Alupas
Encyclopedia
| Official language Official language An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a... s |
Tulu Tulu language The Tulu language |?]]]) is a Dravidian language spoken by 1.95 million native speakers mainly in the southwest part of Indian state Karnataka known as Tulu Nadu. In India, 1.72 million people speak it as their mother tongue , increased by 10 percent over the 1991 census... |
| Capitals | Early : Mangalore Mangalore Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western... (Mangalapura), Udyavara Udyavara Udyavara is a village on the outskirts of the town of Udupi, Karnataka, India. It is located to south of Udupi, and to the north of the Udyavara river. Due to high demand for houses in the area, Udyavara is gradually becoming a suburb of Udupi. National Highway 17 passes through this village. Also,... (Udayapura), Later: Barkur Barkur Barkur is a cluster of 3 villages [Hosala, Hanehalli, Kachoor] in Udupi district of the Karnataka state in South India. The place is located on the bank of river Seeta.-History:... (BarahaKanyapura), Moodbidre(Venupura) |
| Government | Monarchy Monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected... |
| Succeeding state | Vijayanagar empire |
The Alupas kings (450
450
Year 450 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valentinianus and Avienus...
- 1400 C.E.) were a minor dynasty who ruled parts of coastal Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. Later with the dominance of Kadambas
Kadambas
The Kadamba Dynasty was an ancient royal family of Karnataka that ruled from Banavasi in present day Uttara Kannada district. The dynasty later continued to rule as a feudatory of larger Kannada empires, the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta empires for over five hundred years during which time they...
in Banavasi, they became feudatory to them. With the changing political scenario, soon they became the feudatories to Chalukyas, Hoysalas and Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....
Rayas. Their influence over coastal Karnataka lasted for about 1000 years.
Origin
The origin of Alupas prior to the KadambasKadambas
The Kadamba Dynasty was an ancient royal family of Karnataka that ruled from Banavasi in present day Uttara Kannada district. The dynasty later continued to rule as a feudatory of larger Kannada empires, the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta empires for over five hundred years during which time they...
is unclear as there are no epigraphical evidences. The rule of other Chutu dynasty was restricted only to Banavasi (whole of Uttara Kannada), and the rule of Sadakanas were confined to Chandravalli
Chandravalli
Chandravalli is an archaeological site located in the Chitradurga district of the state of Karnataka, India. The region is a valley formed by three hills, Chitradurga, Kirabanakallu and Cholagudda. It is a semi-arid region with scrub vegetation with a stream running through it...
region (around 30 km radius). The region of North Karnataka was more under so-called Elephant, Lion, Horse and Bull Maharatis. Again, later Satavahana branch and Later Kuras moved southward to eastablish only in Banavasi. The region of Dakshina Kannada (modern Udupi and Mangalore district) was free from any such an external influence and appears to have been under the strict control of Alupa kings in the ancient times.
In today's South India - Kerala, Tulunadu, Coorg, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, only four local dynasties are known in Recorded History - namely the Sangam-age Cholas, Cheras, Pandyas and Mushikas. The Ashoka edict mentions about Satiyaputra, and it is assumed that Alupas are the one who are referred as Satiyaputra. The region of South Canara (Dakshnina Kannada) prior to this dynastic rule is still tagged to the same ruling house though the ruling was more informal and in the evolving stage.
The rule of Uttara Kannada, the Banavasi was under the ruling house of Chutus followed by the Satavahana branch which governed for Siri, Siva, Pulumavi and Yajna Satakarnis, prior to the Kadambas. With the Kadambas rule from Banavasi, Karnataka saw developments in the field of art and culture. Land of Karnataka saw more and more epigraphs that recorded the activities of the past, mostly erected in the temple premises. The first clear mention of Alupas comes from the Halmidi
Halmidi
Halmidi is a small village in the Hassan district of Karnataka state, India, near the temple town of Belur. Halmidi is best known as the place where the oldest known inscription exclusively in Kannada language, the so called Halmidi inscription, was discovered. Earlier also many inscriptions...
inscription of 450 C.E. where their possible early ruler Pashupathi of Alapa (Alupa) gana is mentioned. Pashupathi was the contemporary of the Kadambas. Hence for historical record, we can safely assume that the dynastic formation of Alupas took place around 5th century C.E. Their royal emblem was the double fish and they claimed to belong to the Pandyavamsha and Soma Kula (lunar). Their coins carried the dynastic title "Sri Pandya Dhananjaya" which means "Arjuna among the Pandyas".
