TIRUVANNAMALAI: A stone inscription discovered in a village in Tiruvannamalai district has revealed its connection with the Thiruvanaikaval temple located in Tiruchy.
A team of archaeological researchers and government officials part of the Tiruvannamalai Centre for Historical Research (TCHR), conducted an inspection at Aachamangalam near Vandavasi, where the stone was found intact.
It dates back to the 13th century and was inscribed in the 15th regnal year of Sundarapandian,” said S Balamurugan, Secretary, TCHR. Senior epigraphist S Rajagopal studied the inscription and found that a local chieftain, Vikarapandya Sambuvarayar, gave tax relief to a fenced land located in the village and ordered that the revenue earned out of the land be used for maintaining a garden in Thiruvanaikaval temple, Balamurugan told TNIE.
The other side of the stone had depictions of animals – spider and elephant – and a naval tree (jambolan tree), the secretary said, adding that the discovery of the stone was particularly interesting and special, as it has inscription with sculpture. The team consisted of Balamurugan, Palanisami, Sudhakar, and Venkatesh.