Udupi: An early Kannada inscription of great historical importance has been discovered at the Mangodu Subramanya Temple, near Kuthpady. The epigraph is inscribed on a natural roundish pillar found only in St Mary’s Island. The earlyAlupa rulers widely used this stone for writing their inscriptions.
The inscription begins with a simple word Swasthisri (may it be well) and says that the servant of Navra, Pala Achiya stabbed Svetavahana while forcibly enteringUdayapura, burnt the Kosha (may be referring to the body of Svetavahana), fell fighting and attained heaven.
The inscription is written in the early Kannada script and language, and is assignable to the early 9th century A.D. It was written in 8 lines, the 7th line of the inscription being completely worn out.
Historical Importance:
The epigraph introduced two personalities, hitherto unknown in history, such asNavra, a ruler and Pala Achiya his servant. The inscription not only records the valiant fighting and death of Pala Achiya, but records the end of Svetavahana’srule which was unknown before.
The record is also very useful for understanding the antiquity of MangoduSubramanya Temple. With the help of this record, we can safely assign the temple to the early 9th century A.D.