Reddy dynasty’s gift to a Siva temple surfaces in a 14th-century Kondaveedu inscription

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A close view of the 14th-century inscription, which appears to record grants of vrittis for worship at the Siva temple at Kondaveedu. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A fragmentary Telugu inscription dating to the 14th century A.D. has been found at the Kondaveedu Fort in Andhra Pradesh, offering fresh evidence of the Reddy rulers’ patronage of temple worship and religious institutions in the region.

The inscription is engraved on a partially broken pillar of a dilapidated Siva temple atop Rudrapada Peak, the highest of the 42 hills that form the Kondaveedu hill fort complex. Kondaveedu Fort Development Committee Convener Kalli Siva Reddy and his team found it during an exploration on Saturday.

The fragmentary Telugu inscription on the pillar of a Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) at a ruined Siva temple atop Rudrapada Peak in the Kondaveedu Fort, Andhra Pradesh. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

K. Muniratnam Reddy, Director (Epigraphy), Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Mysuru, said the inscription is in Telugu, in a script characteristic of the 14th century. Though damaged and incomplete, the surviving text appears to record the grant of four vrittis (shares of endowed revenue or land assignments) to certain Bhattulu and two vrittis to Virupaksha Dikshita for conducting worship in a Lord Siva temple at Kondaveedu.

The inscription also contains the invocation “Sri Kailasa Sivaya Namah” and mentions that it was engraved by “Parvatam Oubhalam Pancharamulu.” Based on palaeographic features and the content, experts believe the record belongs to the period of the Reddi dynasty, which ruled large parts of coastal Andhra during the 14th century.

Mr. Siva Reddy said the inscription was on the pillar of a Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) in front of the sanctum of a ruined Siva temple. Of the two Siva temples on Rudrapada Peak, one has been almost completely destroyed, leaving only the sanctum standing. He alleged that illegal digging and vandalism over the years had contributed t