The mark of an apprentice

Kirti Malhotra journeys to a hill in Narasipura to discover the largest inscription stone in Nelamangala taluk.

Sometime back, when I went for a trek with a group at Nijagal Hill Fort, I spotted a hill on the other side of Dobbspet-Tumakuru Highway that looked quite tempting. As others relaxed for a bit, I climbed down Nijagal, intending to explore that hill. I walked through the fields, crossed a small water body and reached the base of the hill. An elderly gentleman pointed out a massive tree beyond which one would reach the rocks and then go to the top. He suggested a relatively easier route from Narasipura village on the Pavagada highway. That would have meant another time-consuming trip. 

The climb was a challenge, I had to scale the tree and jump over to get on the rocky surface while avoiding a thick wall of thorny growth. From my new place on the rocks, I could see the back of a temple. This was when I got a call from the group, asking about my whereabouts. The hill was locally known as Ramadevara betta of Narasipura.

I searched for this hill and Narasipura from the available archives. Mysore Archaeological Survey (MAS) report (1915) mentions the hill. Epigraphia Carnatica Volume 9 (1905) gives details of an inscription dated 1720 AD, found at ‘Narasimhapura (Nijagallu Hobli) on a stone near Shanuboga’s house’. 

During the rule of the Mysore king Krishna Raja Wodeyar, Bilagali Desarajaya made an application for the offerings, light and services of the God Lakshmi Narasimha of Suragiri Durga (present Nijagal Betta). And the King granted ‘Gotigere, otherwise named Narasingapura, with its hamlets’ for that purpose. 

Intrigued, I decided to visit Narasipura and trek the Ramadevara betta. Taking the Bengaluru-Pavagada bus, I got down at the Narasipura stop on the state Highway. I asked Lakshmamma, a local vegetable vendor, for the shortest route to reach the village and the house of Shanuboga. Confused because the village had many Shanubogas, Lakshmamma directed me to walk on the ‘eri’ (lake bund) and ask there.

The temple at the peak of Rama Pada betta.

At the end of the bund and in front of a government school building, I located a Bayalu Anjaneya Devasthana. Close to it was a hero stone, completely effaced. Down the path,  I came across an old Maramma temple next to a dilapidated building with a fort-like stone structure behind it. A little distance down this main street stood a stone slab, seven feet in height. 

When I went closer, I could see the old Kannada words etched on it. This monolith contained the shasana mentioned in Epigraphia Carnatica. At its top, the Shrivaishnava symbol of ‘namam’ was engraved with the symbols of a shankha (shell) and chakra (wheel) on either side. Symbols of the moon and sun also adorn the panel. 

It was interesting to observe that the top eight lines of the inscription were in big letters. Suddenly from the ninth line onwards, the letters shrunk in size until the 27th line. It looked as if the top lines were etched by an apprentice and his master had engraved the rest to accommodate the full text.  Right across was the house of Shanuboga in ruins, surrounded by the modern ones. 

I proceeded to trek the Ramadevara betta, walking through the fields, without disturbing the sleeping canines and mulching cattle in the late afternoon. The climb was easy until I reached the middle of the hill, which had a clean drinking water tank and space for rest. The rest of the climb proved difficult. The tall grass indicated that not many had visited the place recently. At the top was the small Rama temple with Jaya-Vijaya as dwarapalakas.  

Inside were carvings of feet, supposedly of Rama. It is believed that Ahalya was liberated from a curse at this hill. Some locals call this hill as Rama Pada betta. As I emerged from the temple, the panoramic view revealed many more surrounding hills that stirred the trekker in me.

Narasipura