12 historic sites in Tamil Nadu to be declared protected monuments, says state finance minister

CHENNAI: Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Thursday announced that 12 historically significant monuments will be declared as protected monuments.

These include the Tamizhi inscriptions in Mannarkoil village (Tirunelveli district); the rock-cut structures in Aralipatti (Sivaganga district) and Avoor (Tiruvannamalai district); the rock-cut caves in Koothapoondiyanvalasu (Dindigul district), V Kottaiyur (Pudukottai district) and Nayanur village (Villupuram district); the megalithic stone alignments in Mallachandiram (Krishnagiri district); the palace in Thiruppullani village (Ramanathapuram district); Maraiyur Chathiram in Narikkudi; the cave paintings, Vaaniraikkal in Meenatchipuram, the Nayak-period mandapam at Mamsapuram village, and Pillaiyar Natham Mandapam (Virudhunagar district).

The minister made the announcement while replying to the discussion on the demands for grants for the archaeology department in the Assembly. He also said the cultural history of Tamil Nadu will be brought out in a series of 18 volumes to cover the unique cultural characteristics of each cultural zone in the state.

Besides, an exclusive museum for inscriptions will be established in the Madurai World Tamil Sangam complex to spread awareness among people regarding the history of Tamil script and related information.