The Domlur inscriptions and hero stones are 18 passages of modern Tamil and Kannada text inscribed on stone pillars and temple walls in Domlur, a locality in the eastern part of the city of Bengaluru in India. More generally, hero stones are memorial stones commemorating the honourable death of a hero in battle, and are located all over India.
All except one of the Domlur inscriptions and hero stones are located in the precincts of the Chokkanathaswamy Temple in Domlur, with 17 of them dedicated to either the deity Chokkanathaswamy or the Chokka Perumal (the Hindu God Vishnu). Eleven of the inscriptions have previously been documented in Epigraphia Carnatica, Vol 9, with seven more recorded in the Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society.
Dating and documentation
At various places in the inscriptions Domlur is referred to as 'Tombalur', 'Dombalur', or 'Desi Manicka Patanam', and these references help date the inscriptions. The earliest mention of one of these variations of Domlur is that of Tombalur in the 13th century CE Tamil-language Tripurantaka Perumal Enbe Devar, proving that Domlur has existed at least since the 13th century CE. Indeed, 11 of the 17 inscriptions in the Chokkanathaswamy Temple are from the period 1200-1440 CE and are mostly donatory inscriptions for the deity Chokkanathaswamy and for the Someshwara Temple (now non-existent). However, the Karnataka State Gazetteer (Part 1, 1990) records the 1975 discovery of an 8th-century Bhairava idol in Domlur by S. R. Rao, the renowned Indian archaeologist, suggesting that Domlur may have held significance as a settlement as early as the 8th century. Unfortunately, neither the idol nor S. R. Rao's documentation of it can be traced today.
The Domlur inscriptions were first documented in the Epigraphia Carnatica and later in successive archaeological reports and journals. Notably, R. Narasimhachar reported in the Mysore Archaeological Report (1911) that he found the Chokkanathaswamy Temple in ruins, but on undertaking the excavation of the ruins he discovered five inscriptions on hero stones. The temple was subsequently restored, although details about the timeline of the restoration and the individuals or groups involved in it are presently unavailable. A painting from 1947 exhibited within the temple premises depicts the temple in its previous state of disrepair, possibly indicating that the temple was restored post-1947.
As detailed below, a number of the Domlur hero stones display variations in their age, physical characteristics, and language(s) of the text.
1. Veera Ballala inscription - temple north wall - 1302CE
This hero stone bears a Tamil inscription in the Grantha and Tamil scripts dated to 20 Feb 1302 and written in the reign of the Hoysala king Veera Ballala. It is a standardised donatory inscription commanded by the king, instructing that all the taxes and the rights from the dry and wet lands of Domlur, including loom tax revenue, customs tax, and other taxes in addition to food and other offerings, shall be given to the deity Chokka Perumal for the Hindu prayer ritual of pooja, excepting the property of the god Somanatha Deva.
This inscription is one among a number of such "standardised" inscriptions reviewing grants to temples in the Bengaluru and Kolar regions that Veera Ballala instructed to be engraved in the Madivala Someshwara, Gunjur Someshewara, Ivar Kandapura Dharmeshvara, Nandi Kamateshwara, Shivara Gangadareshwara, and Dodda Kallahalli Temples.
Discovery and dating
Although the inscription was mentioned in the Mysore Archeological Report (1911) and the Quarterly Journal of The Mythic Society has also documented and published it, the exact text of the inscription has not been previously published. However, in April 2022 the Mythic Society Bengaluru Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project team identified the inscription in the temple and 3D scanned it. The inscription was subsequently read by Soundari Rajkumar and Pon Karthikeyan using the digital images produced from the scan, enabling the writing of the inscription to be dated to 20 February 1302 CE.
Physical characteristics The inscription stone is 19 cm tall and 1658 cm long, with characters 4.3 cm tall, 3.4 cm wide and 0.3 cm deep.
Transliteration of the text The inscription is written in three lines of the Tamil language in the Grantha and Tamil scripts. The exact transliteration of the inscription in modern Tamil, Kannada and IAST is as follows.
