Bangalore is the capital city of the state of Karnataka. Bangalore, as a city, was founded by Kempe Gowda I, who built a mud fort at the site in 1537. But the earliest evidence for the existence of a place called Bangalore dates back to c. 890.
Kalya (Kalavathi pattana) or Kalya is a historic settlement located in Magadi Taluk, Bengaluru South district of Karnataka, India. Kalya as an early settlement can be attested by prehistoric rock art and tools reported from Kalya and inscriptional evidence in the village starting from 550 CE to the early 17th century CE, making it one of the few places in the country that has been continuously inhabited for 3000 to 3500 years.
About 25,000 inscriptions found in Karnataka and nearby states belong to historic Kannada rulers, including the Kadambas, the Western Ganga Dynasty, the Rashtrakuta, the Chalukya, the Hoysala and the Vijayanagara Empire. Many inscriptions related to Jainism have been unearthed. The inscriptions found are generally on stone (Shilashasana) or copper plates (Tamarashasana). These Kannada inscriptions are found on historical hero stones, coins, temple walls, pillars, tablets and rock edicts. They have contributed towards Kannada literature and helped to classify the eras of Proto Kannada, Pre Old Kannada, Old Kannada, Middle Kannada and New Kannada. Inscriptions depict the culture, tradition and prosperity of their era. The literature of Ramayana and Mahabharata are transferred through the generations by these inscriptions. The Hazara Rama Temple and Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple are the best examples of temples associated with Kannada inscriptions.
The Hebbal-Kittayya 750CE Inscription is one of the oldest known inscriptions in Kannada script and is Bangalore's oldest inscription. The inscription was re-discovered on 1 May 2018 in Hebbal. The inscription is on a Ooralivu Veeragallu in honour of Hebbal native Kittayya. Ooralivu veeragallu’s are memorial stones erected in honour of a person martyred defending an attack on his or her town.
Gulakamale is located in Bangalore South taluk of Bangalore district in Karnataka, India. Two inscriptions are found in Gulakamale of which one is a donation inscription, and the other, a Mahasati herostone, a typology of herostones dedicated to women who self-sacrificed in sati. Additionally, two other hero stones are also found at the same place. Gulakamale is also famous for its lake, a birding hotspot on the city's outskirts.
Malleshwaram is a North-Western locality of Bengaluru and one of the oldest planned layouts of the city. It is also home to valuable historical inscriptions that contribute to the rich epigraphic heritage of Bengaluru, a city with over 175 documented inscription stones. While Malleshwaram was developed on modern lines as a new residential locality in 1898 following a plague epidemic, evidence suggests the village of Mallapura (Malleshwaram) existed much earlier. A Kannada inscription dated to 1669 CE records the donation of the village of Medaraninganahalli to the Mallapura Mallikarjuna temple by the Maratha king, Ekoji I.
Ivara Kandapura is a small hamlet adjoining Hesaraghatta on the northern outskirts of Bangalore, in Karnataka, India. Ivara Kandapura is famous for a 10th-century temple complex that is home to five temples, named after the pandavas as The Dharmeshwara, Nakuleshwara, Bheemeshwara, Sahadeshwara, Arjuneshwara and Kunti Gudi.
Domlur is a locality in the eastern part of Bengaluru city in India. Domlur is a historic places as indicated in the 18 inscriptions spanning the period 1200-1440CE found there. Of these, 16 inscriptions are at the Chokkanathaswamy Temple dedicated to the deity Chokkanathaswamy or the Chokka Perumal [the Hindu God Vishnu]. Of these eleven inscriptions are from the period 1200-1440 CE and have been documented earlier in Epigraphia Carnatica, Vol 9, these are mostly donatory inscriptions for the deity Chokkanathaswamy and for the Someshwara temple (non-existent).
Singapura is a locality in the northwestern part of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The Varadarajaswamy Temple in Singapura is at least 500 years old, as recorded in Harohalli and Chikkabettahalli inscriptions. The temple is referred to as the Tiruvengalanatha temple in inscriptions. The inscriptions also mention a grant given to Ramanuja Koota, a religious institution of Sri Vaishnavites, named after the reformer-saint Ramanuja.
