Tekal-Nadu: Seat of Saluva inscriptions

Inscriptions at the Varadaraja temple.

While travelling from Bengaluru to Bangarpet in a passenger train, I was mesmerised to see hills on either side of the railway track, just after the ‘Tyakal’ railway station. It looked as though someone had placed different-sized boulders randomly and playfully along the slopes. Curious about this region, I scanned through the pages of history and geology books. Epigraphia Carnatica Vol. X details all ten taluks of the erstwhile Kolar district. I found that this region, referred to as Tekal-Nadu, had occupied an important place during the Vijayanagara Empire’s rule.

Next time, while travelling by the same train, I got down at Tyakal station. There, I was informed that the ‘Tekal’ village is a mile away. From the railway station, I started my trek and pilgrimage to Tekal-Nadu, which is believed to have 101 places of worship, 101 water bodies, and according to a village elder, 101 cannons.

While walking along the Malur-Tekal-Bangarpet highway, I spotted a cluster of new and old temples, mosques and dargahs all adjacent to each other. After every few steps, there were idols of various gods and goddesses, some covered and enclosed, others lying open on platforms.

The village is nestled between two hills, Kurmadri and Hemadri. Closer to the foothills of Hemadri, popularly called Tekal Betta, was the temple complex of Sri Varadaraja Swami, built in Chola style. Only the lower portion of the Rajagopura survives. This temple is referred to as ‘Tekaanchi’, which means ‘Southern Kanchi’ because of its similarities to the famous Varadaraja Perumal temple at Kanchi, in Tamil Nadu. ‘Tekaanchi’ has become ‘Tekal’ in later years.

On the hills

As the main gate of the temple was closed, I moved around the periphery and found an entrance via the government school at the rear. Inside the temple complex, apart from the main temple, there was a marriage hall, a kitchen, and a few more structures in ruins, with weeds growing on the sides and rooftops.

What I found unique about this temple are the scores of inscriptions in Tamil and Grantha scripts all along the lower part of the enclosure wall. Some of them are about various grants given by the authorities from time to time. EC Vol. X records 28 inscriptions, dating from 1310 to 1509. Among them, I was surprised to find appreciation for various artisans, along with their names, for their woodwork, metal work and stonework.

As I proceeded to climb up the Hemadri hill to have a good look at the fort and the dargah of Hazrat Nasar Jung Shah Wali, I was warned by the locals about giant honeybee colonies and panthers. This hill had no steps. The path was full of slippery portions, tall grasses, and thorny bushes. For some portions, I had to crawl and climb up on all four limbs. The panoramic view is too scenic and calming to put into words. These hills are supposed to be the last part of the Shatasringa mountain ranges of Kolar.

As I started climbing, on the left was a huge boulder with an inscription dated 1434. It states that ‘the Tekal region was given to Saluva-Gopa-Raja. Prior to that, the stone fort on the top of the Tekal hill had been erected by king Ballala Raya’s ministers Ballappa Danayaka and Singi Danayaka. Over a long period, the fort had been overturned and gone to ruins. The new king Gopa Raja directed his minister Singa Raja to rebuild the inner and outer walls of the fort. On the completion of the bastion called Raja Gambhira, Goparaja and his son Tippaya had the tigers seized and brought, and hunted them here’. The boulder on which this inscription is carved is known as Huli Bande (meaning ‘tiger boulder’).

After climbing down, my exploration of other places of worship led me to an ancient Hanuman temple and Draupadi temple where she is placed above the Pandavas. Further, I found some more ancient temples and a Shiva temple on top of a boulder. At another end of the village, there was a temple beside a large water body. From the village to the railway tracks, there are many ancient wells and tanks. After some time, I lost count of finding these 101 water bodies and 101 places of worship.