Mysore and Coorg from the Inscriptions c2.2

c2.2

These inscriptions are mostly on either stone or metal. Their primary object is, in general, to record the erection of temples or other public structures, the endowment of gods or Brāhmans with lands and gifts, or to commemorate acts of heroism or self-sacrifice. But occasion is taken to give at the same time details as to the ruling powers of the day, their ancestry and past achievements, and other information invaluable for historical purposes. Those on stone are engraved on natural rocks, on prepared pillars or slabs set up at the spots dedicated, and on the walls of temples and the gateways of forts and other buildings. Those on metal are generally on copper plates of a convenient size, strung together on a metal ring, which is secured with an impression in metal of the royal seal. Being portable, these can be secreted, and thus have often survived when inscriptions on stone have been destroyed.