Villagers in AP's Annamayya district unearth 3 inscriptions of 7th & 9th centuries

TIRUPATI: Three rare inscriptions dating back to the 7th and 9th centuries (Common Era) were unearthed at Kottareddivaripalli village in Madanapalle taluk of Annamayya district on Sunday.

Villagers noticed the inscriptions on agricultural lands on the outskirts of Kottareddivaripalli. The pictures of the inscriptions, engraved on a stone, were later sent to the archaeology department in Vijayawada and further forwarded to epigraphists in Mysore. It was then confirmed that the inscriptions belonged to the Renati Chola and Vaidumba dynasties.  

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) director Munirathnam Reddy explained that one of the inscriptions is a Dana Sasanam (Gift of Land) and the other two are heroic inscriptions.

“It appears that the two inscriptions are a record of the death of a hero named Mudduvanna who lost his life while saving cattle during a raid at Chippuli village. It dates back to the period when Vaidumba Maharaja was the administrator of the region,” he said.

No plans to shift inscriptions to museum: ASI

The third inscription, engraved on a stone in Telugu and characters of the 7th century CE, is a Dana Sasanam, meaning a record of a land being gifted.

“The inscription is a record of Renati Chola III King Punyakumara from Indurajya, who ruled the region in 625 CE, gifting a parcel of land to a Brahmana (para) named Sura,” the ASI director explained. Archaeology department joint director (Tirupati) R Siva Kumar said the inscriptions will be preserved safely. He added that the department has no plans to shift them to museums as the process would be risky and might cause damage to the inscriptions.