SingapuraItihaasaVaibhava Nov2021 Singapura

NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE 1
BENGALURU
ITIHAASA
VAIBHAVA
Bengaluru's
Grand History
SINGAPURA
BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 1

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA
NOVEMBER 2021, ISSUE 1 (SINGAPURA)
Mythic Society Inscriptions
3D Digital Conservation Team
Top Row (L-R)
K.C.Shashi Kumara Naik
Dr M.N.Madhusudhana
Dr M.G.Byrappa
Bottom Row (L-R)
P.L.Udaya Kumar
Dr R.Yuvaraju
And
Artec Space Spider
CONTACTS Bengaluru Itihaasa Vaibhava © 2021

by The Mythic Society is licensed under
The Mythic Society
P.L.Udaya Kumar
98452 04268
Dr P.Jayasimha Creative Commons License Deed
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
3dscanning.mythicsociety@gmail.com This is a human-readable summary of (and not a substitute for) the license.
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Mohan Nayak Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and
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2 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA
Foreword
In this, our new bilingual magazine, Bengaluru Itihaasa Vaibhava, the Mythic
Society Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project team will be detailing
the history of localities and villages in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural and
Ramanagara districts (the earlier undivided Bengaluru district). Our fact-based
history narration is based on information recorded in stone inscriptions we have
intensely studied using modern technological methods and processes. This first
issue of the magazine is about Singapura, a historical locality in north
Bengaluru.
Stone inscriptions are an essential source of information for unearthing the
local history of a place. However, ordinary Bengaluru citizens are often unaware
of the exact information contained in an inscription or its historical importance.
This ignorance, coupled with the intense pressures of urbanisation, results in the
casual destruction of our precious inscription stones heritage. The Mythic Society
Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project team is trying to address
this problem by helping conserve inscription stones physically and digitally by
using cutting edge technologies such as high-resolution 3D digital scanning. The
team aims to digitally conserve some 1500 stone inscriptions found in
Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagara districts.
The project team, supported by a panel of expert epigraphists, studies the
highly accurate 3D digital model of an inscription developed from digital 3D scans
and deciphers the text of the inscription. About 70-80% of the 1500 inscriptions
in the three districts mentioned above were first documented in the Epigraphia
Carnatica Vol. 9, 1905 CE edition, published by the father of Karnataka
Epigraphy, Benjamin Lewis Rice. During our field surveys to verify the physical
status of these already documented inscriptions, we sometimes discover unknown
and so far undocumented inscriptions. We also help conserve these new discoveries,
and leverage the information in them to unravel the history of Bengaluru. We freely
share the updated status and information of all inscriptions in a Google map
accessible at https://bit.ly/inscriptionblr
Until now, only a few articles and books have been published on the history
of Bengaluru's neighbourhoods that are based on inscriptional evidence. Even those
few published are scholarly articles in specialist academic journals or are rare books
available only in a few libraries. Because of the scarce information, ordinary citizens
are largely ignorant of the rich history of their neighbourhoods. Our team wishes
to remedy this situation through this magazine Bengaluru Itihaasa Vaibhava,
in which we focus solely on the local history of Bengaluru's neighbourhoods and
write keeping in mind residents of the neighbourhood as our readers. We concur

completely with this 1927 CE statement of historian A.S.Altekar:1
"It is indeed high time for scholars to realize that real and reliable
history of the (India’s) past can be reconstructed not by wide
generalizations but by intense research, province by province, century
by century.…epigraphic evidence shows quite clearly how dangerous
it is to draw general conclusions applicable to India as a whole from
data supplied by the smritis of one province or the inscriptions of
another".
We believe it a serious shortcoming that local history is not known to

residents. Therefore this magazine is written for ordinary and local citizens. These
readers could be children, students or adults. Therefore, the language and style
we use in the magazine are such that even a curious child can read and
learn from it the story of its neighbourhood. However, the quality of the
information in this magazine is of the same high exacting standards any article in an
esteemed, world-class journal would require. Our aim is for the magazine to be read
and understood by scholars and ordinary people of all backgrounds.
This magazine is freely shared electronically via social media platforms such
as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram and such others. Therefore, for
any person interested, it should be easy to find and read the magazine at their own
convenience and pace. The Mythic Society also intends to publish these in part
or whole in its very reputed Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society (QJMS)
and other publications.
We believe this magazine will help improve general awareness about
inscriptions, spread knowledge about local history, and trigger more research based
on the information we freely share. The magazine as a whole is shared under the
CC-BY-SA 4.0 license, which only requires attribution, wherever its contents are
used.
Happy reading!
The Mythic Society Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Team

Dr M.G.Byrappa
Dr M.N.Madhusudhana
K.C.Shashi Kumara Naik
P.L.Udaya Kumar
Dr R.Yuvaraju
1 Altekar, A S. A History of Village Communities in Western India. University of Bombay Economics Series No.
5, 1927. Page-26

Acknowledgements
We thank Singapura residents
Mohan Nayak and V.Srinivas
Singapura, our most enthusiastic
supporters. They helped unearth
even more Singapura history by
discovering an undocumented H.L.Omshivprakash H.N.Narayana Reddy
inscription at Singapura. We
thank the Varadaraja Swamy
temple priest, Dattatreya, for
providing us access to the temple.
Our deep admiration and
respect for H.N. Narayana Reddy
and H.Satyanarayana of Harohalli who
have ensured the inscription at Harohalli has H.Satyanarayana
a safe and dignified home.
We thank Prof.K.R.Narasimhan Prof.K.R.Narasimhan
for reviewing the Kannada draft of this
magazine and helping re-read the text of
inscriptions at Singapura, Harohalli and
Chikkabettahalli.
We thank Dr P.V.Krishnamurthy,
our mentor-guide for everything related to
ancient Kannada scripts and local history.
We thank Dr Shalvapille Iyengar
for resolving doubts on iconography and Sri
Vaishnavism. Dr.P.V.Krishnamurthy Mohan Nayak
We thank Hemant Dalavi (of
Mythic Society), Pavan Srinath, Kaustuba
Venugopal and Venki Prathivadi who MeshLab
spent much time reading and commenting on
a draft of this issue. All 3D model based digital
our enthusiastic supporters and our problem-
images in this magazine are produced with
solvers for any on-ground challenges.
Meshlab, a Free and Open Source Software
We are very thankful for the constant
(FOSS). We are thankful to Istituto di
encouragement and support by V.Nagaraj
Scienza e Tecnologie dell'Informazione,
(Hon. Secretary), M.R.Prasannakumar
Italy for developing and sharing this software.
(management committee member),
Mediawiki is our in-house documentation
Dr P.Jayasimha (research scholar) and all
and collaboration platform. We thank
other Mythic Society staff in our novel project.
H.L.Omshivaprakash for installing and
configuring Mediawiki on our systems.
We thank the Directorate of
Archaeology &BENGALURU
Museums,ITIHAASA
Karnataka for
VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 5
authorising us to scan all inscriptions. They are
CONTENTS
An Introduction to Modern Singapura 9
Sources for the History of Singapura 13
Three Inscriptions
Singapura Nalapanayaka's Inscription 14

Harohalli Krishnappanayaka's
Ramanujakoota Inscription 19
Chikkabettahalli Singappanayaka's
15
Origins of the Names Singapura, Harohalli
and Chikkabettahalli 36
Historical People of Singapura 38
Historical Administrative Divisions 40
Important Historical Places 41
Conclusion 54 20
Appendix
Scripts of the Three Inscriptions
Characters in Harohalli Krishnappanayaka's

Characters in Chikkabettahalli
Singappanayaka's Ramanujakoota Inscription 62
68 28
Characters in Singapura Nalapanayaka's
Inscription
Development of Kannada Script in the
Bengaluru Region 71
Singapura
Itihaasa
Vaibhava
November 26, 1524

Digital images obtained from 3D scanning of inscriptions
500-year-old inscriptions and an ancient This issue of Bengaluru Itihaasa

temple are testimony to the historic and vibrant Vaibhava explores three inscriptions,
past of Singapura. That the region has been architecture and iconography of the Singapura
home to people for thousands of years is borne Varadaraja Swamy temple, local historical
out by the discoveries of prehistoric tools, individual Singappanayaka, and Singapura’s
dolmens and Roman coins in the region. relationship with nearby villages.
Inscriptions confirm Singapura to have been
a Sri Vaishnava hub and home to a unique
religious organisation, a Ramanujakoota.
Moreover, the hill of the Varadaraja
Swamy temple was called Tirumala, thus
indicating it to have been an important religious
place.
8 | BENGALURU
BENGALURUITIHAASA
ITIHAASAVAIBHAVA
VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA
Modern Singapura - An Geographical Boundaries
Singapura, administratively today, belongs
Overview to Ward 11, Kuvempunagar ward of Bruhat
For most people, the name Singapura usually Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Earlier
refers to Singapore, the country. However, it was a part of Bytarayanapura Nagar Sabha
within Bengaluru too, there exists an ancient (1996 CE-2006 CE) and Doddabettahalli Gram
Singapura. This Singapura is 17 km from Panchyat (before 1996 CE).
Majestic and 3 km from Yelahanka bus stand The earliest available map of
and is located at GPS coordinates 13°04'42.7"N Singapura is from 1915 CE which
77°32'13.9"E
1915CE Singapura Revenue Village Map (Details in Kannada)

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shows the village to have 2 lakes, 1 pond, 8 815 acres with a population of 143 people in
wells, 3 water holes, 5 hillocks. The village 1871 CE is now home to 40,000 people and is a
then was bounded by Ramachandrapura, very busy locality!
Jarakbandekaval, Chikkabettahalli, Institutions
Lakshmipura, and Abbigere villages. The Adjoining Singapura is the massive 1600 acre
1915 CE Singapura revenue village had a Air Force Station Jalahalli. Much of this
perimeter of 7 km and an area of 3.3 sq land belonged to the 1915 CE Singapura
km (815 acres). revenue village. The Jalahalli station is one of
The 3.3 sq km (815 acres) area of 1915 CE India’s largest Indian Air Force (IAF) training
Singapura is now split into the many modern centres with some 60-70% of its personnel
localities of Varadarajnagar, Vinayak Nagar, getting trained here every year.2
Kuvempu Nagar Ph 1 & 2, Lakshmappa Layout, Before being an IAF training centre, it
Kanshiram Nagar, Jalahalli Airforce Station, was a Prisoner of War (POW) camp
Shriniketh Layout, N Murthy Layout, Simhadri during the Second World War (1941-45).
Layout, Singapura Layout and some others. About 22,000 Italian POWs captured
in Africa were housed in the Singapura,
Population Jalahalli, Hebbal, and Jakkur regions.3
The earliest population data from the
2 Archana Nathan, "Where young lads turn into men", The
first Mysore state Census in 1871 CE
Hindu Bangalore Edition, 29 February, 2012. https://www.
shows Singapura to have had 34 homes with thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/where-young-lads-
60 men and 73 women.1 That same area of turn-into-men/article2946149.ece
1 Lindsay, Major. A. W. C., Mysore Commission, Supplement 3 Moore B and Fedorowich K, The British Empire and its
to Mysore General Census, Appendices A To H of 1871 Italian Prisoners of War, 1940–1947 (Studies in Military
(Bangalore, Mysore Government Press, 1875), P70 http://lsi. and Strategic History), Palgrave Macmillan, repr., January
gov.in/library/handle/123456789/5996 2002
Indian Air Force Station, Jalahalli

The 1943 CE Prisoner of War (POW) camp for Italian soldiers captured during the second world war
Early photos show POWs in tents, while A huge ground-level reservoir spanning about
later year photos show them in tiled structures. an acre is being built on this hillock as part
The massive POW camp had kitchens, farms, of the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage
churches, cemeteries and even its own Project (Phase 3). A key project for supplying
currency! The POW camp was later converted water to Bengaluru, the project plans to extend
and developed into a massive 9,000-bed drinking water supply to 110 villages in the
hospital for allied forces and was called the region.4
British Hospital Town. At that time, it was
thought to be the worlds largest hospital. When
the war ended, the area became a British
Royal Air Force (RAF) training centre. It
became an Indian Air Force training centre
after independence. The same facility is now
known as Jalahalli Airforce Station, Bengaluru.
4 Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and NJS
About 110 acres of land on a hillock in Consultants Co., LTD. (NJS), Bengaluru Water Supply and
Singapura is owned by the Bengaluru Water Sewerage Project (Phase 3) In The State of Karnataka, In-
Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). dia. Final Report, November 2017. https://openjicareport.
jica.go.jp/pdf/12300356_01.pdf

