VILLUPURAM: A team of researchers discovered an inscription, believed to date back to the reign of King Koneri Kone from the 13th century, near the footsteps of the Rajagopala Swamy temple located on top of the Gingee Fort hill.
The research team comprised members of Gingee Kottai Tholliyal Kazhagam, including P Lenin, retired headmaster N Munusamy from Annamangalam, Ko Senguttuvan from Villupuram, Gingee Devakumar, Arun, Ezhumalai, and Vadivel.
N Munusamy said, “The inscription mentions that Govindan, the son of King Koneri Kone, offered continuous prayers to the deity. Several literary references about the Karnataka kings indicated that Ananda Kone, Krishna Kone, Koneri Kone, Govinda Kone, and Puliya Kone were responsible for the early construction of the Gingee Fort. This inscription provides an additional piece of evidence."
Further, the researchers noted that successive rulers from different dynasties destroyed the identifications left by the previous rulers at the fort. “The inscription we found serves as strong evidence that these kings were indeed behind the construction of the fort,” said P Lenin.