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Singapura Varadaraja Swamy Temple Related Inscriptions
Singapura is a locality in the northwestern part of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The name Singapura is often confused with the famous country Singapore. However, within Bengaluru, there exists an ancient Singapura, situated approximately 17 km from Majestic and around 6 km from the Yelahanka Bus Stand.

The Varadarajaswamy Temple in Singapura is at least 500 years old, as revealed in Harohalli and Chikkabettahalli inscriptions related to the temple. The temple was referred to as the Tiruvengalanatha temple in inscriptions. The inscriptions also mention a grant given to Ramanuja Koota, a religious institution of Sri Vaishnavites, that flourished at the temple.

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

Harohalli 1530CE Krishnappanayaka's Ramanujakoota Inscription
Harohalli is located at GPS coordinates 13°07'50.7"N 77°34'48.6"E, is about 7 kilometers northeast of Singapura

Discovery and dating
The first record of the inscription is found 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 2nd, 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 inscribed in both 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. This inscription resembles very much 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 sculpted 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 (Hessaraghatta) chief Krishnappanayaka. The donation was intended for the religious merit of the 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.

For instance, jayabhyudaya>jeyabhyudaya and sthala>stala

With some words, mahaprana (aspirated consonant) and alpaprana (unaspirated consonant) are interchanged.

Examples : khartika > kartika; vaiboga > vaibhoga.

Similarly in a few cases, a anusvara (0) is used instead of a ottakshara example : Examples: namma > namma, mamkalu > makkalu

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 Bengaluru urban district at Chikkabettahalli, Thindlu, Allalasandra, Domlur, Kothnur, Bannerughatta, and Bommandahalli.

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 (in IAST) and Kannada
The inscription was later 3D scanned and Re-read by the Mythic Society Bengaluru Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project Team in the book "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 Sri Vaishnavites.

The fact that this inscription documents the donation of a whole hamlet to a temple makes it relatively unique. Generally, only kings had the power to give villages. As a result, gifts were typically limited to smaller land holdings. A whole village might also be donated by chiefs of provinces who were granted provincial governing authority by the monarch.

Thanks to local donations, 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 samrajya (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) stala. 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
Chikkabettahalli is mentioned in its colloquial form Chigabetahali in the 1524CE Chikkabettahalli inscription. The name Chikkabettahalli is derived from chikkabetta (small hill) and halli (for village). Chikkabettahalli is about 2 km northeast of Singapura at GPS coordinates 13°05'22.9"N 77°33'12.4"E. Chikkabettahalli is of interest as it is home to a vital inscription related to Singapura.

While a majority of people often associate the word Singapura with the nation of Singapore, there is also an ancient Singapura in Bengaluru. This Singapura is situated at GPS coordinates 13°07'50.5"N 77°34'48.5"E and is 17 kilometers from Majestic and 3 km from Yelahanka bus terminal.

Local granite was used to create the two Singapura-related inscriptions at Harohalli and Chikkabettahalli. Given their striking similarities, it's possible that they came from the same local stone quarry. It's also quite likely that they were both sculpted by the same artist. Despite the six-year gap, a few little errors that can be found in the Chikkabettahalli inscription are absent from the later Harohalli inscription. In this six years, the sculptor might have developed his abilities.

The inscription helps us learn that Singapura was a hub for Sri Vaishnavites.

Summary of the inscription
This 1524 CE inscription 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 when Krishnaraya was king.

Language
The inscription is written in a language that is easily understandable by all. Many terms are colloquial terms and not grammatically correct terms.

Examples: krsna is written as krisna, tappidavaru as tappidoru, hiriaya as hiriyaayya etc.

Size
The Chikkabettahalli inscription is on a stone slab 170cm tall and 74cm wide.

Discovery and dating
This inscription was first documented in the magnum opus Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 9, published by B.L.Rice in 1905 CE as Bangalore taluk inscription number 19. But in the 115 years since it was first reported, less than five people have gone there and attempted to decipher the inscription!

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.

The inscription was put on the right side of the Hanumanta temple at Chikkabettahalli in 1905 CE, according to records. On the other hand, 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. An information board is required to raise awareness even though the stone is currently under guard and the area is relatively safe.

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) in contemporary Bengaluru according to this citation.

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.

Physical Characteristics of the Stone
The bearing face, or front face of the inscription stone, has been smoothed to accommodate the inscription text. The stone slab has rough, uncovered sides and a back face. The upper part is carved with a sun, moon, and the Sri Vaishnavite sacred marks of Shankha, Chakra, and Naama. The 18 lines of writing that make up the inscription are below this.

