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Begur's Panchalingeshwara temple gives earliest proof of Bengaluru's existence
4 Feb, 2016, 1244 hrs IST, Divya Shekhar, ET Bureau
If one has to determine Bengaluru's age, the earliest evidence is
inscribed in the Panchalingeshwara Temple located in Begur.
If one has to determine Bengaluru's age, the earliest evidence is
inscribed in the
Panchalingeshwara Temple located in Begur town off the Bengaluru-Hosur
Road. This medieval trading centre has an 1,100 year-old inscription,
the oldest known reference to what has come to be India's technology
capital.
Begur, just 3.6 km from the Bommanahalli junction, dates back to the
9th century and is said to be an important centre for the Western
Ganga Dynasty and the Chola Kingdom. "Earliest Dravidian inscriptions
called the area 'Veppuru' (Vepu means neem in Tamil and Telugu). This
eventually became Behuru in Kannada. As Kannada transforms ha into ga,
it eventually became Begur," said Devarakonda Reddy, president,
Karnataka History Academy. The name, he added, might be a reference to
a large neem tree in the area, which is a rarity in this part of the
country.
Known for its famous Nageshwara temple with Panchalinga (five Shiva
lingas), a fort and a lake, Begur was the centre of 12 villages
including Thogur, Haralur, Yellukunte, Sarakki, Kudlur and
Hulimangala. All these villages were owned by Nagatara, the chief
commander of the Ganga king Ereganga Neetimarga II, who waged a war
against the Nolambas in the Battle of Tumbe-Padi in Kotagiri district
in 910 AD.
While Nagatara died fighting, Irugamaiah took over as chief and
erected hero-stones in the memory of his dead commander. "These
hero-stones of Begur, now preserved in the Government Museum, are
unparalleled in Asia," said Reddy .
The hero-stone depicts war and its aftermath in three distinct
segments. The lowest rung depicts the cavalry and dead corpses being
fed on by vultures and crows, the middle portion depicts war scenes
with symbols of trumpets, weapons, elephants and horses while the top
most portion shows the hero in heaven, surrounded by apsaras.
Although the Begur of today has its highflying residential locality
and industries, its heritage lingers. The fort, for instance, bears
inscriptions that offer proof of the existence of a Jain community in
the area. Feudal chieftain Nagatara himself was a Jain and the area
still retains some evidence of Jain settlements. The mud fort, which
covers 3.5 acre, is abandoned and neglected, its existence often
overshadowed by that of Begur's temples.
4 Feb, 2016, 1244 hrs IST, Divya Shekhar, ET Bureau
If one has to determine Bengaluru's age, the earliest evidence is
inscribed in the Panchalingeshwara Temple located in Begur.
If one has to determine Bengaluru's age, the earliest evidence is
inscribed in the
Panchalingeshwara Temple located in Begur town off the Bengaluru-Hosur
Road. This medieval trading centre has an 1,100 year-old inscription,
the oldest known reference to what has come to be India's technology
capital.
Begur, just 3.6 km from the Bommanahalli junction, dates back to the
9th century and is said to be an important centre for the Western
Ganga Dynasty and the Chola Kingdom. "Earliest Dravidian inscriptions
called the area 'Veppuru' (Vepu means neem in Tamil and Telugu). This
eventually became Behuru in Kannada. As Kannada transforms ha into ga,
it eventually became Begur," said Devarakonda Reddy, president,
Karnataka History Academy. The name, he added, might be a reference to
a large neem tree in the area, which is a rarity in this part of the
country.
Known for its famous Nageshwara temple with Panchalinga (five Shiva
lingas), a fort and a lake, Begur was the centre of 12 villages
including Thogur, Haralur, Yellukunte, Sarakki, Kudlur and
Hulimangala. All these villages were owned by Nagatara, the chief
commander of the Ganga king Ereganga Neetimarga II, who waged a war
against the Nolambas in the Battle of Tumbe-Padi in Kotagiri district
in 910 AD.
While Nagatara died fighting, Irugamaiah took over as chief and
erected hero-stones in the memory of his dead commander. "These
hero-stones of Begur, now preserved in the Government Museum, are
unparalleled in Asia," said Reddy .
The hero-stone depicts war and its aftermath in three distinct
segments. The lowest rung depicts the cavalry and dead corpses being
fed on by vultures and crows, the middle portion depicts war scenes
with symbols of trumpets, weapons, elephants and horses while the top
most portion shows the hero in heaven, surrounded by apsaras.
Although the Begur of today has its highflying residential locality
and industries, its heritage lingers. The fort, for instance, bears
inscriptions that offer proof of the existence of a Jain community in
the area. Feudal chieftain Nagatara himself was a Jain and the area
still retains some evidence of Jain settlements. The mud fort, which
covers 3.5 acre, is abandoned and neglected, its existence often
overshadowed by that of Begur's temples.
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