1 2
1. Clay tiled housing for Italian prisoners of war (1943 CE),

2. PoW tents, 3. A funeral at the PoW camp
Culture
Modern Singapura is still deeply rooted in
cultural practices from the past. A village
festival (jathre) is held once every three
years. For the festival deities from Singapura
and many neighbouring localities (former
villages) such as Chappalamma, Nadliamma,
Muthyalamma, Suggalamma, Doddamma,
Currency used in the Italian prisoner of war Danada (cattle) Mariyamma, Maramma,
camp. Muneshwara, Anjaneya, Garudakamba
Anjaneya, Poojamma, Annamma and others
are brought and worshipped.
Sources for the History of
Singapura
The following sources have been used to
unravel the history of Singapura:
1. Three inscriptions
i. The newly discovered Singapura
Nalapanayaka's inscription
from 1528 CE
ii. Harohalli Krishnappanayaka's
Ramanujakoota inscription
from 1530 CE
iii. Chikkabettahalli Singappanayaka's
from 1524 CE
2. The 500 year old Varadaraja Swamy
temple at Singapura Digital image obtained from a 3D digital model of
3. A prehistoric site - the Jalahalli the Harohalli Krishnappanayaka's Ramanujakoota
microlithic tools factory inscription
4. Roman coins discovered at

Yeshawantapura
Digital image obtained from a 3D digital model

Digital image obtained from a 3D digital model of
of the Chikkabettahalli Singappanayaka's
the Singapura Nalapanayaka's inscription

piqued, Mohan rushed to Chikkabettahalli,
collected Udaya's phone number from people
there, contacted and informed him of a similar
inscription stone at Singapura.
Not receiving an enthusiastic response from
Udaya, Mohan persisted and requested Udaya
to visit Singapura and check the inscription. On
31-December-2017, together, they visited the
farm where the inscribed stone was. A security
guard arrived while they were studying the stone
and asked them to leave the place immediately.
The guard suggested the duo get permission
from Aditya Hanumareddy, the farm owner,
The unpublished Singapura Nalapanayaka's before visiting the farm. When they contacted
inscription now installed in the Singapura Aditya, he suggested they visit another day when
Varadaraja Swamy temple. he was also there.
Singapura Nalapanayaka's Later, on 13-January-2018, along with
Inscription Aditya, they revisited the farm, chalk traced the
inscription and photographed it. They also shared
While inscriptions at Chikkabettahalli and photos of the trace with Prof.K.R.Narasimhan,
Harohalli are both related to Singapura, until a historian-epigraphist and sought his help to read
2017, no inscription had so far been found in the inscription.
Singapura proper itself. However, due to a few On enquiring, Aditya informed them that the
heritage conscientious citizens and researchers, stone was earlier installed by the lake adjoining
an unpublished inscription was discovered in the farm (this was sometime in the 1970s).
Singapura that year. In this article, for the When a new road was constructed there, the
first time, we document this inscription stone was dislodged, and S.C.Venkatesh,
and its contents. This recently
discovered inscription helps us learn
more about Singapura’s past.
Discovery of the Inscription

Stone
In 2017, Singapura native and
history enthusiast Mohan Nayak's
interest was kindled while watching
a Facebook live stream. He watched
P.L.Udaya Kumar discuss an
inscription at nearby Chikkabettahalli
and its connections with a temple at
Singapura in the live cast. His interest Singapura residents preparing to relocate the inscription

Lakshmikanth Sharma 3D scanning the Singapura Nalapanayaka's inscription
Aditya’s grandfather, noticed it lying on the
ground. Noticing carved letters on the stone, he
Conservation Status of the
understood it to be of some historical value and Inscription Stone
had it brought over and installed on his farm.
Lakshmi Venkatesh, his wife, would worship Physical Conservation
the inscription on festivals and other special It took two years to persuade Aditya, Abhishek,
days. In Seprtember-2020, at the request of and their family to allow shifting of the
Singapura residents and Udaya, Aditya and his inscription stone from their private farm to a
brother Abhishek Hanumareddy allowed the more publicly accessible place at the nearby
inscription stone to be relocated to the Varadaraja Varadaraja Swamy temple, Singapura. On
Swamy temple, Singapura, where it stands today. 13-September-2020 Singapura residents
Mohan Nayak, S.M.Nagaraju, S.V.Srinivas,
Dating of the Inscription T.Ajay Kumar, S.G.Shekar, S.S.Manjunath,
S.K.Venkatesh and S.Srinivas, with fanfare
As per the “English/Roman”5 system, the
and jubilation, shifted the stone to the temple
inscription is from 17-June-1528 (Julian).
6
The date given in the inscription in the Saka (GPS - 13°04'42.7"N 77°32'13.9"E). The
era luni-solar calendar system is Sarvadari construction of a robust pedestal and a display
Samvatsara, Ashada, Shudha 1. The board are both planned there.
year 1528 CE is fixed on the basis of the script
(palaeography grounds) and mention of Singappa
Nayaka.
6 Inscription Stones of Bangalore, So much pride in our heritage
5 A common colloquial term that refers to the non-Indi- ! Facebook, 13 September 2020. https://www.facebook.com/
an origin calendar system in use today. groups/inscriptionstones/posts/2708137562760795/

Society Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation
Digital Conservation
team. This same 3D model was studied using
Even when an inscription stone is physically
Meshlab (a FOSS), and the text of the inscription
protected and in a good and safe environment,
was deciphered. Colour digital images and a
its surface will naturally erode over time due to
reading of the text of the inscription were shared
the effects of rain, sunshine and atmospheric
with Prof.K.R.Narasimhan for verification and
corrosion. However, modern technological
analysis.
methods such as 3D digital scanning allow us
to create long lasting, non-changing, highly Physical Characteristics of the Stone
accurate three-dimensional digital models of Locally available granite stone has been used
the surface of the inscription. If needed, it is also to carve the inscription. The stone resembles a
possible to create high-quality replicas of the simple pillar 157cm tall and 38cm wide. The
inscription in wood, stone, metal or any material inscription bearing face of the stone, has been
of our choice by leveraging the 3D model. prepared and is smooth, while the other faces
are unfinished and rough. The upper portion of
“Inscription Stones of Bangalore”, a
the inscription bearing face has simple carvings
citizens group, 3D digital scanned and digitally
of the Sun and Moon, below which is the text of
conserved the Singapura inscription on 21-
the inscription
Sep-2020. This scan was performed at a very
spread over 12
useful high-resolution of 0.05mm by an Artec
lines.
Space Spider hand-held scanner. The scan data
was post-processed, and a 3D model of 1 crore
87 lakh polygons was developed by the Mythic
Transliteration Of The Inscription
Line Singapura Nalapanayaka's Inscription
No. Modern Kannada & IAST (in red)
1 . ಮ . (ಘ) ಸಿ . . . ma . (gha) si .
2 ಸರ್ವದಾರಿ ಶಂವತ್ಸ(ರ) sarvadāri śaṃvatsa[ra]
3 ದ ಆಷಡ ಶು ೧ da āṣaḍa śu 1
4 ಲು ನಲಪನಾಯ್ಕ lu nalapanāyka
5 ಸಿಂಗಾಪುರದ ಭೆ siṃgāpurada bhĕ
6 ಟೆಯರಾಯಗೆ ಸಿ೦ ṭĕyarāyagĕ siṃ
7 ಗಪ್ಪನಾಯ್ಕರಿಗೆ gappanāykarigĕ
8 ದರ್ಮವಾಗ ಭೆಕೆಂ darmavāga bhĕkĕṃ
9 ದು ಪಾತ್ರಬೊಗಕೆ du pātrabŏgakĕ
10 ತಿಪಯಗೆ ಕೊ . . tipayagĕ kŏ . .
Digital image obtained from a 3D
11 ವ ಗದೆ(ದ್ದೆ)ಗೆ . . ಅ(ಆ) va gadĕ(ddĕ)gĕ. . a(ā) digital model of
the Singapura Nalapanayaka's
12 ವನಾದರು . . . vanādaru . . .
inscription
.. rest of the inscription is worn out and not readable.

NOTE: 1. International Alphabet of Sanskrit sarvadāri śaṃvatsarada
Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme
the name of the year (the
that allows the lossless Romanisation of Indic
samvatsara) in which the
scripts;
2. Line numbers are not indicated on the donation was made.
inscription, they are included here only for ease of āṣaḍa the month in which the
reading; donation was made. Ashada
3. On the stone, there is no space provided spans the months of July
to separate words, spaces have been inserted here and August.
for easier reading;
4. The symbols () & [] indicate that the śu 1 the first tithi (“day”) of the
character in () or words in [] on the stone are not bright fortnight (śu is an
legible and these are interpretations. abbreviation for shudha/
shukla paksha).8
It is common practice among some scholars nalapanāyka name of the donor, the
to correct for grammar and spelling while person making the donation,
publishing the text of an inscription. This probably an official.
results in differences between the published text siṃgāpura the focus of this entire
and actual letters carved on the stone. However Bengaluru Itihaasa
we have not made any such corrections to Vaibhava, Singapura issue.
the text above. Therefore, our text is an exact
bheṭeyarāya for the religious merit
transliteration of what is carved on the stone.
(punya) of Singapura
Beteraya.
Summary of the Inscription
The inscription records the donation of some siṃgappanāyaka
wetlands for partrabhoga7 purposes by a name of an official.
Nalapanayaka. The religious merits of this dharmavāga bhekeṃdu
donation are to accrue to Singapura Beteraya for the religious merit of
and Singapanayaka.
pātrabogake a religious service where
Much of the inscription is badly effaced
cultural events such as
and more details are not decipherable.
dance, music and drama
are performed for the
Translation & Explanation of the
entertainment of a God.9
Inscription
tipayage name of the grantee, the
sarvadāri śaṃvatsarada āṣaḍa śu 1 lu
person who received the
date of the donation in the
donation.
local luni-solar calendar
system ko gave (interpretation)
8 A lunar month is made of two fortnights called pakshas, the
7 Patrabhoga is a religious service where cultural events such as
first fortnight or Shukla paksha extends from the no moon
dance, music and drama are performed for the entertainment
to the full moon day and the Krishna paksha or the dark
of God.
fortnight extends from the full moon to the no moon day.
9 Srinivas Ritti, Descriptive Glossary of Administrative
Terms in ancient Karnataka, Department of Archaeology,
Museums & Heritage, Karnataka, 2000. Page-155

gade wetlands. Land on which Singapura lake is also at least as old as
flood irrigated crops such this inscription, about 500 years.
as rice, wheat or sugar cane
were grown.
ge āvanādaru anyone. Part of a phrase that
is typically a curse/warning.
The rest of the inscription, now unreadable
were probably the shapashya lines. These lines
are usually curses intended to protect the dona-
tion and the inscription.
Language and Script of the

Inscription
This inscription uses colloquial Kannada
language easily understood by common people
e.g. śaṃvatsara instead of saṃvatsara
(sh instead of sa), āṣaḍa instead of āṣāḍa
(a instead of aa in ashaada), nalapanāyka
instead of nallappanāyka.
Key Information in the Inscription

i. Inscriptions at Chikkabettahalli and
Harohalli (described in detail in later
chapters) refer to a Tiruvengalanatha
temple at Singapura. We explain in a later
section that the Tiruvengalanatha temple
is now called the Singapura Varadaraja
Swamy temple. This fairly worn out
inscription appears to record a donation
to this same temple. From all of these,
we can conclude that the Singapura
mentioned in this inscription is at least
500 years old
ii. Singapura was likely named after the
Singappa Nayaka mentioned in this
inscription (more details in the chapter
on historical people).
iii. From the word gadde or wetlands used
in the inscription, we can infer that

inscription or written about its existence.
Harohalli P.L.Udaya Kumar, Prof.K.R.Narasimhan,
Krishnappanayaka's K.Dhanpal, Dr R.Yuvaraju and Singapura
residents Mohan Nayak and S.V.Srinivas are
Ramanujakoota some people who have visited the site and
Inscription educated residents there about the contents of

the inscription and its value.
Harohalli is situated about 7 km northeast of
Singapura at GPS coordinates 13°07'50.7"N Dating of the Inscription
77°34'48.6"E. Harohalli is of interest here As per the “English/Roman'' calendar
as it is home to a vital inscription related to system,10 the inscription was made on
Singapura. 02-November-1530 CE (Julian). The date
mentioned in the inscription in the local luni-
Discovery of the Inscription solar calendar system is Saka 1452, Vikruti
Stone Samvatsara, Karthik, Su 12.
This inscription was first documented in the 02-November-1530 CE was a special
magnum opus Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 9, day as it was Uthana Dwadashi, the day
published by B.L.Rice in 1905 CE. In it, the of the Tulasi festival that day. It is believed
inscription is recorded as Bangalore Taluk that Lord Sriman Narayana wakes up from
inscription number 28. However, since 10 A common colloquial term that is used for the non-Indian
1905 CE, not many people have visited the origin calendar system in use today
Harohalli Krishnappanayaka's Ramanujakoota inscription in the Anjaneya Temple, Harohalli