Land
Although Alupas controlled part of Uttara Kannada and Shimoga of Karnataka and northernmost parts of Kerala during the zenith, the core region consisted of the modern Tulunadu which comprises Mangalore and Udupi district (earlier it used to be a single district Dakshina KannadaDakshina Kannada
- Geography :The district geography consists of sea shore in the west and Western Ghats in the east. The major rivers are Netravathi, Kumaradhara, Phalguni, Shambhavi, Nandini or Pavanje and Payaswini which all join Arabian sea. Vast areas of evergreen forests which once covered this district, have...
, also known as South Canara). Earlier, the region was referred to as Alvakheda and during the later part of the reign, the region was called Tulunadu. The term Tulunadu is still used today to refer to the region.
Alvakheda
The term Alvakheda could be seen in several of ancient inscriptions of the Alupas. The region of Alvakheda encompassed the modern Tulunadu and part of Uttara Kannada up to Ankola on the coastal north and Banavasi on the interior west of Uttara Kannada District. Also, the region of Humcha in the Shimoga district, and the land of Kasaragod in Kerala up to the Payasvini river was the boundary in the south. The term Alvakheda is not seen in the inscriptions during the Vijayanagara period, when the region of Barakuru and Mangalore were two separate provinces under the administration of Governors who started controlling the territory without interfering in the autonomy of the Alupas.Tulunadu
The region stretches from Baindoor in the north all the way to Northern Kasargod in the south. On the west is the Arabian sea and on the east is the Western Ghat that fences the land like a fort that formed a heaven for the ruler. More than it, number of rivers that criss-crossed near Mangalore, Udyavara and Barkur made this land fertile. The western ghats, the thick forests and the towns along the shoreline of the Arabian Sea established several sea ports for trade with the Romans and Arabs. Trade routes from with the Romans were well established as early as the 2nd century C.E and with the Arabs around 7th century C.E. The Netravati in Mangalore and Seethanadi in Barakur are the main rivers that run in the capital cities of Alupas. Other rivers such as Suvarnanadi, Shambhavi in Karkala and Mulki, Gurupura river, Pavanje, Nandini and numerous streams all running from east to west. The region of Puttur, Sullia, Belthangady and Puttur, Karkala are the Malnad region and supported as an agricultural backbones of the kingdom and the region of Mangalore, Udupi and Kundapur are the coastal regions that supported more of marine activities though agriculture is the other occupation.Political History
The history of clan emerges from obscurity during the rise of BadamiBadami
Badami , formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples...
Chalukya in the Aihole and Mahakuta inscriptions which claims the Alupas had accepted Chalukya overlordship and become their feudatory. They ruled initially from Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
and other times from Udyavara in Udupi and later Barkur
Barkur
Barkur is a cluster of 3 villages [Hosala, Hanehalli, Kachoor] in Udupi district of the Karnataka state in South India. The place is located on the bank of river Seeta.-History:...
. Their first regular full length inscription is the Vaddarase inscription in Kannada is dated to early 7th century. They maintained marital relations with their overlords over the centuries.
Alupas rule confined to the modern districts of Udupi, Mangalore and parts of Shimoga and Uttara Kannada districts in the state of Karanataka and parts of northernmost Kerala (Kasaragod district) up to Payashvini river. Alupas though originated as a ruler to the coastal region of Karnataka around beginning of the Christian era, it is only around 5th century they made their debut as a dynasty as witnessed in the epigraph of Halmidi. The last ruler's name that we see in the epigraph of Venupura (Moodubidre), belong to the 14th century AD. There are over two hundred stone epigraphs left behind this dynasty and only about one hundred and twenty epigraphs have been read and deciphered so far. The finest record of the early Kannada script is seen in the 7th century AD Copper plate of Belmannu. There is yet another copper plate set of 5 individual plates have surfaced in the beginning of 2007, but no information is known about the ruler, provenance within the district of Udupi or its content.
