Ashokan minor rock edict of Siddapura

December 22, 2013
The distance between Jatinga-Rameshwara and Siddapura is 7.5 kms but the time taken to cover that distance was 20 minutes. We passed through two or three villages, part of the road ran parallel to Hagari and finally reached the main road leading to Siddapura. Just across Hagari river is Siddapura village. We arrive at a junction, turn right for Siddapura village and left to Brahmagiri. I knew the approximate location of the edict, a hillock about a kilometer from the village towards Brahmagiri. At the junction was a badly scarred tourism department board.

PREHISTORIC SITE

When this prehistoric site was excavated a sequence of three cultures namely period I. Neolithic Chalcolithic, period II. Megalithic and period III. the early historic was noticed. The period I was characterized by polished cells on doleerity, parallel-sided blades, microliths, copper and bronze objects. The ceramic typology revolves mostly hand made grey were burnished as well as unburnished with dish on stand. channel-snouted bowl, deep bowl with spouted constitute main type ________ ________ domestic structures were similar to the se________ ________ ________ ________ iron implements and the ceramic asse________ ________ ________ black and red ware, black ware, ________ as well as ________ ________ ware also noticed. Shell bangled beads, terracotta, jasper and stealite have been formed. The last period is characterized by a sophisticated pottery made on ________ wheel, with painted geometric designs. ________ shreads of roulatted wase have also been collected. On the basis of material evidence this period is assignated to ________ phase.

We make inquiries for Siddapura edict but for some reason people tried to send us off to Brahmagiri edict. I had to emphasize that my search was Siddapura to which someone said there's no such spot. I made a face to say how ignorant they were and remained silent for a minute. Then a man came forward and volunteered to show us the spot. Good, we ask him to hop in. An extra also jumped in. We turned left, drove towards Brahmagiri for 680 meters and stopped before a cluster of houses and a rock formation. Our car remains on the road while we proceed on foot. Our guide Thipperudra lead us through barren paddy fields towards a rocky hillock about 400 meters away. We could see a stone structure similar to the one at Jatinga Rameshwara nestled among huge rocks but to reach it we had to take a short round about. We are almost there.

Total distance from where we left our car to this structure is less then 500 meters. And people say no such spot exists. Ignorance or deliberately misguiding? Anyway, thanks to Thipperudra.

Thanks to the British archaeologist Brigadier Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler. The inscription has been enclosed, out of reach to vandals.

Sadly, few days ago vandals had removed few bars from the grill. I think the bars were stolen to be sold as scrap for money. And that money would be used to fuel some useless habit like drinking or gambling. Our people, will they ever learn :(

So here we have another edict of emperor Ashoka the Great. Like his other edicts, even this inscription carried a message of peace.

While some parts of the inscription is clearly visible, some parts have faded.

This 3rd century BCE message is in Prakrit language and Brahmi script. The letters are 3 to 4 inches high. In this view the letters are inverted.

May 2013, I had done little research at KUD's history department library. With the librarian's help I had found the Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum volume containing transliteration/translation Maski, Brahmagiri, Jatinga-Rameshwara and Siddapura edicts. Unfortunately translations for were not given for Jatinga Rameshwar and Siddapur edicts. The edicts of Nittur edict or Udegolam edict are similar, perhaps they can be referred to for translation.