Lakshmikantha Sharma 3D scanning the Harohalli Krishnappanayaka's Ramanujakoota inscription
sleep and provides darshan to his devotees on improved his skills in those six years.
this day. Moreover, if the nakshatra (star of The Harohalli inscription is on a stone
the lunar house) that day also happens to be slab 163 cm tall and 89 cm wide.
Revathi, as was the case in 1530 CE, then
it is supposed to be even more auspicious. Conservation Status of the
Therefore, donations that day are supposed to Inscription
attract more religious merit (Punya).
1. Physical Conservation
Physical Characteristics of the Harohalli residents H.N.Narayana Reddy
Stone and H.Satyanarayana have ensured that the
The two Singapura related inscriptions at inscription stone is safe within the precincts of
Harohalli and Chikkabettahalli are both the Anjaneya temple. They deserve recognition,
made from locally available granite. They gratitude and applause for this.
both resemble each other very much, and
possibly were both sourced from the same 2. Digital Conservation
stone quarry nearby. It is also very possible Even when an inscription stone is physically
that the same sculptor sculpted them too. protected and installed in a good and safe
While separated by six years, some minor environment, its surfaces will wear over time
mistakes in the Chikkabettahalli inscription due to the eroding effects of rain, sunshine
are not seen in the later Harohalli inscription. and atmospheric corrosion. However, modern
That could be because the sculptor had technological methods such as 3D digital

Digital image obtained from a 3D digital model of the 1530 CE Harohalli Krishnappanayaka's

scanning allow us to create permanent, shared with Prof.K.R.Narasimhan, a historian-
non-changing, highly accurate three- epigraphist, for further validation and analysis.
dimensional digital models of the surfaces
of the stone inscription. If needed, it is also Summary of the Inscription
possible to create high-quality replicas of This inscription from 1530 CE records the
the inscription in wood, stone, metal or any grant of Harohalli village by Sivanasamudra
material of our choice, from the 3D model. (Hessaraghatta) chief Krishnappanayaka to
“Inscription Stones of Bangalore”, a the Singapura Tiruvengalanatha temple for the
citizens group, on 21-Sep-2020 3D digital anga-ranga-vaibhoga, amrutapadi-naivedya
scanned and digitally conserved the Singapura and the operations of the Ramanujakoota
inscription. This scan was at a very useful at the temple. The religious merits of this
high-resolution of 0.05mm using an Artec donation were to accrue to the king of the
Space Spider hand-held scanner. The scan Karnataka (Vijayanagara) empire Achyutaraya
data was later post-processed, and a 3D model and Krishnappanayaka’s father Solur
of size five crore twenty eight lakh polygons Basavappanayaka.
was developed by the Mythic Society
Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Anga-ranga-vaibhoga, amrutapadi-
team. This 3D model was then studied naivedya and Ramanujakoota are
using Meshlab (a FOSS) and the text of the explained in later sections.
inscription was deciphered. Colour digital
images and the text of the inscription were
Transliteration of the Inscription (in IAST)

Epigraphia Carnatica, Volume 9, Our reading of the inscription
Bangalore Taluk Inscription Number 28
111 svasti śrī jayābhyudaya śālivāha śaka 0 svasti śrī jĕyabhyudaya śālivāhana
śaka
2 varuṣa 1452 ne vikṛti saṃvatsara 0 varuṣa 1452 nĕ vikuṛti ṣaṃvadara
3 da kārtīka śuddha 12 puṃṇyakāladalli a 0 da khārtika śudha 12 puṇyakāladali ā
4 cyutarāya mahārāyarigĕ namma taṃdĕ cutarāya mahārāyarigĕ naṃma taṃdĕ
ba ba
5 sappanāyakarigĕ puṇyavāgi acyutarā savappanāyakarigĕ puṃṇyavāgi ācutarā
6 yaru solūra basavappanāyakara makal̤ u yaru sŏlūra basavappanāyakara
kri maṃkal̤ u kri
7 ṣṇappa nāyakarigĕ nāyakatanakkĕ ṣtpṇappa nāyakarigĕ nāyakatanakĕ
pālisida sivana pālisida sivana
11 A. Line numbers are not indicated on the inscription, they are included here only for ease of reading; B. On the stone there is no space
provided to separate words, spaces have been inserted here for easier reading; C. The symbols () & [] indicate that the character in ()
or word in [] on the stone are not legible and these are interpretations. Differences between our reading and the published text are
shown in BOLD characters. E. International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme

8 samudrada stalakkĕ saluva hārohal̤ l̤ i samudrada stalakĕ saluva hāruhal̤ i
grāmava gramava
9 nu siṃgāpurada tiruvĕṃgal̤ anāta nu siṃgāpurada tiruvĕṃgal̤ anāta
āṃgaraṃga āṃgaraṃga
10 vaibhoga amrutapaḍi naiveddakkĕ vaibŏga āmuṛtapaḍi naivĕdyakĕ
rāmānujakū rāmānujakū
11 ṭakĕ salabekĕṃdu kŏṭṭa sila śasana ṭakĕ salabĕkĕṃdu kŏṭṭa sila śadana
In this latest reading of the inscription, jeyabhyudaya
the Mythic Society team has noted 36 may prosperity-achievements
differences with the text given in Epigraphia increase
Carnatica Vol 9. However, despite these śālivāhana śaka varuṣa 1452 ne vikṛti
differences, there is no change to the meaning ṣaṃvadarada khārtika śudha
or import of the inscription. These differences 12 puṇyakāladali
are mainly related to the use of mahapranas date of the donation in the Indian
(aspirated consonants) and the use of anusvara luni-solar calendar system. This
(o) instead of a ottakshara (consonant corresponds to 02-November-1530
conjunct).
It is common practice among some
scholars to correct for grammar and spelling
while publishing the text of an inscription.
This results in differences between the
published text and actual letters carved on the Shalivahana in the inscription
stone. However we have not made any such
corrections to the text above. Therefore, our
text is an exact transliteration of what is carved
on the stone.
Translation & Explanation of the Vikruthi shamvadara in the inscription

Inscription śaka varuṣa 1452 ne vikṛti ṣaṃvadarada
0 a circle mark at the beginning of the Saka era year (1452) and the
the line. The sculptor may have name of the year - the samvatsara
used this to help him space and (vikruti samvatsara) in which the
align lines. This mark is found donation was made.
only in the first three lines.
khārtika the lunar month in which the
svastiśrī an auspicious term, meaning
donation was made. Karthika
wishing everyone well. This word
spans the months of November-
is commonly used as the first word
December.
in most inscriptions.

śudha 12 the twelfth tithi (roughly a “day”) of nāyakatanake pālisida
the bright fortnight (shudha-shukla for nayakatana (to administer)
paksha).12 sivanasamudrada stalake saluva
ācutarāya mahārāyarige Sivanasamudra was another
the Karnataka king (Achyutaraya) name for Hessaraghatta. The
when the time the donation was 1533 CE inscription at the
made.13 Karnata/Karnataka Chandramouleshwara temple
kingdom is now popularly called the Hessaraghatta clearly mentions
Vijayanagara kingdom. Sivanasamudra and Hessaraghatta
as the same place. Sivanasamudra
stala was an administrative division
in 1530 CE
The king's name Aachutaraya in the inscription stala an administrative unit, a collection
naṃma taṃde basavappanāyakarige of villages.14

puṃṇyavāgi hāruhaḷi gramavanu
for the religious benefit of our Harohalli village was given
father Basavappanayaka siṃgāpurada tiruveṃgaḷanāta
Tiru in Tamil means Shri (an
honorific) and Vengalanatha
means Venkateshwara or Srinivasa.
Today’s Varadaraja Swamy temple
Solur Basavappanayakara in the inscription at Singapura is called the Singapura
Tiruvengalanatha temple in the
solūra basavappanāyakara maṃkaḷu inscription.
Solur Basavappa’s child (son in this āṃgaraṃgavaiboga
case). Solur is in Magadi taluk. for decorations of the deity and
kriṣtpṇappa nāyakarige cultural programs such as dance,
given to Krishnappanayaka music, drama performed for the
entertainment of the God.
āmrutapaḍi naivedya
special food offerings prepared for
God.
rāmānujakūṭake salabekeṃdu
to be given to the Ramanujakoota.
Kristpnappa Nayakarige samudrada stala in the Attached to a few Sri Vaishnava temples
inscription was a place called the Ramanujakoota.
12 A lunar month is made of two fortnights called pakshas, the These were places for food distribution
first fortnight or Shukla paksha extends from the no moon to Sri Vaishnava devotees visiting the
to the full moon day and the Krishna paksha or the dark temple. They also served as places for
fortnight extends from the full moon to the no moon day.
13 Shrinivas Ritti, B R Gopal (editor), Inscriptions of the 14 Krishnamurthy.P.V. "Bengaluru Jileya Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara Rulers, Volume II, (Bangalore: ICHR), Page iv Kalada Adalita Vibhagalu", Ithihasa Darshana, Vol 15,
(Introduction), 2008 1990,Page :103.

Shankha, Chakra and Other Symbols in Bengaluru Inscriptions
Sudarshana Chakra in the Allalasandra 1544 CE inscription (image from 3D digital model)
Sudarshana Chakra in the Domlur

Sudarshana Chakra in the Domlur village gate
Chokkanathaswamy Temple 1440 CE inscription
1430 CE inscription (image from 3D digital model)
(image from 3D digital model)
Sudarshana Chakra in the Chikkabettahalli Sudarshana Chakra in the Harohalli 1530 CE

1524 CE inscription (image from 3D digital model) inscription (image from 3D digital model)

religious congregations and places to stay the Chokkanathaswamy temple all bear eight
for visiting out-of-town Srivaishanava’s. spokes. All three examples appear to have been
koṭṭa sila śadana sculpted with the expectation that they would be
had this inscription made worshiped and were carved exactly per the shilpa
Symbols on the Inscription shastra specifications. However, the Chakra
The Sri Vaishnava holy marks-symbols in the Chikkabettahalli and Harohalli stone
of Shanka (Panchajanya), Chakra inscriptions do not have spokes at all. From this,
(Sudarshana) and Naama are carved on the it appears the sculptor in these two cases was
top portion of the Harohalli inscription stone. ignorant of the shilpa shastras and possibly was
These symbols are often carved or painted a local stone worker.
on Sri Vaishnava inscriptions, boundary
stones, and Vishnu temples from the 14-16th Characters in the Inscription
centuries (popularly called as the Vijayanagara 1st Line
period). In temples these are usually found on
೦ ಸ್ವ/sva ಸ್ತಿ/sti ಶ್ರೀ/śrī
gopuras, doorframes and mantapas. Similar
symbols on inscription stones are found at
Chikkabettahalli, Thindlu, Allalasandra,
Domlur, Kothnur, Bannerughatta,
Bommandahalli in the Bengaluru
urban district and on inscription stones at
Kadanur, Gantiganahalli, Kadiganahalli, ಜೆ/je ಯ/ya ಭ್ಯು/bhyu ದ/da
Jodidasarahalli, Chikkajala, Maranagere
in the Bengaluru rural district.
Incidentally, there are instances of
names of places also based on such marks. e.g.
Naamagondlu, in the Chikkaballapura district,
derives its name from the naama painted on a
ಯ/ya ಶಾ/śā ಲಿ/li ವಾ/vā
hillock nearby.
The Harohalli, Chikkabettahalli and
Allalasandra inscriptions in Bengaluru sporting
the holy Sri Vaishnava symbols may not have
been sculpted by a skilled-knowledgeable stone
worker. This seems so as the shilpa shastras ಹ/ha ನ/na ಶ/śa ಕ/ka
prescribe a Chakra to be depicted with 4/8/16…
spokes, and sometimes as curved petals instead
of straight spokes. We also have examples in
the Bengaluru region of standalone worship-
worthy slabs with Chakras that conform to
this prescription across at least a 114 years. A
recently-discovered stone slab in nearby Thindlu (Tables of other characters from all lines
has a large Chakra with 8 spokes. Similarly, are given in the appendix)
inscription stones at Domlur village gate and

