Rare inscription found on farm bund agricultural field in Ballari

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The rare four-line curse inscription that was discovered on a farm bund at Dodda Antapur in Sandur taluk of Ballari district. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The inscription of a standing male figure found near a farm bund at Dodda Antapur in Sandur taluk of Ballari district. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A four-line inscription discovered on the bund of an agricultural field at Dodda Antapur village in Sandur taluk of Ballari district has drawn the attention of historians for its unusual reference to theft, a curse and a distinctive sculptural motif.

The inscription was found during fieldwork by the Vijayanagara Thirugata Research Team on the boundary of a field belonging to a farmer, Tayappa. The stone, measuring about three feet in height and one and a half feet in width, faces east and bears four lines in Kannada script.

Based on its palaeographic features, researchers have tentatively dated the inscription to the post-Vijayanagara period. Another unusual feature is the placement of the sun and moon symbols. While such symbols are generally found above the text in inscriptions, they appear below the inscription on this stone, with the sun on the left and the moon on the right.

Historian Govind explains that the most distinctive feature of the inscription is its curse formula. The first line refers to a person named Kadaba and his field, while the following lines warn of punishment for anyone who steals the “sedhe” associated with the field. Historians and researchers say the inscription records a strongly worded traditional curse intended to deter theft.

The reference provides a glimpse into the agrarian and social life of the period. It suggests that materials or implements associated with agricultural activity were considered valuable and that theft from fields was a concern.

Researchers said the curse formulas were commonly used in medieval inscriptions, particularly those associated with land grants. Those who violated, cancelled or damaged a grant were often threatened with severe religious consequences.

A similar tradition is found in another inscription from Dodda Antapur, which reportedly invokes the sin of killing those who interfered with a grant. An inscription from Moodaladinni village in Maski also contains a severe curse concerning the non-enjoyment of rights over land, Dr. Govind added.

The stone also has a distinctive sculpture below the inscription. Researchers say it depicts a standing male figure with an exaggerated representation of the male form. The motif, they believe, needs to be studied in the context of the folk beliefs, social practices, symbolic traditions and sculptural conventions of the period.

A team of historians and researchers, including H. Thippeswamy, Dr. Govind, Krishnegowda, Ismail Siddiqui and Ashok Nayak Diddigi, journalist Shivaram Ragi and Bandri Papayya, were involved in the field study. They expressed that the cooperation of the landowner, Tayappa, helped the team document the inscription.

Researchers have urged the authorities concerned to document and conserve the stone. The discovery adds to earlier findings from Dodda Antapur, where the team had documented three previously unreported Jain inscriptions referring to a land grant in the name of Jain Tirthankara Kunthunatha.

Though brief, the inscription offers clues to landholding, agricultural practices, theft, religious beliefs and social norms of the period, highlighting the importance of inscriptions as records of everyday life beyond the histories of rulers and wars, the researchers noted.

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