THENI: A 500-year-old Kannada inscription dating back to 16th century AD was discovered at Silvarpatti near Periyakulam in Theni district. It was found by K Bharathiraja, a BT assistant teacher of Government Model Higher Secondary School in Silvarpatti, while searching for archaeological evidence in the cellar region of the Vinayaka temple here.
Upon information, V Rajaguru, President of Ramanathapuram Archaeological Research Foundation, historian Noorsahipuram Sivakumar, Block Resource teacher Murugesa Pandian and Aruppukottai SBK college History Professor Rajapandi, inspected the inscription. Rajaguru said the stone slab in the cellar of the temple was 3 ft high, 2.5 ft wide and 5 ft thick, and a Shivalinga, sun and moon were carved on top of the slab. At the bottom, there is a Kannada inscription with four lines, he added.
The inscription was read out by Yesu Babu, an epigraphist in the Chennai division of the Archaeological Survey of India, who said it is in Kannada language, the script is 'Sri Halapayya Gaudara Grama Velparara Patta' and palaeographically, it may be assigned to 16th century AD. Hence, the boundary stone of the village was within the rule of Sri Halapayya Gauda, he added.
According to some newly settled people, who have been staying at the place and renovating existing temples, "The administration of the village was titled 'Nattanmai' during the reigns of Vijayanagara and Nayaks. Sri Halapayya Gauda might have been the ruler of this place during the Vijayanagara kings. At the time, temples of Vinayaka, Kathir Narasimha Perumal and Chenraya Perumal were built here."
It is noteworthy that the Vinayaka temple and the sculptures are in the art form of the Vijayanagara king and the pillars in the temple have sculptures of two standing dwarapalakas, Rajaguru said.