The Epigraphy Division of the Archaeological Survey of India recently copied 10 Chola-era inscriptions from the Shiva temple at Therizhandhur in Mayiladuthurai.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Epigraphy Division of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has recently documented a set of rare inscriptions dating to the period of the imperial Cholas from the Vedapureeswarar temple at Therizhandhur in Mayiladuthurai district.An ASI team, led by Assistant Epigraphist P.T. Nagarajan and assisted by A. Kathavarayan and A.A. Manikandan, copied 10 inscriptions from the temple during a 12-day-long exercise. Mr. Nagarajan said the inscriptions were found on the door jamb of the ‘Ardhamandapam’ and in the ‘Mahamandapam’.According to him, two inscriptions engraved on the door jamb in Tamil, in the characters of the 12th Century CE, belong to the 34th and 44th regnal years of Kulottunga Chola I. These inscriptions record a grant of five ‘kāsu’ (gold coins) by Kaviṇiyan-Vāman Ciriḷaṅkōviyan, Kaviṇiyan-Vāman Nārāyaṇan, Cheyiṟṟiya Cītaraṉ, Bhāratāyan Kēraḷaṉ Nārāyaṇan, and Karaṇattāṉ Tiruvaḻuntūruṭaiyān Tānatār Aṇiyaḻuntūrninṟān to Brahmins for lighting lamps — ‘Tiruvilakku’ and ‘Sandhivilakku’ — in the temple complex.Mr. Nagarajan said inscriptions engraved on the ‘Jagathi’, ‘Kumudham’, and ‘Pattigai’ of the ‘Mahamandapam’, belonging to the reign of Kulottunga Chola III, record donations for ‘Tirumanjanam’ and the imposition of fines on defaulters. Another inscription, from the period of Rajaraja II, records donations for lighting the ‘Nundavilakku’.Based on the architectural features, this temple belongs to the early period of the imperial Cholas, Mr. Nagarajan said. He said the ASI is taking steps to copy five more inscriptions from the temple that are fragile and partially damaged. Published - October 07, 2025 07:16 pm IST
