Kuruvagatta inscription of Biragriha

The Kuruvagatta inscription is a short record of Biragriha, a son of Vinayaditya-Yuddhamalla, the founder of the Chalukyas of Vemulavada. N. Venkataramanayya called it the earliest record of the family.¹² He used it to date the first generations.¹²

The stone

The inscription is cut on a stone in front of an image of the goddess Chaudamba.³ The image is carved on a rock between two boulders, on a hillock by the stream Minamba.³ The place is opposite the village of Kuruvagatta, in the Nagarkurnool taluk of the old Mahbubnagar district.³ A ruined Siva shrine stands nearby, but the record mentions neither the shrine nor the goddess.³

The record consists of a Sanskrit verse and a Kannada prose passage, in early Telugu-Kannada letters.³¹ In his edition, Venkataramanayya dated the letters to about the beginning of the 9th century.³¹ In his discussion of the sources, he dated them to the latter half of the 8th.³¹ He published the text and a photograph as Appendix B of his book of 1953.⁴

Contents

The verse says that Kalivallabha was born in the Rashtrakuta family, and that his son was Govinda-vallabha.⁴⁵ It says that Biragriha, son of Vinayaditya of the Chalukya family, was Govinda-vallabha’s friend.⁴⁵ The Kannada passage praises Biragriha’s daring.⁴⁵ The 1964 catalogue summary says that he lived up to his name by great bravery in many battles.⁴⁵

Venkataramanayya identified Kalivallabha with the Rashtrakuta king Dhruva (780–793).²⁶ He identified Govinda-vallabha with Dhruva’s son Govinda III (793–814).²⁶ He took Biragriha to be a brother, or half-brother, of Arikesari I.²⁶ He took the Vinayaditya of the record to be Vinayaditya-Yuddhamalla I.²⁶

Other summaries

Epigraphia Telanganica (2023) lists the record twice under the Rashtrakutas.⁷⁵ One entry is from Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh, Mahabubnagar District (2003).⁷⁵ It places the record in front of the Chowdesvara temple at Kuruva Gattupalli, in the Jadcherla taluk.⁷⁵

The other entry is from a catalogue of inscriptions copied up to 1964, and it places the record at Kuravagattu.⁷⁵ It adds that the record gives one pannasa of land to Brahmasakti Bhattaraka of Dhammadriparvata for performing fasting rites.⁷⁵

Venkataramanayya’s edition says only that it records Biragriha’s exploits.³ So does the summary in Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (1961).⁸ That summary calls the son of Vinayaditya an abode of prowess who distinguished himself in numerous battles.⁸ It gives the date of Govinda III as 792–814.⁸ Epigraphia Telanganica also reprints Venkataramanayya’s edition under the Vemulavada Chalukyas.⁹

Footnotes

1. N. Venkataramanayya, The Chalukyas of L(V)emulavada (1953), p. 1 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. Venkataramanayya, Chalukyas of L(V)emulavada (1953), p. 10 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

3. Venkataramanayya, Chalukyas of L(V)emulavada (1953), p. 81, introduction to the Kuruvagatta inscription (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

4. Venkataramanayya, Chalukyas of L(V)emulavada (1953), p. 82, text, and plate 1 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

5. Epigraphia Telanganica I (2023), p. 78. Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

6. Venkataramanayya, Chalukyas of L(V)emulavada (1953), p. 19 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

7. Gajjala Vasanta Lakshmi (ed.), Epigraphia Telanganica I: Pre-Kakatiya Telangana (2023), p. 77, Rashtrakuta Nos. 6 and 7. Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

8. Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (Andhra Pradesh Government Archaeological Series 3, 1961), p. 11, No. 29 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩² ↩³

9. Epigraphia Telanganica I (2023), pp. 90–91, Vemulavada Chalukya No. 7. Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