Doddahundi nishidhi inscription

The Doddahundi nishidhi and inscription is a hero stone from Doddahundi, 18 km from Tirumakudalu Narasipura in the Mysore district, Karnataka state, India. It has an undated old Kannada language inscription which historians J. F. Fleet, I. K. Sarma and E.P. Rice have dated by context to 840 or 869 C.E.^[1]^[2] The hero stone has a unique depiction in frieze of the ritual death (sallekhana and samadhi) of the Western Ganga Dynasty king Ereganga Nitimarga I (r. 853-869). The memorial was raised by the king's son Satyavakya. Such nishidhi's (memorial spot) were raised in medieval India in honor of important Jain personalities who ended their life voluntarily after following severe ritual vow.^[3]^[4] The Western Ganga period produced not only imposing and well sculptured pillars (stambha) but also noteworthy hero stones (virgal) with exceptional relief.^[5] According to historian and epigraphist J. F. Fleet who edited the inscription, the names in the record are titles and not personal names. He dated the inscription to 840 C.E. with the opinion that the Nitimarga in the inscription is actually Ranavikrama, son of King Sripurusha (r. 726-788).^[2]

^ Rice, E.P. (1921), p.13
^ ^a ^b Fleet (1905), p. 53
^ Sarma (1992), p.17
^ Sarma (1992), p.204
^ Kamath (1980), p.52

[rice-1] Rice, E.P. (1921), p.13

[rana-2] Fleet (1905), p. 53

[relief-3] Sarma (1992), p.17

[vakya-4] Sarma (1992), p.204

[note-5] Kamath (1980), p.52

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