TRANSLITERATION
1. (A) Suvamnagirite ayaputasa mahamata-
2. nam cha vachanena I[s]ilasi mahamata
3. arogiyam vata[v]i[ya] (B) [Dev]a[na]mpiye hevam
4. aha (C) adhikani a[dha]t[i]y[ani] vasani
5. ya ha[kam u]pasake (D) no tu kho badha pakamte husam ek[am] sa[vachha]..
6. (E) [satire]ke tu kho samvachhare [yam maya sam]ghe upayite badham
7. [cha me] p[akam]te (F) i[m]ina chu kalena [a]misa sama[na] mu
8. ....Jambu[d].....[mi]sa devehi (G) pakamasa hi iyam phale (H) no [h]i i-
9. ya sake [ma]....[ne]va papo[ta]ve kamam tu kho khudakena
10. pi[pa].........na [v]ipul[e] svage sak[e] aradhetave
11. (I) [s]e.........ya[iya]m savane savite yatha khu-
12. [daka cha ma]hatpa cha imam [pa]kameyu ti ata cha
13. ..........[chira]-thi[t]ik[e] cha iyam pakame hoti
14. (J) ..........va[dh]isiti vipu[la]m p[i] cha vadhisiti [a]
15. ..........[yadhiya]m vadhisiti (K) i[ya]m [cha] sa[va]ne
16. ..........(L) [200] 50 6 (M) [ma]..........[si]taviye
17. ..........[hyi]tavyam sa[cha]m va[ta],,[ya]m im[e] dhamma-gu
18. ..........(N) [heme]va [a]m..........[acha]riye apachayitaviye su
19. ..........(O) [es]a [p]o[r]a[na]...[ki]ti di[gha]vu[se] cha (P) heme[va]...m[t]evisine cha
20. achariy[e]..........tharaham pavatitav..........m...
21. ..........sa [ta]tha kataviye (R) Chapa..........
22. ..........[na]

A close look at the engraving.

A rough map showing locations of the three edicts of Chitradurga district.

Here's the board at the junction.

Ashoka's 2300 year old inscription and an important prehistoric site deserves something better than this.

December 22, 2013 is a day to remember for me because I have completed my mission to see all known Ashokan edicts in Karnataka. If there are any newly discovered edicts, then it would be incomplete...

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Ashokan minor rock edict of Jatinga-Rameshwara

March 7, 2013
We drove by Jatinga Rameshwara but it was not in our naseeb to climb the hill.

December 22, 2013
Our day started with a visit to the Neolothic site on Sangankal Gudda to see the stone implements factory with our guide Rama Dasa. The day, a Sunday, was astronomically important- it was winter solstice. Having spent half day touring the hill we came back to Bellary, had lunch and immediately started off towards Jatinga-Rameshwara and Brahmagiri. We had three places to see this afternoon- Ashokan edict of Jatinga Rameshwara, Ashokan edict of Siddapura and Megalithic burial site of Brahmagiri. Edicts were a priority, decided to finish off with the difficult one first.

This Jatinga-Rameshwara hill, a rocky hill with its peak at 180 meters above the surrounding plains.

Jatinga-Rameshwara in setting sun light, as seen from Bellary-Hiriyur road

About 2 kms ahead of Rampura bus-stand, we turned left towards Devasamudra. At the village we got directions to Jatinga-Rameshwara -its a well tread path. We could drive right up to the base of the hill where a flight of steps snakes up the rocky-woody slopes. The dirt road passes through a valley and hill towered above us, especially Dodda Jatinga looked seriously high. We imagined the climb to be a long one but there was no giving up without trying. Also, we had no idea where the Ashokan edict was.. on the flat part of the hill or at the highest point... we had to be patient for time being.

There we go.. Mama and I maintained a steady pace. Good I had only chapati for lunch, I was comfortable. Good thing about this climb was we had shady spots to stop and relax.

The flat part of the hill was in sight, our progress was good :) The flight of steps is a recent creation. I'm sure this route was an ancient one.

Soon our path was completely shaded by the hill and a stone wall came into view. I had a feeling we were very close to the edict now. Two boys were descending.. out of curiosity I asked them if they know about the Ashoka's inscription. One of them said there's no such thing very confidently. I asked where he was from; Devasamudra. People are seriously ignorant here. During our previous visit to Siddapura, a school headmaster had told Brahmagiri inscription was the only one here. Very said indeed. I asked them if they would come with us to see the inscription.. one boy was ready but the other one wanted to get back to his village. Well..

There's the stone wall, like a small fort.

Glimpse of Jatinga Rameshwara temple through an opening in the wall.

That's the enclosure built for the emperor's message of peace. The structure's architecture is very similar to that of Brahmagiri. The metal grills are of same section, probably from the same lot. On the right, in the background is the temple's entrance.