Jakkur, a suburb in Bengaluru is an old locality that has an historicity of about 700 years. The locality is home to four inscriptions and several hero stones. The earliest inscriptions of the area can be paleographically dated to 9th - 10th century CE. These inscriptions also indicate that Jakkur Lake, regarded as one of the biggest lakes of Bangalore, existed as old as seven centuries ago.
Chikkabanavara is a residential locality in north Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Chikkabanavara is also an ancient locality as evidenced by six inscriptions that have been discovered there. Additionally an ancient Kalyani and a few old temples allude to the historicity of the locality. Chikkabanavara is also home to one of the Bengaluru's ancient lakes, its documented history traced to at least a thousand years based on inscriptional references. Additionally, other ancient artefacts such as, Nagastones, fragmented pillars, memorial stones are also found at Chikkabanavara.
Marasuru Madivala is a village in Anekal Taluk of Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is a historical settlement with a history of over a millennium, its significance lies in the discovery of an herostone-inscription and an ornate sculpture of Chamundi found in the village which is currently housed in a new mantapa. It is home to a 10th-century Someshwara temple, and a modern-day Nandi mantapa restored with 8th-century Ganga style stone pillars, Sati stones, hero-stones and a few ancient Jaina idols.
Begur is one of the oldest localities in Bengaluru, the inscriptional evidence and heritage monuments of the place is testimony to its inhabitation at least since the 10th Century CE. It is home to Bengaluru's oldest temple, the Panchalingeshvara temple, a temple constructed during the period of rule of the Western Gangas also houses most of the inscriptions and herostones that are documented in Begur. One of the most notable inscription here is the Begur 900CE Pervvonashetti & Buttanapati's Herostone With Inscription which records the name "Bengulooru" verbatim, the first written record of the name "Bengaluru". The strong presence of Jainism in the region can also be attested by the evidence of Jaina Sculptures and in the documentation of three inscriptions, the Begur 900CE Tondabbe Sanyasana Inscription which records Tondabbe, the daughter of a Ganga chieftain Nagatara who died by the ritual of Sanyasana, a Jaina ritual of voluntary death, Begur 1426CE Chokkinaya Jinalaya Inscription which records a donation to the Basadi, Begur 950CE Paramanandi Bhataraka inscription, content not known due to published incomplete reading of the text are documented in Epigraphia Carnatica, of which only one is physically present and the status of the other two are not known. Of others, an Ooralivu herostone inscription which records the courageous death of a man who died defending his village, an inscription recording the construction of the Somanatha temple in Bempur by Nagatara were documented and published and several other herostones without inscriptions and lay Jaina and other sculptures have been found and documented in Begur. Nagatara was a very important chieftain under the Western Gangas who administered the region from his seat in Begur, he was responsible for the construction of the Nageshwara temple, the oldest extant structure of the temple complex in Begur and is documented in over 15 inscriptions not only in Begur but also other parts of Bengaluru.
Kodigehalli inscriptions and herostones are a set of three Kannada inscriptions and two herostones located in Kodigehalli and its sub-localities Tindlu and Doddabommasandra in Bengaluru. Among them, the Kannada inscription of Prataparaya is very significant as it records a generous grant made by Prataparaya during the sacred hours of a Solar eclipse. The grant was given to the Someyadeva temple situated in Sakanasamudra. This inscription is significant to Indian Astronomical history as it mentions the precise date of the donation being made that is 08-Aug-1431CE Julian - 09-Aug-1431CE Julian and also mentions the day to be a solar eclipse which can be confirmed by the NASA Five Millenium Catalogue Of Solar Eclipses. This inscription has been published in Volume 9, Epigraphia carnatica and has been digitally archived by the Mythic Society in "Bengaluru Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project". Two other inscriptions of Tindlu and Doddabommasandra belong to the 14th and the 15th century CE respectively. The inscription in Tindlu documents a donation made by medieval merchant guilds of the region called Ubhayananadesis and Salumule, while the Doddabommasandra inscription is a donatory inscription to a Agrahara. Kodigehalli is also home to two Herostones also called Viragal in Kannada, which are erected in the memory of people who die in battles or other conflicts, the herostones present here are only with sculptures without any inscription.
