K Bettahalli Pandavapura researchers.
Credit: DH Photo
Mandya: For generations, a slab of white granite lay quietly at the entrance of Sri Mahalakshmi Temple at K Bettahalli, in Pandavapura taluk, Mandya district, escaping the attention of the public.
Its recent discovery has opened a window to the 12th century, revealing an eternal relation between Hoysala Karnataka and Tamilakam.
Scholars from the Mysuru-based Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK) have identified a rare and unpublished inscription, dating to the tenure of Hoysala King Narasimha I. Carved in Kannada script, the nine-line inscription utilises Kannada, Tamil, and Sanskrit languages, indicating a period of cultural and administrative harmony.
Commander’s legacy
“The inscription begins with the auspicious invocation of ‘Svastishri’ and bears the royal emblems of the conch (shanka) and discus (chakra)," said C A Shashidhara CESCK Junior Archaeologist.
According to CESCK Project Director N M Talwar, the inscription accounts for a land grant by Karikudi Tillai Koottandi, a Dandanayaka (military commander) of Tamil origin.
The broken soapstone ‘Kalasha’ at Sri Mahalakshmi Temple, K Bettahalli, Pandavapura taluk, Mandya distric
Credit: DH Photo
Koottandi donated the village of Mudana Battahalli — present-day K Bettahalli — to support rituals and festivals at the Sri Vittirunda (Krishna) Temple, located at Sri Yadava Narayana Chaturvedi Mangala (modern Keretonnuru).
“This clearly shows that Tamilians occupied senior positions in the Hoysala military and were active patrons of temples across Karnataka. It reflects a deep, everyday connection between the two regions,” said Talwar.
Traces of the past
The discovery was possible with local inputs, provided to archaeologist Shashidhara, who realised the stone's value. However, the Mahalakshmi Temple has undergone an extensive renovation, erasing most of its original features. Except for the inscription and a broken soapstone ‘kalasha’ found near the sanctum sanctorum, very little evidence remains to prove the temple’s age.
“We also found an inscription on the pedestal of the goddess that reads ‘Sri Mahalakshmi Deviyaru’ in Hoysala script. If these remnants are lost, an 850-year-old history will vanish,” said Shashidhara.
History corroborated
Archaeologist N S Rangaraju said that Koottandi’s funding was not a one-off act.
“Records from nearby Tonnur (Kere) indicate that the commander had earlier purchased the land for 80 gadyanas to donate it to the same deity. These findings show a shared past, where language, power, and faith cross regional boundaries with ease,” he said.