Alupas put coins into circulation in 8th century AD and continued the tradition till 14th century AD. Their coins carried the dynastic emblem of "Two fishes over a spread Lotus flower, below a royal umbrella". Nearly 180 unique coins have been known so far, of which around 175 coins are published in the book written by Prabhu and Pai. The detailed history, with a proper reference pointers are also seen in the same book.
All their inscriptions are in Kannada and Sanskrit. The earliest known copper plate inscription
Indian copper plate inscriptions
Indian copper plate inscriptions play an important role in the reconstruction of the history of India. Prior to their discovery, historians were forced to rely on ambiguous archaeological findings such as religious text of uncertain origin and interpretations of bits of surviving traditions,...
in Kannada language is attributed to Aluvarasa II , called the Belamannu plates and is dated early 8th century, according to Dr. Gururaj Bhat.. This full-length Kannada copper plates in Old Kannada script (early eighth century CE) belongs to the Alupa King Aluvarasa II from Belmannu, Karkala Taluk, Udupi District, and displays the double crested fish, the royal emblem of Alupa kings. The records also refers king with the title Alupendra.
The first known epigraph that talks about the possession of Banavasi Mandala (Banavasi kingdom of Uttara Kannada District) by the Alupas, belongs to the reign of Western Chalukya king Vinayaditya.. Te epigraph comes from Jambani of Sagar Taluk, discovered by Dr Gururaj Bhat, mentions about Chitravahana Alupendra in possession of Kadamba mandala. This is in fact the first stone epigraph that points the ruler as a subordinate to WEstern Chalukya King (8th Century C.E).
Some of the Alupa inscriptions are available in the following URL:
http://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/south_indian_inscriptions/volume_9/alupas.html
Chronology
| Ruler's name | Year of reign | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Pashupathi | 450 C.E | |
| To be known | 500 - 7th Cent C.E | |
| Aluvarasa I | Early 7th Cent | Father-in-law of Pulakesi II Pulakesi II Pulakesin II is the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty. In his reign the Chalukyas of Badami saw their kingdom extend over most of the Deccan.-Early life and accession:... |
| Gunasagara | 660 - 630 C.E | |
| Chitravahana | 663 - 730 C.E | Brother-in-law of Chalukya Vijyaditya |
| Aluvarasa II | Incurred the wrath of the Chalukyas | |
| Chitravahana II | ||
| Ranasagara | ||
| Pritvisagara | ||
| Marama | ||
| Vimaladitya | ||
| Alva Rananjaya | ||
| Dattalupa | ||
| Kundavarma | ||
| Jayasimha | ||
| Bankideva | ||
| Pattiyodeya | ||
| Pandya Pattiyodeya | 1080 - 1110 C.E. | |
| Kavi Alupendra C.E. | ||
| Kulashekara | 1160 - 1220 C.E. | |
| Kundana | 1220 - 1230 C.E. | |
| Vallabhadeva Duttalupa | ||
| Virapandya | 1250 - 1275 C.E. | |
| Queen Ballamahadevi and Nagadevarasa |
1275 - 1285 C.E. | |
| Bankideva II | ||
| Soyideva | ||
| Kulashekara | 1335 - 1346 C.E. | Son of Hoysala Veera Ballala Veera Ballala Veera Ballala is the name of multiple South Indian kings of the Hoysala Empire:* Veera Ballala I 1102 - 1108 CE* Veera Ballala II 1173-1220 CE* Veera Ballala III 1291-1343 CE... III and Alupa princess Krishnayitayi |
| Bankideva III | ||
| Kulashekara III | 1355 - 1390 C.E. | |
| Virapandya II |
People
There were these four distinct community played major role in the land of Alvakheda, during the Alupa rule. It does not mean that there were no other communities worth mentioning, but these four communities have distinct features and attributes when it comes to Alvakheda.1. NADAVA
Bunt (community)
Bunt , previously spelled Bant, are a community of erstwhile nobility, feudatory and gentry from the region of Tulu Nadu in the south west of India which comprises the districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada in the Indian state of Karnataka and Kasaragod taluk of Kerala...
