Sangareddy: In a landmark discovery in Indian history, the exact date of death of emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar empire is claimed to have been found on an inscription at Honnenhali village, Tumakur district in Karnataka.
According to the inscription written in Kannada, Sri Krishnadevaraya, one of the most famous South Indian kings in history, died on October 17, 1529. The inscription was found engraved on a block of stone to the north side of Gopalakrishna Temple at Honnenahalli.
Following the discovery of the inscription by retired Professor K R Narasimhan and his associate K Dhanpal, experts from Directorate of Epigraphy, Mysore, who decoded it, also visited the place on Thursday to further examine the inscription.
Speaking to Telangana Today over phone, Director of Epigraphy K Munirathnam Reddy said that according to an earlier inscription which was written in Kannada and Devanagari scripts, found at Sri Kalahasti Temple, Achyuta Devaraya, younger brother of Sri Krishnadevaraya, was coronated as the fourth king of Tuluva Dynasty on October 21, 1529 AD on the premises of Srikalahasthi Temple in Chittor district. However, there was no mention of the exact date of demise of Sri Krishnadevaraya in the inscription found at Sri Kalahasthi. With the discovery of the Honnenahalli inscription, it is confirmed that Achyutha Devaraya was coronated on the fourth day of his brother’s demise.
According to the Honnenhalli inscription made by local ruler, Thimmappanna Nayaka, other officials and inhabitants of Tumakur, they gifted Honnenhalli village to meet the expenses of prayers at Vīraprasannahanumanta Temple located in Tumakur.
Meanwhile, Narasimhan told Telangana Today that Dhanpal, who works as a driver in Bangalore Metropolitian Transport Corporation (BMTC), found the inscription. Dhanpal, who studied just SSC, informed his friend Narasimhan, who decoded the inscription. Narasimhan again forwarded the inscription to Director of Epigraphy to further confirm his findings. Though nothing was found about the cause of Sri Krishnadevaraya ‘s death in this inscription, according to information found in literature and other inscriptions, he died after prolonged illness.
Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today onTelegrameveryday. Click the link to subscribe.