Malleshwaram, Bengaluru inscriptions

Malleshwaram is a North-Western locality of Bengaluru and one of the oldest planned layouts of Bengaluru. In 1898 when Bangalore was hit by the plague epidemic, Malleshwaram was developed on modern lines as a new residential locality of the city. However, as evidenced by Ekoji's inscription the village of Mallapura had existed since at least 1669CE. The name Mallapura is derived from two words, Malai meaning "hill" and Pura meaning "town". The name Mallapura has since changed to Malleshwara over the years.

Two inscriptions have been documented in Malleshwaram, Ekoji's Mallapura Mallikarjuna temple donation inscription while the other is Jakkarayana Kere inscription documented in the Epigraphia Carnatica Volume 9.

Malleshwaram 1669 CE Ekoji's Mallapura Mallikarjuna temple Donation inscription
It is a Kannada inscription dated to 1669 CE records the donation of Medaraninganahalli village to the Mallapura Mallikarjuna Temple by Ekoji, a Maratha King (Step-Brother of Shivaji) on the request of the people of "bĕṃgulura mahanāḍu", a verbatim reference to the name "Bengaluru". Notably, it can be inferred that the earlier name of Malleshwaram was Mallapura.

The inscription also records an interesting Shapashaya, final imprecatory verses usually written at the end in inscriptions to warn people of the consequences of not honoring the orders of the grant or destroying it. It mentions that anyone who violates the donation will face severe consequences of being reborn as a donkey, crow, or Chandala. It is also written that every class of the society should honor this donation and every class includes Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. If any of these mentioned classes dishonor the donation, they will be cursed with a similar fate as those who commit the grave sin of killing a cow in Kashi. It also warns Muslims, that they will bear the same sin as one who consumes pork in Mecca if they dishonor the donation. It is the earliest inscription of the Bengaluru region referencing Islam and their adherents.

Physical Characteristics of the inscription
The size of the inscription is 115 centimeter tall and 392 centimeter wide. The characters on the inscription are of the size of 8.3 centimeter tall, 6.5 centimeter wide, and 0.45 centimeter deep. A total number of 7 lines and 155 characters are included in the inscription. Characters such as sun, moon and a plough are inscribed on the stone.

Discovery and dating of the inscription
The inscription was first documented in the Epigraphia Carnatica Vol. 9, Supplement, published in the year 1905 by B. L. Rice. This inscription is dated to Monday, 25 November 1669 CE.

Transliteration of the text
The inscription is of 7 lines and the transliterated text of the inscription in Kannada and IAST are as follows.

Additional Information in the Inscription
Medaraninganahalli mentioned in the inscription, does not exist anymore as the village and its lands were acquired for the construction of Indian Institute of Science Campus. An 1854 Bangalore map marks the region of Medaraninganahalli which has shown that the region would have spanned the eastern part of IISc Bangalore Campus, the staff colony of CPRI and the area beyond New BEL Road into CPRI. The name Medaraninganahalli is derived from three words, 'Medara', name of a caste of bamboo weavers, 'Ninga', a name of a person and 'Halli' meaning 'village' in Kannada. Medaras can be found in various parts of Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. They are chiefly found in the Shivamogga and Mysuru districts. The Medaras are engaged in the profession of making Mats, Baskets, Ladders and storage out of Bamboo materials. This community is also called as Meda, Medara, etc. They would gather fresh bamboo from nearby forests and skillfully craft them into mats, baskets and other useful items.

Jakkarayanakere Inscription
It is an undated Kannada inscription that records a possible donation, as much of the text is incomplete, the context and the full meaning of the inscription cannot be deduced. It mentions an historical administrative division 'Yalahanka Naad' ( present day Yelahanka, North Bengaluru). This inscription was first documented in the Epigraphia Carnatica Volume 9, it mentions that this inscription was found in Jakkarayanakere which corresponds to the area around Krishna Flour Mill in Sampige Road, Malleshwaram. However, the present physical status of the inscription is not known.

Transliteration of the text
The text is published in the Epigraphia carnatica.