Karnataka has rich epigraphical sources. The entire edifice of Karnataka history from the 3rd century B.C. down to the end of Vijayanagara rests on epigraphical records. A volume of information concerning the political conditions, government and administration, political geography, the social structure and the life of the people, the religious faiths, economic conditions and many other topics, can be derived from a critical study of the inscriptions.
The inscription under discussion is a copper plate from the village of Pejavar, Mangalore Taluka, South Kanara District, Karnataka State. The copper plate is now in the possession of K. Venkatraya Achar, Suratkal. It belongs to the period of the Vijayanagara emperor Immadi Devarāya (1424–1446 A.D.). The copper plate is in the Kannada language and script. The script seems to belong to a later period. The epigraphic department of the Government of India noticed this inscription in its annual report in the year 1967–68. Sri Venkatraya Achar, the discoverer of the inscription, made a few observations in the year 1957. This paper seeks to provide fresh information on political, religious and land transaction procedures on the basis of the contents of the copper plate.