Tamil and Vattezhuthu inscriptions, belonging to the late 9th Century period, have been found at a Vishnu temple in Velankudi village in Sivaganga district.
“The Tamil inscriptions belong to the period of early Pandyas. It could be the late 9th Century or the beginning of the 10th Century. The Tamil words are deeply engraved,” said P. Murugan, a research scholar of the Department of Archaeology, who found the inscriptions.
He said the beginning of the Tamil inscriptions was incomplete since the granite slab on which they were written had been broken to be paved on the floor of the temple. The inscription talks about ‘Poonguntra Naatu Poongunrathu Kaatanpalli Aivar’.
“Kaatanpalli could be a Jain school. The message of the inscriptions is that a person, named Thennavan Santhan, from the village made a contribution of ‘Avi Kinaru’. ‘Avi’ is the food offered to god. A well had been dug to supply water to the kitchen of the Jain school,” Mr. Murugan said.
The vattezhuthu inscriptions, comprising 16 lines, explain the donation of a lamp and goats made by Sree Valluvan Kuntrakizhavanaana Anukkan. The ghee produced from the milk of the goats was used for lighting the lamp. “It says the shepherds met the local leader and handed over the contribution,” Mr. Murugan said.
