ASI documented and copied 25 ancient
inscriptions in the Nallamala Tiger Reserve
¨
Epigraphy Branch of the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) documented and copied 25 ancient
inscriptions in the Nallamala Tiger Reserve.
¨
The epigraphical survey
was completed on 13 June 2026.
¨
The inscriptions span
nearly 1,400 years, from the 2nd century CE to the 16th century CE.
¨
They are written in
Telugu, Kannada, Prakrit, and Brahmi script.
¨
Epigraphy is the study of
inscriptions engraved on durable materials such as stone, metal, and rock
surfaces.
¨
On 11 June 2026, 8 Telugu
inscriptions dating from the 7th to the 16th centuries CE were copied.
¨
On 12 June 2026, 10
inscriptions in Kannada and Telugu scripts linked to the Kalyani Chalukya,
Potapi Chola, Kakatiya, and Vijayanagara periods were documented.
¨
On 13 June 2026, 7
additional inscriptions were discovered, including rare Satavahana records in
Prakrit language and Brahmi script.
¨
Ancient rock art was
identified near Alatam on the banks of the Krishna River within the Nallamala
Tiger Reserve.
¨
The rock art includes
Megalithic and Early Historic paintings and is estimated to date to around 1500
BCE.
¨ The survey recorded material related to the Satavahana, Eastern Chalukya, Reddy, Kalyani Chalukya, Potapi Chola, Kakatiya, and Vijayanagara periods.
¨ Brahmi is one of the earliest scripts of the Indian subcontinent, while Prakrit was widely used in early Indian inscriptions.