The structure as seen from the rear. Two Frangipani trees grace the otherwise bare temple complex.

A peep though the grills.. that's the lucky boulder which holds Ashoka's message for peace. The letters have faded for badly. If not for the British archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler's effort to have this boulder protected, the letters might have worn to the extent of disappearing completely.

May 2013, I had done little research and found the transliteration of Jatinga-Rameshwara edict. Unfortunately the translation was not given there. For a general meaning of the edict you can refer either Nittur edict or Udegolam edict.

TRANSLITERATION
1. (A)..........[t]ana [cha va]......
2. Isi..........[vi]ya (B) Dev[a]n[a]......
3. ..........ya hakam..........
4. kho badha..........(E)..ti[reke]..........
5. [ya]m..[ya]..........
6. [na]..........
7. [h]i i[yam]..........
8. ..........
9. ..........
10. ..........[cha]......[dhi]s
11. ..[p]ulam pi..........[ya]dhiyam..........
12. (K) i....s[avane]..........[th]e[na] (L) 200 50 8 (M) [heme]va
13. [ma]t[a]-pitusu....[s]itav[i]y[e]he[m]e[va]....[na]  .a.es[u]
14. ..hy[ita]v[y]am sacham vataviyam [se] i[me]..........
15. hevam pa[va]titaviya (N) [svaa]m na te s .t.va[s]..........
16. taviya hemeva achari[ye]amtevasin[a]..........
17. ......[r]ana paki[ti]....sita[v]iy[a]..........[v]i[y]e
18. ..chariye[e]a......[a]char[i]yasa natika te..ya[tharaha]m[pava]-
19. titaviya (O) esa[po]ra[na pa]kiti d[igh]a....cha (P) [he]me[va] sa...e.a.
20. [cha]ya..........vati[tav]iye (Q) hevam [{dhamm]e Devanampiy...
21. ..[va]m kataviye (R)....dena [likhita]m
22. ..[pika]rena

A closer look at the text. The letters are quite big, about 3 to 4 inches tall but not as big as Nittur edict.

There was a crowd at Jatinga Rameshwara temple, one of the visitor's told us that a new idol was installed in the morning. Most of these people were from Devasamudra and they were camped here since yesterday afternoon and plan to stay back for the night and descend in the morning. Our host invited us to partake pooja prasad.

View from the temple entrance: the inscription enclosure, and Dodda Jatinga.

Within the temple complex is a board giving out some basic info about this hill. Transcription of the information board:

Pre-histroic Site: Jatinga Rameshwara Temple & Ashoka's Inscriptions

This hill is about 3469 feet above the sea level about 3 miles north-west of Brahmagiri. Being one of the places where eidcts of Ashoka have been found, the place is of great archaeological interest. This place is also connected with the story of Ramayana. It is here that Jatayu, the heroic bird, fell fighting with Ravana in its effort to rescue Sita from him.

The region was inhabited right from prehistoric times is evident from the discovery of pre-historic sites of Brahmagiri and Chandravalli. A minor rock edict of Ashoka was found at Brahmagiri about 5 kms south-east of Jatinga Rameshwara. Referring to the place as Isila, indicates that it was the provincial capital of Ashoka and was the southernmost pasrt of the Mauryan dominion. The minor rock edict refers to the message issued in the name of Devanampriya and it is in Brahmi script of the 3rd century BC.

The temple is small and cozy; it has a small Mukhamantapa which connects directly to the Garbhagudi. Right opposite the main temple is smaller shrine and in the same line is the Vijayastambha. Oh, the prasad offered was holige and badnekay-palya; very delicious preparation :) While we enjoyed the mini meal, our hosts had a difficult time keeping red-faced monkeys at bay.

Behind the main temple is a natural rock shelter and a shrine. On the rock are two inscriptions.

The inscription seems to be Kannada. The larger panel has about 13 lines and the smaller panel (inset) has about 15 lines. The larger inscription is accompanied by images of Shivalinga and Nandi.

Two more shrines. Behind these shrines is a natural pit..

..sadly the pit did not have much water. If this area had received normal rainfall, this pit would have been filled. Also there's a rough cut hero-stone.