These are the people of Nadu (town). The term basically indicates that these the stake holders of the land of Alvakheda or Tulunadu. The community is commonly known as Banta in Tulu
Tulu language
The Tulu language |?]]]) is a Dravidian language spoken by 1.95 million native speakers mainly in the southwest part of Indian state Karnataka known as Tulu Nadu. In India, 1.72 million people speak it as their mother tongue , increased by 10 percent over the 1991 census...
and kannada or Bunts in English, derived from the Sankrit word 'Bhata'. It means warrior. Having a good physique, they were the soldiers of the ancient kingdom. One of the community surnames Aluva anglicised as Alva,belong to the royal family of Alupa. The community has nearly hundreds of surnames, the commonest ones are Shetty, Rai and Hegde.
3. MOGAVEERAS
These are the Tulu speaking fishermen scattered all around the coastal land of Dakshina Kannada. The religious headquarters of these people are in Bennekudru near Sitanadi (Barakuru). They practised matriline law of inheritance, and worshipped Bhutas. Nema and Kolas are constantly celebrated in Dakshina Kannada and the origin of Bobbarya Stahana (temple) is attributed to Mogaveeras
Mogaveeras
Mogaveeras are the major fishing community in coastal Karnataka, India. They form one of the largest communities in the Tulu ethnic group. The word 'Mogaveera' is a modernised version of the old word 'Mogeyar'....
. They dominated the marine and fishing business in the coastal Karnataka. The Mogaveeras are known for their bravery. The naval force of the Queen of Ullal, the Rani Abbakka Devi, consisted of brave Mogaveeras. She fought the war against invading Potuguese during the 18th century CE.
2. BILLAVAS
Billava
The Billava, or Ilava people make up one of the largest Hindu communities of the Tulu ethnic group in India. They are also found in the Kannada-speaking Kundapura region of Karnataka and some parts of Kerala, including Kasaragod district...
These are the native pople who were hunters during early civilization. Billava stands for Bow Man. The land is full of coconut plantaion and the cultivation is basically the gift of these people. Pujari (priests) of Bhutas (spirits) are from this community, who gets possessed by the Bhutas during the worship and aradhana (Nema and Kola).they also known for ayurvedic medicine practice(baidya). They are one of the largest communities of Tulu and spread even in the neighbouring districts of Kasaragod. The community was reformed through the teachings of Sri Naryana Guru.
4. BRAHMINS
Brahmins form one of the major four communities that lived in Alvakheda. Brahmins were said to have been encouraged to settle in Alvakheda from Talagunda
Talagunda
Talagunda is a village in the Shikaripura taluk of Shimoga district in the state of Karnataka, India. Many inscriptions found here have provided insights into the rise of the Kadamba Dynasty.-History:...
and Kuppatturu, both are in Shimoga district. Talagunda agrahara was in existence as early as 3rd century C.E. Mayuravarma may have influenced Ahicchatra Brahmins to migrate to Talagunda and Kuppatturu. Later when Alupas became the feudatory of Chalukyas and the overlord of Banavasi Mandala, the Brahmins from Banavasi Mandala were given various Agraharas in Alvakheda. They formed another holy place Shivalli in Dakshina Kannada which gave birth to various temples in this land. Sivalli was considered a holyplace next to distant Varanasi. Tradition tells us that there were at least 360 Brahmin families spread all over Tulunadu taking care of 360 temples.
These Brahmins are referred by the place or Agraharas they belonged to. Shivalli Brahmins have two groups, the one that follows Madhwacharyas Dvaita philosophy and the other that follows Adi Shankaracharya's Advaita philosophy. This distinguishes them as Madhwa and Smartha Brahmins.
The other communities of the region are narrated below
5. JAINAS
Jains are a small Tulu speaking community who adhere to Jainism. Due to Ahimsa (non-violence) practise, they hardly participated in any warfare. Many erstwhile Jain royalty were mainly dependent on their cousin Bunts for warfare. Moodubidre and Karkala are the main Jain centres, where one can see over 60 Jain temples, built of granite. The monolithic Gomateshwara idols of Karkala, Venur and Dharmasthala are the gifts of the Jains.
