Katigenahalli inscriptions and hero stones

Created by Ravidassia
Last edited April 30, 2026

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File:Katigenahalli 1348CE Donation Inscription.jpg
Katigenahalli 1348CE Donation Inscription. Picture Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Kattigehalli is a locality in northern Bengaluru, near Yelahanka (India), The name "Kattigenahalli" is first documented in a 14th-century CE Kannada donation inscription discovered in Katigenahalli but presently housed in the Government Museum, Bengaluru. It records the donation of the village of Kattigenahalli to Kacheyanayka, son of Bairisetti, by Mahasavatadhipati Maileyanayka and Yelakka's (Yelahanka) Naadaprabhus, namely Bairideva, Macideva, Maragonda, Tamiyappa, Kanagonda, Devanna, Allalajiya, and other Gavundas. This donation happened during the reign of kings Harihara and Bukka of the Karnataka Empire (Vijayanagara Empire). Savantadhipati, as mentioned in the inscription, is the same as Samantadhipati, a feudatory chief. The kingdom was divided into many Naadus (administrative units), each presided over by a Naadaprabhu, the chief of a Naadu. The names of most of the persons mentioned in this inscription also occur in the Ganigarahalli inscription (Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 09, BN 24).[1][2] The inscription mentions that the donations are Sarbamaanya (Sarvamaanya). Sarvamaanya can be broken down into "sarva" (all) and "maanya" (exempt), meaning that all revenues were exempt from taxation.

Discovery and dating

The inscription was first documented and published in Epigraphia Carnatica Vol. 9 as Devanahalli Inscription No. 50. The inscription can be precisely dated to Monday, 01-Dec-1348 CE Julian as it is mentioned as "śakābda 1271nĕya sarvvadha . . . .da mārggasira su 10 so". The inscription was in poor condition in 2017, and upon bringing it to the attention of the government authorities, it was shifted to the Government Museum, Bengaluru.

Physical characteristics

The inscription is 177 cm tall, 115 cm wide. The Kannada Characters are 4.5 cm tall, 4.4 cm wide & 0.25 cm deep (very shallow).

Transliteration of the Inscription

The transliteration was first published in the Epigraphia Carnatica; the text below is a rereading of the inscription published in the Mythic Society journal.

Digital Images of each of the characters of this inscription, images of the inscription itself, a summary, and other information about the inscription have been shared via Akshara Bhandara software