Language Used in the Inscription boundaries and tax revenue from the
village. The temple would then assign
This inscription is written in prominent such donated lands to tenant cultivators,
characters and easy colloquial Kannada deciding the proportion of income and
language. However, as the inscription is a
produce to be shared back by the tenants.
record of a donation to a temple, the author
may have deliberately chosen words and The temple would use some of the grains,
phrases that local people easily understood. fruits, flowers, vegetables etc., and any
Examples: sthaḷa>stala, jayābhyudaya> leftover produce would be stored or sold.
jeyābhyudaya Income from such sales would be used
for temple activities. With such land
With some words, mahaprana ownership arrangements, temples served
(aspirated consonant) and alpaprana
as religious centres and also played a
(unaspirated consonant) are interchanged.
decisive role in influencing life in
Examples : khārtika > kārtika; vaiboga >
vaibhoga. Similarly in a few cases a anusvara other ways.
(o) is used instead of a ottakshara example : As an entire village was donated to fund
Examples: naṃma > namma, maṃkaḷu > the activities of the Ramanujakoota at
makkaḷu the Singapura Tiruvengalanatha temple,
we can conclude that the Singapura
Key Information in the temple and Singapura village were
Inscription an important religious hub in the
i. As this inscription mentions the region
Tiruvengalanatha temple at Singapura, iv. The king of the Karnataka samrajya
we can infer that the temple now referred (empire) at the time was Achyutraya.
to as Varadaraja Swamy temple is at Karnataka samrajya is more popularly
least 500 years old. called as the Vijayanagara empire.
Why both names refer to the same temple However, in reality, Vijayanagara was the
is explained in a later chapter.15 capital of the empire and not the empire
ii. The inscription helps us learn that itself.16
Singapura was a hub for Sri v. The inscription tells us that Harohalli
Vaishnavites. was then administratively a part of
iii. This inscription is somewhat rare in that Sivanasamudra (Hessaraghatta)
it is a record of an entire village being stala and the chief then was a
donated to a temple. The authority to Krishnappanayaka. stala & sthala are
donate villages usually only resided with different and refer respectively to a region
a king. Therefore, donations were most and a place.
often only smaller parcels of land. Chiefs vi. The inscription also helps us learn some
of provinces who received provincial roles were hereditary roles, passed
governing authority from the king could on from generation to generation within
also donate an entire village. families.
Donation of a village meant the temple
had rights over all land within the village's 16 Shrinivas Ritti, B R Gopal (editor), Inscriptions of the
Vijayanagara Rulers, Volume II, (Bangalore: ICHR), Page iv
15 Page 44 (Introduction), 2008

on 19-December-2017 around 3:30 pm. As
Chikkabettahalli they walked towards the rear of the temple
Singappanayaka's approaching the inscription, they noticed a
noisy group of youngsters sitting on the porch,
Ramanujakoota playing cards and chatting. One person in the
Inscription group, interrupted them and the following
discussion ensued:
Chikkabettahalli is about 2 km northeast of
Singapura at GPS coordinates 13°05'22.9"N Person 1: Yes what you want ? (in English)
77°33'12.4"E. Chikkabettahalli is of interest Udaya: Ah, nothing. (in Kannada)
as it is home to a vital inscription related to
Person 1: Oh..you know Kannada (in
Singapura.
Kannada)
Discovery of the Inscription Udaya: I am from here, I know Kannada (in
Stone Kannada).
This inscription was first documented in the discussion after this was all in Kannada
the magnum opus Epigraphia Carnatica
Person 1: What have you come to see ?
Vol 9, published by B.L.Rice in 1905 CE
as Bangalore taluk inscription number Udaya: We are here to see the inscription
19. However, in the last 115 years since it was stone in your temple.
documented, fewer than five individuals who Saying this Udaya started to walk
have visited and tried to read the inscription! towards the inscription and the group
followed him.
In December 2017, Darshana Ramdev, a
Deccan Chronicle reporter, wished to write Saddened by the sight of a large pile of
about Bengaluru's inscriptions. In preparation garbage all around the inscription stone,
for that article, she and P.L.Udaya Kumar he addressed the group:
visited the Chikkabettahalli Anjaneya temple
Singappanayaka's Ramanujakoota inscription in the Chikkabettahalli Anjaneya temple.

Is it right for you to pile garbage on this Physical Characteristics of the
valuable ancient inscription having the
Stone
name of your village Chikkabettahalli on
The two Singapura related inscriptions
it?
at Harohalli and Chikkabettahalli
Person 2: Our heads will explode if we read are both made from locally available
what is written on this stone! granite. They both are very similar, and
Udaya: OK, then you can see my head explode. possibly were sourced from the same stone
Saying this, he gave a paper sheet quarry nearby. It is also very possible
containing the text of the inscription in that the same sculptor sculpted them too.
Epigraphia Carnatica, Vol 9, to one of While separated by six years, some minor
the younger boys in the group and asked mistakes visible in the Chikkabettahalli
him to read it aloud. As the boy read the inscription are not seen in the later
text, Udaya finger traced the words on Harohalli inscription. Perhaps the sculptor
the stone. had improved his skills in these six years.
The front face of the inscription stone,
The group was thrilled to see their village
the bearing face, has been dressed smooth to
name Chikkabettahalli written on
receive the inscription text. The sides and back
the stone, and soon their cold attitude
face of the stone slab are rough and not dressed.
suddenly turned warm and friendly.
A sun and moon and the Sri Vaishnavite
Even as they talked, one person in the
holy marks of Shankha, Chakra and Naama
group quietly slipped away and returned
have been carved on the top portion, followed
with a tempo, wheelbarrows, pickaxes,
by the 18 lines of text of the inscription.
hand shovels, etc. The group cleaned the
The Shankha and Chakra depiction is
place thoroughly using the implements
discussed in the chapter on the Harohalli
and loaded up all the garbage into the
Krishnappanayaka's Ramanujakoota
tempo to be dumped elsewhere.
Inscription.
The Chikkabettahalli inscription is on
Dating of the Inscription
a stone slab 170cm tall and 74cm wide.
As per the “English/Roman'' calendar
system,17 the inscription was made on
26-November-1524 CE (Julian). The date
given in the inscription in the local luni-solar
calendar system is Tarana Samvatsara,
Margashira, Su 1
The numerical year is not given in
the inscription. However, as Krishnaraya
(Krishnadevaraya) is mentioned as the king at
that time, we can conclude the year as 1524 CE,
as it was the only year with the name Tarana
samvatsara during his reign.
17 A common colloquial term that is used for the non-Indian
origin calendar system in use today

Digital image obtained from a 3D digital model of the Chikkabettahalli Singappanayaka's Ramanujakoota
inscription

Conservation Status of the images and the text of the inscription were
shared with Prof.K.R.Narasimhan, a historian-
Inscription
epigraphist, for further validation and analysis.
1. Physical Conservation
In 1905 CE, the inscription is recorded as being Summary of the Inscription
installed on the right side of the Hanumanta This inscription from 1524 CE records the
temple at Chikkabettahalli. However, residents grant of Harohalli village by Singapanayaka
claim the stone was in a large ditch behind the to the God Tiruvengalanatha at the Tirumala
temple until twenty years ago, when it was in Singapura for amrutapadi-naivedya and the
retrieved and installed in its current location at
operations of the Ramanujakoota. The grantee
the temple's rear. While the current location is
fairly safe and residents watch over the stone, (the receiver of the donation) was Hiriya
an information board is needed to create more Varadarajaiah son of Pattana Thimanayya.
awareness.
This donation was made when Krishnaraya was
2. Digital Conservation king.
Even when an inscription stone is physically
protected and installed in a good and safe
environment, its surfaces will wear over time
due to the eroding effects of rain, sunshine
and atmospheric corrosion. However, modern
technological methods such as 3D digital
scanning allow us to create permanent, non-
changing, highly accurate three-dimensional
digital models of the surfaces of the inscription.
If needed, it is also possible to create high-
quality replicas of the inscription in wood,
stone, metal or any material of our choice, from
the 3D model.
“Inscription Stones of Bangalore”,

scanned and digitally conserved the
Chikkabettahalli inscription. This scan was
performed at a very useful high-resolution of
0.05mm using an Artec Space Spider hand-
held scanner. The scan data was later post-
processed, and a 3D model of size four crore
thirty six lakh polygons was developed by the
Mythic Society Inscriptions 3D Digital
Conservation team. This 3D model was then
studied using Meshlab (a FOSS) and the text
of the inscription deciphered. Colour digital

Transliteration of the Inscription (in IAST)
Epigraphia Carnatica, Volume 9, Our reading of the inscription
Bangalore Taluk Inscription Number
28
1.18 śubhamastu śubhamastu
2. tāraṇa saṃvatsarada mārgasi tāraṇa saṃvatsarada mārgaṣi
3. ra śu1lu kriṣṇarāyara kāladali ra śu 1lu kriṣṇarāyara kāladali
4. siṃgapanāyakaru siṃgāpurada liru siṃgapanāyakaru siṃgāpurada tiru
5. vaṃta devara amṛtapaḍiya naivedyakkĕ malĕ dĕvara amuṛtapaḍiya naivĕdyakkĕ
6. rāmānujakūṭakkĕ paṭṭaṇa tiṃmaṇayya rāmānujakūṭṭakkĕ paṭṭaṇa

tiṃmmaṇayya
7. navara makkal̤ u hiriāya varadarāja navara makkal̤ u hiriāya varadarāja
8. yanavarigĕ cigabĕṭhahal̤ l̤ iyanu bi yanavarigĕ cigabeṭhahaḷiyanu bi
9. ṭṭĕvāgi yī dharmmakkĕ āru āl̤ i ṭevagi yi dramakke āru āḷi
10. pidavaru gaṃgĕya taḍi pidavaru gaṃgeya taḍi
11. yali kapilĕya vadhisida pāpa yalli kapileya vadisida papa
12. kkĕ hoharu yī tiruvĕṃgal̤ a . kkĕ hŏharu yi tiruvĕṃgal̤ anā
13. . . . yī dharmakkĕ tappidavaru ta dānada yi dramakke tapidoru
14. taṃma taṃdĕtāyikāśiya thaṃma taṃdetāya kāśiya
15. li kŏṃdavaru|| li kŏṃdavaru
In this latest reading of the text, the Mythic consonants) and the use of anusvara (o)
Society team has noted thirty differences instead of a ottakshara (consonant conjunct).
with the text given in Epigraphia Carnatica It is common practice among some
Vol 9. However, despite these differences, scholars to correct for grammar and spelling
there is no change to the meaning or import of while publishing the text of an inscription.
the inscription. These differences are mainly This results in differences between the
related to the use of mahapranas (aspirated published text and actual letters carved on the
stone. However we have not made any such
18 A. Line numbers are not indicated on the inscription, they are
included here only for ease of reading; B. On the stone there corrections to the text above. Therefore, our
is no space provided to separate words, spaces have been in- text is an exact transliteration of what is carved
serted here for easier reading; C. The symbols () & [] indicate on the stone.
that these character(s) on the stone are not very legible and
these are interpretations. D. Differences between our read-
ing and the published text is shown in BOLD characters. E.
International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is
a transliteration scheme

Translation & Explanation of the Singapura hillock on which the temple
Inscription stands, has been equated with the holy
Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh, on which
śubhamastu - auspicious salutation that means
the Lord Vengalanatha (Venkateshwara)
wishing everyone well; Śubhaṃ + astu, a
temple stands.
Sanskrit term.
mārgaṣira śu 1lu - tāraṇa saṃvatsarada
mārgaṣira- date of the donation in the
Indian luni-solar calendar system. This
corresponds to 02-November-1530.
tāraṇa saṃvatsarada - the name of the year
in which the donation was made- Tarana "Tiru" in the 1524 CE Chikkabettahalli
Samvatsara. inscription
mārgaṣira - the month in which the donation

was made. mārgaṣira corresponds to
November-December.
śu 1lu - the first tithi (“day”) of the bright
fortnight (shukla paksha).19
"Maledevara amrutapadi" in the 1524 CE
kriṣṇarāyara - the Karnataka king
Chikkabettahalli inscription
(Krishnaraya/Krishnadevaraya) when
the donation was made. amuṛtapaḍiya naivĕdyakkĕ - special food
offerings prepared for the God.
Karnata/Karnataka kingdom is now
popularly called the Vijayanagara rāmānujakūṭṭakkĕ - to be given to the
kingdom.20 Ramanujakoota.
kāladali - during the reign of Attached to a few Sri Vaishnava
temples was an organisation called the
siṃgapanāyakaru - official of Singapura.
Ramanujakoota. These were places
The village was probably named after
for food distribution to Sri Vaishnava
him.
devotees visiting the temple. They
siṃgāpurada - from Singapura; The focus of also served as places for religious
this entire magazine issue, Singapura congregations and places to stay for
tirumalĕ dĕvara - Singapura visiting out of town Sri Vaishanava’s.
Varadaraja Swamy has been Ramanujakoota has been explained in
called as the God of Tirumala. Tiru in detail in a later chapter.
Tamil means holy, the same as Shri. The
19 A lunar month is made of two fortnights called pakshas, the
first fortnight or Shukla paksha extends from the no moon to
the full moon day and the Krishna paksha or the dark fortnight
extends from the full moon to the no moon day.
"Ramanujakoota" in the 1524 CE
20 Shrinivas Ritti, B R Gopal (editor), Inscriptions of the Vi-
jayanagara Rulers, Volume II, (Bangalore: ICHR), Page iv
Chikkabettahalli inscription
(Introduction), 2008

paṭṭaṇa tiṃmmaṇayya navara makkal̤ u Multiple curses are included to address
- name of the grantee's father, Pattana different groups of people, as a curse may
Timmmanayya. A grantee is the person be caste/vocation specific in some cases.
who receives the donation. It is tradition Language and Script of the
to precede a persons name with his/her Inscription
fathers name in India. The inscription is written in a language that
hiriāya varadarājayanavarigĕ- the name of is easily understandable by all. Many terms
the grantee, hiriyaya varadarajaya. are colloquial terms and not grammatically
cigabĕṭhahal̤ iyanu biṭĕvagi- donated the correct terms. Examples: kṛṣṇa is written as
village of chikkabettahalli. kriṣṇa, tappidavaru as tappidoru, hiriāya
as hiriyaayya etc.
Characters in the Inscription

