Inscription number 59. Ajjibal Sirsi Plates of Ravivarman –Regnal Year 35. Provenance: Not known. It was family heirloom of S. N. Hegde of Hegde of Ajjibal, Sirsi taluk, North Kanara distt, Karnataka. Ajjibal is a village in Sirsi taluk, south Karnataka. Famous ancient temples Prabhu Devasthana and shambhulinga are located in this region. Shambhulinga temple is a huge shiva temple from the 11th century which was built by Western Chalukyas. It is built with highly polished stones, which are dovetailed into one another. The carvings and images on the pillars are well beautified. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. The exterior part of the temple is well decorated with lotus and kirtimukha faces as well as hundreds of Brahmanical images. Unfortunately, this temple also became a victim of islamic invaders. Understand that though the temple was renovated but could achieve it’s original shape.
Script: Southern variety of Brahmi, resembling the writing of the Halsi and Nilambur plates of Ravivarman. Language: Sanskrit. References: V. S. Sukthankar, Ep.Ind, XVI, pp. 264-68. Footnote 1. 1. Ep.Ind, VI, pp. 25 ff. 2. Ibid, VIII, pp.147; Also Supra, IV, 56. 3. From the facsimile in Ep.Ind, XVI, facing pp. 270. 3. The following mark of punctuation is not needed. Footnote 2. 1. Kielhorn (Ep.Ind., V, pp.15, n.3) and Sukthankar take प्रतिकृति in the sense of requital of actions. But the intended sense seems to be प्रतिकृत or प्रति दिन कृत Means “regularly performing” 2. Sukthankar amends it to अन (पा) यानुपूव्र्या and translates ‘uninterrupted succession, This is unnecessary. English Translation of the inscription. Peace ! At the city, of victory, the glorious Vaijayanti, the pious king of the family of the Kadambas, who were anointed after meditating on the feet of Lord Karttikeya and the group of Holy Mothers, who were of Manavya gotra and descendants of Hariti, who busied themselves in study and discussion of the sacred texts, glorious, the Ravivarman, to whose valour all the nobles had submitted, the author of the sastras (religio-philosophic works) and sciences, famous among the Aryas ( the noble people), like Karttikeya Mahasena of the Kadambas, One whose (present) body had been achieved by enormous religious merit earned in numerous previous births, well-versed in statesmanship and decorum, very pious, deeply devoted to his parents, granted on the figth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Karttika in the thirty-fifth regnal year, which is increasing his life and sovereignty because of this aforementioned series of meritorious deeds, four nivarttanas, according to the royal measure, in the farm-land of (or known as) Bandupukroli, located below the Dasa tank and above the Bambare tank in the village named, sara to the temple of Mahadeva of his dear physician named Nilakantha, the Regional secretary. Two parts of that land have been given, for the purpose of sustenance, to the Brahmanas, named Aryasvamin and Pasupata of Kasyapa gotra and Bharadvaja gotra respectively, who live in the temple premises. He, who protects it will share the fruit of this meritorious deed. And it has been said: (Here follow two of the imprecatory verses)
Footnote 3. 1. The first ञ्च is irregularly incised and appears like ञ्य with the right slanting tail of भ् put above it. Footnote 4. 1. cf. the epithet, कदम्ब सेनानी बृहदन्वय व्योम चन्द्रमा: applied to another Kadamba king Kakutsthavarman in his Talagunda Pillar inscriptiion (Ep.Ind., VII, pp.31; and infra IV, 54, L1) But it is more probable that महासेनापति, (Karttikeya) is used here in the sense of महासेन the supreme Commander of the gods, in which case, the meaning would be, among the Kadambas an equal of Karttikeya. 2. cf. the existing surnames, Deshmukh, Deshpande. The exact duties and powers of the Desamatya, it is not possible to define with our present knowledge.
