https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Atakur_inscriptionAtakur inscription - Revision history2026-07-31T20:31:34ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Atakur_inscription&diff=488161&oldid=prevSherleneGirardi at 04:13, 28 May 20242024-05-28T04:13:27Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|10th-century inscription in Karnataka, India}}<br />
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{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}<br />
[[File:Atakur memorial stone with inscription in old Kannada (949 C.E.).jpg|thumb|right|The famous Atakur inscription (949 C.E.), a classical Kannada composition from the Western Ganga-Rashtrakuta period]]<br />
The '''Atakur inscription''' (sometimes spelt '''Athakur''', '''Athagur''', '''Athkur''', '''Atkur''' or '''Atukur''') dated 949-950 C.E. is an inscribed memorial stone ([[hero stone]]) in classical [[Kannada]] composition.<ref name="classic">Fleet in Hultzsch (1900), p.51</ref><ref name="inscriptions">{{cite web |title=Classical Kannada - Inscriptions|url=http://www.classicalkannada.org/InscriptionsEng.html|publisher=Central Institute for Indian Languages |work=Centre for classical Kannada|access-date=2012-03-23}}</ref><ref name="sahitya">Datta (1988), p.1717</ref> It was discovered at the Chelleshvara temple at Atakur village, about 23&nbsp;km from [[Mandya]], [[Karnataka]], [[India]]. The "motion packed" sculptured hero stone describes two events in poetic Kannada; the battle between "Kali" the hound and a wild boar, and the victory of Rashtrakuta Emperor [[Krishna III]] over the [[Chola dynasty]] of Tanjore in the [[battle of Takkolam]].<ref name="battle">Sarma (1992), p.20</ref><ref name="takkolam">Sarma (1992), p.28</ref><ref name="hound">Sarma (1992), p.133</ref><ref name="challa">Adiga (2006), p.307</ref> According to historians [[I. K. Sarma]] and Singh, memorial stones for warriors are common in medieval India, but one erected in memory of an animal is considered unique.<ref name="hound"/><ref name="rare">Sarma (1992), p.131</ref><ref name="hunt"/><br />
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==Content==<br />
The many battles fought between the [[Rashtrakuta dynasty]] (with the support of their vassal King [[Butuga II]] of the [[Western Ganga Dynasty]]) and the Cholas of Tanjore have been the subject of many a medieval hero stone. It is known from this inscription, which is dated to 949-950 C.E (''saka'' 872),<ref name="date">Campbell (1896), p.421</ref><ref name="fleet">Fleet (1907), p.60</ref><ref name="jyot">Kamat (1980), p.91</ref><ref name="moraes">Moraes (1931), p.86</ref> that King Butuga II had a favorite hound called "Kali" which helped a warrior named Manlarata (or Manalera, an ''aid-de-camp'' of Butuga II) fight the Chola king Rajaditya on the battlefield. Manlarata, whom the inscription refers to as ''Valabhipuravaresvara'' ("Lord of Vallabhi"),<ref name="valla">Gopal in Adiga (2006), p.85</ref> was able to drive the Chola armies away while King Butuga II, riding an elephant on the battlefield, killed the Chola King. In the inscription, the Rashtrakuta Emperor Krishna III showers high praise on Butuga II for his achievement (the ''Neralige'' inscription illustrates in more detail the battle of Takkolam). Manalarata, whose valor is poetically described in the inscription, requested Butuga II to give him the brave hound in return for his exploits on the battlefield.<br />
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In a separate incident, during a hunt, the hound was involved in a fight with a wild boar in a trench near the village of Beltur, leading to the death of both animals in the conflict. This inscribed memorial stone was erected by a grief-stricken Manlarata in honor of the brave dog.<ref name="battle"/><ref name="hunt">Singh (2009), p.48</ref><ref name="boar">Sarma (1992), p.21</ref><ref name="death">Fleet (1907), p.58</ref> The inscription warns the local priest (''gorava'') of "sin" if he were to have his food before "offering worship to the memorial stone".<ref name="hound"/> According to historian [[Shadakshari Settar]], the ''gorava'' mentioned in the inscription is a [[Shaivism|Shaiva]] priest, whereas [[Ferdinand Kittel]] considers him a Shaiva mendicant.<ref name="gorava">Settar and Kittel in Adiga (2006), p.307, p.325</ref> Commemorating his victory in battle, Emperor Krishna III gifted his vassal King Butuga II large areas of his kingdom, including the provinces of Banavasi-12000, Belavola-300, Purugere-300, Kisukad-70 and the Bagenad-70. Butuga II gifted his faithful warrior Manlarata the villages of Atakur-12 and Koteyur.<ref name="moraes"/><ref name="date1">Campbell (1896), p.421</ref><ref name="gift">Adiga (2006), p.120</ref><br />
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==Notes==<br />
{{Reflist|2}}<br />
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==References==<br />
* {{cite book |last= Adiga|first= Malini|title= The Making of Southern Karnataka: Society, Polity and Culture in the early medieval period, AD 400–1030|orig-year=2006|year= 2006|publisher= Orient Longman|location= Chennai|isbn= 81-250-2912-5}}<br />
* {{cite book |last= Sarma|first= I.K.|title= Temples of the Gangas of Karnataka|orig-year=1992|year=1992|publisher= Archaeological Survey of India|location= New Delhi|isbn= 0-19-560686-8}}<br />
*{{cite book |last= Datta|first=Amaresh |title= Encyclopaedia of Indian literature&nbsp;– vol 2|orig-year=1988|year=1988|publisher= Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delhi |isbn=81-260-1194-7|chapter=Inscriptions-Kannada}}<br />
* {{cite book |last= Kamat|first= Jyotsna K|title= Social Life in Medieval Karnataka|orig-year=1980|year=1980|publisher= Abhinav Publication}}<br />
* {{cite book |last= Singh|first= Upindra |title= A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India:From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|year=2009|publisher= Pearsons Education|location= India|isbn=978-81-317-1677-9}}<br />
* {{cite book |last= Campbell|first= James M.|author-link=James Macnabb Campbell|title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency vol.1, part II, History of the Konkan Dakhan and Southern Maratha Country |year=1896|publisher=Government Central Press|chapter=The Rashtrakutas of Malkhed}}<br />
* {{cite book |last= Fleet|first= John Faithfull|title=Indian epigraphy: the inscriptional bases of Indian historical research|year=1907|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford|isbn=3-20-440193-6|chapter=Indian Empire}}<br />
* {{cite book |last=Moraes|first=George M. |title= The Kadamba Kula, A History of Ancient and Medieval Karnataka|orig-year=1931|year= 1990|publisher= Asian Educational Services|location= New Delhi, Madras|isbn= 81-206-0595-0}}<br />
* {{cite book |last=Fleet|first=John Faithfull|editor-last=Hultzsch|editor-first=E|title=[[Epigraphia Indica]] and Record of the Archæological Survey of India, Volume 6|year=2011 |orig-year=1900|publisher=Government of India Central Print|location=Calcutta|isbn=978-1-246-60547-1|chapter=Epigraphia Indica}}<br />
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[[Category:Kannada literature]]<br />
[[Category:Literature of Karnataka]]<br />
[[Category:Earliest known manuscripts by language]]<br />
[[Category:Western Ganga dynasty]]<br />
[[Category:Kannada inscriptions]]<br />
[[Category:10th-century inscriptions]]<br />
[[Category:Rashtrakuta dynasty]]</div>SherleneGirardi