Epigraphical Profile & Archaeological Context
Location & Site:Vindhyagiri Hill, Shravanabelagola, Karnataka
Historical Period:Late Western Ganga Period (10th Century CE)
Patron Sovereign:Chavundaraya (Minister of King Rachamalla IV)
🖋️Primary Inscriptional Text
Kannada-Brahmi Script • Archaic Kannada & SanskritOriginal Text Transliterated in Devanagari / Regional Script:
श्री चामुण्डराजेन कारितं... गोम्मटेश्वरस्य महाप्रतिष्ठानम्...
Romanized Transliteration (IAST):
Śrī Cāmuṇḍarājena kāritaṃ... Gommaṭeśvarasya mahā-pratiṣṭhānam...
Scholarly English Translation:
“Erected by Commander Chavundaraya, the crest-jewel of Ganga ministers and disciple of Acharya Nemichandra. Commemorates the miraculous carving and consecration of the 57-foot Gommateshwara monolith atop Vindhyagiri.”
🔬Historical & Epigraphical Significance
Authoritative contemporary record detailing the commissioning, consecration, and civic patronage of the world-renowned Bahubali monolith.
Primary Epigraphical Citations:
- Epigraphia Carnatica, Vol. II, No. 281 (Old 109)
- Settar, S., Inviting Death: Historical Experiments on Sepulchral Hill, 1986
Associated Archaeological Monument:
View Monument ProfileShravanabelagola Vindhyagiri & Chandragiri Hills
The supreme spiritual epicenter of South Indian Digambara Jainism. Features the 57-foot free-standing monolithic colossus of Bhagwan Bahubali atop Vindhyagiri, and the sacred Chandragiri Hill containing 14 historic basadis and over 500 lithic inscriptions.