Inscription stone discovered in Hebbal could be Bengaluru's oldest

BENGALURU: An inscription discovered by heritage enthusiasts in Hebbal could be the earliest of such stones in Bengaluru. According to experts, the inscription could possibly be from an earlier time than the 750 AD inscription in KR Puram, which was considered as the most ancient herostone in the city.

"This inscription dates back to the Ganga dynasty in Karnataka. It mentions the administration of Sripurusha, who ruled between 730 AD and 770 AD," said Rajeev Nrupathunga, founder, Heritage Revival Hub (HRH), whose team first found the inscription on the roadside on Thursday and took it to archaeological experts for further study. "This could be one of most ancient inscriptions in Bengaluru."

The contents of the inscription stone, written in poorva halegannada (pre-old Kannada), was studied by experts including epigraphists Krishnamurthy PV, Prof. Narasimhan, Smitha Reddy, and Devarakonda Reddy of the Karnataka Itihasa Academy.

HRH, a nonprofit, had earlier discovered four herostone structures on the roadside near Hebbal's Maramma temple. One of them was a 17th century inscription talking about the existence of the Hebbal lake. This latest discovery has the name PeroLala Nadu, which means a province with a big lake. This could be the earlier name of Hebbal, Nrupathunga said, meaning that Hebbal as a place even existed in 750 AD.

HRH members are now relocating the inscription to a safe place and will collaborate with officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to study the stone in greater detail.