Just besides the main temple, there's a path guided by a railing on the steep western slope is a small cave like pit with a pond. The pond is known as Kamala Honda or Tavare Honda ~ lotus pond. I was surprised to see lotus creepers this high.

Back at the temple, we thanked our hosts and left. Mama and I decided to explore the base of Dodda Jatinga, we had no plans to climb it. We were told there's a temple at the summit but the climb is not so easy.

We found two very primitive looking temples close to each other. Mama mentioned they are like Morayere Mane ~ dolmen we had seen at Kumathi yesterday. Yes, indeed it seems like a recent dolmen design. A memory flash! During my school/college days I remember seeing such granite structures in burial/cremation grounds in & around Bengaluru. Some of them seemed not older than 50 years. Does it mean dolmens were built even in 20th century?

The other shrine is built on a rough platform. Mama inspects the surroundings. I must come back here some time and explore the hill thoroughly.

It was past 3-30 now, we decide to leave so that we have enough time for Siddapura inscription and Brahmagirir megalithic site. The descent was non-stop in complete shade, lasted 20 minutes.
Here's a rough map of the area showing the locations of all three edicts of Samrat Ashoka.

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Ashokan minor rock edict of Nittur

The discovery of Asokan Minor Rock Edicts I and II at Nittur were reported in the newspapers late in the year 1977. The Nittur inscription raises the number of MRE I copies discovered in Karnataka from six to seven and that of MRE II versions from three to four. The existence of the two boulders with some writings on them was reported by E Visvanatha, a junior engineer of the Office of the Senior Geologist at Bellary to the Department of History and Archaelogy, Karnatak University, Dharwad. The inscription is situated 1½ kms south of village Nittur, Shirguppa Taluq in Bellary district.

March 8, 2013
Tekkalakote fort, Varavina Malleshwara Devasthana, Ashoka's edict at Udegolam, Nadivi fort.. those are the places we visited before coming to Asoka's edict of Nittur. Weather was warm but the carpet of paddy fields gave a cooling effect to the eyes. The edicts are situated at the base of a rocky hillock. The two granite structures in the center of the picture are recent creations to protect the boulders from sun and rain.

We could drive to the base of the hillock, we parked our cab near boulders. The care-taker was there alone. He was expecting us; his friends at Udegolam site had called informed about our visit. He said he was expecting us earlier, I told him about our little visit to Nadivi fort before coming here. I walked into one of the fields to get a view of boulders and part of the hillock.

Like Udegolam site, Nittur site also has two minor rock edicts. I'm assuming that boulder on the left has MRE I and on the right is MRE II.

Here we are looking at the 10' high boulder, on the surface facing is the inscription.

That's Prakash, the care-taker. We appreciated his sense of duty, the monument is kept clean and tidy. However, we were surprised at the absence of signage for such an important inscription.

The inscription is in Brahmi script and language is Sanskrit. This is MRE I- has 7 lines covering an area measuring 4' high x 18½' long. Letters' are 3½" to 8" high.

Now I turn to 'Ashokan Studies" a book by D C Sircar, to learn more about the inscription. Thanks to Mr. S B Hiremath, Director In-charge, Kannada Research Institute, Karnatak University, Dharwad for lending me this book. Incidentally, back in 1977 Mr. S B Hiremath was a member of the team from KUD who was here to document the newly discovered edict, he was a student at that time. He remembers spending four days at the site; a makeshift shelter was erected to protect them from wind and rain. Coming back to the book, it has information about recently discovered edicts of Emperor Asoka. Besides information about the discovery, transliteration and translation of the inscription, it also has photos of the impression sheets. Here are the scanned copies.

