Memorial stone from Vijayanagara era found

TNN

Udupi, 22 October 2010: Sati stone popularly known as masti kallu, a kind of memorial stone, was discovered at Rattadi in Kundapur taluk, informed Prof T Murugeshi of M S R S College, Shirva. Murugeshi said "Masti stones are found in different forms and styles and the stone under study is called Okkai Masti which means a single hand masti with small epigraph in late Vijayanagara Kannada characters.

 

This is a rectangular stone pillar with an extension on the right side having a Shavalinga with Prabhavali and the Sun on the right side and half moon on the left.

 

Below this is a small epigraph in Kannada written in eight lines. Exactly under this writing a male and female are sitting in a postulated position with the headgear of the period.

 

He said the inscription begins with Sri and stated Kalayuktakshi Savantsara, Phalguna, Suddha 5, Tuesday. Then it refers to one Sankapa Nayaka and his wife as Maduvalige, who is named as Gaurakka.

 

Keladinrapavijaya, a semi historical work by Linganna refers to one Sankanna Nayaka, son of Keladi Sadashiva Nayaka who had died in Kalayukti Savantsara Asvayuja Suddha 4 which may correspond to 1568 AD.

 

On this basis, Murugeshi said they have identified Sankapa Nayaka referred to in the inscription as Keladi ruler Sankanna Nayaka.

 

This inscription is now preserved in Bhandarkar’s College Kundapur by Prof. Uday Kumar and Prof K Gopal of the department of history.