6. KONKANIS
Konkanis are found throughout western coast of India, from Goa till Cochin. The land they dwelled is known Konkana Pradesh. The Konkanis of Tulunadu are bilinguals, who spoke Konkani and Tulu equally and efficiently. The community is known for traders. The notable academic institution of Manipal, the banking industry Syndicate Bank,Canara Bank and Corporation Bank are the gifts of this society.
7. BEARYS
Beary community of Tulunadu holds an important place among the other notable Muslim communities of Coastal Karnataka. The community has a blendof Tulu culture and Moplah traditions. Mangalore being a trade hub for Arabs, the community has a history of more than thousand years.
8. CHRISTAINS
The Mangalorean Catholics were the migrants from Goa, post 1560 CE. With the acquisition of Mangalore by Tipu, the erstwhile Christian records seem to have been lost. The opening of the Protestant German Basel Mission of 1834 in Mangalore brought many handicraft and tile-manufacturing industries to the region and led to a large-scale rise in employment. The community has gifted the land of Tulunadu with several institutions such as Father Muller's Hospital, St Aloysius College, St Agnes College, etc. The community is bilingual with Tulu and Konkani spoken equi potentially.
Art and architecture
The Alupas built some fine temples in their area of rule. The Panchalingeshwara temple at Barkur, Brahmalingeshwara temple at Brahamavar, Koteshwara temple at Kotinatha and the Sadashiva temple at Suratkal are attributed to them. It is widely believed that they used sculptural styles from their various overlords over the centuries. The latest research reveals that the Elephant-Back architecture is the gift of Alupas to the world of architecture. Sri Panchalingeshwara temple in Vittla, Sri Anantheshwara Temple in Udupi, Sri Anantheshwara Temple in Madhur of Kasaragod, Kota Mahatobhara temple, Haradi temple are the few classic examples of this architectural style. Other than these temples, only Durga temple built by the Chalukyas (contemporary) is seen in Aihole which follows similar architectural style. Further study is needed to understand this unique style of Architecture of Alupas. The local legend (Sthala Purana) says that there are five Siva temples of South Canara that follows this style of architecture were basically built by the Pandavas.1. Sri Rajarajeshwari Temple, Polali
In modern Mangalore District, Polali is one of the oldest temple that has the earliest inscription of the Alupa dynasty, written in 8th century Kannada. The temple is dedicated to Sri Rajarashewari, and Alupa kings enriched this temple during throughout their rule. For more details on Rajarajeswari temple, Please visit the URL:
http://www.ourkarnataka.com/temples/polalitemple.htm
2. Sri Manjunatheshwara Temple, Kadri
In modern Mangalore district, Kadri has the other important and old temple that belonged to the era of Alupas. The temple has several finest bronze statues installed by the King Kundavarma, which bears inscriptions of him dated 968 C.E. In the inscription of Lokeshwara statue, king Kundavarma is compared to Arjuna in bravery. For more details on the temple and its history, you may visit the URL:
http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/mangalore/kadrimanjunatheshwara.htm
3. Sri Mahishamardini Temple, Neelavara
In times, Alupas changed their capital from Mangalore to Udyavara, Udyavara to Mangalore and then again to Barkur depending on the political situation and demand. To be in centre to their ruling place, they even shifted their capital to Barakur from where they could look after the vast territory which spread up to Ankola in the North Kanara (Uttara Kannada District). During this period, they patronaged several temples in the surrounding areas of Barakuru (which was their captiral). Neelavara Kshetra is one such a holy place where Mahishasuramardini temple has several Alupa inscriptions of later period. For details, please you may visit the following URL:
http://www.shreekshethraneelavara.net
4. Sri Panchalingeshwara Temple, Vittla
This temple is one of the oldest temple of Alupa territory, built during 7th century AD. The architecture of the temple is inline with that of Sri Ananteshwara temple which is the oldest temple built by the Alupas. The architecture is unique and is an innovation of 7th century. The Brahmins of Sivahalli of Uttara Kannada were attracted during 7th century C.E. by the Alupas and were given Agraharas for imparting Vedic knowledge to the people of Alvakheda. The Alupas built many temples and allowed these Brahmins to take care of it. The legend says that there were hundreds of temples that every day there is a festival in one or other temple of the region. The temple of Vittla Panchalingeshwara is one of the oldest structures which was renovated by the later local dynasties such as Heggades. The latest renovation is being held now, which in fact is a pity to the world of history, which would not want see antiquity to be destroyed to replace with new structure.