Picture source: Asokan Studies by D C Sircar

TRANSLITERATION of MRE I
1. (I) Deva[nam]piyo he[vam] aha (/*) (II) adhvi(dhi)kani adhatiyani [va]sani yam..
2. [u]pasake [no cu] kho b[a]dham pakamte husam ekam [sa]mvacharam (/*) (III) satireke tu kho samvachare yam maya sanghe u
3. puyi[te].. ca me pakam[t]e (/*) (IV) imi[n]a kalena amisa....munisa Jambudipasi mi[sa] [deve]-
4. [hi] (/*) (V) pakamasa hi [iya]m pha[le] (/*) (VI) [no] hi iyam [mahapten=eva] sake papotave (/*) (VII) kama[m]         [khuda]ken=api paka9ma0mi[ne]ua vi[pule] [svage]
5. sake aradhayitave (/*) (VIII) [sa] [e]taya iyam a[tha]ya [savane] savapite yatha [khu]daka ca ma[ha]pa ca imam pakameyvu am[t]a pi ca me [jane]y[vu] ti (/*)
6. (IX) cira-thitike [ca] i[ya]m pake(ka)mehoti (/*) (X) imam ca v[ip]u[le] vadh[isiti] [badha]m ca vadhisti avaradhiya diyadh[i]yam [vadhis]iti (/*) (XI) iyam ca savapite[ne]
7. [sa]vapite v[yu]thena [200 50 6] (/*) (XII) [sava-pa]thaviyam ca viva[s]ite ti (/*) (XIII) yatha ra[j]a Asoka aha tatha(tha) ti (//*)

TRANSLATION of MRE I
(I) Thus saith the Beloved of the Gods.
(II) It is more than two years and a half that I have become an upasaka (i.e. a lay follower of the Buddha), but was not excessively zealous [in the cause of Dharma] for one year.
(III) However, it is more than a year that I have been intimately associted with the Sangha (i.e. the Buddhist Church) and have been exerting myself [in the cause of Dharma].
(IV) By this time, in Jambu-dvipa (i.e. Asoka's empire), people who were unmingled (with gods) have been mingled with the gods.
(V) This is the result of [my] exertion [in the cause of Dharma].
(VI) Indeed, it is not only the big (i.e. rich) men who are capable of achieving this.
(VII) Even the small (i.e. poor) man, who exerts himself [in the cause of Dharma].
(VIII) Thus this declaration has been issued for the purpose that small and big men i.e. the rich and the poor exert [in respect of] this [matter] and the people living on the borders [of Asoka's empire] may know [about it].
(IX) And [in this way] this exertion [in the cause of Dharma] becomes everlasting.
(X) This exertion will increase to a considerable extent, will increase greatly [and] will increase more or less to one and half times.
(XI) This declaration has been issued [by the king] when he was away [from his capital on a tour of pilgrimage after the elapsing of] 256 [nights i.e. days of the tour].
(XII) {This edict] has been dispatched throughout the entire earth (i.e. Asoka's empire).
(XIII) [this has been done] in the way as it was said (i.e. ordered) by king Asoka.

As seen from the side, from the space between the two boulders.

Now we turn our attention to MRE II.

as seen from the paddy field

as seen from the space between the two boulders

This is the boulder which carries Asoka's message of peace... the same message Buddha had given the world.

Closer look at the text. This is MRE II; it is in 5 lines covering an area measuring 3' x 19'. Letters are smaller compared to MRE I.

Scanned copies photos of the impression sheets.

Picture source: Asokan Studies by D C Sircar

TRANSLITERATION of MRE II
1. (I) [r]aja Asoko hevam aha (/*) (II) tuphe anapayatha Rajuke (/*) (III) [se] [a]napayisati j[a]napadam ca janam Rathikani ca (/*) (IV) mata-pitusu sususita [v]iya ti (/*) (V) [h]evama garusu (/*).
2. (VI) panesu ca dayitaviye[e] ti (/*) (VII) ime dharma-guna pavatitaviya [t]i (/*) (VIII) .. [tu]phe Rajuka anapayatha (/*) (IX) se dan[i] Devanampiyasa vaca[ne][na] [a]na[pay]i[sa]t[i] (/*) (X) se hemava ana[pa[yatha (/*) (XI) he[meva] [ca]
3. Bamhanani ca hath-arohani ca karanakini ca yug-a[cariyani] ca (/*) (XII)..........[yadisi] [po]rana pakit[i]..(/*) (XIII)..[ana][pa]y[i]sati (/*) (XIV) ..sususitaviya ti (/*) (XV) iyam apacayitaviye ti (/*) (XVI) acaliye apacayi-
4. taviya ca sususitaviya ca (/*) (XVII) ye acali ..............................ti (/*) (XVIII) [i]yam [ya]tharaham [pa]vatita[v]iy[e] ti y[a]d[i]si porana paki[t]i (/*) (XIX) yatha.
5. hi satireke huveya tatha pavititav[i]ye [ti] (//*)