(The line numbers are not part of the original inscription - including them is a default practice with inscriptions.) Modern TamilIASTModern Kannada1ஸ்வஸ்தி ஶ்ரீ ஶ்ரீ மத் ப்ரதாப சக்ரவத்தி ஶ்ரீ ஹொய்சாள வீரவல்லாளதேவன் ஹேஸர குந்தாணி ராஜ்யம் விரிவி நாடு மாசந்தி நாடு முரசுனாடு பெண்ணையாண்டார் மட நாடு ஐம்புழுகூர் நாடு எலவூர் நாடு குவளால நாடு கைவார நாடு சொக்கனாயன் பற்று இலைப்பாக்க நாடு முன்னான எல்லா நாடுகளிலுள்ள தேவஸ்தானங்களில் மடபதிகளுக்கும் ஸ்தானாபதிக்கும் விண்ணப்பஞ் செய்யப் (பெற) கலியுக வருஷம் 3679 இதன் மேற் செல்லா நின்ற ஸகாப்தம் 1224 ஆவது ப்ல வருஷத்து மார்கழி மாஸம் 22 ௳ திங்கட்கிழமை நாள் இந்த ராஜ்யத்து தேவதானன் திருவிடையாட்டம் மடப்புறம் பள்ளிச்சந்தமான தான மான்யங்களில் இறுக்கும் ஸித்தாயங் காணிsvasti śrī śrī mat pratāpa cakravatti śrī hŏycāl̤a vīravallāl̤atevan hesara kuntāṇi rājyam virivi nāṭu mācanti nāṭu muracunāṭu pĕṇṇaiyāṇṭār maṭa nāṭu aimpuḻukūr nāṭu ĕlavūr nāṭu kuval̤āla nāṭu kaivāra nāṭu cŏkkanāyaṉ paṟṟu ilaippākka nāṭu muṉṉāṉa ĕllā nāṭukal̤ilul̤l̤a tevastāṉaṅkal̤il maṭapatikal̤ukkum stāṉāpatikkum viṇṇappañ cĕyyap (pĕṟa) kaliyuka varuṣam 3679 itaṉ meṟ cĕllā niṉṟa sakāptam 1224 āvatu pla varuṣattu mārkaḻi māsam 22 ௳ tiṅkaṭkiḻamai nāl̤ inta rājyattu tevatāṉan tiruviṭaiyāṭṭam maṭappuṟam pal̤l̤iccantamāṉa tāṉa mānyaṅkal̤il iṟukkum sittāyaṅ kāṇiಸ್ವಸ್ತಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಶ್ರೀ ಮತ್ ಪ್ರತಾಪ ಚಕ್ರವತ್ತಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಹೊಯ್ಚಾಳ ವೀರವಲ್ಲಾಳತೇವನ್ ಹೇಸರ ಕುಂತಾಣಿ ರಾಜ್ಯಂ ವಿರಿವಿ ನಾಟು ಮಾಚಂತಿ ನಾಟು ಮುರಚುನಾಟು ಪೆಣ್ಣೈಯಾಂಟಾರ್ ಮಟ ನಾಟು ಐಂಪುೞುಕೂರ್ ನಾಟು ಎಲವೂರ್ ನಾಟು ಕುವಳಾಲ ನಾಟು ಕೈವಾರ ನಾಟು ಚೊಕ್ಕನಾಯನ಼್ ಪಱ್ಱು ಇಲೈಪ್ಪಾಕ್ಕ ನಾಟು ಮುನ಼್ನ಼ಾನ಼ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ನಾಟುಕಳಿಲುಳ್ಳ ತೇವಸ್ತಾನ಼ಂಕಳಿಲ್ ಮಟಪತಿಕಳುಕ್ಕುಂ ಸ್ತಾನ಼ಾಪತಿಕ್ಕುಂ ವಿಣ್ಣಪ್ಪಞ್ ಚೆಯ್ಯಪ್ (ಪೆಱ) ಕಲಿಯುಕ ವರುಷಂ 3679 ಇತನ಼್ ಮೇಱ್ ಚೆಲ್ಲಾ ನಿನ಼್ಱ ಸಕಾಪ್ತಂ 1224 ಆವತು ಪ್ಲ ವರುಷತ್ತು ಮಾರ್ಕೞಿ ಮಾಸಂ 22 ௳ ತಿಂಕಟ್ಕಿೞಮೈ ನಾಳ್ ಇಂತ ರಾಜ್ಯತ್ತು ತೇವತಾನ಼ನ್ ತಿರುವಿಟೈಯಾಟ್ಟಂ ಮಟಪ್ಪುಱಂ ಪಳ್ಳಿಚ್ಚಂತಮಾನ಼ ತಾನ಼ ಮಾನ್ಯಂಕಳಿಲ್ ಇಱುಕ್ಕುಂ ಸಿತ್ತಾಯಙ್ ಕಾಣಿ2க்கை தறியிறை கட்டாரப்பாட்டம் சாரி(கை)யுட்பட்ட பல வரிவுகளும் மற்றுமெப்பேற்பட்ட இறைகளுந் தவிற்து இந்த விபவங்கள் இந்தந்த தேவர்களுக்கு பூஜைக்கும் அமுதுக்கும் போகங்களுக்கும் திருப்பணிக்கும் தாரா பூ(ர்)ண்ணமாக உதகம் பண்ணிக் குடுத்தோம் இப்படிக்கு இலைப்பாக்க நாட்டுத் தோம்பலூரில் சோமனாத தேவருடைய தேவதானமு மடப்புறமும் நீக்கி யிந்தத் தோம்பலூர் நஞ்சை புன்செய் நாற்பாலெல்லையு மேநோக்கின மரமும் கீனோக்கின கிணறு மனையும் மனைப்படப்பையு மெப்பேற்பட்ட வுரிமையு மெப்பேற்பட்ட இறைககளும் இவ்வூற் பெருமாள் சொக்கப் பெருமாளுக்கு உதகம் பண்ணிக் குடுத்தோம் இந்த விபவம் கொkkai taṟiyiṟai kaṭṭārappāṭṭam cāri(kai)yuṭpaṭṭa pala varivukal̤um maṟṟumĕppeṟpaṭṭa