1st Line
ಶು/ śu ಭ/ bha ಮ/ ma ಸ್ತು/ stu
"Chigabetahali" in the 1524 CE Chikkabettahalli

inscription
yi dramakkĕ āru āl̤ ipidavaru gaṃgĕya
taḍiyalli kapilĕya vadisida papakkĕ
hŏharu-
(Tables of other characters from all lines
a standard curse phrase at the end of the
are given in the appendix)
inscription. A warning to everyone that
the sin of stealing the donation will attract
the same punishment as that of killing
Key Information in the Inscription
a holy (tawny) cow by the banks of the i. As Singapura and Chikkabettahalli are
Ganges. The Garuda purana says killing mentioned in this 1524 CE inscription,
a cow will cause a person to be born as a we can infer that these two places are
hunchback in their next birth. at least 500 years old.
Some inscriptions include more than one ii. As this inscription mentions the God
curse and this inscritpion is an example of of Tirumala and Tiruvengalanatha at
such a one. Singapura, we can infer that the temple
now being referred to as Varadaraja
yi tiruvĕṃgal̤ anāta dānada - this donation
Swamy temple is at least 500 years
is for Lord Tiruvengalanatha.
old.
yi dramakkĕ tapidŏruthaṃma taṃdĕtāya
That both names refer to the same temple
kāśiyali kŏṃdavaru - a second curse
phrase at the end of the inscription. is explained later.21
A warning to everyone that the sin of
stealing the donation will attract the same
21 Page 44
punishment as that of killing ones father
and mother.

iii. The inscription helps us learn that village to the Tiruvengalanatha temple
Singapura was a hub for Sri at Singapura, it is likely that it is his
Vaishnavites. sculpture by the sukhanasi in the
iv. That the inscription refers to the hill at temple.
Singapura in 1524 CE itself as Tirumala vii. The king of the Karnataka samrajya
is something special. This reference (empire) at the time was Krishnaraya.
makes it the oldest known “chikka- Karnataka samrajya is more popularly
Tirupati” (mini-Tirupati) of modern called as the Vijayanagara empire.
Bengaluru. However, in reality, Vijayanagara was the
v. This inscription is somewhat rare in that capital of the empire and not the empire
it is a record of an entire village being itself.22
donated to a temple. The authority to viii. The last six lines are warning curses
donate villages usually only resided with (called shapashya). These protect the
a king. Therefore, donations were most donation by equating the sin of stealing
often only smaller parcels of land. Chiefs the donation with the sin of killing a
of provinces who received provincial holy cow on the banks of the Ganges
governing authority from the king could and the sin of killing one's father and
also donate an entire village. mother.
Donation of a village meant the temple ix. Our reading of the inscription adds a
had rights over all land within the village's significant piece of information - the
boundaries and tax revenue from the inscription refers to the hill on
village. The temple would then assign which the Tiruvengalanatha temple
such donated lands to tenant cultivators, stands as Tirumala.
deciding the proportion of income and
produce to be shared back by the tenants.
22 Shrinivas Ritti, B R Gopal (editor), Inscriptions of the Vi-
The temple would use some of the grains,
jayanagara Rulers, Volume II, (Bangalore: ICHR), Page iv
fruits, flowers, vegetables etc., and any (Introduction), 2008
leftover produce stored or sold. Income
from such sales would be used for temple
activities. With such land ownership
arrangements, temples served as religious
centres and also played a decisive role
in influencing life in other ways.
As an entire village was donated to fund
the activities of the Ramanujakoota at
the Tiruvengalanatha temple, we can
conclude that the temple and village
was an important religious hub in
the region.
vi. Since the inscription mentions that
Singappanayaka donated Chikkabettahalli

It is also possible that Singapura was named
Origins of the Names after a local official Singappanayaka mentioned
Singapura, Harohalli and in the Chikkabettahalli and Singapura
inscriptions. There are many examples for
Chikkabettahalli places being named after local officials, kings
and others. For example in Bengaluru urban,
Names of places are usually inspired. In some
we have 14th century Nagashettyhalli named
cases, the name of a place is inspired by a
after a Naga Shetty (is in the RMV Layout region
geographical feature such as a hill, a lake, a
today), 14th century Devasandra named after
pond, a river, a tree, a type of stone or soil etc. In
a Devaraya (is also in RMV Layout today), 14th
some other cases, names of castes, professions,
century Nagagondanahalli named after a
mythological figures, etc. are the basis of place
Nagagowda (is in the Whitefield region).
names. A person's name is also sometimes the
Some other examples from Bengaluru
basis for the name of a place.
district include Nallala, Chikkanallala, and
Singapura Doddanallala being named after a Nallala,
The name Singapura may have its roots in the Dugasandra named after Duggamara, a
Kannada word singa and pura. Singa is an king from the Ganga dynasty, Shivara &
equivalent term for simha. The word pura Shivarapatna named after Shivamara a king
has many meanings. It has been used for forts, from the Ganga dynasty, Maileyanahalli
a donated village,23 a secure place or a named after Maileyanayaka, a local official.
place smaller than a city. This practise has continued to this day.
Examples include J.P.Nagar (named after
Jayaprakash Narayan), Rajajinagar (named
after C.Rajagopalachari) and Indira Nagar
(named after Indira Gandhi).
In addition to this Singapura in the
Bengaluru district, we find villages named
"Singapura" in the 1524 CE Chikkabettahalli inscription
Singapura in the Chitradurga, Hassan and
Mandya districts of Karnataka.
Not only do we have many Singapuras in
Karnataka, but we also find them in Andhra
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu
and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya
"Singapura" in the 1530 CE Harohalli inscription
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil
Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and
Punjab in India.
While we have so many Singapuras all
over India, there are also Singapuras abroad
in the countries of Bangladesh, Indonesia,
"Singapura" in the 1528 CE Singapura inscription
Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Puerto
Rico, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka,
23 Prof.G.Venkatasubbiah, Kannada Nigantu, Kannada Sahitya
Parishat, 1970, Page - 5690.
and even in Venezuela.

Harohalli
The 1530 CE Harohalli Krishnappanayaka's
Ramanujakoota inscription refers to the
village Harohalli as Haruhalli. Haruhalli
can be decomposed into constituent parts as
Haruhalli =>Haruva/Harava + Halli.
The hill at Chikkabettahalli
Haruva/Harava is a term used for Brahmins.
Therefore, we can understand Harohalli of these hills have used these geographical
as a place where Brahmins lived. Agrahara landmarks in their names - Chikkabettahalli
and Mangala were some other terms used and Doddabettahalli. Doddabetta summit
to denote places where Brahmins stayed. was the highest point in Bengaluru urban
The use of caste names in place names was not at one time. However, there are no traces
uncommon. For example, in the Bengaluru of a hill there today as it has been hollowed
district, we have Kurubarahalli, Gollahalli, and levelled flat due to granite quarrying.
Vaderahalli, Medaraningahalli,
Bommasandra, Tigalarapete,
Kumbarapete as some examples of caste-
based place names.
"Chigabetahali" in the Harohalli inscription
Sivanasamudra
Sivanasamudra (sometimes also spelt as
Shivanasamudra), is derived from Shiva and
"Haruhalli" in an inscription Samudra (meaning sea). It was another
Some other variants of the name Harohalli name used for Hessaraghatta, a village
found in inscriptions are Haruvanapura and in Bengaluru North. Over time the Sanskrit
Haropura. samudra changed to sandra in colloquial
There are two Harohalli’s in the Kannada. Jakkasandra, Bommasandra,
Bengaluru urban district, this one discussed Channasandra, Allalasandra are other
in the current issue of Bengaluru Itihaasa examples of sandra-samudra based lake/
Vaibhava and another Harohalli on village names in Bengaluru urban district.
Magadi road. There also is an Harohalli in The term samudra is commonly used in
Kanakapura taluk, Ramanagara district. names for lakes. It probably was used for large
lakes at first. However, samudra/sandra has been
Chikkabettahalli used for lakes of all sizes - some as small as 5 acres
Chikkabettahalli is mentioned in its and some as big as 500 acres! There are over 500
colloquial form Chigabetahali in the places in Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil
1524 CE Chikkabettahalli inscription. The Nadu and Andhra Pradesh that include
name Chikkabettahalli is derived from a samudra/sandra/samudram in their names.
chikkabetta (small hill) and halli (for The chapter on administrative divisions
village). Adjacent to the village were two discusses Sivanasamudra as an administrative
hills, a smaller (chikka-betta) and a bigger unit.
hill (doddabetta). Two villages by the sides

Historical People of
Singapura
Singappanayaka in the Chikkabettahalli
Singappanayaka
inscription
Considering the two facts - 1) Singappanayaka
receives the religious merit accruing from the Nayaka was not a word that indicated
donation recorded in the 1528 CE Singapura a caste or a group. It only indicated a person
inscription and 2) Singappanayaka is the to be a local leader. A Nayaka often had a
person donating the village of Chikkabettahalli small army, would collect taxes and remit
in the 1524 CE (recorded in the inscription at a portion of it to the king. The king would
appoint trusted lieutenants as Nayakas.
Brahmins and people from other castes
were also appointed as Nayakas.24
Nalapanayaka
Nalapanayaka is the donor (the person
donating) in the 1528 CE Singapura inscription.
Since Singappanayaka is supposed to receive
the religious merit (punya) accruing from the
donation, Nalapanayaka must have been an
official of Singappanayaka.
Nalapanayaka in the Singapura inscription
Beteyaraya
Beteyaraya is mentioned in the 1528 CE
Singapura inscription. He was probably a local
official.
Singappanayaka
Beteraya in the Singapura inscription
Chikkabettahalli), it is evident Singappanayaka
must have been the Nayaka of Singapura.
24 Yogeeswarappa D N, The Study of Nayakatana in the Vi-
jayanagara Empire with Special Reference to Tuluva Dy-
nasty, Minor research project report submitted to the Uni-
versity Grants Commission, New Delhi, 28 Mar 2014.

Basavappanayaka
The Harohalli inscription mentions Solur
Basavappanayaka. He was an important official
from Solur (near Magadi) during the period
1524-1530 CE.25 Hiriaayya Varadaraja in the Chikkabettahalli
inscription
Krshnaraya/Krishnaraya
He was the ruling king (of the Karnataka
empire) when the Chikkabettahalli inscription
Basavappanayaka in the Harohalli inscription was installed. The Karnataka empire is more
popularly known as the Vijayanagara empire,
Krishnappanayaka and Krishnaraya is better known as the great
The Harohalli inscription mentions him as the king Krishnadevaraya. A recently discovered
son of Solur Basavappanayaka inscription at Honnenahalli, Tumkur, helps fix
the exact day of death of Krishnadevaraya as
17-October-1529.26
Krishnappanayaka in the Chikkabettahalli

inscription Krishnaraya in the Chikkabettahalli inscription
Pattana Thimmanayya Achutaraya

He was the father of Hiriaayya Varadarajayya, He was the ruling king (of the Karnataka
the person receiving the donation in the 1524 empire) when the Harohalli inscription was
CE Chikkabettahalli inscription. It is common installed. He succeeded Krishnadevaraya
practice to mention a father or grandfathers and ruled from 1529-1542 CE. He was also
name along with that of an individual. Krishnadevaraya’s brother.27
Thimmanayya in the Chikkabettahalli inscription

Aachyutaraya in the Harohalli inscription
Hiriaayya Varadarajayya
The grantee (the person receiving the
donation) who receives Chikkabettahalli 26 Narasimhan K.R, "The Honnenahalli Unpublished In-
as donation from Singappanayaka. He was scription Furnishing The Date Of The Demise Of Sri
managing the Ramanujakoota at the Singapura Krishnadevaraya", Quarterly Journal Of The Mythic Society
(QJMS) , Jan to March 2021, Bangalore, Page No 72-75.
Tiruvengalanatha temple. 27 Shrinivas Ritti, B R Gopal (editor), Inscriptions of the Vi-
25 Adappa Pasodi, "Vijayanagara avadiya Soluru seeme nay- jayanagara Rulers, Volume II, (Bangalore: ICHR), Page iv
akaru", Itihaasa Darshana-2020 (July-December), Pages 39-60. (Introduction), 2008.

