World Heritage Sites – Pattadakal – Monuments Monolithic stone pillar bearing inscription
Engraved on an octagonal pillar set up in front of the Mallikarjuna temple at Pattadakal, this inscription is in the Siddhamatrika and Kannada Telugu characters of the 8th century A.D. It opens with invocations to Siva and Haragauri. Refers to the setting up of a trisula-pillar (trisula-mudrankita saila-stamba by Jnanasivacharya who had come from Mrigathanikahara-Vishaya on the northern bank of the Ganga river and was staying in the Vijayeswara temple (modern Sangameswara). This pillar was set up to the south of Vijayeswara Lokeswara temple built by Lokamata (i.e. Lokamahadevi), who was the queen of Vikramaditya Satyasraya the conqueror of Kanchipura, and to the west of Trilokeswara temple (Mallikarjuna) built by Trilokyamahadevi who was also the beloved queen of Vikramaditya and the mother of king Kirtivarma II. A grant of 30 navaratnas of land near village Arapunise was made by Jnanasivacharya for the Vijayeswara temples worship after having bought that land from Aryabhatta who had received it from Vijayaditya. Apparently, it belongs to the reign of Chalukya Kirttivarma-II (744-756 A.D.)