🪨 Stone Manuscripts (Inscriptions)

1. Introduction

Before palm leaf and paper, stone was the primary medium to preserve royal decrees, land grants, religious texts, and cultural records.
These are called Shilashasana (ಶಿಲಾಶಾಸನ) in Kannada, meaning stone inscription.
Written by engraving letters using chisels on stone slabs, temple walls, pillars, and rocks.
Most inscriptions are in Prakrit, Sanskrit, and Kannada, depending on the period.

Royal edicts: Laws, administrative orders, tax rules.
Land grants: Donations to temples, Brahmins, and monasteries.
Religious records: Temple constructions, endowments, rituals.
Victories & wars: Military achievements of kings.
Social & cultural life: Guild activities, festivals, village administration.

Mauryan Period (3rd century BCE):
- Ashoka’s Rock Edicts and Pillar Edicts in Prakrit (Brahmi script).
- Spread Buddhist moral code (Dhamma).
Gupta Period (4th–6th century CE):
- Sanskrit inscriptions, mostly eulogies and grants.
Medieval India:
- Rajput, Chola, Vijayanagara, and Mughal inscriptions.
- Often bilingual/multilingual (Sanskrit + regional language).

Karnataka is known as the land of inscriptions, with more than 25,000 inscriptions found (one of the richest in India).
Earliest: Halmidi Inscription (c. 450 CE) – first full Kannada inscription, in Halegannada.
Dynasties and examples:
- Kadambas (4th–6th c. CE): Early Kannada and Sanskrit inscriptions.
- Chalukyas (6th–8th c. CE): Aihole and Badami inscriptions; records of temple constructions.
- Rashtrakutas (8th–10th c. CE): Kannada-Sanskrit inscriptions praising kings.
- Hoysalas (11th–14th c. CE): Rich in temple grants; Belur and Halebidu temples have stone manuscripts.
- Vijayanagara Empire (14th–16th c. CE): Multilingual inscriptions (Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Sanskrit).
Languages: Halegannada, Sanskrit (Nagari/Grantha), later Persian-Arabic (Bahmani & Adil Shahi rule).

Engraved on:
- Temple walls & pillars (e.g., Virupaksha temple at Pattadakal).
- Hero stones (Veeragallu, वीरगल्लು / ವೀರಗಲ್ಲು): Memorials for warriors.
- Sati stones: In memory of women who performed sati.
Durable: Many survive even after 1,500 years.
Artistic: Some have carvings, borders, and deity images.

Preserved in original temple sites, museums, and archaeological collections.
Studied through Epigraphy (the science of inscriptions).
Epigraphia Carnatica – monumental work by B. L. Rice (19th century) compiling Karnataka inscriptions.
Today, digital epigraphy projects are scanning inscriptions for long-term access.

Provide authentic historical evidence (dates, dynasties, language evolution).
Showcase growth of Kannada from Halegannada to Hosa Kannada.
Preserve details of social structure, economy, and cultural practices.
Complement literary sources by giving factual, dated information.