iṟaikal̤un taviṟtu inta vipavaṅkal̤ intanta tevarkal̤ukku pūjaikkum amutukkum pokaṅkal̤ukkum tiruppaṇikkum tārā pū(r)ṇṇamāka utakam paṇṇik kuṭuttom ippaṭikku ilaippākka nāṭṭut tompalūril comaṉāta tevaruṭaiya tevatāṉamu maṭappuṟamum nīkki yintat tompalūr nañcai puṉcĕy nāṟpālĕllaiyu menokkiṉa maramum kīṉokkiṉa kiṇaṟu maṉaiyum maṉaippaṭappaiyu mĕppeṟpaṭṭa vurimaiyu mĕppeṟpaṭṭa iṟaikakal̤um ivvūṟ pĕrumāl̤ cŏkkap pĕrumāl̤ukku utakam paṇṇik kuṭuttom inta vipavam kŏಕ್ಕೈ ತಱಿಯಿಱೈ ಕಟ್ಟಾರಪ್ಪಾಟ್ಟಂ ಚಾರಿ(ಕೈ)ಯುಟ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಪಲ ವರಿವುಕಳುಂ ಮಱ್ಱುಮೆಪ್ಪೇಱ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಇಱೈಕಳುನ್ ತವಿಱ್ತು ಇಂತ ವಿಪವಂಕಳ್ ಇಂತಂತ ತೇವರ್ಕಳುಕ್ಕು ಪೂಜೈಕ್ಕುಂ ಅಮುತುಕ್ಕುಂ ಪೋಕಂಕಳುಕ್ಕುಂ ತಿರುಪ್ಪಣಿಕ್ಕುಂ ತಾರಾ ಪೂ(ರ್)ಣ್ಣಮಾಕ ಉತಕಂ ಪಣ್ಣಿಕ್ ಕುಟುತ್ತೋಂ ಇಪ್ಪಟಿಕ್ಕು ಇಲೈಪ್ಪಾಕ್ಕ ನಾಟ್ಟುತ್ ತೋಂಪಲೂರಿಲ್ ಚೋಮನ಼ಾತ ತೇವರುಟೈಯ ತೇವತಾನ಼ಮು ಮಟಪ್ಪುಱಮುಂ ನೀಕ್ಕಿ ಯಿಂತತ್ ತೋಂಪಲೂರ್ ನಂಚೈ ಪುನ಼್ಚೆಯ್ ನಾಱ್ಪಾಲೆಲ್ಲೈಯು ಮೇನೋಕ್ಕಿನ಼ ಮರಮುಂ ಕೀನ಼ೋಕ್ಕಿನ಼ ಕಿಣಱು ಮನ಼ೈಯುಂ ಮನ಼ೈಪ್ಪಟಪ್ಪೈಯು ಮೆಪ್ಪೇಱ್ಪಟ್ಟ ವುರಿಮೈಯು ಮೆಪ್ಪೇಱ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಇಱೈಕಕಳುಂ ಇವ್ವೂಱ್ ಪೆರುಮಾಳ್ ಚೊಕ್ಕಪ್ ಪೆರುಮಾಳುಕ್ಕು ಉತಕಂ ಪಣ್ಣಿಕ್ ಕುಟುತ್ತೋಂ ಇಂತ ವಿಪವಂ ಕೊ3ண்டு திருவாராதனையும் திருப்பொன் கம்ம.... கங்களுந் திருப்பணியும் குறைவற நடத்தி நமக்கும் நம் ராஜ்யத்துக்கும் அற பூதையமாக வாழ்த்தி ஸுகமேயிருப்பதுṇṭu tiruvārātaṉaiyum tiruppŏṉ kamma.... kaṅkal̤un tiruppaṇiyum kuṟaivaṟa naṭatti namakkum nam rājyattukkum aṟa pūtaiyamāka vāḻtti sukameyiruppatuಣ್ಟು ತಿರುವಾರಾತನ಼ೈಯುಂ ತಿರುಪ್ಪೊನ಼್ ಕಮ್ಮ.... ಕಂಕಳುನ್ ತಿರುಪ್ಪಣಿಯುಂ ಕುಱೈವಱ ನಟತ್ತಿ ನಮಕ್ಕುಂ ನಂ ರಾಜ್ಯತ್ತುಕ್ಕುಂ ಅಱ ಪೂತೈಯಮಾಕ ವಾೞ್ತ್ತಿ ಸುಕಮೇಯಿರುಪ್ಪತು
Translation in English The text has been published in Epigraphia Carnatica Volume 9. It reads as follows:
"Salutation ! In the reign of hoysala king Veera vallaala deva, As per the requests to the all the head of temples and monasteries of the Hesara kundani kingdom, virivi naadu, maasanthi naadu, murasu naadu, pennaiyandar mada naadu, Aimpuzhugur naadu, elavur naadu, kuvalaala naadu, kaaivaara naadu, ilaipakka naadu (Properties of chokka natha)
"In kaliyuga year 3679, saka year 1224 margazhi month 22nd day, monday, all the taxes from the temple lands (devadana - shiva, thiruvidaiyattam - vishnu, pallichandam - buddhist and jain) including loom tax, revenue, customs tax and other taxes are to be given to the pooja, food and others offerings to the gods of the respective temples. In thombalur all the taxes and the rights from the dry and wet lands except of the somanatha deva's properties are given to the chokka perumaal. It includes all the trees, wells, plots within the boundary of the land, with this revenue all the worships and renovations of the temple should be performed without any issues."