Dasarahalli inscription,31 the 1538 CE
Historical Administrative Kaaval Byrasandra inscription32 and
Divisions the Sadahalli copper plates from 1452
Just as we have organised our country into CE33 all mention Shivanasamudra seeme or
administrative divisions as: country > state > stala. From all these references, it is evident
district > taluk > gram panchayat; kingdoms that Shivanasamudra was an important
of earlier times similarly organised themselves administrative division.
into: samrajya > rajya > nadu > seeme /stala >
vente/paru and such administrative divisions.
From time to time, these divisions would
change type as well. For example, a rajya would
become a nadu or a vente a seeme. Unlike today,
it is often not easy to draw strict boundary lines
for these administrative divisions.
Kings would appoint a trusted person
(called a nayaka, a nada prabhu, etc.) to
take care of the division. Often these leaders Shivanasamudra in the 1530 CE Harohalli inscription
would also command armies of their own. In
addition to ensuring law and order within the
administrative division, such leaders collected
taxes from people. A portion of such tax
revenues collected was shared with the king.
Sivanasamudra Stala and Seeme

An inscription from 1533 CE in the
Chandramouleshwara temple at Hessaraghatta
mentions Shivanasamudra (spelt also
as Sivanasamudra) as another name for
Hessaraghatta. In addition, we have many
more references to Shivanasamudra in the
Bengaluru region, For example, the 1431
CE Kodigehalli inscription,28 the 1530
CE Harohalli inscription,29 the 1544 CE
Allalasandra inscription,30 the 1490 CE
Modern day Hessaraghatta lake has been constructed in
the same area as the earlier Shivanasamudra
28 Lewis Rice B, Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 09, Inscriptions of 31 Lewis Rice B, Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 09, Inscriptions of
the Bangalore District, Bangalore Inscription Number-127, the Bangalore District, Bangalore Inscription Number-57,
1905. 1905.
the Bangalore District,Bangalore Inscription Number-28, the Bangalore District, Bangalore Inscription Number-138,
1905. 1905.
the Bangalore District, Bangalore Inscription Number-30, the Bangalore District, Devanahalli Inscription Number-81,
1905. 1905.

centuries. Unfortunately, these modifications
Important Historical have ignored the original style of the temple.
Places Therefore the original beauty of a 1500s,
Vijayanagara period stone structure is not very
Varadaraja Swamy Temple - evident today. To see and appreciate the 1500s
period architectural elements, one must go
Architecture and Iconography
inside the temple.
Modern-day Singapura has grown and
changed enormously. There are only two The temple faces east and has a
historical artefacts from the 1500s period still garbhagriha,34 sukhanasi,35 navaranga36 and a
there today - 1) the Singapura Nalapanayaka
inscription and 2) a 500-year-old temple,
now known as the Singapura Varadaraja 34 A walled space where the main deity is housed, the innermost
part of the temple, the sanctum sanctorum.
Swamy temple. However, when seen from 35 A walled space adjoining the garbhagriha where a small
outside, there is not much to indicate number of devotees can stand, a place where processional
the vintage of this temple. The temple idols (utsava murtis) are kept, a place where items required
for performing pooja are kept
has undergone many modifications over the 36 A larger walled place adjoining the sukhanasi where more
devotees can stand, a place for dance-music programs to
entertain the God
Tiruvengalanatha temple then,

Varadaraja Swamy temple now

Shikara
Kapota
Valabhi
Bhitti
Adhishtana
Parts of the Singapura Varadaraja Swamy temple
mukhamantapa.37 The garbhagriha, sukhanasi

and bhitti38 retain their original styles. But the
adhishtana39 on which they are built is almost
buried under ground now. The bhitti (walls)
are built with large blocks of stone. The valabhi
and kapota40 above the bhitti are visible in this
part of the temple. On top of the garbhagriha a
rudrachanda style shikara41 in brick and cement
has been recently constructed. Due to the
excessive use of cement and application
of colour paint, the garbhagriha and
sukhanasi despite being original 1500s
constructions, do not appear so now. A
pranala42, with a lion face snout on the northern
side of the garbhagriha helps to drain away the
abhisheka water.
37 An open porch/mantapa without walls in front of the

entrance to the temple
38 Walls of the temple.
39 The plinth, the base.
40 Projecting drip stone course to divert rain water away from
the plinth, usually curved in profile.
Deepastambha at the Singapura Varadaraja Swamy
41 The "dome" like structure over the garbhagriha. temple
42 A drain/chute from the sanctum to drain out oblation water.

Navaranga of the Singapura Varadaraja Swamy temple
New walls (bhitti) have been constructed adhishtana (plinth) surrounds the base of the
around the navaranga and the area in front. deepastambha. An Anjaneya, facing the deity,
Large stone blocks that once would have palms together, is carved on one face at the base
formed the original walls are not traceable now. of the pillar. The other three faces of the pillar
However, parts of the original adhishtana base sport the holy Sri Vaishnavite symbols of
from these temple sections have been re- a chakra (Sudarshana), a conch (Panchajanya)
purposed as sides of an Ashwath katte43 and a padma (lotus flower). On the top portion,
in the temple's rear. That the navaranga walls the sixteen cornered section transitions to a
are later constructions is also very evident decorated four-pillared mini mantapa above
from the noticeable separation between the which are a kumbha46, simbha47, and a large
sukhanasi and navaranga portions of the overhanging patike48. The upper part of the
temple. pillar sports an attractive feature with hanging
banana blossom like elements from the corners.
In front of the temple is a tall 40 foot
In earlier times a lit lamp may have been placed
single-stone (monolithic) deepastambha44. The
on the top flat surface of the pillar. However, no
deepastambha is somewhat stylised with many
such lamp lighting practice is observed today.
ornamental elements. The pillar is shaped
differently at differently levels. It transitions The Chikkabettahalli, Harohalli and Sin-
from four, eight and sixteen cornered sections gapura inscriptions indicate the temple to be
at various levels. A manchabandha45 style 500 years old. However, renovation and resto-
43 A raised platform around a peepal tree. 46 Pot shape
44 A pillar on which oil lamps are placed 47 Ring
45 Devoid of mouldings 48 Base/platform

Abhaya Hasta
Varada
Katti Hasta
Hasta
and with the fourth hand in abhayahasta

mudra51 or holding a lotus.
However, here in this idol, we find
Tiruvengalanatha then, Varadaraja Swamy now
one right hand holding a chakra, and
the other in the abhaya hasta mudra
ration works have altered the temple so much
position. Of the two left hands, one is
that it appears like any modern-day temple.
holding a shankha and the other is in the
The internal structure and some architectural
kati hasta mudra position. This is the
features of the temple, however further revali-
standard depiction of Venkateshwara
date the references in those inscriptions.
or Tiruvengalanatha mentioned in the
The main deity, now called Varadaraja inscriptions.
Swamy, is a four foot tall beautifully sculpted
Studying photos of the idol, Dr. Shalvapille
idol installed on a one-and-a-half-foot tall
Iyengar, an expert in Hindu iconography,
pedestal (peeta). Lord Vishnu’s vehicle mount,
confirms the deity to be of Tiruvengalanatha
Garuda, is carved on the pedestal in the anjali
from the Vijayanagara period. When and how
mudra position.49 As per shilpa shastras,50
the name changed from Tiruvengalanatha to
Varadaraja Swamy is to be shown as
Varadaraja is not clear at this time. It is possible
holding a shanka (a conch), a chakra (a
a few centuries after being built, the temple
disc), a gadhe (a mace) in three hands
was abandoned for some reason, and the
structure fell apart due to lack of maintenance.
49 Palms together with folded hands raised chest height, the Many years later, when conditions changed,
usual praying position.
50 Ancient texts on temple architecture and iconography. 51 Palm open and held up, as if reassuring.

doorframe. The top of the doorframe
has a kirtimukha52 carved on it.
And on the right and left sides of
the doorway are the dwarapalaka
(doorkeepers) sculptures of Jaya and
Vijaya. Traditionally, dwarapalakas
are found at the main temple
entrance and not at the sukhanasi.
However, as discussed earlier,
centuries ago the front portion of
the temple seems to have collapsed
or gone to ruin. At that time, the two
dwarapalaka sculptures may have
been salvaged and reinstalled by the
sukhanasi door, which was the main
entrance to the temple. Kept in the
sukhanasi are smaller processional
idols of Lakshmi, Ramanujacharya,
Thirumangai Alwar and three other
Alwars. Based on his study of the
Alwar idols, Dr. Shalvapille Iyengar
estimates them to be from a later
Wodeyar period.
To the left of the sukhanasi door
is a lone sculpture of a man. Dressed
Door-frame and dwarapalakas in the sukhanasi well and wearing a crown, he is
shown praying to the God inside. To
damaged portions of the temple were rebuilt,
be featured here in this prominent location, he
and the name switched from Tiruvengalanatha
must have been a senior official in the region,
to Varadaraja. Even today, this God's name is
and very probably, the Singappa Nayaka
a matter of much confusion. Official Karnataka
mentioned in inscriptions.
Muzrai department records call the deity by an
unrelated God's name, Veerabhadra! While the navaranga portion of the temple
has been rebuilt, four pillars from the original
The ceiling of the garbhagriha sports a star-
construction have been retained. Thes pillars
shaped pattern (vitana). A recent addition is
are of the Vijayanagara period chitrakhanda
the red polished granite cladding over the walls.
type. The four pillars have on them 48
The sukhanasi in front of the garbhagriha sculptures, with a few of the sculptures repeated.
has a beautiful carved stone doorframe. Anjaneya in anjani mudra53, a royal person
Running all around the doorframe is an or an official praying, a dancer holding two
elegant floral garland like pattern. A carved 52 The Kirtimukha or ‘face of glory’, is a ferocious lion face with
stone threshold is also integrated into the protruding eye-balls, huge fangs and gaping mouth
53 Palms together with folded hands raised chest height, the
usual praying position.

Koormavatara of Vishnu, Yoga Narasimha,
Yashoda churning buttermilk, Balakrishna,
a lotus flower and other sculptures decorate the
pillars.
Stamba bodiges (the uppermost part of
a pillar) are sculpted to appear like hanging
blossoms of banana (called pushpa potikes).
Singappanayaka
chamaras54, Venkateshwara, a swan holding

a snake, a seated kesari (a lion), Krishna as
kalingamardhana, a swan holding a flower,
Rama, Varadaraja Swamy, a sage praying,
Brahma, an apsara, a latha sundari (a lady with
a creeper), Mahalakshmi, Tirumangai Alwar,
Ugranarasimha, Nagabandha (geometrical
motif of coiled snakes), Lakshmi, an elephant,
54 A fan made from long animal hair, used in temples to fan the Chitrakhanda stambha in the navaranga
God.

Latha Sundari (A beautiful lady holding a creeper) Kesari (a lion)
Kalingamardhana Krishna (Krishna standing on

Anjaneya in anjani mudra
Kalinga, a snake)

The roof of the navaranga is constructed
from equal-sized stone slabs. A lotus has been
carved onto the navaranga ceiling.
The 500-year-old Singapura
Tiruvengalanatha temple has changed in
many ways, including its own name. Once
very well funded to ensure unhindered
worship forever, the temple is in
a strange situation today where
worship is a rarity, happening only
once a week. This sad situation needs to
change for the temple to regain its past glory.
Tirumangai Alwar
Singapurada Tiruvengalanatha in the Harohalli
inscription is immersed in devotion. There were twelve
Sri Vaishnava Alwars, 11 male and one
Ramanujakoota female (Andal or Godadevi). The tradition of
Before discussing the Ramanujakoota at worshipping Alwars and Acharyas was started
the Singapura Tiruvengalanatha temple by Ramanujacharya in Srirangam, a holy
mentioned in Chikkabettahalli and Harohalli place for Sri Vaishnavites. Srirangam (Koil),
inscriptions, we first need to know a little about Tirumala and Kanchipuram (Perumal Koil) are
Sri Vaishnavism. three very important places with Sri Vaishnava
temples.
Sri Vaishnavism is one among many Ramanujacharya spent a few decades
Hindu traditions (sampradayas). In the 11- in the Karnataka region preaching and
12th centuries this tradition grew in popularity ordaining. His followers followed the practice
due to the efforts of saint Ramanujacharya of gathering in a place attached to a temple
(1017-1137 CE). He travelled extensively in the to discuss and debate Sri Vaishnavism. This
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh also was a convenient place for them to have
regions and promoted Sri Vaishnavism. He food at and stay the night. In time this
ordained many people into the Sri Vaishnava developed into a formal organisation,
way and his followers came to be known as Sri the Ramanujakoota. The primary purpose
Vaishnavites. This name was given to them as of the koota was to provide free food and a place
the tradition they followed considered Vishnu to stay a night for devotees. Supporting such an
or Sriman Narayana as the supreme God. In organisation (the koota) that provided a service
addition to the worship of Sriman Narayana, to devotees, was also a form of devotion, and
a feature of this tradition is the worship of its the term Ramanujacharya koota in honour of
saints and sages (called Alwars and Acharyas). the Acharya was given to it. For Sri Vaishnava
The word Alwar in Tamil means the one who

travellers, pilgrims and gurus, such a place cannot consume certain foods (onion,
was extremely helpful in meeting their food garlic, mushrooms, milk from donkeys
and stay requirements. Sri Vaishnava gurus or camels, meat etc.), they should not
had stringent expectations of the food they eat at certain times (before bath, before
consumed, the places they stayed and the people sandyavandana etc.), they should not
who served them. Ramanuja kootas attached to eat food cooked or seen by certain people
Sri Vaishnava temples or muttas amply served (thieves and such people of immoral
their needs in meeting these expectations. character), they should not eat just anyplace
This was the reason Ramanujakootas came to (eg. they were not to eat outside the main door of
be established in important Sri Vaishnavite their houses). Simlarly, they could eat whatever
centres. One such Ramanujakoota was also was given by certain people (their parents, gurus
established at the Tiruvengalanatha temple at or a vaidya). The book "Aahara Niyamam"
Singapura.55 by Vedanta Desikachar57 lays out the
do's and don'ts of food for a Sri Vaishnavite.
Due to these strict prescriptions, it was not
easy for them to have food outside their
own homes or villages. Ramanujakootas,
therefore ideally suited their needs.
Ramanujakoota in the Chikkabettahalli Grains, cereals, vegetables, fruits etc. needed
inscription for the Ramanujakoota were grown on lands
donated to the koota. It is interesting to note
To fund the Singapura Ramanujakoota, that many items such as tomatoes, chillies
two nearby villages of Harohalli and etc., that we commonly use today were not
Chikkabettahalli were donated. The income available in the 15-16th centuries. These
generated from hundreds of acres of land were introduced here by foreign travellers from
in these villages and taxes collected were Spain, Portugal and other places. Tamarind
used to meet the expenses of food served to and pepper were used to flavour dishes. Dishes
devotees who visited the Ramanujakoota. Sri ordinarily prepared in temples and muttas
Vaishnavism makes strict recommendations were different from the everyday dishes of
about food ingredients, expectations of the the commoner. Rice, wheat, millets such as
person cooking food and the places where food saame and navane, leafy greens, chickpea,
can be consumed. Acharya Ramanujacharya, green gram, red gram, black gram, rock salt,
in his magnum opus, the Sri Bhashya56, tamarind, pepper, cumin, sugar, milk, curds,
also writes about the subject of food. Sri ghee were common ingredients for dishes
Vaishnavites are expected to comply to a long (this list and criteria were developed from
list of food-related do's and don'ts. They the Manasolasa, the Aahara Niyamam by
55 Lakshman Telgavi, "Vijayanagara Kalada Vedanta Desikachar and contemporary 15-
Ramanujakootagalu", Vijayanagara Adyana, Vol - 14, 16th century cookery literature such as Soopa
Department of Museums and Archaeology, Government of Shastra by Mangarasa).
Karnataka, 2013.
56 M Rangacharya, MB Varadaraja Aiyangar, The Vedanta
Sutra with the Sri-Bhashya of Ramanujacharya, 57 Varadachari Sathakopan, Annotated Commentary in
Translated into English, Vol-3, The Educational Publishing English of Swami Desikan’s Aahaara Niyamam. https://
Co, Madra, 1965, pages lxxxiv. www.sadagopan.org/pdfuploads/Ahara%20Niyamam.pdf

