TIRUNELVELI: Rajakkamangalam stands as a bridge between ancient and modern civilization, said School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu, after inaugurating the archaeological excavation at Eraniyan Kudiyiruppu in Rajakkamangalam on Thursday.
The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology has proposed to conduct a systematic excavation at the site, located 5 km from Thalapathi Samudram village in Tirunelveli district.
During exploration, a good number of sculptures from a dilapidated temple belonging to the early Pandya period were collected, some of which had the grantha script inscribed on it.
It is believed that the palace of King Eranian, a local hero, might have been located here.
The archaeological evidences throw light on the possible existence of a buried temple, belonging to the early Pandya period.
According to the minister, there are 90 such sites in the State containing historical tablets portraying the ancient history of Tamils.
Two of them are at Mannarkulam and Marukal Thalai, both in Tirunelveli district. He said archaeological explorations have contributed significantly to making Tamil a classical language.
According to him, steps would be taken to complete the exploration within two months, for which a sum of Rs 2 lakh has already been allotted. The government would allot more funds if required, he added.
Tirunelveli Collector M Jayaraman, who presided over the function, said that the district administration would do all that was needed to expedite the excavation.
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