Credit: Kirti Malhotra
It is not often that one finds a love story in the pages of archaeological reports. When I stumbled upon the tale of a local prince Mikaraja and Iraji, a ‘dancing’ girl, in the 1914-15 Mysore Archaeological Survey report (MAS), I decided to explore the Mikarajana betta. According to legend, Prince Mikaraja’s residence was located on this hill.
The MAS mentions ‘a cave on the south slope of Sivaganga hill, known as Iraji’s cave’. This is supposed to have been her residence. ‘The cave is a large one, with a stone doorway and a four-pillared mantapa over the overhanging rock,’ the report mentions. Not finding any mention of Mikarajana betta in today’s maps, I began approaching Shivagange hill, towards its south side.
On the path to the Veerasagara village, the closest village to the hill, I asked about the Mikarajana betta but no one had any idea. It then struck me that the hill may have a new name.
When I described the hill and the cave, a villager informed me that there was one nearby. Called ‘Eeramma ajji gavi’, he said the cave was located on the distant horizon, across a large water body, in a jungle around a hill. ‘Gavi’ in Kannada means cave. Other locals told me to trek along the path made by quarry lorries.
Near the lorry stand, an octogenarian woman narrated interesting tales from her childhood about regular visits to ‘Eerajji gavi’ with her grandparents. Iraji was addressed as ‘Rajakumari Eerajji’ colloquially. After harvest, it was customary for all family members, to offer ‘dhaanyaa’ (grain). I realised it was this hill mentioned in the MAS and the same one being quarried!
As I climbed the hill, I wondered if any part of it remained intact, as huge cubical blocks were being chiselled out from all sides. ‘Mikarajana-betta abounds with cromlechs’ (a circle of prehistoric standing stones) mentions MAS (1914-15), ‘the upper slabs of some of them being unusually large and thick’. Sadly, I could not find any of the cromlechs.
Credit: Kirti Malhotra
Paths and connections
Climbing carefully along the quarry edge, I observed the jungle, full of huge boulders. After a while, amid the forest portion, I could see the four-pillared mantapa on the top of a big boulder.
I tried to chalk out a path in those dense jungles, to go down to the Iraji cave, just below the mantapa. Sliding a few boulders and crawling under the overhanging creepers, at one edge of the jungle, I met two young shepherds who advised me to try to reach the cave from the other side of the valley. Since it was getting late, I decided to take their advice on my next trip.
Meanwhile, in the supplement to the Epigraphia Carnatica, Volume 9, Bangalore District, I found mention of an inscription on the doorway of the ‘Irajammana Gavi’. The volume says that the cave lies in the path that connects ‘Moudgalya tirtha to the Mikarajana rock’.
Credit: Kirti Malhotra
On my next trip, I arrived at Seegepalya and followed the path to reach the ‘Moudgaleshwaraswamy' temple built at ‘Moudgalya Tirtha’. On its premises were ancient carvings of Ganesha and Nandi.
After climbing down from the temple, I ventured towards the Iraji cave, through the valley named after her. The valley was covered with thick shrubs and trees. I met a senior couple watching their cattle, who told me about a leopard that roamed freely. I carefully continued my journey until I caught a glimpse of a cave, surrounded by boulders below the mantapa.
I returned with a heavy heart, knowing that soon, this legendary prince’s hill would be gone forever and the cave would be inaccessible due to the shrinking habitats of the wild animals. Hopefully, the legendary love story will continue to echo in this part of the valley.