VIRUDHUNAGAR: On the occasion of World Heritage Day, the district administration and Tourism Department organised a one-day heritage tour for the public to visit important archaeological sites and historical monuments in the district on Tuesday.
The participants were taken to Muvaraivendran rock-cut cave temple and urn burial sites in the foothills of Krishnankovil, Kunnur menheir, Thirumalai Nayak Palace, and Pillar Mandapa. During the trip, Assistant Professor in History of Rajapalayam Rajus College Dr B Kandasamy explained the special features of the sites and monuments.
Stating that the district has many significant heritage sites, the professor said that the people are aware of the Thirumalai Nayak Palace in Madurai, but remain unaware of the Nayak Palace in Srivilliputhur, which also happens to be located near the resting place of a ruler of Madurai. He also said there are many urn burial sites in and around Krishnakovil that date back to at least 1,500 years, which could lead to studying further about the habitation sites.
Ajay Karthick (34), a resident of Madurai, who often explores unknown tourist destinations and makes people aware of them through his social media handle 'Megamalai Kadhalan', said that though it is often said Virudhunagar doesn't have many heritage spots, the heritage tour has changed his perception as he learned about the sites. "The tour has been very informative and the professor has patiently explained about the sites and cleared our doubts," he added.
Thilagarajan N (23), a college student from Mallankinaru said that despite travelling to the urn burial spots frequently, he has been unaware of its significance until he undertook the tour.
The District Tourism Officer N Anbarasu said that the district has a lot of tourism spots, which often go unnoticed by the public. "The initiative has been taken up to create awareness and a lot of such events would be organised in the upcoming days," he said.