TRANSLATION of MRE II
(I) Thus saith king Asoka
(II) You (ie.e the Kumara and his Mahamantras) [should] pass orders on the Rajjuka
(III) He will pass oredres on the people of the countryside as well as on the Rastrikas.
(IV) "[One] should be obidient to [one's] parents."
(V) "In the same way, [one should be obidient] to one's elders."
(VI) "[One] should be kind to the living beings."
(VII) "One should propound these attributes of Dharma."
(VIII) [Thus] you should pass orders on the Rajjuka.
(IX) He will then pass orders [on his subordinates] in the words of the Beloved of the Gods.
(X)  Therefore you should pass orders [on the Rajjuka].
(XI) And in the same way, [orders should be passed on] the Brahmanas (i.e. the teachers of the Brahmana community) elephant riders, scribes and charioteers.
(XII) '[You should instruct your pupils] in accordance with what is the ancient usage'
(XIII) [He, i.e. the Rajjuka] will pass orders [as follows].
(XIV) "[The instruction] should be obeyed [in the same way.]"
(XV) "This should be held in respect."
(XVI) "The teacher should be honoured and obeyed."
(XVII) "Again, those who are the teacher's [kinsmen, among them also the instructions should be established.]"
(XVIII) "This should be established in the proper manner in accordance with what is the ancient usage."
(XIX) "{This] should be established in such a way that it becomes abundant."

Video link to Asokan edict of Nittur.

Here's a map of Nittur-Udegolam area. Roads connecting Tekkalakote and Udegolam/Nittur are dirt tracks but surface is good.

Tekkalakote to Udegolam site = 6½ kms
Udegolam site to Nittur site = 3½ kms
Tekkalakote to Nittur site = 10 kms

Today we are keeping up with the itinerary, the progress is good so far. Next on our list is Halaekote, a fort between Tekkalakote and Shirguppa.

To learn about the all edicts in Karnataka check out the nine edicts of Ashoka in Karnataka.

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Ashokan minor rock edict of Udegola

I had spent hours researching Google maps trying to find the exact location of Nittur and Udegolam; found Nittur village but Udegolam was unmarked. Also I wasn't sure if these edicts were within the villages or situated in a remote place like Palki Gundu. Well, I did not want to assume anything.. let me go there.

March 8, 2013
We had left Bellary early; our first stop was Tekkalakote, next was Varavina Malleshwara temple 4 kms east of Tekkalakote. We came back to Tekkalakote, got directions for Nittur. The road was flanked all boulder strewn hills; the very look of those  hills gave a feel of prehistoric human settlements; in fact we could see a couple of rock-shelters on the slopes, perfectly suitable for humans to live in. I was tempted to stop and explore but the thought of upsetting the itinerary was not a good idea. After couple  of kilometers the tar road gave way to a narrow mud road. At a brick factory the path turned right and left; we entered the paddy belt. It was a carpet of green as far as we could see; we could see rock-formations too. Instead of heading to Nittur straight away we stopped at the first person we met to ask for directions. This person guessed our purpose, he suggested us to see Udegola first, which we were closer to and gave rough directions to Nittur site. Thanks to the man; I was relieved now :-)
A narrow path led to a rock formation; we could see a short flight of steps leading to a small rock shelter protected by brick-wall, grills and doors. I went in and peeped, it was a temple. I scanned the surroundings; behind a clump of Neem trees was a granite structure- close to the left edge in this picture.

There it is- Ashoka's minor rock edict of Udegolam.

