A team of epigraphists from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has recently transcribed three inscriptions discovered on the slopes of a hillock near Kambur in Melur taluk, Madurai district. These inscriptions are believed to date back to the reign of Pandya King Maravarman Sundara Pandyan I, who ruled in the 13th century.
According to J Veera Manikandan, Assistant Epigraphist at the Archaeological Survey of India, three Tamil inscriptions were found close to each other on the southern slope of the Veerakurichi hillock, located west of Kambur. The first two inscriptions were discovered a couple of weeks ago by a team led by C Santhalingam, a retired archaeologist. Subsequently, an ASI team visited the site to transcribe the inscriptions, during which they uncovered the third one.
The first inscription details a land donation by a local chieftain named Baskaran to a Shiva temple. The other two inscriptions provide information about the people of Kambur and a land donation by another local chieftain, Thenna Gangadevan, for special pujas. These inscriptions also indicate that Kambur was once known as Kambavur, and the areas around Natham were referred to as Dvarapathi Nadu, Manikandan explained.
Previously, Manikandan’s team also transcribed inscriptions at the Thirunerkundranathar temple in Thinnakulam, a village in Lalgudi taluk, Tiruchi district. He noted that the ASI had already copied several inscriptions from the temple, which provided valuable insights into land grants, jewel donations, and the patronage of Chola kings. These inscriptions also mention the ancient name of the village, Thirunerkundram, situated on the north bank of the Cauvery River in Poigai Nadu, within the administrative division of Rajendra Simha Valanadu, he added.
