MADURAI: Madurai-based historians found a 9th-century Kumilithumbu, also called bubblers structure - pillar-like structure at the side of a lake - near the Periya Kanmai in the Thirumangalam area in Madurai district on Sunday. They said the writing on the stone structure dates back to the 9th-century Pandian era.
A team of historians - Muniswaran (an archeologist with Pandian Cultural Centre) and Arul Chandran (an assistant professor of history) - found the structure during their inspection at Periya Kanmai (big lake) in the Thirumangalam area.
The structure situated amid seemai karuvelam bushes have a few stone inscriptions, they said, adding that initially, they identified the letters inscribed in the pillars to be after the 9th-century.
Talking about the stone pillars, historian Muniswaran said, "These stone pillars are called 'Kumilithumbu' (bubblers), which is used for regulating water flow from the tank to the canal, which aids in reducing the mud content in the water. Considering the size of the waterbody, several such bubblers will be installed in different spots. It is evident proof that the ancient Tamils were one of the pioneers in water management."
He further said that both the stone structures stood about 10 feet high, about 300 feet from the western side of the Periya Kanmai. Describing the pillars, he further said, the exterior of the pillar has a beautiful face-like design. “The top of the pillar is shaped like a lotus flower. In the middle portion, some words are inscribed in Kirandha letters, which are translated as the names.”
It is to be noted that an earlier archaeological team found a similar structure in another part of the lake named after Pandian King Veera Ranayanan. This structure had additional features engraved in the pillars, which date back to the 9th century, Muniswaran said.
"Having similar Kirandha letters and structures, these stone pillars are also expected to be from the same time period," he pointed out.