Allalasandra (Bengaluru) Inscriptions and Herostones

Allalasandra is a historic locality in North Bengaluru adjoining the Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra             (GKVK) campus on Bellary road. Allasandra's historicity tracing back to about 500 years can be attested from the Rachur Narasappiah's Donation Inscription mentions the donation of the entire village of Allalasandra to the Allalanatha temple at Jakkur.

The earliest map of Allalasandra is a 1905CE state land records map which shows the village and adjoining areas being of 2.47sq km, 7.78 km perimeter. The village is shown bounded by Yelahanka kasaba, Shivanahalli, Jakkur Plantation, Bytrayanapura, Kothi Hosahalli, Kodigehalli, Kodigehalli Plantation and Chikka Bommasandra villages. Today the same area has been apportioned between Allalasandra village, GKVK campus, upmarket Judicial Layout and some portions of Bellary road.

Four inscriptions were documented in this locality spanning from the 11th century to the 18th-19th century CE, of which only two are physically present, the status of the rest two remains unknown.

Allalasandra 1544 CE Rachur Narasappiah's Donation Inscription
The inscription is in Kannada language and Kannada script and is first documented in the 1905 edition of the Epigraphia Carnatica, volume 09 published by B.L.Rice as Bengaluru Taluk Inscription No 30. The inscription's installation date is given as Shaka 1462, Krodhi Samvatsara, Margashira, Shukla 5, which corresponds to Wednesday, 19 November 1544 A.D. according to the Julian calendar.

Sun, moon, and a Sudarshan Chakra is inscribed on the stone, sun and moon indicates the eternal nature of the grant and the sudarshana chakra is a vaishnavite symbol indicating the religious nature of the inscription. It can be observed that the scribe '0' is used at the beginning of each line to mark the lines and write directly.

Transliteration Of The Text
The transliteration of the inscription is as follows

Summary Of The Inscription
This inscription is a record of the donation of the village of Allalasandra by local administrator, Rachur Narasappa, to the Allalanatha temple at Jakkur.

The religious merit of the donation was to benefit an official Marateya Vittaleshwara.

Allalasandra Yantra Kallu
Yantra Kallu (lit. Yantra stone) is a unique typology of inscription stones, wherein they were installed by the villagers when a mass disaster or event struck a village, priests would be called to perform rituals after which figures and diagrams Tantric designs would be inscribed on the stones which were believed to act as a Talisman protecting the village. The inscription has letters of two scripts, Tamil-Grantha letters can be dated between 15th and 16th century CE and Kannada letters can be dated between the 18th to 19th century CE paleographically. The first line of the inscription records the name "Alalasamudra". They are worshipped by the villagers and are believed to cure diseases of cattle and smallpox disease in children.

Transliteration Of The Text
Kannada reading in the table is transliterated text which originally contains both Grantha and Kannada characters. The transliteration of the inscription is as follows,

Allalsandra 1080CE Ramadeva Boar Hunting Herostone
It is Kannada hero-stone inscription dated to 1080 CE whose present status remains unknown but was documented in Epigraphia carnatica Volume 9 as BN 32. It records the death of a Ramadeva in a hunting of a wild boar. It was inscribed during the reign of Kulottunga I and his feudal Kadeya Nayaka who ruled Sanne nad, an administrative division during the time.

Transliteration
The transliteration is as follows,

Allalasandra 1340CE Kameya Dandanayaka Donation inscription
It is a Kannada inscription dated to 1340 CE that records the donation made by the son of the "great minister" of the Hoysala king Veera Ballala III, Kameya Dandanayaka, Kameya dannayaka. It mentions that during this period the king was ruling from Tiruvannamalai (lit. Unnamale pattana). The donation is said to be made to an officer designate nad-senabhova Allala according to custom belonging to the fort of Haramaravur. The donation was also decreed to be sarvamanya i.e., exempt from all taxes. It was first documented in Epigraphia carnatica Volume 9 as BN 31. The present status of the inscription is not known.

Transliteration
The text is published in Epigraphia carnatica,

Translation
Epigraphia carnatica Volume 9 documents the translation of the inscription as following,

"Be it well. (On the date specified), when the pratapa-chakravartti Hoysala vira-Ballala-Devarasa was in Unnamale-pattana, ruling the kingdom of the world :— ■ the great minister Kameyadandanayaka's son Kameya-danayaka granted to the nad-senabhova Allala the lands according to former custom belonging to the fort of Haramaravur, as a sarvamdnya kodage."