Bara
Context: In a 1539 Kannada inscription found near the Chandrashekara Temple in Guttala, Haveri district, the term "bara" denotes a severe drought that claimed 6,307 lives, marking one of India's earliest epigraphic records of a natural calamity.
Important Pointers:
Bara (1539 CE): Refers to a severe drought recorded in a 1539 CE Kannada inscription at Guttala, Haveri (Karnataka), which mentions the death of 6,307 people—India’s earliest epigraphic record of a natural disaster.
Location of Inscription: Discovered near Chandrashekara Temple, Guttala village, Haveri district, Karnataka.
Date of Inscription: Saka 1461, Vikari, Bhadrapada su.5 (August 18, 1539 CE).
Language and Script: Inscription is in the Kannada language and script.
Significance: First historical epigraphic record documenting a humanitarian disaster caused by a natural calamity in India.
Notable Individual: Marulaih Odeya, son of Nanideva Odeya, buried the bodies for the merit of Timmarasa Svami, ruler of the seeme.
Depiction: The sculpture shows Marulaih Odeya carrying a basket with two or three bodies on his head.
Religious Reference: Mentions obeisance to Basaveshwara, indicating Shaiva influence.
Research Implications: Provides rare insight into historical socio-economic conditions and helps in tracing climatic patterns and administrative responses.
ASI Epigraphy Branch: Discovered over 1,000 inscriptions during 2024–25 across India, over 100 of them in this year alone.