Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh Mahabubnagar District (Set of 2 Volumes)

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It is a known fact that epigraphical evidence constitutes the main and authentic source for the reconstruction of the political, social and economic history of any State. Thousands of inscriptions engraved on stone slabs are commonly seen lying in the temples, fields and tank bunds in the villages. With a view to decipher these inscriptions found in the villages of each district of Andhra Pradesh, the village- wise surveys of these inscriptions are done and copies of the inscriptions taken by the Epigraphy Branch of the Department of Archaeology & Museums, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. In this direction, this Department has so far published the inscriptions of Warangal, Karimnagar, Cuddapah, Nalgonda, and Medak districts.

The present book on "Inscriptions of A.P. Mahabubnagar District" is thus the sixth in the series, which the department is bringing out in two volumes after conducting village-wise survey in Mahabubnagar district. The survey conducted in all the 525 villages of the District yielded about 295 inscriptions engraved on stone slabs, pillars and rock boulders in different languages, namely, Sanskrit, Telugu and Kannada in Telugu-Kannada scripts. Considering the large number of inscriptions that are found in Mahabubnagar District, it is proposed to bring them in two volumes. The first volume starts from Badami Chalukyas upto Western Chalukyas and the second volume from Kakatiyas upto Asaf Jahis. All the inscriptions are arranged in chronological order.

Mahabubnagar District is named after Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, the VIth Nizam of Hyderabad (1869-1911). It is located between 16º and 170 latitude and 77º and 79° longitude. The district is bounded on the North by Hyderabad and Nalgonda districts, on the east by Nalgonda and Guntur districts, on the south by the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra, and on the west by Raichur and Gulbarga districts of Karnataka State.

Mahabubnagar District is drained by two important rivers i.e. the Krishna and Tungabhadra.

The known epigraphical history of Mahababnagar District seems to begin with the Western Chalukyas of Badami, ie, from 7th Century A.D.onwards. Then it passed through the rule of the Rashtrakitas, western Chalukyas of Kalyaņa, Käkatiya, Vijayanagara, Qutb Shähi and finally the Asaf Jahi, till 20th Century A.D. Along side there were few local chieftains also like the Kandüri Cholas, Cheraku Chiefs, Malyala Chiefs and Recherla Velamas, who exercised authority over different parts of the district. It is a matter of surprise, that though the district of Mahabübnagar is drained by major rivers in the peninsula i.e. Krishņa and Tungabhadra and despite the presence of a large number of pre, proto and early historic sites attesting to flourishing human civilization, there is no evidence, even of a single Brahmi inscription or label, even at such popular pilgrim centres like Alampur, except for a lone label engraved on the orthostat of a megalithic burial in Brahmi characters of 3rd-4th C.A.D. reading "Kasiyagabha" which probably means the womb of a certain Kasi¹. It may be noted, that Alampur was a flourishing pilgrim centre situated on the banks of river Tungabhadra, since times immemorial and is often referred to as Dakshina Kasi in inscriptions and literature. It is unfortunate that this place, that seat of Nava Brahma temples did not yield even a single epigraph assignable to pre 7th C.A.D. i.e. before the Chalukyas of Badami. However, it may be noted that Alampur finds mention as Halampura, in a Brahmi inscription at Gurazala in 4th C.A.D. characters belonging to the Ikshvaku king Rudrapurishadatta.

WESTERN CHALUKYAS OF BADAMI (6th-8th C.A.D.).

of Navabrahma temples in Alampur in Telugu-Kannada characters of 7th-8th C.A.D. The earliest of the imperial records is the copper plate grant from Tummeyanüru³ belonging to the reign of Pulakësin II, which records the grant of the village, Tummeyanūru³, situated in Chalukya vishaya, and located in between Santanur and Pulikurope villages on the southern bank of Chinteru, near Jükür tirtha, in the presence of the god Sangameśvara. The grant was made to a certain Mabugana svami, son of Mälarëvasvami of Indupür ghatika. The grant comprised 25 nivartanas of land as per royal measure (raja mana). This grant is important, as, for the first time it mentions the territory Chaļukya vishaya, which included parts of Mahabübnagar district and parts of Kurnool district, on either bank of the river Tungabhadra. Further it is also interesting to find the mention of Sangamēśvara, which obviously corresponds to Kudali Sangamēśvaram, which is a confluence of the rivers Tungabhadra and Krishņa.