Donkey stone/ Gadhegal information in English
Donation is the foundation of Hindu culture. This method has been going on since ancient times. A person, a village or a temple is given a reward or land as a charity. No one should remove the reward. Nor should it be forced. So there was an inscription in that place. It is called Gadhegal.
This inscription contains obsciene words in the following part. It is indeed a curse statement.
• parts of Gadhegal:
Three parts of Gadhegal fall.
• Moon
• the sun
• Amrit Kalash:
In Gadhegal writing, on the upper side, the moon, sun, and the pot of nectar are depicted. This means that the land, which has been donated, will remain intact as long as the moon and sun exist. Therefore, no king or any other individual should seize this place.
In the center, there is a pot of nectar, and it is said that the donation given from that pot is immortal.
• Inscriptions:
Below the inscription are Chandra, Surya, and the pot of nectar. It begins with a prayer, and contains information about the donation made. It specifies who has donated that place or endowment and to whom it has been given. Detailed information is written about the purpose of the donation.
• Rude words and curses :
On the lower side of the inscription, there are written rude abuses. It is stated that whoever does not accept the given donation and attempts to seize it, the women in his household like his mother, sister, and wife will have to engage with a donkey. Or such treatment will be given.
Hindu people cherish their families beyond life. Hence, they do not take such donations away.
The sculpture of a donkey and a woman:
Below the inscription, there is a sculpture of a donkey and a woman depicted in an intimate pose. Such stones are erected in a place where a donation has been made with a symbolic instruction. These types of sculptural stones are referred to as 'gaddhegal'.
The practice of erecting Gadyegal started particularly during the Shilahara kings' era. This tradition began in the 10th century AD and continued until the 16th century.
During the Shilahara, Kadamba, and Yadava periods, as well as in the Vijayanagara period, prose was primarily being written.
In the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, and the region of North Karnataka, there are prose texts available. Some of them contain information about donations made to temples. Some prose texts are found in the vicinity of forts.
Gadyegal is a curse.
Gadyegal is predominantly found inscribed in Marathi, Sanskrit, and Persian languages.
The first Gadyegal dates back to the year 934 AD during the Shilahara dynasty.
The most gadhdegal were erected during the Shilahar dynasty.
In a gadhdegal in Shravan Belghol, it is written at the end of a donation document that, 'If anyone contradicts this donation, his mother will have to endure a donkey or a horse.' Many gadhdegals contain such mentions.
References to these gadhdegals are mainly found from the time of the Shilahar dynasty.
This is information to gadhegal / Donkey stone in English
