A group of Indologists, including Dr E. Siva Nagi Reddy, an archaeologist, and Dasaratha Reddy, President, Motupalli Heritage Society, on August 01, 2021, unearthed an inscription at a temple in the remote village of Motupalli, near Chirala, in Prakasam district. The discovery was made while documenting the dilapidated Kodandarama Swamy temple, as part of the ‘Preserve Heritage for Posterity’. Motupalli was an international port town during the medieval period.
According to Dr Siva Nagi Reddy, the inscription was written in Tamil and Grantha script, and dates back to Saka 1230 (August 1, 1308 CE), Kilaka, Vaisaka, Su. 10, Wednesday, pertaining to the reign of Kakatiya Rudra Deva II (1289–1323). As per researchers, the Kakatiya rulers issued inscriptions in both Tamil and Telugu in coastal Andhra and Telangana during their reign.
Significance of the Finding
As per the Director of Epigraphy branch, Archaeological Survey of India, Mysuru, Dr K. Muniratnam Reddy, the content is of historical importance. It is a record of a gift of land as Tiruvidaiyattam for providing offerings to God Rajanarayana Perumal in Desi-Uyyakondan-Pattinam, now Motuppalli, by Cattanthai-Cemmanadiyal-Valumpothalakiyan alias Patinenbhumi Vanikaratittan. Interestingly, Motupalli was mentioned as Desi-Uyyakondan-Pattinam’ and the inscription slab was fitted into the west side wall of the temple during the 16th century as part of renovation works.
According to Siva Nagi Reddy, the gift of land was given to conduct Tiruvidaiyattam festival in the temple of Rajanarayana Perumal for the last Kakatiya Emperor Prataparudra Deva. The inscription bears significance as it is the second and next to one more Tamil inscription found at Motupalli, issued by Kakatiya Ganapatideva dated AD 1244, known as the Abhaya Sasana, a charter that insures the life and goods of the sea-borne trade.
Pratapa Rudra
Pratapa Rudra was the last sovereign of the Kakatiya dynasty. He ruled the eastern part of Deccan with Warangal as the capital. He became a tributary of Alauddin Khilji and for several decades after 1309, Pratapa Rudra was a tributary king in the Tughluq imperial system. The Kakatiya dynasty came to an end when Ghiyas-ud-Din (or Ghiyasuddin) Tughlaq invaded the kingdom in 1323 and annexed it to the Delhi Sultanate.
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