Copper plate inscription sheds light on the coronation of Vijayanagar king Devaraya I

Copper plate inscriptions reveal coronation date of Vijayanagar ruler Devaraya I, enriching historical understanding and legacy.

A set of copper plate inscriptions belonging to the early Vijayanagar period has shed light on the date of coronation of Vijayanagar ruler Devaraya I in what is reckoned to be one of the significant discoveries that will help historians in reconstructing the past.

The copper plates were in possession of Falcon Coins Gallery in Bengaluru, and under the custody of its managing director, Kirti M. Parekh, who brought them to the notice of the Epigraphy Department of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

K. Munirathnam, Director, Epigraphy Branch, ASI, said the copper plate inscription sheds crucial historical insight into the coronation of Devaraya I. “The inscription is in Sanskrit and Kannada using Nagari characters, and the date of the coronation corresponds to November 5, 1406 CE, which was a Friday,” he said.

“The significance of this epigraph lies in its explicit mention of the date of the coronation of Devaraya I, which until now remained uncertain,” Dr. Munirathnam said.

The inscription presents the complete genealogy of the Sangama dynasty – the founders of the Vijayanagar empire. It has 179 lines and mentions the names of eight kings, including the coronation date of Devaraya I, Dr. Munirathnam said.

The inscription records that at the time of his coronation, King Devaraya I, son of Harihara, granted the village of Gudipalli, along with two hamlets, Rajendramada and Ydayapalli, and renamed the settlement as Devarayapura Agrahara.

This village, situated in Mulabagil, was divided into 61 shares and donated to several learned brahmins of different gothras and well-versed in the Vedas and various Sastras, Dr. Munirathnam said.