A partially damaged Nishidhi stone inscription belonging to 12th century A.D. has been found near the pushkarani, the pond believed to be the place where the river Kumudvathi takes birth near Billeshwara temple in Humcha village near here.
R. Shejeshwara, Assistant Director of Department of Archaeology, Heritage and Museums told The Hindu that during a field work undertaken by him near Billeshwara temple recently, he came across the stone inscription.
The inscription speaks of a woman Piriyarasi performing ‘Sallekhana Vratha’ here in the presence of a Jain seer during the rule of Mahamandaleshwara Bomma Santi Deva, a local chief under Kalyani Chalukya kingdom. The six lines here are carved in archaic Kannada. The images of the woman taking Sallekhana Vratha in the presence of the Jain seer and that of a Tirthankara are carved here.
During field work, a broken stone sculpture of goddess Kushmandini Yakshi was also found near the pushkarani. It has been shifted to the museum belonging to the department at the Shivappa Nayaka Palace premises in Shivamogga city, he added.
