found on the
well as various other data associated Bugle is in Kannada language and
* Assistant Director & Deputy Director (I/C), Government Museum (Department of
Archaeology Museums and Heritage), Kastur ba Road, Bengaluru-560001
** Researcher, # 413, Karnataka "D' Group Employees Layout, 1st Black, 6th Main,
Lingadhiranahalli (Herohalli), Andrahalli Main Road, Bengaluru-560091
 Unpublished inscriptions on the Bugle and conch at the Government Museum
Script, (Image-1 as per the museum
records, its Accession number is
No-39).
Inscription : 1
Text of this Inscription
Inscription on the outer mouth of the
Bugle
1 Belu II durgamma II IIka¼II yirë II
maga niruv¢´igau²aru
2 va°°ëgau²a II ka II ¶e
The second inscription is engraved
on the conch concealment (Shankha
kavach), it is in the Tamil language
and script. The text of this inscription
is given below in Roman Script and
then examined.
The length of the Bugle is 123
centimetres and is in the shape of the
letter "S' of the Roman script. The
meaning of the writing on the Bugle
is uncertain. There are two names
mentioned on the bronze encasement
of the conch, "Niruv¢nigow²a', and
"Vattëgowda'. It is not clear what is
Belu II Durgamma means. It is not
known what streaks and Kam II. Ka
II ¶e. The shortened form of the word
Kahale is not clear. The period of this
inscription can be traced back to the
late eighteenth century based on
69
palaeography.
The bugle is an instrument used
in battle. It has been in use since,
ancient times in Karnataka. The
bugle was used in the adulation of
the Lord, like in temple J¢tra (fair),
rathôtsava (chariot festival), festive
occasions in a village, defence of the
fortress, a bastion, when in the
context of wars. It is a long, tilted
instrument.
Inscription: 2
Text of the Inscription
Inscription on bronze casing fitted to
conch
1 ¹r¤
2 Murugan du´ai
3 ba¬g¢r dëvar
The Tamil script writing on the
conch cover also seems to be long to
the nineteenth century. It is called the
Dhavala-Shankha in the museum's
record, Image-2, Accession number
No-15. Dhavala means white or
white conch. The concealment or the
casing is of bronze and artificially
inserted to cause the cone to blow.
There is an inscription on this cone-
shaped bronze concealment. On the
other end of this concealment which
is artistically crafted in the shape of
70 The Quarterly Journal of The Mythic Society
a leaf in metal. The total length of
the conch, along with bronze
concealment is 53 centimetres (13
centimetres in length, with the cone
embedded in the blown apart. The
bronze portion of the blower, is 12
cm long and the leaf design is 31 cm
long). Murugan du´ai means the
grace of Muruga or Shanmukha. The
name ba¬g¢r dëvar can be a person's
name or probably, it is may also be
a name related to a deity of a temple.
The conch is also used in times of
war, during the good times, in
worship, it is used as a musical
instrument for good omen and driving
all negative energies, It is considered
one of the Panchamahavadyas.
Image-1, Bugle Inscription
It is in this context that the bugle
and conch preserved in the museum
must have been in use in a temple.
We get umpteen references to the
usage of bugle and conch in Kannada
literature and inscriptions in
Karnataka.3
With the available data, it is an
extremely grim task to explore more
specifics, about the bugle and conch,
at present housed in the museum. It
is hereby emphasized in this article
that it is significant and necessary to
publish any Inscription, no matter
how many lines, important or not,
documentation is of utmost
importance, in view of the cultural
tradition.
Image-2, Conch Inscription
 Unpublished inscriptions on the Bugle and conch at the Government Museum
References
1. The following references can be
observed to know about this museum.
* Karn¢°aka r¢jyada pur¢tattva Il¢khe:
Ondu n¦ru varu¾a [=Archaeological
Survey of Karnataka State: One Hundred
Years] - K.G. N¢gar¢jan, Itih¢sa
Darºana, Volume-1 (1986), pp 36-42,
Published by Karnataka Itihasa
Academy, Bengaluru (Kannada
Language Article)
* Be¬ga¶¦ru pr¢cyavastu sa¬grah¢laya
mattu carmapras¢dana kale [=Bangalore
museum and the art of taxidermy]-
Vëmagal Sùmaºëkhar, Itih¢sa Darºana,
Volume-4 (1989), pp 153-156
(Kannada Language Article)
* Be¬ga¶¦ru Vastusa¬grah¢layadallidda
Granthabha´²¢ra [=Library of Bangalore
Museum] - Vçmagal Sùmaºëkhar, Itih¢sa
Darºana, Volume-8 (1993), pp 202-204
(Kannada Language Article)
2. Catalogue of Mysore Coins in the
Collection of The Government Museum
Bangalore by Capt R H Campbell
Tufnell, Madras -1889
***
71
Catalogue of Sculptures [in the]
Government Museum, Bengaluru-H.T.
Talwar, Department of Archaeology,
Museums and Heritage, Mysuru-2015
Karn¢°akada vastusa¬grah¢layaga¶allina
citrakale [=Painting in Museums of
Karnataka]-P. G Gavani, Department of
Archaeology, Museums and Heritage,
Mysuru -2017 {Kannada Language
Work}
3. Kannada Sahitya Parishat's Kannada-
Kannada dictionary (Volume-2),
Be¬ga¶¦ru-1976, p 1642 and Kannada
Sahitya Parishat's Kannada-Kannada
dictionary (Volume-8), Be¬ga¶¦ru-1995,
pp 8063-8064
Acknowledgements:
[We thank Dr R. Gopal (The Director,
Department of Archaeology, Museums, and
Heritage) for granting permission to publish
this article and also thank Mrs B.R. Poornima
(The Commissioner, Department of
Archaeology, Museums, and Heritage]
 January - March 2021
Vol. 112 No. 1