Sajjige Puliyogare
Laddu Dadyana
Typical Sri Vaishnava naivedya offerings to Tiruvengalanatha

Picture courtesy, Kote Venkataramana Swamy temple, Bengaluru

Sri Vaishnavites had their own special dishes Jalahalli Microlith Factory Site
such as puliyogare, dadyana, payasas,
kadamba, rice dishes (ogares), rasam etc., In an earlier chapter, we discussed how Jalahalli
prepared using only permitted ingredients. in 1946 CE was home to a giant British military
These would also be offered to their Gods hospital. At that time, an archaeologist-soldier,
as naivedya and served in Ramanujakootas. Commander K.R.U.Todd was admitted
Interestingly, while some of the ingredients to the hospital for an ailment. Looking out
may have changed, these dishes continue to be from his ward, he noticed two nearby hills
popular in Sri Vaishnavite homes and temples. that seemed like potential prehistoric sites. His
curiosity piqued; one evening, he ventured out
In addition to the Harohalli and
to inspect and discovered over two hundred
Chikkabettahalli inscriptions, a
types of small stone (microliths) tools on the
Ramanujakoota is mentioned in an inscription
hills. There were so many of them that he
at Dasanapura in Nelamangala taluk of
thought it was not just another prehistoric
Bengaluru rural district.58
site but a prehistoric tools factory supplying
Not just in Bengaluru district, microlithic (small stone) tools to people in the
Ramanujakootas are mentioned in seven region!62
inscriptions at Melukote in Pandavapura
In a later study, Dr.M.Seshadri, an ar-
taluk of Mandya district59, in an inscription
chaeologist who served as the Director, Ar-
at Belagola in Srirangapatna taluk60 and
chaeology Department, Karnataka estimated
in an inscription at Nagenahalli in Hiriyur
the tools to be from a period 2500-3000
taluk of Chitradurga district61.
years from present.63
Ramanujakootas are also mentioned in
Those approximately 2500 to
inscriptions at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh,
3000-year-old stone tools discovered in
Srirangam and Kanchipuram in Tamil
Nadu. 62 Todd K R U, "A Microlithic Industry in Eastern Mysore",
Monthly Record of Anthropological Science (MAN), Vol
XLVII, Article no 27, 1948. https://ignca.gov.in/Asi_
58 Lewis Rice B, Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 09, Inscriptions data/16907.pdf
of the Bangalore District, Supplementary,Inscription 63 Sheshadri M,,"Microlithic Industries of Mysore",
number-185, 1905. Seshachandrika (A compendium of Dr.M.Seshadri's
59 Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 06, 1977, (Mysore: University of works)., Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Mysore
Mysore), Pandavapura taluk inscription number -128, 129, 1995, Page no 211-219.
132, 137, 162, 179, 182 http://idb.ub.uni-tuebingen.de/
opendigi/EC_11_1903#p=751
60 Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 06, 1977, (Mysore: University of
Mysore), Srirangapatna taluk inscription number- 71 http://
idb.ub.uni-tuebingen.de/opendigi/EC_06_1977_HD#p=500
61 Lewis Rice B, Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 11, Inscriptions
of the Chitaldroog District, Hiriyur taluk inscription
number9, 1905. http://idb.ub.uni-tuebingen.de/opendigi/
EC_11_1903#p=751
High rise buildings stand today at the site of the

Jallahalli microlith tools factory

Roman Coins at Yeshawantapura
In 1891-92 CE, a pot of gold and silver coins

was discovered buried in Yeshawantapura when
Roman coins from the time of Augustus (18-16BCE)

Picture Courtesy : Wikiemedia commons
http://www.cngcoins.com
the railway line to Hindupur was constructed.

B.L.Rice, of the Mysore state Archaeology
department, studied these coins and identified
them to be from 20 BCE - 51 CE when
Augustus, Tiberius and Claudius were
kings of Rome.64
Soon after they were studied by
B.L.Rice these coins were lost and remain
untraced to this day.65
Based on this find, we can conclude
there was foreign trade in these regions many
thousand years ago.
64 Rice Lewis, "Find of Roman Coins Near Bangalore.", The

Indian Magazine and Review no. 258, 1892, Pages: 309-314.
65 Turner, Paula J, Roman Coins from India (UCL Institute of
Archaeology Publications), Routledge, January 1989
60
Types of stone tools discovered in Jallahalli
Jalahalli are now in the British Museum,

Bloomsbury area of London, England.

Singapura Fort
Old-time Singapura residents claim there was a
fort at Singapura. However, at present, there is
no visible evidence of a fort for study.
Singapura Lake
The 1528 CE Singapura inscription records
that a Thippayya donated wetlands.
Wetlands, by implication, mean there had
to be a lake nearby! Therefore, we can
conclude that Singapura lake is at least
as old as the inscription ~500 years.
Eurasian hoopoe
It is essential to understand that this lake Picture credits: Soumyadeep Chatterjee,
has been a life-giver to many generations of Wikimedia Commons
humans, animals, birds, plants, and other
living beings. Over 100+ bird species have
been observed in the lake, some of which are
migrants from distant lands.
Singapura Lake

Conclusion
Inscriptions are a rich source of information that help understand the past of Singapura.
They not only unravel the rich past of Singapura and neighbouring places, they also
present opportunities for research in diverse ways.
While the name of the temple at Singapura is misleading, inscriptions and
iconographical details clarify the temple as that of Tiruvengalanatha or Venkateshwara.
Moreover, inscriptional records mention Singappanayaka as a donor and a benefactor,
and a sculpture in the temple helps us conclude Singappanayaka constructed the temple.
Singapura residents need to appreciate the value and take good care of their heritage
inheritance. Considering Singapura was first mentioned on November 26, it would be
befitting to celebrate the day every year as "SINGAPURA DAY".
This issue of Bengaluru Itihaasa Vaibhava has focused on the factual history of
Singapura, its people, their beliefs and their practices. We hope that current and future
residents of Singapura will treasure and build on the land's rich heritage. Inscriptions
documented in the magazine serve as the factual basis for Singapura's deep past. Thanks
to their physical and digital conservation, we are assured this heritage is not lost but is
passed on to future generations.
The character charts of the inscriptions and charts of the development of the
Kannada script included in the appendix should help learn more about how the Kannada
language and the script have developed locally in the region.
We have focussed on the factual local history of Singapura in this issue,
imagining our readers to be a diverse set of people, which includes residents, historians,
researchers, journalists, history enthusiasts and other interested ordinary citizens.
Through the many issues of this magazine, we will highlight similar other histories of
Bengaluru's localities & villages and hope that this knowledge will enable a fresh, deep
and widespread understanding of the city's past. It is essential for people to be aware of
their heritage, and more importantly, celebrate their heritage as a stepping stone to a
glorious future.
We hope that this issue of Bengaluru Itihaasa Vaibhava has sparked a
greater interest in local history, as well as kindled new joy and happiness among our
readers.
Please share your feedback with us at : https://bit.ly/singapura_eng

APPENDIX
Scripts of the Three Inscriptions
Digital images of all characters in inscriptions featured in this issue are illustrated in the charts
below. As inscriptions were hand-carved, the size of each character is not uniform. We have
introduced an artificial bevelled stone background in these tables to improve contrast and
highlight the character. The benefits of digital scanning and the use of sophisticated rendering
algorithms is evident in these images.
Characters in the Harohalli Krishnappanayaka's Ramanujakoota

Inscription (1530 CE)
First Line
೦ ಸ್ವ/sva ಸ್ತಿ/sti ಶ್ರೀ/śrī ಜೆ/je ಯ/ya ಭ್ಯು/bhyu ದ/da
ಯ/ya ಶಾ/śā ಲಿ/li ವಾ/vā ಹ/ha ನ/na ಶ/śa ಕ/ka
Second Line
೦ ವ/va ರು/ru ಷ/ṣa ೧/1 ೪/4 ೫/5 ೨/2
ನೆ/ne ವಿ/vi ಕ್ರು/kṛ ತಿ/ti ಷಂ/ṣaṃ ವ/va ದ/da ರ/ra

Third Line
೦ ದ/da ಖಾ/khā ರ್ತಿ/rti ಕ/ka ಶು/śu ಧ/dha ೧೨/12
ಪು/pu ಣ್ಯ/ṇya ಕಾ/kā ಲ/la ದ/da ಲಿ/li ಆ/ā
Fourth Line
ಚು/cu ತ/ta ರಾ/rā ಯ/ya ಮ/ma ಹಾ/hā ರಾ/rā ಯ/ya
ರಿ/ri ಗೆ/ge ನಂ/naṃ ಮ/ma ತಂ/taṃ ದೆ/de ಬ/ba

Fifth Line
ಸ/sa ವ/va ಪ್ಪ/ppa ನಾ/nā ಯ/ya ಕ/ka ರಿ/ri ಗೆ/ge
ಪುಂ/puṃ ಣ್ಯ/ṇya ವಾ/vā ಗಿ/gi ಆ/ā ಚು/cu ತ/ta ರಾ/rā
Sixth Line
ಯ/ya ರು/ru ಸ�ೋ/so ಲೂ/lū ರ/ra ಬ/ba ಸ/sa ವ/va
ಪ್ಪ/ppa ನಾ/nā ಯ/ya ಕ/ka ರ/ra ಮಂ/maṃ ಕ/ka ಳು/ḷu
ಕ್ರಿ/kri

Seventh Line
ಷ್ತ್ಪ/್ಣ ṣtpṇa ಪ್ಪ/ppa ನಾ/nā ಯ/ya ಕ/ka ರಿ/ri ಗೆ/ge ನಾ/nā
ಯ/ya ಕ/ka ತ/ta ನ/na ಕೆ/ke ಪಾ/pā ಲಿ/li ಸಿ/si
ದ/da ಸಿ/si ವ/va ನ/na
Eighth Line
ಸ/sa ಮು/mu ದ್ರ/dra ದ/da ಸ್ತ/sta ಲ/la ಕೆ/ke ಸ/sa
ಲು/lu ವ/va ಹಾ/hā ರು/ru ಹ/ha ಳಿ/ḷi ಗ್ರ/gra ಮ/ma

ವ/va
Ninth Line
ನು/nu ಸಿಂ/siṃ ಗಾ/gā ಪು/pu ರ/ra ದ/da ತಿ/ti ರು/ru
ವೆಂ/veṃ ಗ/ga ಳ/ḷa ನಾ/nā ತ/ta ಆಂ/āṃ ಗ/ga ರಂ/raṃ
ಗ/ga

Tenth Line
ವೈ/vai ಬ�ೋ/bo ಗ/ga ಆ/ā ಮ್ರು/mru ತ/ta ಪ/pa ಡಿ/ḍi
ನೈ/nai ವೆ/ve ದ್ಯ/dya ಕೆ/ke ರಾ/rā ಮಾ/mā ನು/nu ಜ/ja
ಕೂ/kū
Eleventh Line
ಟ/ṭa ಕೆ/ke ಸ/sa ಲ/la ಬೇ/be ಕೆಂ/keṃ ದು/du ಕೊ/ko
ಟ್ಟ/ṭṭa ಸಿ/si ಲ/la ಶ/śa ದ/da ನ/na

