This archaeological researcher has decoded 25 inscriptions

Udupi: Archaeological researcher Shruthesh Acharya,28, has decoded 25 newly found inscriptions, and 15 prehistoric sites across the state. He does not follow the traditional estampage method for reading an inscription, but prefers to clean an inscription, and after taking high-resolution pictures, reads it on a computer. He began decrypting inscriptions five years ago.
He told TOI: “Archaeology research studies historical documents. Reading an inscription takes 15 days, and one has to read several books before confirming the facts. I have deciphered several inscriptions from the 7th century to the 15th century, related to Alupa, Vijayanagar and Keladi rulers. Initially, I used to go in search of inscriptions, but these days, we work as a team, along with professor S A Krishnaiah, director, Oriental Archives Research Centre, Udupi and K Shridhar Bhat, retired teacher of U Kamalabai High School, and people reach out to us, whenever they find an inscription during the renovation of temples, in fields, or during road widening works. Most of the inscriptions found in this region are related to land donations or gifts,” said Acharya, who is also the curator for the St Aloysius College Museum ‘Aloyseum’.
Acharya has several prehistoric findings to his credit, including lower Paleolithic period hand axe, megalithic period rock engravings and burial sites, and tools from the Neolithic period, found at various places, including Davanagere, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Chikkamagaluru. He has also found several historical coins in Udupi, and was part of the team, that found a temple structure at Kaup, a hero stone at Karkala and 15th century Naga sculptures at Kervase.
He was mentored to read inscriptions by numismatist Manderke Nithyananda Pai. Devarakonda Reddy, president, and Prof Devaraja Swami, secretary, of the Karnataka Ithasa Academy, have been encouraging him in his work. He also seeks the guidance of historian Pundikai Ganapayya Bhat. “During my college days at Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty College, Shirva, it was Indira Hegde and Jagadish Shetty, who inspired me to take up deciphering inscriptions. Rajaram Hegade and G Sarvamangala from Kuvempu University and Suresh Kalkere from Koppa, also supported me,” he said.