300-year-old Vamana stone discovered near Tiruchuli

ARUPPUKOTTAI

Archaeological enthusiasts have discovered a 300-year-old Vamana stone, which denotes land donated to Brahmins, near Tiruchuli.

In a statement, president of Ramanathapuram Archaeological Research Foundation, V. Rajaguru, said that along with Rajapandi, Assistant Professor, Department of History, SBK College, Aruppukottai, examined a shapeless Vamana stone found along Narikudi-Tiruppuvanam Road at Undrumi Kidakkulam near Tiruchuli in Virudhunagar district.

He said that during the monarchy reign, the kings had removed the tax on cultivable lands when they were donated to temples. The proceeds of the yield from farmlands were used for routine administration and worship at the temples.

They planted a trident stone in the land of Siva temples and a ‘thiruvazhi’ stone engraved with a conch and chakra in the land of Vishnu temples.

The one-and-a-half feet high and one-foot-wide shapeless stone has a Vamana Brahmin figure, the fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, holding an umbrella in his right hand and a ‘kamandalam’ in his left hand. On its upper part, sun and moon were depicted as contours. This stone is called Vamana stone.

Mr. Rajaguru clarified that Vamana stones found all over Tamil Nadu have been wrongly stated as boundary stones of the land donated to the Vishnu temple. It is customary to plant ‘thiruvazhi’ stone in the land of Vishnu temple.

In inscriptions found on land donated to Brahmins in Tiruchi, Tirunelveli and Ramanathapuram districts, the figure of Vamana were seen. In the inscription of Vanathiraya, who established an agrahara at Brahmanakurichi in Sivaganga district, the Kamandalam and Tridandam were drawn as contours.

With the symbols of the Vamana Brahmin figure, the Kamandalam, the sun and moon, the Vamana stone can be said to be a symbolic stone planted on the land donated to the Brahmins. This is also confirmed by the Epigraphical Glossary published by Madurai Kamaraj University.

Mr. Rajaguru said that there was no practice of placing Vamana stone in the Brahmadeya lands granted during the Pandya and Chola periods. This practice developed after the 16th century A.D. due to the encroachment of Brahmadeya lands by others. Most of these have been found on unaligned stones, with the figure of Vamana drawn as contours. It is in relief sculpture in some places.