RAMANATHAPURAM: Historians from Ramanathapuram found a 350-year-old stone inscription from the Sethupathi king era near Sathirakudi on Wednesday.
According to the information given by a teacher from Peraiyur K Munisamy regarding an inscription in the Balamurugan temple complex of S Kodikulam village near Sathirakudi, Ramanathapuram Archaeological Research Foundation president V Rajaguru took an estampage and read the inscription.
The stone pillar, which is a beach rock 4.5 ft high and 1.5 ft wide, is inscribed on two sides. On one side, a sceptre, the sun and the moon have been inscribed in a single line out of the total 26 lines while on the other side, the inscriptions have faded out and are illegible. Historian V Rajaguru said the inscription begins with Swastishri.
During the auspicious period, the village of S Kodikulam was given as a grant to Raghunatha Devar Annadhana as a virtue in Raghunatha Thirumalai Sethupathi Katha Devar and Adhina Rayan Devar. The inscription mentions the Shaka era 1594 in Tamil numerals. Its current year is AD 1672.
Raghunatha Thirumalai Sethupathi, who ruled from AD 1646 to 1676, donated the village of Kodikulam, which has the inscription, to the Raghunatha Devar Annadhana grant built in his name as a gift to himself and Adhina Rayan Devar. Annadana grant is a freehold land gifted to a mutt that donates alms. Here King Sethupathi donated a village to the mutt.
The inscription had a warning that anyone who tried to spoil the gift would be considered to be committing the sin of killing mother, father, teacher, and a black cow on the bank of the Ganges and at Sethukarai. It was explained in the 'ompadaikilavi' (protection words of the inscription) part. Adhina Rayan Devar may have been the royal representative of Setupathis from this village.
The Sethupati kings built widespread monasteries and choultry at a distance of 5 miles to provide food, water, and shelter to those who came to Dhanushkodi and Rameswaram from all over India for the holy bath. Among these kings, Raghunatha Thirumalai Sethupathi was the first to introduce the practice of building Annadhana monasteries.
The Annadhana monastery built by the king at this place was destroyed from the south side of the temple. However, a 10 ft long wall still remains here. A medicinal plant called the Ugai tree known as Miswak in English, which is mentioned in Sangam literature grows on the premises of the temple.