VILLUPURAM: History, what a fascinating topic! Not only does one learn about emperors, kingdoms, and civilisations, it also offers an interesting read on a lazy weekend. But what if you could actually see the place where the king died, or a stone that was erected in memory of a brave man? That is exactly what this group of individuals did sometime last week.
In an effort to relive and celebrate the rich heritage of archaeological monuments and sites in Villupuram district, the Historic Research Centre here recently conducted a heritage walk, an event that is quite famous in large cities. Over 100 people, including professors and students of archaeology and history departments of the Arignar Anna Government Arts and Science College, and archaeology enthusiasts from across the State, took part in the walk that covered about six sites.
D Ramesh, S Sridhar, and D Ranganathan, assistant professors of archaeology and history at the college, along with senior archaeologist Veeraragavan, constituted the core team of the centre. The team had previously organised three sessions of heritage walk in the last one year, but the fourth and the most recent one was the only one that engaged with a large group.
Sinthamani village, about six kms away from Villupuram town, was the group’s starting point. What stood out was a 12 CE Shiva temple, considered to be built by Chola king Vikrama Chola, who ruled the region that is currently the northern districts of Tamil Nadu. It is believed that the king named the village after his mother, Dinasinthamani, and built the temple for her to offer worship to the deity. “The statues are so flawless that they look like metal structures. Stones were polished to a fine texture so that they reflect light,” said Ramesh.
A megalithic-period stone, from about 3,000 years ago, at Udaiyantham was no less of an attraction for them. “It’s called Tamizh Thaai statue, or Visiriparai (fan rock) as it looks like a fan. It depicts the first mother goddess of the Tamil community,” said Ranganathan. A few students had recently cleaned the surroundings where the statue was lying among the thickets. “We urge the government to erect an information board near the site so public are aware of it, thus helping to maintain the site,” said Ranganathan.
The team further visited an iron-age monument at Keezhavalai, a menhir at Devanur, the ruins of a Shiva temple at Nerkunam in Arakandanallur, and a rock painting at Aalampadi. The painting depicts a cow’s internal organs and so, is called an x-ray painting. ”The paintings fall under the Neolithic period, that is the last phase of prehistoric humans’ evolution stage. It is in this phase that humans made a cultural advancement and mastered the art of domestication of livestock. The painting denotes that cattle-rearing had been prominent at the time,” said Ramesh.
Students who participated in the walk said visit to each of the sites felt surreal. S Mohanraj, a postgraduate in history, said, “We have only read these in books. Seeing the sites up front, I could imagine how lives would have been back then. It’s imperative we protect these sites.” A native of Kandachipuram and a second year postgraduate student of history, K Ashok Raj, said, “I live in a nearby village but never have I visited Visiriparai. All this while we have been put up where people built a civilisation 3,000 years ago. The background score from the movie, Aaiyarathil Oruvan was running in my mind during the walk.”
Villupuram MP, Ravikumar, who accompanied the team, donated Rs 50,000 as a seeding fund to encourage deposit for the centre. “Our ancestors expressed their artistic and imaginative abilities through these paintings. Heritage walks like this will boost the importance of such sites,” he said.