The Aihole Inscription, also known as the Aihole prashasti, is a nineteen line Sanskrit inscription at Meguti Jain temple in Aihole, Karnataka, India.
An eulogy dated 634–635 CE, it was composed by the Jain poet Ravikirti in honor of his patron king Pulakesin Satyasraya (Pulakeshin II) of the Badami Chalukya dynasty.
The inscription has 19 lines of Sanskrit in old Chalukyan script. The inscription is partly damaged and corrupted – its last two lines were added at a later date. Since the 1870s, the inscription was recorded several times, revised, republished and retranslated by Fleet, Kielhorn and others.
The inscription is a prashasti for the early Western Chalukyas. It is notable for its historical details mixed in with myth, and the scholarly disagreements it has triggered. It is also an important source of placing political events and literature – such as of Kalidasa – that must have been completed well before 634 CE, the date of this inscription.
Location:
The Aihole inscription of Ravikirti, sometimes referred to as the Aihole Inscription of Pulakesin II, is found at the hilltop Meguti Jain temple, about 600 metres (1,969 ft) southeast of Aihole town’s Durga temple and archaeological museum.
The Aihole inscription is found on the eastern side-wall of the Meguti Jain temple
Meguti Jain temple ruins from the 1880s
Aihole inscription is associated with the Chalukya dynasty. It was written by Ravi Kirti, court poet of Chalukya King, Pulakeshin II who reigned from 610 to 642 A.D.
Located at Meguti temple in Aihole, Karnataka, the inscription speaks about the defeat of Harshavardhana by Pulakeshin II. It also mentions the victory of Chalukyas on Pallavas.