Two women and a little boy were sitting close by, they told us the care-taker was on sick leave :-(
I offered to take pictures of them but they were too shy, even the kid did not want his picture taken.

Minor Rock Edict II

The edict was inscribed on the entire surface facing us. However, some parts of the inscription was barely visible. I guess trained epigraphists' eyes can catch text better than any layman's eyes.

A closer look- click on the image to enlarge it - that way you'll see the letters.

I guess exposure to nature's forces the surface chips of in layers. I hope this shelter helps preserve it better.

Other side of the boulder. The place is silent and peaceful. I wish I had more time to explore & inspect the rocks behind me. The ladies told us about the second inscription close by ..a minute's walk in the direction we are looking.

Few minutes later a man came, he seemed to be the father of the kid. He accompanies us to the second inscription. Here it is-

Minor Rock Edict I

We were looking at a plain surface, no text. Then a careful, closer look at the rock we could identify faded text.

My heartfelt thanks to Mr. S B Hiremath, Director In-charge, Kannada Research Institute, Karnatak University, Dharwad for lending me the book 'Ashokan Studies by D C Sircar'. All information following this line have been sourced from this book. The author has used the abbreviation MRE for the phrase 'minor rock edict'. There are two types of minor rock edicts- MRE I and MRE II.
The Asokan edict of Udegolam was found seven months after the discovery of Nittur edict. The news was announced in March 1978 by Director of Archaeology, Karnataka. Nittur edict discovery was reported in September 1977. Both sites have MRE I and MRE II.

Nittur edict is in Brahmi script and the language is Sanskrit. MRE I is in six lines, inscription is damaged and most parts are not legible. MRE II is in eight lines and in fairly good condition.

 

TRANSLITERATION OF MRE I
1. ....yam hakam upasake (/*) [no] tu kho badham pa[kamte]....
2. ....[ba]dham ca me pakamte/imina cu k[a]lena / amisa....
3. ...[no] hi iyam ma[ha]pten=eva sake pa....
4. ....etya iyam [a]
5. ....[cira-th]itike ca iyam pakame....
6. ....[savane] savapite [vyu]....

TRANSLITERATION OF MRE II 
1. (I) raja Asoko Devanampiyo hevam apa(ha) (/*) tuphe anapayatha Rajukam (/*) se anapayisiti j[a]napadam [ca] janam Rathikani 2. ca (/*) mata-pitusu sususitaviye ti (/*) hevam=eva garusu (/*) panesu ca [da]yitha(ta)[vi]ye ti (/*) ime dhammaguna pavatitaviya ti (/*) [he]
3. vam tuphe Rajukam anapayatha (/*)se ta(da)ni Deva[nam]piyasa vacanena anapayisati ti (/*) [ta] ta hemava anapayatha ca ti (/*) Bambhanani ca hath-aro[ha]
4. [ni] ca karanakani ca yug-a[ca]riyani ca (/*) [tu] phe nivesayatha amt[eva]sisi(ni)yadisi pora[na pakiti] (/*) [se anapa]yisa[ti ca] (/*) [susu]sitaviye ti / iyam
5. ca apacayitaviye ti / se acariyasa apaca[yi]va(ta)viye ca sususitaviye (ca/*) ye pi ca acariyasa natika / tasu pi yathalaham pavatitaviye ti (/*)
6. hemeva [ca] pati[v]as[i]su pi yatha[la]ham pavatitaviye / ya[di]si porana pakiti (/*) yatha iyam [hi] sati[re]ke huveya tatha pavativa(ta)viye ti (/*) hevam tuphe anapayatha
7. nivesayatha ca amtevasini ti (/*)

I wonder how many edicts of Samrat Asoka remain lost. He did make an effort to change the way people lived.. for the better.

Here's a map of Nittur-Udegolam area. The roads connecting Tekkalakote and these sites are dirt tracks but surface is good.

We say bye to the farmer friend & his family and head towards Nittur.

Video link: Ashoka's Edict at Udegolam.

To learn about the all edicts in Karnataka check out the nine edicts of Ashoka in Karnataka.

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