JOIN USTumakuru city, like the rest of Tumakuru district, has emerged as a modern knowledge hub today. A haven for many reputed educational institutions, graduates from here are now in different places across the globe. The city has recently added another feather to its cap, by making it to the Government of India’s ‘Smart Cities Mission’ list. The government aims to boost economic growth as well as improve people’s quality of life ‘by enabling local development and harnessing technology’. While the city basks in its newfound glory, it is time to recollect its journey over the many centuries.
The many stone and copper inscriptions revealing the history of rulers, urban settlements and tanks of the erstwhile princely state of Mysore were translated into English in the late 19th century by Benjamin Lewis Rice, a British officer who was the state’s director of archaeological researches then. Between 1894 and 1905, the Epigraphia Carnatica was published in a set of 12 volumes. These not just contain the original inscriptions but also their English translation and Roman transliteration. Volume 12 reveals the rich history of Tumakuru city and the district, dating back to well over a millennial.
The early history
According to the inscriptions, the earliest kings to have ruled the district were the Western Gangas. They were known to have ruled a broader region of the southern and eastern districts of the present day Karnataka state from early AD years to about 1025 AD. A set of five copper plates (dating to 400 AD) belonging to King Madhavavarma have been found in Tumakuru district, the earliest such documentation found here. It is said that Madhavavarma could have been Kiriya Madhava or Madhava II. This particular record is related to a land granted by this king to Bodhi-Sattva, a Buddhist.
The oldest known veeragallu or hero stone from the district and the nearest to Tumakuru city is from the eighth century AD. It relates to Sripurusha, one of the great Western Ganga rulers. Veeragallus usually portray a warrior associated with a battle. There are quite a few of them dotting the landscape around Tumakuru city, many of which are undated. Some of them refer to the conflict between the Ganga and the Rashtrakuta chiefs. The inscriptions following these dynasties in the district are that of the Nolemba rulers, who were of Pallava origin. They had a capital at Penjuru or Henjuru, now called Hemavathi, which is to the north of Sira town.
A very interesting stone inscription at the city’s Someshwara Temple dates to 955 AD and refers to ‘Tummeguru kere’. This is the earliest form of the city’s name.
There are two Tamil inscriptions (dated 1048 AD and 1061 AD respectively) of the Cholas in the district. They were the supreme power in this region between 1000 AD to about 1070 AD. Hoysala inscriptions follow these closely. An important one in the vicinity of Tumakuru city is of Guli Bachi, a ruler of Marugerenad at Kaidala, a village about four km to the city’s south-west.
The Rameshvara, Gangeshvara, Narayana and Chalavarishvara temples in and around Tumakuru, apart from a few Jain basadis, owe their existence to this ruler. He is said to have been a patron of four faiths — Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivism and Vaishnavism.
Kaidala is also famous for its Chennakeshava Temple. According to some historians of Tumakuru city, this temple was built by Jakanacharya, the same architect who carved the Hoysala-era Chennakeshava Temple at Belur in Hassan district. But a few years ago, the guide who curated the temple walk for me at Belur disputed this.
Vijayanagar empire remnants
Vijayanagar empire soon captured the dominions of the Hoysalas and there are various records of their rule over the district, chiefly related to lands granted to individuals and foregoing of taxes to various communities. A rock at Devarayanadurga Hill about 15 km to the north-east of the city has an inscription dating back to 1387 AD. Devarayanadurga was then known as ‘Anebiddasari’ or ‘Anebiddajari’ and Tumakuru city was a part of it, as per the Imperial Gazetteer (Volume 24, 1908).
The oldest inscription within the city was recorded at the Garuda Stambha or the stone pillar in the Kodi-Basava Temple, which lies at the southern end of the bund of Tumakuru Amanikere near the old kodi (weir). It dated to 1515 AD, the era of Krishnadevaraya, considered by many as the greatest king of the Vijayanagar empire. The inscription on it mentioned it being constructed by one Paravata-Nayaka, son of Malli Setti. This temple was reconstructed in 1991 AD and today there is no trace of this stone pillar.
Another inscription from 1560 AD, again recorded on stone, is from Lakshmikanta Temple and mentioned the reign of Vijayanagar King Sadasiva Raya. It also refers to Anebiddajari. As the Vijayanagar empire broke up post the Battle of Talikota in 1565 AD, many of its feudatory states began to rule independently. The Mysore Wodeyars were one such dynasty. According to Mysore: A gazetteer compiled for government (1897) compiled by Rice, the present town of Tumakuru was founded by one Kanta Arasu of the Mysore family. However, it is not known in what year this happened. It then consisted of a fort and also a pete or pettah (town) to its east.
Although there is no trace of the fort today, the Kote Anjaneya Temple of this city is located a few metres to the south-west of Kodi Basava Temple. According to Chidananda, a heritage enthusiast from the city, a Kote Anjaneya temple is usually built at one of the entrances of kote (fort). Though this temple has a new look now, it is known to have originally existed at the same location for many centuries, giving us an idea of where the Tumakuru Fort might have been located.
A casual walk through the narrow alleys of the old city throws up many surprises for heritage lovers including old temples that have not been revealed to the outside world. A couple of them are the Kashi Vishwanatha Temple at Horapete and the Sunkadakatte Basaveswara Temple at Aralepete, both of which are many centuries old. Apart from these temples, inscriptions and hero stones, many old statues can be found across the city. All these are witness to the historic events and rulers who shaped this region in general and Tumakuru city in particular.