Singapura 1528CE Nalapanayaka's Donation Inscription
While a majority of people often associate the word Singapura with the nation of Singapore, there is also an ancient Singapura in Bengaluru. This Singapura is situated at GPS coordinates 13°07'50.5"N 77°34'48.5"E and is 17 kilometers from Majestic and 3 km from Yelahanka bus terminal.

Prior to 2017, there had not been any inscription discovered within the actual Singapura. However, a few heritage-conscious individuals and researchers made the discovery of an unpublished inscription in Singapura that year.

Location
On 13-September-2020 Singapura residents Mohan Nayak, S.M.Nagaraju, S.V.Srinivas, T.Ajay Kumar, S.G.Shekar, S.S.Manjunath, S.K.Venkatesh and S.Srinivas, with fanfare and jubilation, shifted the stone to the Varadaraja Swamy temple (GPS - 13°04'42.7"N 77°32'13.9"E).

Summary of the Inscription
The inscription records the donation of some wetlands for partrabhoga’ purposes by a Nalapanayaka. The religious merits of this donation are to accrue to Singapura Beteraya and Singapanayaka.

Much of the inscription is badly effaced and more details are not decipherable.

Language and Script of the Inscription
This inscription uses colloquial Kannada language easily understood by common people eg. Samvatsara instead of samvatsara (sh instead of sa), Asada instead of asada (a instead of aa in ashaada), nalapanayka instead of nallappanayka.

Discovery of the Inscription Stone
In 2017, Mohan Nayak, a history enthusiast from Singapura, became interested in the subject after seeing a Facebook live feed. He observed P.L.Udaya Kumar in the live show talking about an inscription at the neighbouring Chikkabettahalli and its links to the Singapura temple. Mohan became intrigued and hurried to Chikkabettahalli. He got Udaya's number from the locals, called him, and told him about an inscription stone that looked similar in Singapura.

Not receiving an enthusiastic response from Udaya, Mohan persisted and requested Udaya to visit Singapura and check the inscription. On 31-December-2017, together, they visited the farm where the inscribed stone was. A security guard arrived while they were studying the stone and asked them to leave the place immediately. The guard suggested the duo get permission from Aditya Hanumareddy, the farm owner, before visiting the farm. When they contacted Aditya, he suggested they visit another day when he was also there. Later, on 13-January-2018, dong with Aditya, they revisited the farm, chalk traced the inscription and photographed it. They also shared photos of the trace with K.R.Narasimhan, a historian-epigraphist and sought his help to read the inscription.

When they inquired, Aditya told them that the stone had previously been placed by the lake that borders the farm (this was sometime in the 1970s). Aditya's grandfather, S.C. Venkatesh, found the stone on the ground as a new road was being built there. Upon observing the stone's etched characters, he deduced that it held significant historical significance and arranged for its installation on his land. His wife, Lakshmi Venkatesh, would venerate the inscription on festivals and other noteworthy occasions. The inscription stone was moved to the Varadaraja Swamy temple in Singapura in September 2020, thanks to the initiative of Udaya and the locals. Aditya and his brother Abhishek Hanumareddy approved the move.

Dating of the Inscription
The inscription dates to June 17, 1528 (Julian), according to the "English/Roman" system. According to the luni-solar calendar of the Saka era, the date indicated in the inscription is Sarvadari Samvatsara, Ashada, Shudha 1. The script (palaeography grounds) and reference to Singappa Nayaka establish the year 1528 CE.

Size
The Nalapanayaka's inscription is on a stone slab 170cm tall and 74cm wide.

Physical Characteristics of the Stone
Locally available granite stone has been used to carve the inscription. The stone resembles a simple pillar 157cm tall and 38cm wide. The inscription bearing face of the stone, has been prepared and is smooth, while the other faces are unfinished and rough. The upper portion of the inscription bearing face has simple carvings of the Sun and Moon, below which is the text of the inscription spread over 12 lines.

Explanation of the Inscription
Inscriptions at Chikkabettahalli and Harohalli  refer to a Tiruvengalanatha temple at Singapura. The Tiruvengalanatha temple is now called the Singapura Varadaraja Swamy temple. This fairly worn out inscription appears to record a donation to this same temple. From all of these, we can conclude that the Singapura mentioned in this inscription is at least 500 years old.

The Singappa Nayaka referenced in this inscription is most likely the source of Singapura's name. Given that the inscription uses the word "gadde," which means "wetlands," we can assume that Singapura Lake is at least 500 years old.