The first-ever epigraphical reference to the date of death of Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya has been discovered at Honnenahalli in Tumakuru district.
As per the inscription, Krishnadevaraya, one of the greatest emperors of India who ruled from the South, died on October 17, 1529, Sunday, and incidentally this day was marked by a lunar eclipse. K. Munirathnam, Director, Epigraphy Branch of the Archaeological Survey of India, Mysuru, said their office received a photograph of the inscription from K.R. Narasimhan, a retired professor, who stays in Yelahanka, Bengaluru. On deciphering, it turned out to be an inscription recording the date of death of Krishnadevaraya, he added.
The inscription is engraved on a slab kept on the north side of the Gopalakrishna temple at Honnenahalli in Tumakuru district and is written in Kannada, said Prof. Narasimhan. It records the demise of Kṛishṇadēvarāya — (Vīrakṛishṇarāya mahārāyalu yī tathā tithiyalu astamayarāgalu)_ in Śaka 1451, Virōdhi, śu. 15, lunar eclipse, which corresponds to 1529 AD, October 17, Sunday, according to Prof. Munirathnam.
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The inscription also registers gift of village Honnenahalli in Tumakuru for conducting worship to the god Veeraprasanna Hanumantha of Tumakuru.
The Kalahasti inscription refers to the date of Achyutaraya’s coronation as October 21, 1529 AD, according to Dr. Munirathnam and Prof. Narasimhan.
Prof. Narasimhan said one of his friends M. Dhanpal, a BMTC driver and an archaeology buff, drew his attention to the inscription by sending him the photographs.
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“Dhanpal has a tendency to scour the places he visits for archaeological remains and stones and shares the details with me,” said Prof. Narasimhan.
“On receiving the photo and studying it, I informed Dhanpal that this inscription refers to Krishnadevaraya,” he added.
Normally, the death of kings was not recorded in the inscriptions and this was one of those rare records, Prof. Narasimhan added.