MADURAI: A Kotravai sculpture supposed to be around 1,200 years old was unearthed from the banks of a water body across a Karupasamy temple at Checkanurani recently. According to a press note, the stone sculpture with four hands, is four feet tall and two feet wide.While a crown adorns the deity's head, various jewel ornaments are worn on the hands, ears and neck. A similar Kotravai sculpture was earlier found in Virudhunagar's Pallimadam.
Depending on the motifs, the sculpture is said to belong to the early Pandyan period around the ninth century CE. Muneeswaran, an archaeological field researcher from Pandya Nadu Centre for Historical Research, said ancient people worshipped the five elements of nature, while trees were used as the objects of worship. "The tradition of worshipping women as a symbol of fertility was one of the unique features of Tamils," he said.
Though several literary works, including Tholkapiyam, mention Pazhayol and Kaanamar Selvi as the oldest women deities of Tamil Nadu, Silapathigaram describes the morphology and worship methods of Kotravai. The sculpture at Checkanurani was found while Muneeswaran, Professor Lakshmana Moorthy, and researcher Ananda Kumaran were conducting a surface field survey.