VIRUDHUNAGAR: A 13th-century inscription that belongs to the Pandya period was found on the Shri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple premises at Kolvarpatti village near Sattur. The inscription signifies the importance given to water management thousands of years ago, a researcher said.
Dr. B. Ravichandran, Assistant Professor of Zoology, Sri S. Ramasamy NAIDU Memorial College, Sattur and a researcher from Pandya Nadu Varalatru Aaivu Maiyam said that the inscription engraved on Kumilthoon, a type of pillar, was erected during the Kulasekara Pandya's 16th year of reign.
"The inscription reads that a shutter that was built as a tribute to Lord Shiva could make the water from the pond flow through black soil lands and red soil lands situated towards the pond's southern areas," he said, adding that it also indicates the importance given to water management at the time.
He further added that the inscription indicates that the village Kolvarpatti, situated on the banks of the Arjuna River has existed since ancient times. "An inscription belonging to Parantaka Veera Narayanan, an early Pandya king in Kalugumalai, mentions the term Koodarkudi, which is also referred to in the Kulasekara Pandiyan inscription. The 16th-century Nayak period inscription inside the temple mentions the village Koodarkudi as Kolvarpatti. 'Irunjonattu Koodarkudi ana Kolvarpatti', it reads, in which 'Irunjonattu' refers to Sattur and its surrounding areas. The Pandyas had this kind of sub-divisions within their dynasty," he added.