Singapura inscriptions

Singapura is a locality in the northwestern part of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The Varadarajaswamy Temple in Singapura is at least 500 years old, as recorded in Harohalli and Chikkabettahalli               inscriptions. The temple is referred to as the Tiruvengalanatha temple in inscriptions. The inscriptions also mention a grant given to Ramanuja Koota, a religious institution of Sri Vaishnavites, named after the reformer-saint Ramanuja.

Three inscriptions relate to the Singapura Varadarajaswamy temple, two of which are described below.

Harohalli 1530CE Krishnappanayaka's Ramanujakoota inscription
The inscription is located in the Varadaraja swamy temple in Harohalli, 7 kilometers northeast of Singapura.

Discovery and dating
The inscription was first published in B.L. Rice's 1905 CE Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 9, where it is recorded as inscription number 28 in Bangalore Taluk. Subsequently, the inscription was rediscovered around 2018 by local historians and conservationists.

The inscription mentions the date of installation as "Saka 1452, Karthik, Su 12" in the luni-solar calendar which corresponds to November 2, 1530, CE (Julian). This was the day of the festival of Uthana Dwadashi (Tulsi festival). On this day, it is thought that Lord Sriman Narayana awakens from slumber and grants his followers darshan. Furthermore, it is considered to be more fortunate if that day's nakshatra, or the star of the lunar house, also happens to be Revathi, as it did in 1530 CE. Donations on that day are therefore expected to draw greater religious merit (Punya).

Characteristics of the inscription
The inscription is in the Kannada language and script and is dated to the 1530CE. This inscription is carved on a granite stone found locally. Most of the inscriptions found in Bengaluru are carved on similar granite stones. The inscription stone measures 163 cm tall and 89 cm wide.

This inscription is written in prominent characters and easily understood colloquial Kannada. However, considering its purpose as a record of a temple donation, the sculptor likely chose words and phrases which could be easily grasped by the local people. The text resembles much like another Singapura-related inscription at nearby Chikkabettahalli. The two stones may have come from the same local stone quarry because of their striking resemblance to one another. It's also quite likely that they were both inscribed by the same artist. Even though they were written six years apart, a few errors from the Chikkabettahalli inscription are absent from the later Harohalli inscription. That might be a result of the sculptor's skill development throughout those six years.

Summary of the inscription
This inscription documents the gift of Harohalli village to the Singapura Tiruvengalanatha temple for the anga-ranga-vaibhoga, amrutapadi-naivedya and for the operations of the Ramanujakoota at the temple by Sivanasamudra (Hesaraghatta) chief Krishnappanayaka. The donation was intended for the religious merit of a Solur Basavappanayaka, the father of Krishnappanayaka, and Achyutaraya, the monarch of the Karnataka (Vijayanagara Kingdom) empire.

Language of the inscription
This inscription has prominent characters & simple & colloquial Kannada. Nonetheless, the author might have purposefully used terms and phrases that were understandable to the locals because the inscription serves as a record of a donation to a temple.

Symbols on the inscription
The top part of the Harohalli inscription stone is etched with the holy marks symbols of Sri Vaishnava, which are Shanka (Panchajanya), Chakra (Sudarshana), and Naama. Sri Vaishnava inscriptions, boundary stones, and Vishnu temples from the 14th to 16th centuries—often referred to as the Vijayanagara period—often have these symbols carved or painted on them. These are typically seen on mantapas, doorframes, and gopuras in temples. Similar symbols can be found on inscription stones in the Bengaluru rural district at Kadanur, Gantiganahalli, Kadiganahalli, Jodidasarahalli, Chikkajala, and Maranagere, and in the Bangalore Urban district at Chikkabettahalli, Thindlu, Allalasandra, Domlur, Kothnur, Bannerughatta, and Bommanahalli.

Notably, there are cases where place names are also derived from these markers. For example, the name Naamagondlu, in the district of Chikkaballapura, comes from the naama that is painted on a nearby mound.

Transliteration of the inscription
The inscription was 3D scanned, archived and re-read by the Mythic Society Bengaluru Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project Team and published in the journal "Bengaluru Itihasa Vaibhava," November 2021, Issue 1.

Explanation of the inscription
As this inscription mentions the Tiruvengalanatha temple at Singapura, we can infer that the temple now referred to as Varadaraja Swamy temple is at least 500 years old. We might infer from the inscription that Singapura served as a centre for Srivaishnavites.