Line

Number

Kannada IAST
1 . ಸ್ತಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಶಕಾಬ್ದ ೧೨೭೧ನೆಯ ಸರ್ವ್ವಧ . . . . . . sti śrī śakābda 1271nĕya sarvvadha . . . .
2 .ದ ಮಾರ್ಗ್ಗಸಿರ ಸು ೧೦ ಸೋ ಶ್ರೀ ಮನು ಮಹಾಮಂಡ . . . da mārggasira su 10 so śrī manu mahāmaṃḍa
3 ರ ಚತುಸಮುದ್ರಧಿಪತಿ ಹರಿರಾ . . ra catusamudradhipati harirā . .
4 ಭಾಡ ಭಾಸೆಗೆ ತಪ್ಪುವ ರಾಯರ ಗಂಡ . bhāḍa bhāsĕgĕ tappuva rāyara gaṃḍa
5 ವೀರ ಹರಿಯಪ್ಪ ವೊಡೆಯರು ಬುಕ್ಕಂಣ . vīra hariyappa vŏḍĕyaru bukkaṃṇa .
6 ಡೆಯರು ಶ್ರೀ ಪ್ರಿತ್ತುವಿ. ರಾಜ್ಯಂಗೆಯುತ್ತಮಿರಲು ḍĕyaru śrī prittuvi rājyaṃgĕyuttamiralu
7 ಶ್ರೀ ಮನು ಮಹ ಸವಂತಾಧಿಪತಿ . . . ಕಗಂಡ ಮೈಲೆಯ śrī manu maha savaṃtādhipati . . . kagaṃḍa mailĕya
8 ನಯ್ಕರು ಶ್ರೀ ಮನು ಮಹ ಎಲಕ್ಕನಾಡ ಪ್ರಬುಗಳು naykaru śrī manu maha ĕlakkanāḍa prabugalu
9 ಬೈರಿದೇವ ಮಾಚ್ಚಿದೇವ ಮರಗೊಂಡ ತಾಮಿಯಪ್ಪ bairideva māccideva maragŏṃḍa tāmiyappa
10 ಕಂನಗೊಂಡ ದೇವಂಣ ಬೈಂ . ಪ್ಪ ಆಲ್ಲಾಳಜೀಯರು ವೊಳ kaṃnagŏṃḍa devaṃṇa baiṃ . ppa āllālajīyaru ̤ vŏla
11 ಗಾದ ಸಮಸ್ತ ಗೌಉಂಡುಗಳು ಆ ಬೈರಿಸೆಟ್ಟಿಯ ಮಗ gāda samasta gauuṃḍugalu ā bairisĕṭṭiya maga
12 ಕಚ್ಚೆಯನಾಯ್ಕಂಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟಕೊಡಗೆಯ ಸಾಸನ kaccĕyanāykaṃgĕ kŏṭṭakŏḍagĕya sāsana
13 ದ ಕ್ರಮವೆಂತೆಂದಡೆ ಅ ಕಟ್ಟಿಗೆಹಳ್ಳಿಯ ಚತ್ತುಸೀಮೆ da kramavĕṃtĕṃdaḍĕ a kaṭṭigĕhall̤iya ca ̤ ttusīmĕ
14 ಯನು ಕೊಡಗೆಆಗಿ ಸರ್ಬ್ಬಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಕೊಡಗೆಯಾಗಿ yanu kŏḍagĕāgi sarbbamānyavāgi kŏḍagĕyāgi
15 ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಕೊಡಗೆಯ ಸಾಸನ ಧರೆ ಚಂದ್ರಸೂರ್ಯ್ಯ ಉಳಂನ ಸಲು kŏṭṭa kŏḍagĕya sāsana dharĕ caṃdrasūryya ulaṃna salu
16 ವಂತಾಗಿ ಕೊಟ್ಟಕೊಡಗೆ . ಮಂಗಳ ಮಹಶ್ರೀ ಶ್ರೀ vaṃtāgi kŏṭṭakŏḍagĕ . maṃgala ma ̤ haśrī śrī
File:3D Scanning of the Katigenahalli 1348CE Donation Inscription.jpg
3D Scanning of the Katigenahalli 1348CE Donation Inscription. Picture Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Translation

The translation is published in Epigraphia Carnatica[3] and reads as follows,

"Be it well. (On the date specified), when the maha-mandalesvara, master of the four oceans, subduer of hostile kings, champion over kings who break their word, vira-Hariyappa-Vodeyar Bukkanna-Vodeyar was ruling the kingdom of the world :— the maha-samantadhipati .... Maileya-Nayaka, the great Elakka-nad prabhu Bairi-Deva, and others (named), with all the farmers, granted to Bairi-Setti's son Kariya-Nayaka the Kodigehalli village as a sarbbamanya-kodage for as long as sun and moon endure".

References

  1. Epigraphia carnatica. By B. Lewis Rice, Director of Archaeological Research in Mysore{{#if:Mysore. Dept. of Archaeology|, Mysore. Dept. of Archaeology}. Bangalore Mysore Govt. Central Press(1894)
  2. Epigraphia carnatica. By B. Lewis Rice, Director of Archaeological Research in Mysore{{#if:Mysore. Dept. of Archaeology|, Mysore. Dept. of Archaeology}. Bangalore Mysore Govt. Central Press(1894)
  3. Epigraphia carnatica. By B. Lewis Rice, Director of Archaeological Research in Mysore{{#if:Mysore. Dept. of Archaeology|, Mysore. Dept. of Archaeology}. Bangalore Mysore Govt. Central Press(1894)