For the first time, archaeologists found a precise and contextually clear reference to Halley's Comet in Indian epigraphy.
Published Jul 16, 2025 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 16, 2025 | 8:00 AM
the inscriptions date from the 2nd century CE to the late Vijayanagara period.
Synopsis: Discovered from across Srisailam, Palnadu, Chāḍa, and Kōdada, the inscriptions date from the 2nd century CE to the late Vijayanagara period (1336 to 1646 CE). Written in languages such as Prākṛit, Sanskrit, and regional scripts like Brāhmī, Nāgari, and Telugu, they reflect the evolving literary and political landscape of South India.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has unearthed multiple inscriptions and copper plate grants from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana that offer fresh perspectives on the region’s rich cultural, religious, and scientific history.
From references to Halley’s Comet and ancient healing legends to early Buddhist patronage and royal endowments, these findings span centuries and dynasties, linking cosmic phenomena, kingship, and spiritual life.
Discovered from across Srisailam, Palnadu, Chāḍa, and Kōdada, the inscriptions date from the 2nd century CE to the late Vijayanagara period (1336 to 1646 CE). Written in languages such as Prākṛit, Sanskrit, and regional scripts like Brāhmī, Nāgari, and Telugu, they reflect the evolving literary and political landscape of South India.
The ASI unearthed two significant Andhra Pradesh inscribed that shed new light on celestial events and ancient health practices during the Vijayanagara period.
According to K Munirathnam Reddy, Director (Epigraphy), ASI, these inscriptions offer rare insights into how astronomical phenomena and diseases were perceived and addressed in medieval South India.
The first, a copper plate inscription from Srisailam dated to 1456 CE, contains what is believed to be the earliest known epigraphical reference in India to Halley’s Comet. Written in Sanskrit and Nāgari script during the reign of Vijayanagara king Mallikārjuna, the inscription describes the appearance of a comet and a subsequent meteor shower.
It reads: “Dhūmakētu mahōtpāta śāntyartham” and “Prakāśyāya mahōtpāta śāntyartham” — meaning the king ordered rituals to pacify the calamities believed to arise from the sighting of the comet and meteor shower.
The date corresponds to June 28, 1456 CE, a period when Halley’s Comet was visible globally and feared as a bad omen. To counter the perceived threat, King Mallikārjuna is recorded to have donated the village of Siṁgāpura as an agrahāra to a learned Vedic scholar named Liṁgaṇārya. The grant was made explicitly for conducting śānti pūjas to nullify the comet’s ill effects.
“This is the first time we are seeing such a precise and contextually clear reference to Halley’s Comet in Indian epigraphy,” said Munirathnam. “It confirms the impact of astronomical phenomena on royal decision-making and religious practices.”
Named after Edmond Halley, an English astronomer, mathematician, and physicist, Halley’s Comet is the only known short-period comet that is consistently visible to the naked eye from Earth, appearing every 72–80 years. It last appeared in the inner parts of the solar system in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.
The second inscription, found at Jaḍapalli Thānḍa in Palnadu district, is dated 1661 CE and engraved in Sanskrit using Telugu script. It documents the consecration of a Dakṣiṇāmūrti idol on the banks of the Krishna River. It includes a local legend about King Prauḍadevarāya being cured of leprosy after bathing at Svētaśringagiri — a sacred site where the Krishna River flows northwards.
The record reads: “Prauḍadevarāya kuṣṭha-rōga nivṛttiḥ… iti ākhyānaṁ praśastaṁ” — highlighting how the site gained spiritual significance through this healing legend.
“These inscriptions not only preserve local traditions and beliefs,” Munirathnam added, “but also bridge mythology with real historical figures, offering a rich tapestry of medieval life and faith.”
These findings offer invaluable documentation of the cultural landscape of the Vijayanagara Empire, where science, religion, and governance often intersected in the face of the unknown.
In a significant boost to Telangana’s epigraphical wealth, two rare inscriptions—one from Chāḍa in Bhuvanagiri district and the other from Kōdada in Suryapet—are offering new insights into the region’s Buddhist and Chalukyan past.
A fragmentary Brāhmī inscription discovered during excavations at Chāḍa has drawn attention to its Buddhist significance. Dated to the 2nd century CE, the Prākṛit language inscription contains the phrase, “sacha(va)lōka hita sukhāya”, which Munirathnam interpreted as “for the welfare and happiness of all worlds.”
Though damaged, the text seems to record the donation of a slab (pato) to a vihāra (Buddhist monastery). “This aligns with Chāḍa’s status as a prominent Buddhist site during the Sātavāhana period,” he noted.
Equally noteworthy is a copper plate inscription from Kōdada, attributed to Vengi Chālukya ruler Bhīma I (892–922 CE). Written in Sanskrit using Telugu script, the plates were found in a Muslim graveyard and are now preserved by the Department of Heritage.
“The inscription includes the Varaha emblem and the royal seal reading Svasti Śri Tribhuvanāṁkuśa,” Munirathnam said. It records a royal grant of the village Chunugiyapuṇḍi for temple services at Sakālēśvara temple in Kākartī, under the administration of Koṇḍapalli vishaya.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