The temples were granted ownership of all land inside the village's borders as well as village taxes. The temple would then designate tenant farmers on such donated grounds, determining how much of the harvest and money the tenants would be required to share back. Some of the grains, fruits, flowers, vegetables, and other produce would be used by the temple, extra would either be sold or preserved. Income from such sales would be used for temple activities. With such land ownership arrangements, temples served as religious centers and also played a decisive role in influencing life in other ways.

We could conclude that the Singapura temple and Singapura village were significant religious centres in the area because a whole village was donated to support the Ramanujakoota at the Singapura Tiruvengalanatha temple. The king of the Karnataka empire at the time was Achyutraya. Karnataka Samrajya is more popularly called as the Vijayanagara Empire. However, in reality, Vijayanagara was the capital of the empire and not the empire itself. According to the inscription, the head of Harohalli was a Krishnappanayaka at the time, and the village was administratively a part of           Sivanasamudra (Hessaraghatta). The terms "stala" and "Sthala" denote various things—a region and a place, respectively. The inscription also helps us learn some roles were hereditary roles, passed on from generation to generation within families.

Chikkabettahalli 1524CE Singappanayaka's Ramanujakoota inscription
It is a Kannada inscription dated to 1524 CE, it documents Singapanayaka's gift of Harohalli village to the god Tiruvengalanatha at the Tirumala in Singapura for amrutapadi-naivedya and the operation of Ramanujakoota. The recipient of the donation, Hiriya Vardarajaiah, son of Pattana Thimanayya, was the grantee. This donation was made during the reign of Krishnadevaraya.

The name Chikkabettahalli is derived from chikkabetta (lit. small hill) and halli (lit. village). Chikkabettahalli is mentioned in its colloquial form Chigabetahali in this inscription.

Discovery and dating
This inscription was first documented in Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 9, published by B.L.Rice in 1905 CE as BN inscription number 19.

As per the "English/Roman" calendar system," the inscription was made on 26-November-1524 CE (Julian). The date given in the inscription in the local luni-solar calendar system is "Tarana Samvatsara, Margashira, Su 1". The inscription omits the year's number designation. Since that year was the only one during his reign to bear the name Tarana samvatsara, we can conclude that it was 1524 CE since Krishnaraya (Krishnadevaraya) is mentioned as the monarch at that time.

Locals believe that the stone was in a sizable ditch at the back of the temple until it was moved and put in its present position twenty years ago.

Explanation of the inscription
As Singapura and Chikkabettahalli are mentioned in this 1524 CE inscription, we can infer that these two places are at least 500 years old. Given that the God of Tirumala and Tiruvengalanatha at Singapura is mentioned in this inscription, we can assume that the temple that is currently known as Varadaraja Swamy temple is at least 500 years old. The inscription speaks of Tirumala as something exceptional, referring to the hill in Singapura in 1524 CE. It is the earliest known "chikka-tirupati" (mini-Tirupati).

This inscription is somewhat rare in that it is a record of an entire village being donated to a temple. The authority to donate villages usually only resided with a king. Therefore, donations were most often only smaller parcels of land. Chiefs of provinces who received provincial governing authority from the king could also donate an entire village

When a village was donated, the temple received ownership rights to all land inside the village's borders as well as all village taxes. The temple would then designate tenant farmers on such donated grounds, determining how much of the harvest and money the tenants would be required to share back. Part of the grains, fruits, flowers, vegetables, and so on would be used by the temple; any remaining produce would either be sold or kept. The proceeds from these sales would fund temple operations. Temples with such land ownership structures functioned as hubs of religion and also had a significant impact on other aspects of life. As an entire village was donated to fund the activities of the Ramanujakoota at the Tiruvengalanatha temple, we can conclude that the temple and village was an important religious hub in the region. Since the inscription mentions that Singappanayaka donated Chikkabettahalli village to the Tiruvengalanatha temple at Singapura, it is likely that it is his sculpture by the sukhanasi in the temple.

Krishnaraya was the reigning samrajya (empire) of Karnataka. The Vijayanagara empire is a more common term for the Karnataka Samrajya. But in actuality, Vijayanagara was the empire's capital rather than the empire itself. The final six lines contain shapashya, or warning curses. They safeguard the donation by drawing comparisons between the sins of robbing a holy cow on the banks of the Ganges and killing one's own parents.