Archaeological enthusiasts from Tiruppur recently discovered in a small temple near Udumalpet a Pandya-era stone structure containing inscriptions, which is estimated to be over 700 years old.
A team from Virarajendran Archaeological and Historical Research Centre, led by its director S. Ravikumar, found the stone structure at Ganapathipalayam village near Udumalpet on April 14. Mr. Ravikumar said the stone structure bore the image of Sundarar, one of the 63 Nayanars, which was evident as a crocodile was seen sculpted below his image. The crocodile denotes the folklore of Sundarar praying to Lord Shiva at Avinashi to save a boy, who was stuck in the mouth of a crocodile, he said.
The inscription on one of the four sides of the structure had 15 Tamil lines, Mr. Ravikumar said. Based on consultations with senior historians Y. Subbarayalu and R. Poongundran, the team deciphered the inscription, which referred to the Ganapathipalayam village by its older name ‘Perur Karuva Nallur’ and warned that misuse of ‘devathana’ or properties donated to temples would amount to a sin that would plague seven generations, he said.
The third side of the structure bore the royal insignia of Pandya dynasty – two upright fishes and a hook in between – and the fourth side had a trisulam (holy trident). Based on the inscription, it was estimated that the structure must have been sculpted in the later part of the 13th Century.
“Back then, this stone structure must have been the equivalent of a government order,” Mr. Ravikumar said. The structure could have been placed at the given location after the Pandya kings donated a piece of land to the Lingeshwarar Temple at Avinashi. The Kongu region was under the control of the Chola dynasty and was ruled by Kongu Cholas from 950 CE to 1265 CE, after which the Pandya dynasty conquered the Kongu region, he said.
R. Soundararajan, who built the small temple in 2010, said people from four villages including Ganapathipalayam have been worshipping the structure. He informed Mr. Ravikumar regarding the inscription on this structure earlier in April.