<p>When my shuttle bus to Tumakuru halted near a painted hillock, I saw a group of devotees entering the village barefoot. I was told there were some ancient temples in the village and devotees on that route pay obeisance to the residing gods. That village was Billanakote. </p>.<p>As per Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 9, dating back to 1905 AD, there are two inscriptions at Billanakote. One engraved on a stone outside the village by Dodda Viraiya records an earthquake in 1507 AD. Another one, near the Tirumala Deva temple, dated 1551 AD, states that this village was granted to a nayaka by the king Sadashiva Deva Maharaya. </p>.<p>All the while, I had been thinking that Billanakote (with kote meaning fort) might be named after some local ruler or a deity in the village. It was only when I visited the village, that I was informed by a local temple priest, as well as by older residents, that centuries ago, there used to be a factory manufacturing ‘billu’ (bows) and other armaments within the fort. </p>.<p>Following the path used by those devotees to enter the village, I saw many temples with ancient idols. As I went around the Tirumala Deva temple, I asked Jayaramu, a villager, and other elders about the six-foot-tall inscription stone; they remembered its location, but were unaware about what happened to it after the renovation work. </p>.<p>Then, I asked about the earthquake inscription, which is well-known among geologists and draws the interest of people each time an earthquake occurs. In 2018, I had read in newspapers that the archaeological department had proposed to cover the inscription with a glass panel to prevent its further erosion. However, when I visited, villagers were unaware of its exact location. </p>.<p>Going around the village, I could see the remains of the fort near the first hill, painted all over. Seeing a huge Shiva statue, I climbed the second hill and reached the Gundu Veerabhadra temple. It had many ancient carvings. It is then that I noticed a tall pillar on the plateau region beside this temple; I crossed the bushes and saw patterns etched on all four sides of the pillar. </p>.<p>After finding a way to climb up the first hill, I was surprised to see an inclined stone pillar on its top, along with neat stone formations and some remains of the fort. Later, I learnt that the villagers believe that the pillar got shaken during the earthquake that happened half a millennium ago.</p>.<p><strong>Rare finds</strong></p>.<p>After asking many villagers, I met Lakshmana, who directed me towards the end of a small street. I made my way through marshy land and then climbed up the steep and slippery part of the hill. There was the six line inscription in big letters, but without any glass covering to protect it. I had to hold the tree branches to remain stable on the rocky surface. </p>.<p>This is a rare and unique inscription, as it was not commissioned by any king or his men, and there is no mention of any deity, but it features a precise recording of a geological event by a common man, Dodda Viraiya. Even the mention of the exact date and the <em>kali</em> year are quite uncommon in most of the inscriptions that I know about. It reads: “In the 4608th <em>kali</em> year, the year Prabhava, on the 6th day of the bright fortnight of Sravana, Thursday, the earth quaked four times. The Billanakote blacksmith, Viraiya’s son Dodda Viraiya, engraved this <em>sasana</em>.”</p>.<p>As I came out of the village, I remembered that, from the hilltop I had noticed a stone structure in the lake, on the other side of the highway. During my next trip, I walked on the mud path leading to the lake bund. In the fields to my left, lay a small temple in utter ruins.</p>.<p>Here, my chance find of a huge hero stone, measuring 5x5 feet, hidden amongst the overgrown tur plants, thrilled me. It was a Jain hero stone, and appeared to belong to the Ganga period. Further along the lake bund, was an Eshwara temple, the approach to which was through the lake waters. This part of Billanakote now stands separated from the village by the highway. As I trekked back, the history lying all around in the fields, lake and hills called out for further exploration. </p>
<p>When my shuttle bus to Tumakuru halted near a painted hillock, I saw a group of devotees entering the village barefoot. I was told there were some ancient temples in the village and devotees on that route pay obeisance to the residing gods. That village was Billanakote. </p>.<p>As per Epigraphia Carnatica Vol 9, dating back to 1905 AD, there are two inscriptions at Billanakote. One engraved on a stone outside the village by Dodda Viraiya records an earthquake in 1507 AD. Another one, near the Tirumala Deva temple, dated 1551 AD, states that this village was granted to a nayaka by the king Sadashiva Deva Maharaya. </p>.<p>All the while, I had been thinking that Billanakote (with kote meaning fort) might be named after some local ruler or a deity in the village. It was only when I visited the village, that I was informed by a local temple priest, as well as by older residents, that centuries ago, there used to be a factory manufacturing ‘billu’ (bows) and other armaments within the fort. </p>.<p>Following the path used by those devotees to enter the village, I saw many temples with ancient idols. As I went around the Tirumala Deva temple, I asked Jayaramu, a villager, and other elders about the six-foot-tall inscription stone; they remembered its location, but were unaware about what happened to it after the renovation work. </p>.<p>Then, I asked about the earthquake inscription, which is well-known among geologists and draws the interest of people each time an earthquake occurs. In 2018, I had read in newspapers that the archaeological department had proposed to cover the inscription with a glass panel to prevent its further erosion. However, when I visited, villagers were unaware of its exact location. </p>.<p>Going around the village, I could see the remains of the fort near the first hill, painted all over. Seeing a huge Shiva statue, I climbed the second hill and reached the Gundu Veerabhadra temple. It had many ancient carvings. It is then that I noticed a tall pillar on the plateau region beside this temple; I crossed the bushes and saw patterns etched on all four sides of the pillar. </p>.<p>After finding a way to climb up the first hill, I was surprised to see an inclined stone pillar on its top, along with neat stone formations and some remains of the fort. Later, I learnt that the villagers believe that the pillar got shaken during the earthquake that happened half a millennium ago.</p>.<p><strong>Rare finds</strong></p>.<p>After asking many villagers, I met Lakshmana, who directed me towards the end of a small street. I made my way through marshy land and then climbed up the steep and slippery part of the hill. There was the six line inscription in big letters, but without any glass covering to protect it. I had to hold the tree branches to remain stable on the rocky surface. </p>.<p>This is a rare and unique inscription, as it was not commissioned by any king or his men, and there is no mention of any deity, but it features a precise recording of a geological event by a common man, Dodda Viraiya. Even the mention of the exact date and the <em>kali</em> year are quite uncommon in most of the inscriptions that I know about. It reads: “In the 4608th <em>kali</em> year, the year Prabhava, on the 6th day of the bright fortnight of Sravana, Thursday, the earth quaked four times. The Billanakote blacksmith, Viraiya’s son Dodda Viraiya, engraved this <em>sasana</em>.”</p>.<p>As I came out of the village, I remembered that, from the hilltop I had noticed a stone structure in the lake, on the other side of the highway. During my next trip, I walked on the mud path leading to the lake bund. In the fields to my left, lay a small temple in utter ruins.</p>.<p>Here, my chance find of a huge hero stone, measuring 5x5 feet, hidden amongst the overgrown tur plants, thrilled me. It was a Jain hero stone, and appeared to belong to the Ganga period. Further along the lake bund, was an Eshwara temple, the approach to which was through the lake waters. This part of Billanakote now stands separated from the village by the highway. As I trekked back, the history lying all around in the fields, lake and hills called out for further exploration. </p>