2. Singaperumal Nambiyar inscription (Tamil) - 16th century
This hero stone bears an inscription in the Tamil language and the characters are both in Tamil and Grantha. It is a rather unique inscription as the text seems like a personal note, recording that a Singaperumal nambiyar had 15 vattam lands, of which 5 nalayarar were given by Ragavar and Sokkappan to Allappan and brothers as crop produce.
Discovery and dating The Quarterly Journal of The Mythic Society has documented and published this inscription. In April 2022 the Mythic Society Bengaluru Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project team identified the inscription in the temple and 3D scanned it. The inscription was subsequently read by Soundari Rajkumar and Pon Karthikeyan using the digital images produced from the scan, enabling the writing of the inscription to be paleographically dated to the 16th century CE.
Physical characteristics The inscription stone measures 16 cm high by 311 cm wide, with characters approximately 4.4 cm tall, 5.5 cm wide, and 0.3 cm deep.
Transliteration of the text The inscription is written in three lines of the Tamil language in the Grantha and Tamil scripts. The exact transliteration of the inscription in modern Tamil, IAST, and Kannada is as follows. Line NumberTamilIASTKannada Transliteration1வியய வருஷம் ஆடி மாதம் சாலத்தல் காணியில் சிங்கப்பெருமாள் நம்பியார் க்ஷேத்ரம் பதினைஞ்சு வட்டம். யிதில் யிராகவ‑viyaya varuṣam āṭi mātam cālattal kāṇiyil ciṅkappĕrumāl̤ nampiyār kṣetram patiṉaiñcu vaṭṭam. yitil yirākava‑ವಿಯಯ ವರುಷಂ ಆಟಿ ಮಾತಂ ಚಾಲತ್ತಲ್ ಕಾಣಿಯಿಲ್ ಚಿಂಕಪ್ಪೆರುಮಾಳ್ ನಂಪಿಯಾರ್ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಂ ಪತಿನ಼ೈಂಚು ವಟ್ಟಂ. ಯಿತಿಲ್ ಯಿರಾಕವ‑2ரும் சொக்கப்பனும் அல்லப்பநுக்கும் தம்பிமாக்கும் ஐஞ்சு நாளயாரர் பூக்தமாக குடுத்தோம்.rum cŏkkappaṉum allappanukkum tampimākkum aiñcu nāl̤ayārar pūktamāka kuṭuttom.ರುಂ ಚೊಕ್ಕಪ್ಪನ಼ುಂ ಅಲ್ಲಪ್ಪನುಕ್ಕುಂ ತಂಪಿಮಾಕ್ಕುಂ ಐಂಚು ನಾಳಯಾರರ್ ಪೂಕ್ತಮಾಕ ಕುಟುತ್ತೋಂ.
3. Kamanna Dandanayaka's Donation inscription - temple wall - 1328CE
This hero stone bears an incomplete Kannada inscription and a possible donatory inscription dated to 1328CE in the inscription itself. It possibly records the donation by Kamana Danayaka, son of someone called Ponnanna, and has been documented in Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 9.
Physical characteristics The inscription is 21 cm tall and 229 cm wide, with characters 4 cm tall, 5 cm wide, and with a medium depth of 0.27 cm.
Transliteration of the text