For details on the temple, one may visit : http://www.vittalpanchalinga.info/index1.html
5. Sri Anantheshwara Temple, Udupi
Diagonally opposite to the main entrance of the Sri Krishna Mutt, and adjacent to the Chandramouleeshwara Temple, stands one of the oldest Alupa temple namely Sri Anantheswara Temple. An old belief is that lighting a lamp at the ancient Anantheshwara Temple takes away evil and sins. It is one of the biggest temple in Udupi. The main idol is Linga, whose adornment makes it to look like a Face of Lord Siva. From a small window on the left, the site where Madhvacharya disappeared is seen. An aerial view from wikimapia shows the Elephant-Back architecture of this temple. Location : http://wikimapia.org/192830
Both Sri Vittla Panchalingeshwara and Sri Udupi Anantheshwara Temple have Elephant-back type curvilinear structure. Another temple of similar architecture is also seen in Aihole Durga temple, appears to be a structure of 7th century C.E. (Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Durga_temple_Aihole.JPG ). So, tagging it to any architectural style is ruled out unless more detailed study or research is done on this topic. The unique noteworthy feature of the architecture of South Canara temples is their roof. Being in a landscape of highest rainfall, the temple roofs evolved from grass, clay tiles and eventually with the copper plates.
Coinage
The Alupas as a feudatory of the Western ChalukyasWestern Chalukyas
The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This dynasty is sometimes called the Kalyani Chalukya after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan in Karnataka and alternatively the Later Chalukya from its theoretical...
in coastal Karnataka issued coins with Kannada and Nagari inscriptions on them. Coins with Kannada legends seem to have minted in Mangalore and those with Nagari legend at the Udupi mint. Kannada was their language of administration. The Pagodas and Fanams were the common coinage of all the Alupa kings. The obverse of the coins carried the royal emblem "Two Fishes" and the reverse had the legend "Sri Pandya Dhanamjaya" either in Nagari or old (Hale) Kannada.
This paragraph is about the inscription found at Neelavara temple of Udupi district. This is all about the grant in "Gadyana" denomination. The Alupas while ruling from Barakuru showed great interest in the development of temple. This record is of the Alupa ruler Veerapandyadeva, dated 1258 A.D. mentions about his instruction to “neeruvara munnuru” i.e. Neeruvara-300, the modern Neelavara village Assembly. It states that after paying 100 gadyanas (coins)to the palace and 30 gadyanas to Adhikari, remaining 30 gadyanas, should be used by the village assembly for its expense. Yet another inscription of Veerapandyadeva's queen Ballamahadevi, the next ruler is also seen here. The record mentions that when ballamahadevi was ruling her kingdom with the help of samastapradanas, Deshi purushas, Bahattara niyogis and Rishi purohita, she gave a grant to niruvara Bhagavati, out of 100 honnus that is paid to the palace. This inscription was written by keshava senabhova as mentioned in the epigraph.
The Alupas were one of the three dynasties that issued gold coins as early as 8th century C.E. The gold that used to mint coins came from trade with the Romans, Arabs and from the adjacent kingdom of Gangas. No other ancient dynasties of the south have issued that many varieties of gold coins as Alupas and Gangas did. The coins of both Gangas and Alupas have inscriptions that helps in dating the period of issue. These coins have not drawn much attention compared to that of Chalukyas or Hoysals. But for sure, they have inspired later dynsties as a prototype or basis to issue coins. Shown below is the hand-drawing of some of the Pandya Gadyanas (Alupa coins) obverse image.