The Documentary Collection
Explore the Historical Record
The Baba Budan Archives brings together historical records relating to the Inam lands, institutional administration, Sajjada succession, coffee history, government proceedings, judicial records, archaeology and epigraphy associated with the Baba Budan Hills/Inam Dattatreya Peetha.
The archive distinguishes between surviving primary records, later official references and subsequent judicial or administrative reproductions, allowing each document to be examined within its proper historical and evidentiary context.
Browse by Collection
The Archive Collections
Explore the documentary record by subject. Each collection brings together related records while preserving their dates, provenance and evidentiary character.
Inam & Land Records
Inam settlements, land administration, surveys, claims, government proceedings, abolition and later references to occupancy and Tasdik arrangements.
Explore Collection →Sajjada & Succession
Petitions, appointments, succession proceedings, administrative recognition and records concerning institutional management.
Explore Collection →Coffee History
Documentary evidence concerning coffee cultivation, historical transactions, estate records and the wider coffee history of the Baba Budan Hills.
Explore Collection →Government & Muzrai Records
Mysore Government files, Muzrai proceedings, official enquiries, administrative correspondence and institutional records.
Explore Collection →Court & Judicial Records
Court decrees, High Court judgments, appellate proceedings and later judicial records documenting the modern legal history of the institution.
Explore Collection →Archaeology & Epigraphy
Archaeological reports, Persian and Kannada inscriptions, material evidence and official records concerning the historic monuments of the Baba Budan Hills.
Explore Collection →Chronological Research
Browse by Period
Follow the documentary record across major periods in the history of the archive.
Using the Archive
Understanding the Record
Every archival item is organised so that the source itself can be distinguished from later interpretation.
Archive IDs
Each catalogued record receives a permanent archive identifier indicating its documentary category, year and sequence.
BD-INAM-1884-01The identifier remains attached to the record throughout the website, allowing related timeline entries, images and research notes to refer to the same source consistently.
Document Pages
Individual archive entries are designed to separate documentary evidence from historical interpretation.
- Date and archive identification
- Issuing authority or author
- Original record or later official reference
- What the document actually states
- What the source establishes — and its limitations
- Evidence status and related records
- Original image extract where available
Evidence Classification
How Sources Are Identified
Evidence labels describe the documentary status of a source. They do not automatically establish that every statement or allegation contained within a historical document is factually correct.
A surviving document or source is directly available in the archive.
A record is identified or described in another historical or official source.
A point is independently supported by separate documentary evidence.
Later testimony or community memory preserved as oral historical evidence.
Adequate supporting documentary evidence has not presently been established.
Research Method
Documents Before Conclusions
Baba Budan Archives presents historical documents according to their provenance, date and evidentiary character. Primary records are distinguished from later official reproductions, references and retrospective accounts.
Petitions and statements are presented as the claims of their authors unless independently established by other evidence. Later administrative or judicial records are identified as such and are not represented as contemporary evidence for earlier events merely because they describe them.
Editorial principle: an evidence-status label describes the status of the source, not the truth of every proposition contained within it. Historical, genealogical, administrative and legal conclusions are evaluated separately.