Characters in Chikkabettahalli Singappanayaka's Ramanujakoota
Inscription (1524 CE)
First Line
ಶು/śu ಭ/bha ಮ/ma ಸ್ತು/stu
Second Line
ತಾ/tā ರ/ra ಣ/ṇa ಸಂ/sa0 ವ/va ತ್ಸ/tsa ರ/ra ದ/da
ಮಾ/mā ರ್ಗ/rga ಷಿ/ṣi
Third Line
ರ/ra ಶು/śu ೧/1 ಲು/lu ಕ್ರಿ/kri ಷ್ಣ/ṣṇa ರಾ/rā ಯ/ya
ರ/ra ಕಾ/kā ಲ/la ದ/da ಲಿ/li

Fourth Line
ಸಿಂ/siṃ ಗ/ga ಪ/pa ನಾ/nā ಯ/ya ಕ/ka ರು/ru ಸಿಂ/siṃ
ಗಾ/gā ಪು/pu ರ/ra ದ/da ತಿ/ti ರು/ru
Fifth Line
ಮ/ma ಲೆ/le ದೆ/de ವ/va ರ/ra ಅ/a ಮ್ರು/mru ತ/ta
ಪ/pa ಡಿ/ḍi ಯ/ya ನೈ/nai ವೆ/ve ದ್ಯ/dya ಕ್ಕೆ/kke
Sixth Line
ರಾ/rā ಮಾ/mā ನು/nu ಜ/ja ಕೂ/kū ಟ್ಟ/ṭṭa ಕ್ಕೆ/kke ಪ/pa

ಟ್ಟ/ṭṭa ಣ/ṇa ತಿಂ/tiṃ ಮ್ಮ/mma ಣ/ṇa ಯ್ಯ/yya
Seventh Line
ನ/na ವ/va ರ/ra ಮ/ma ಕ್ಕ/kka ಳು/ḷu ಹಿ/hi ರಿ/ri
ಆ/ā ಯ/ya ವ/va ರ/ra ದ/da ರಾ/rā ಜ/ja
Eighth Line
ಯ/ya ನ/na ವ/va ರಿ/ri ಗೆ/ge ಚಿ/ci ಗ/ga ಬೆ/be
ಠ/ṭha ಹ/ha ಳಿ/ḷi ಯ/ya ನು/nu ಬಿ/bi

Ninth Line
ಟೆ/ṭe ವ/va ಗಿ/gi ಯಿ/yi ದ್ರ/dra ಮ/ma ಕ್ಕೆ/kke ಆ/ā
ರು/ru ಆ/ā ಳಿ/ḷi
Tenth Line
ಪಿ/pi ದ/da ವ/va ರು/ru ಗಂ/gaṃ ಗೆ/ge ಯ/ya ತ/ta
ಡಿ/ḍi

Eleventh Line
ಯ/ya ಲ್ಲಿ/lli ಕ/ka ಪಿ/pi ಲೆ/le ಯ/ya ವ/va ದಿ/di
ಸಿ/si ದ/da ಪ/pa ಪ/pa
Twelfth Line
ಕ್ಕೆ/kke ಹೊ/ho ಹ/ha ರು/ru ಯಿ/yi ತಿ/ti ರು/ru ವೆಂ/veṃ
ಗ/ga ಳ/ḷa ನಾ/nā

Thirteenth Line
ತ/ta ದಾ/dā ನ/na ದ/da ಯಿ/yi ದ್ರ/dra ಮ/ma ಕ್ಕೆ/kke
ತ/ta ಪಿ/pi ದೊ/do ರು/ru
Fourteenth Line
ಥಂ/thaṃ ಮ/ma ತಂ/taṃ ದೆ/de ತಾ/tā ಯ/ya ಕಾ/kā ಶಿ/śi
ಯ/ya
Fifteenth Line
ಲಿ/li ಕೊಂ/koṃ ದ/da ವ/va ರು/ru

Characters in Singapura Nalapanayaka's Inscription (1524 CE)
As the stone has weathered a lot, many letters on the stone are of shallow depth and not very
visible. However these characters are faintly distinguishable on our high resolution model.
Images of such characters are not given in the charts below.
First Line
ಮ/ma ರ್ವ/rva ದಾ/dā ರಿ/ri
Second Line
ಸ/sa ರ್ವ/rva ದಾ/dā ರಿ/ri ಶಂ/śaṃ ವ/va ತ್ಸ/tsa [ರ]/[ra]
Third Line
ದ/ā ಆ/ā ಷ/ṣa ಡ/ḍa ಶು/śu ೧/1
Fourth Line
ಲು/lu ನ/na ಲ/la ಪ/pa ನಾ/nā ಯ್ಕ/yka

Fifth Line
ಸಿಂ/siṃ ಗಾ/gā ಪು/pu ರ/ra ದ/da ಭೆ/bhe
Sixth Line
ಟೆ/ṭe ಯ/ya ರಾ/rā ಯ/ya ಯ/ya (?) ಗೆ/ge ಸಿ೦/siṃ
Seventh Line
ಗ/ga ಪ್ಪ/ppa ನಾ/nā ಯ್ಕ/yka ರಿ/ri ಗೆ/ge
Eighth Line
ದ/da ರ್ಮ/rma ವಾ/vā ಗ/ga ಭೆ/bhe ಕೆಂ/keṃ
Ninth Line
ದು/du ಪಾ/pā ತ್ರ/tra ಬೊ/bo ಗ/ga ಕೆ/ke

Tenth Line
ತಿ/ti ಪ/pa ಯ/ya ಗೆ/ge ಕೊ/ko
Eleventh Line
ದೆ(ದ್ದೆ)/ ಗೆ/ge
ವ/va ಗ/ga ಅ(ಆ)/a(ā)
de(dde)
Twelfth Line
ವ/va ನಾ/nā ದ/da ರು/ru

Development of Kannada Script in the Bengaluru
Region
The development of a few Kannada characters between the 8th to the 17th centuries in the
Bengaluru region as seen in inscriptions is shown in the charts below. Characters from the
Chikkabettahalli and Harohalli inscriptions are also included in these charts. All images have
been produced from high-resolution 3D digital models of well-preserved inscriptions from the
Bengaluru region. Illustratively, the development of a few characters like ಶ್ರೀ (śrī), ಕ (ka), ಮ (ma),
ಜ (ja), ವ (va), ತ (ta) , ಯ (ya) are shown in the charts below.
Development of the ಶ್ರೀ (śrī) character between 750 CE and 1530 CE

750 CE 750 CE 890 CE 1029 CE 1440 CE 1530 CE
Mallarasa’s Krishnappanayaka’s
Mareya’s Palchatereyamma's Nagattara’s Maunibhattaraka’s
Chokkanathaswamy Ramanujakoota
Herostone Herostone Herostone inscription
temple inscription inscription
(K.R. Puram) (Srinivagilu ) (Begur) (Soladevanahalli)
(Domlur) (Harohalli)
Development of the ಕ (ka) character between 750 CE and 1530 CE
750 CE 890 CE 950 CE 1336 CE 1342 CE

Inscription by
Mareya’s Cholenayaka's
Nagattara’s Herostone Prashasti inscription Honnegowda's
Herostone inscription
(Begur) (Jakkur) children
(K.R. Puram) (Ganigarahalli)
(Byadarahalli)

1376 CE 1433 CE 1524 CE 1530 CE
Singappanayaka's
Chokkabakta's Devijiya's Krishnappanayaka’s
Ramanujakoota
inscription Garudagamba Ramanujakoota
inscription
(Doddagubbi) inscription (Belatur) inscription (Harohalli)
(Chikkabettahalli)
Development of the ಮ (ma) character between 750 CE and 1530 CE
750 CE 850 CE 890 CE 950 CE 1029 CE 1342 CE

Kittayya's Sambayya's Nagattara’s Prashasti Maunibhattaraka’s Cholenayaka's
herostone herostone Herostone inscription inscription inscription
(Hebbal) (Medahalli) (Begur) (Jakkur) (Soladevanahalli) (Ganigarahalli)
1433 CE 1530 CE
Devijiya's Krishnappanayaka’s
Garudagamba Ramanujakoota
inscription inscription
(Belatur) (Harohalli)

Development of the ಜ (ja) character between 750CE and 1530CE
750 CE 890 CE 890 CE 1029 CE 1433 CE 1524 CE

Devijiya's Singappanayaka's
Nagattara’s Nagattara’s Maunibhattaraka’s
Mareya’s Herostone Garudagamba Ramanujakoota
Herostone Herostone inscription
(K.R. Puram) inscription inscription
(Begur) (Begur) (Soladevanahalli)
(Belatur) (Chikkabettahalli)
1530 CE
Krishnappanayaka’s
Ramanujakoota
inscription
(Harohalli)
Development of the ವ (va) character between 750 CE and 1530 CE
750 CE 850 CE 890 CE 950 CE 1029 CE
Prashasti Maunibhattaraka’s
Kittayya's herostone Sambayya's herostone Nagattara’s Herostone
inscription inscription
(Hebbal) (Medahalli) (Begur)
(Jakkur) (Soladevanahalli)

1433 CE 1524 CE 1528 CE 1705 CE
Kanteerva
Singappanayaka's
Devijiya's Ramanujakoota
Nalapanayaka’s Narasaraja
Garudagamba inscription Wodeyar’s
inscription
inscription (Belatur) (Singapura) inscription
(Chikkabettahalli)
(Kothanur)
Development of the ತ (ta) character between 750 CE and 1530 CE
750 CE 850 CE 890 CE 1029 CE 1342 CE 1433 CE

Devijiya's
Kittayya's Sambayya's Nagattara’s Maunibhattaraka’s Cholenayaka's
Garudagamba
herostone herostone Herostone inscription inscription
(Begur) (Soladevanahalli) inscription
(Hebbal) (Medahalli) (Ganigarahalli)
(Belatur)
1530 CE
Ramanujakoota
inscription
(Harohalli)

Development of the ಯ (ya) character between 750 CE and 1530 CE
750 CE 850 CE 890 CE 1029 CE 1342 CE 1528 CE

Palchatereyamma's Sambayya's Nagattara’s Maunibhattaraka’s Cholenayaka's Nalapanayaka’s
Herostone herostone Herostone inscription inscription inscription
(Srinivagilu ) (Medahalli) (Begur) (Soladevanahalli) (Ganigarahalli) (Singapura)
1530 CE
Ramanujakoota
inscription
(Harohalli)

The Mythic Society
Founded in 1909 CE, the Mythic Society is a pioneer institution in the
area of Indic studies. The 112-year-old institution focuses on research and
knowledge promotion of Indic region History, Archaeology, Language studies,
Numismatics, Folklore, Mythology, Arts and Architecture. With a collection of
46,000 books, its library is a favourite destination for researchers and students.
Eminent citizens, including B.L.Rice, C.V.Raman, R.Shamasastry, Mirza Ismail, Dr

S.R.Rao, S.Srikantayya, R.Narasimhachar,
BENGALURU ITIHAASA SINGAPURA | 77and
VAIBHAVA C.Hayavadana Rao, M.Visvesvaraya
many others, have been associated with the organisation.
Byrathi Chikkabanavara
Allalasandra
Avalahalli
Yelahanka
78 | Society
The Mythic BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA
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SingapuraItihaasaVaibhava Nov2021 Singapura

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NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE 1

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 1

CONTACTS Bengaluru Itihaasa Vaibhava © 2021

The Mythic Society

@MythicSociety Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material

for any purpose, even commercially.

Singapura Residents Under the following terms:

Your Feedback Notices:

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 3

We believe it a serious shortcoming that local history is not known to

The Mythic Society Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Team

4 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA

Singapura Nalapanayaka's Inscription 14

Scripts of the Three Inscriptions

Characters in Harohalli Krishnappanayaka's

November 26, 1524

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 7

500-year-old inscriptions and an ancient This issue of Bengaluru Itihaasa

1915CE Singapura Revenue Village Map (Details in Kannada)

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 9

10 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA

Indian Air Force Station, Jalahalli

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 11

1. Clay tiled housing for Italian prisoners of war (1943 CE),

4. Roman coins discovered at

Digital image obtained from a 3D digital model

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 13

Discovery of the Inscription

14 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 15

16 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 17

Language and Script of the

Key Information in the Inscription

18 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA

Inscription educated residents there about the contents of

Harohalli Krishnappanayaka's Ramanujakoota inscription in the Anjaneya Temple, Harohalli

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 19

20 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 21

Transliteration of the Inscription (in IAST)

22 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA

Translation & Explanation of the Vikruthi shamvadara in the inscription

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 23

naṃma taṃde basavappanāyakarige of villages.14

24 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA

Sudarshana Chakra in the Domlur

Sudarshana Chakra in the Chikkabettahalli Sudarshana Chakra in the Harohalli 1530 CE

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 25

26 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 27

Singappanayaka's Ramanujakoota inscription in the Chikkabettahalli Anjaneya temple.

28 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 29

30 | BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA

“Inscription Stones of Bangalore”,

BENGALURU ITIHAASA VAIBHAVA SINGAPURA | 31

6. rāmānujakūṭakkĕ paṭṭaṇa tiṃmaṇayya rāmānujakūṭṭakkĕ paṭṭaṇa