Hyderabad: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has begun the process of scientific cleaning and conservation of a rare set of copper plate inscriptions discovered in a Muslim graveyard at Kodad village in Suryapet district.
The nine plates, which were recently unearthed, are now confirmed to date back to the Chalukyas of Vengi, a dynasty that ruled large parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh and Telangana between the 7th and 12th centuries CE.
On the instructions of the director of epigraphy at ASI K Muniratnam Reddy, the science branch in Hyderabad began chemical treatment of the plates to restore and preserve them. The ASI said that the epigraphic analysis will be completed soon.
Preliminary observations suggest that the charters were issued under the authority of the Chalukya rulers, although specific details of the content remain undeciphered at this stage.
According to K Muniratnam Reddy, once the cleaning is complete, the epigraphy branch of the ASI will take estampages — exact impressions — of the copper plates for further study. These impressions will then be deciphered, transcribed and analysed by experts to fully understand the inscriptions.
Experts say the copper-plate inscriptions may contain valuable historical data relating to land grants, administration, social structure and possibly religious endowments from the Chalukya period. The discovery is expected to add new dimensions to the understanding of the Vengi branch of the Chalukyas and their influence in the region.
The discovery is considered significant for the early medieval history of Telangana and may help refine existing timelines and genealogies of South Indian dynasties.
