Carved into the western stone wall of the Sri Krishna Matha in Udupi is an epigraph from 1613 CE: Inscription No. 302 (South Indian Inscriptions, Vol. VII, page 154). Documenting a milestone during one of the most consequential architectural renovations of the temple complex, this record captures the intersection of regional history, community migration, and spiritual patronage in early 17th-century coastal Karnataka.
The Historical Setting: Shaka 1535
By the turn of the 17th century, Sri Krishna’s original wooden sanctum in Udupi had aged significantly. During his biennial paryaya turn, Sri Vedavedya Tirtha—the direct disciple and successor of Sri Vadiraja Tirtha of the Sode Matha—undertook a complete restoration (jirnoddhara) of the shrine.
Sri Vedavedya Tirtha temporarily relocated the deity to an outer pavilion, dismantled the deteriorating woodwork, rebuilt the garbhagriha and the matha structure in stone, covered it with a two-tiered copper roof, and consecrated the golden pinnacle (kalasha). The formal re-consecration (punah-pratishtha) took place on April 21, 1613 CE (Shaka 1535/1536 Pramadi, Vaishakha Shukla 12/13).
The Donors: Saraswats of Mathagrama (Margao)
Against the backdrop of this grand reconstruction, Inscription 302 records two significant endowments executed by brothers belonging to the Saraswat Brahmin community: Damarsa Prabhu and Govinda Prabhu.
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| Inscription Text from Source |
The inscription explicitly records their lineage and geographic origins:
- Ancestral Home: Mathagrama (modern-day Margao, Goa), identified in the epigraph as the principal town among the Ashta Grama (Eight Villages) of Sasashti (Salcete).
- Lineage: Sons of Dama Prabhu (Damodara Prabhu), belonging to the Kaushika Gotra and the Rigveda Shakha.
- One of their ancestors, also named Dama Prabhu had received stupendous honors from the king of Vijayanagara, 160 years before this grant, as documented in this blogpost.
- This means that the family continued to be prosperous for a long period of time. They were possibly settled in Bhatkal during this time.
Having migrated south to coastal Kanara amidst 16th-century Portuguese religious pressures in Salcete, the family maintained their ancestral identity while emerging as prominent patrons in the Vijayanagara–Keladi administrative sphere.
The Endowments
The inscription is divided into two distinct grants executed on the same day:
1. The Grant of Damarasa Prabhu (160 Varahas)
- Purpose: Dedicated to securing eternal heavenly merit (akshaya-punyaloka-prapti) for his uncle (Ranga Prabhu) and his (Ranga Prabhu's) son (Malayya / Mallya).
- Daily & Festive Offerings:
- Daily Platter Offering (Nitya-harivana Naivedya): 2 1/2 hanes of rice per day (14 mudes per year).
- Festival Rations: 2 mudes for special feasts.
- Ascetic Alms (Yati-bhiksha): 1/2 mude per instance on Ekadashi/Dashami days (12 mudes per year).
- Total Grain Volume: 32 mudes and 55 hanes of rice annually.
- Capital Sum: A permanent cash endowment of 160 large Varahas (Gadyanas) deposited as hiriya rokkha on the revenue of the Aruvara estate, sealed with the traditional libation of gold and water (sahiranyodaka-dharapūrvaka).
2. The Grant of Govinda Prabhu (55 Varahas)
- Purpose: Undertaken to earn eternal merit for his parents and to ensure the growth and continuity (putra-pautrabhivriddhi) of his lineage.
- Direct Contribution to the Renovation: Govinda Prabhu provided direct funds for the structural masonry of the garbhagriha, including:
- Foundation stones and base slabs (gundottara talagallu)
- The pedestal seat (panipitha)
- Square perimeter facades (chaukada bhatti)
- Door frames (dvarabandha), cross-beams (tole), and stone ceiling slabs.
Perpetual Offerings & Eternal Lamp:
- Daily naivedya to Sri Krishna and subsequent offering to the Acharya (7 mudes, 10 hanes of rice annually).
- Daily coconut oil for the perpetual lamp (nitya tenginenne nandadipti) burning before the sanctum (4 mudes of rice equivalent).
Capital Sum: 55 large Varahas, dedicated as a perpetual endowment (dharma-shasana) yielding interest for the temple's daily upkeep.
Significance
Inscription No. 302 provides essential chronological and cultural insights:
- Paryaya Chronology: It anchors the two-year paryaya system initiated by Sri Vadiraja Tirtha, placing Vedavedya Tirtha firmly in office during the 1612–1614 CE cycle.
- Cross-Regional Patronage: It highlights that while Saraswat Vaishnavas maintained their own institutional allegiances (such as the Kashi Matha and Gokarna Matha), they actively participated in major architectural and spiritual undertakings across coastal Karnataka.
- Linguistic & Social Integration: The use of hybrid titles—combining traditional Konkani names with Kannada administrative suffixes (e.g., Dama -> Damarsa)—demonstrates how seamlessly these merchant-administrators integrated into the broader socio-economic fabric of Tulunadu.
- Naming: The popular practice of naming the grandson with grandfather name explains why their father's name was also Dama Prabhu. Also, their Kuladevata is Lakshmi Damodara, in Jambavali.
Reference:
1. Itihaasada RashmigaLu - Shri H.L. Kamath
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