South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

Name of the Brāhmaṇa   Father’s name    Śākhā     Gōtra                 Vṛitti

Raṅgu-dīkshita              Nañjinātha           Ṛik    Jamadagni-Śrīvatsa     2 Śivā-dīkshita                Immaḍi-bhaṭṭa   Do.    Rēbha-kāśyapa           1 Liṅgaṁ-bhaṭṭa         Basavā-bhaṭṭa     Do.     Kāśyapa                   1 Rāmēśvara-bhaṭṭa     Basavā-bhaṭṭa     Do.       Do.                        1 Dāti-bhaṭṭa             Nārasiṁha             Yajus    Harita                      1 Lakshmaṇa-bhaṭṭa   Nṛihari-bhaṭṭa     Do.       Do.                        1 Tirumala                    Vīra-bhaṭṭa          Do.     Śrīvatsa                    1 Siddhi-bhaṭṭa            Ananta (?)            Do.     Kauṇḍinya               1 Mummaṇī-bhaṭṭa      Gaṅgādhara          Do.     Bhāradvāja                1 Mukunda-bhaṭṭa        Nāgidēva             Ṛik      Vaśishṭha                1 Salva-jyōtishin            Ellā-jyōtishin          Do.     Maudgalya                 1 Mādhavārya                Nāgidēva            Yajus     Kutsa                       1 Nṛisiṁha-bhaṭṭa      Sāi-bhaṭṭa         Do.      Kāśyapa                   1

Besides these, one vṛitti was reserved for the sacred place of the Śaivas and Vaishṇavas and another for the person who inscribed the grant.

The engraver of the record was Mallaṇa, son of Vīraṇa. As gathered from other charters, he appears to have held this office hereditarily. The composer was the well-known Sabhāpati.

The following geographical details are found in the inscription. The gift village Niṭāla is said to have been situated to the south of Gāvarehālu, to the west of Beṇṇekal, to the north of Talilebālu and to the east of Haṁchinahālu. The gift village was situated in the administrative unit of Kopaṇa which is modern Kopbal, famous for the Aśokan Edicts discovered there and for several Kannaḍa inscriptions.^[1] Paḍuva-nāḍaka, the country in which Kopaṇa was situated, is apparently a part of the present Raichur District in the Doab between the rivers Kṛishṇā and Tuṅgabhadrā. The gift village is now called Niṭāli and it is located at a distance of nearly 11 miles to the north-west of Kopbal. Beṇṇekal is modern Benkal, well-known for its forests containing several dolmens and other prehistoric antiquities. It is about one mile from Niṭāli. The present name of Gāvarehālu is Gāvarahāḷ which is 2 miles from Niṭāli. Haṁchinahālu is now called Masabina Haṁchināḷ which is about a mile from Niṭāli. Talilebālu is to be identified with Tāḷbāḷ which lies about three miles from Niṭāli. The locality called Kātari-Beṭṭaga cannot be traced near Kopbal on the maps ; but it was apparently a small hillock in its vicinity. The places can be found in the Survey of India Sheet No. 56 A/3 comprising the Hyderabad territory.^[2]

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^[1] See Hyderabad Archaeological Series, Nos. 10 and 12.
^[2] [Mr. P. B. Desai reads Kātari-vēṭe for Kātari-Beṭṭaga and offers the following suggestions in regard to the place-names occurring in the record. The earlier form of the name Niṭāla is Niṭṭārave (cf. line 93 of the Iṭagi record, above, Vol. XIII, p. 60, where it has been wrongly read as Niḍḍi(? ṭṭi)gāve by Barnett). This village is stated to have been situated in the Hastināvati rājya, Paḍuva nāḍaka, Kopaṇa sīma and Kātari vēṭe. Nāḍaka is the Sanskritsed form of nāḍu. Kātari-vēṭe must have been a small tract named after the village of Kātari, which is modern Kātarki, a few miles away from Kopbal. The expression vēṭe, vēṭhe or vēṇṭhe denoting an area is met with in the inscriptions of this period (cf. Ind. Ant., Vol. IV, p. 327). Araslkere where the chief donee resided is modern Arakēri about three miles towards the east of Beṇkal. Dr. Dikshit has confused the village of Beṇkal lying about a mile from Niṭāli with another village of that name containing dolmens etc., in the Gangavati Taluk of the Raichur District, which is far away. Compare QJMS, Vol. XLV, pp. 68-69.─Ed.]