85 unpublished inscriptions unearthed in Chikkamagaluru district

The Department of Archaeology, Museums, and Heritage has credited local villagers, officials, and experts for aiding in the discovery of 85 ancient inscriptions during a statewide heritage survey.

Mysuru: Village-wise survey work has been completed in 119 out of 238 taluks in Karnataka under the ‘Samrakshana’ scheme, and the Department of Archaeology, Museums, and Heritage plans to cover the remaining 119 taluks during the 2025-26 fiscal year, said department Commissioner A Devaraju.

Devaraju explained that the initiative, announced in the 2020-21 state Budget, aims to systematically survey villages across the state to document and preserve historical artifacts.

“In Chikkamagaluru district, a total of 85 unpublished inscriptions were discovered during the 2024-25 fiscal year,” said Devaraju. “B P Rekha, Curator of the Government Museum in Madikeri, Kodagu district, led the village-wise survey across eight taluks of Chikkamagaluru—Tarikere, Ajjampura, Kadur, Narasimharajapura, Koppa, Sringeri, Mudigere, and Kalasa—excluding Chikkamagaluru taluk. Among these findings, texts for 10 inscriptions from Ajjampura and Tarikere are already prepared for publication.”

The department also extended its gratitude to Mysuru-based epigraphist H M Nagaraja Rao for preparing the inscription texts, as well as the villagers, Panchayat Development Officers, Grama Panchayat staff, and assistant B U Vinod Kumar for their cooperation in the survey and discoveries.