Agara is a Panchayat-village in Bengaluru located on the Outer Ring Road, near Koramangala and HSR Layout. Three inscriptions were documented and published from the Agara locality, two of which are documented but the physical status is not known. The inscriptions range over a period from the 9th Century CE to 16th Century CE. The inscriptions records various donations done by individuals during the reign of the rulers of the Western Ganga and Karnataka (Vijayanagara) kingdoms. The 9th century CE Sriyamayya inscription mentions the fixing of Sluices of a tank, though it doesn't explicitly mention Agara Tank, the location of the inscription as documented in the Volume 9 of the Epigraphia carnatica as near the tank embankment is a sufficient affirmation to infer that the inscription was indeed referring to the Agara Tank, making it one of the earliest documented tank of Bengaluru, approximately 1150–1200 years old.
Belathur, a sub-locality in Kadugodi, is home to a 15th-century CE Kannada donatory inscription that records a donation by a Devijeeya who erected a pillar for the Tirumala deity and also that he donated four Khandugas of land for the purpose of neivedya (food) offerings to the deity, it was commissioned during the rule of Saaraki's Pemayanayka's son Pemeyanayaka, a feudal chief under the king Devaraya II of the Karnataka Empire. Saraki as mentioned in this inscription is a suburb in Bengaluru city. This inscription gives a geneology of four generations Toravali naadu's rulers as Maachideva-Devijeeya-Chokkijeeya-Devijeeya, Toravali naadu is an administrative in the erstwhile empire, the geographic boundaries of this region remains unknown. The inscription mentions the grant of certain khandugas of land, khanduga is a unit of area measurement. The donation to the Tirumala deity of Belathur is also recorded in an inscription in the Domlur Chokkanathaswamy Temple 16th-century Allapan Inscription, an inscription among the Domlur Inscriptions. This inscription has been documented in Epigraphia Carnatica Vol-9 as Hoskote Inscription Number 155. The Inscription is found at the Radha Rukmini Venugopala Swamy Temple in Belathur.
Kattigehalli is a locality in North Bengaluru, near Yelahanka, The name Kattigenahalli finds its first historical documentation verbatim in a 14th-century CE Kannada donation inscription, this inscription was found in Katigenahalli but presently housed in the Government Museum, Bengaluru records the donation of Kattigenahalli village 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. Savantadhipati as mentioned in the inscription is same as Samantadhipati, a feudatory chief. The kingdom was divided into many Naadus presided by a Naadaprabhu, chief of a Naadu. The names of most of the persons mentioned in this inscription also occurs in the Ganigarahalli inscription. 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.
Yelahanka is a locality in North Bengaluru, the historical administrative unit Yelahanka Naadu is mentioned variously in inscriptions as Ilaipakka, Elava, Yelavaka corresponds to the same Yelahanka. Yelahanka had been in existence prior to the 12th century. The region was called 'Ilaipakka Naadu' in Tamil during the rule of Cholas. An inscription of 1267 CE found in Doddaballapur mentions Dechi Devarasa, ruling the region with Yelahanka as his capital under the aegis of Hoysala monarch 'Narasimha III'. Later, during Hoysala reign, the city came to be known as 'Elavanka' and gradually shifted to 'Yelahanka'.
Srinivagalu is a sub-locality in Koramangala, Bengaluru. It houses two inscriptions, one a Kannada Herostone inscription that is very significant as it mentions the old name of Srinivagilu as Siyanelvagila and an other Tamil Inscription. Srinivagilu has a recorded history dating back to at least the 9th Century CE, both the inscriptions are located in the vicinity of a Shiva temple in the Ibbalur Military Camp, as this is a defence land, entry is restricted to general public.
