TIRUCHY: A new record about the Kodumbalur clan who once ruled the Tiruchirappalli area has been stumbled upon by two noted History professors, Dr R. Akila of Aringar Anna Government Arts College, Musiri and Dr M. Nalini, head of the Department of History, Seethalakshimi Ramasami College, Tiruchy, while examining some ancient inscriptions at Thanthonrisvaram, an early Chola temple situated at Uraiyur here.
Dr R. Kalaikkovan, director, Dr M. Rajamanikkanar Centre for Historical Research, after examining the record at the temple said, it was found in the south wall of the ‘mandapa’ in front of the sanctum and is in the Tamil language.
The stone block on which this the inscription is engraved appears extremely fragile and hence no stamp was taken. The record was only eye-copied by the scholars. The inscription though damaged at places provides useful information about the rich donation made by Ananthan Chandramathiyar, queen of Thennavan Ilangovelar alias Maravam Puthi, a feudatory of the famous Kodumbalur clan. This gift was made by the Queen in the year 911 C.E. during Parantaka Chola-I’s reign, he added.
As per the record, 38 ‘Kalanju’ of gold was given by the queen to the temple as a fixed deposit and the interest accrued on it is to be used towards the endowments mentioned by her.
In those days one ‘Kalanju’ of gold fetched one kalam of paddy as interest per year. This arrangement provided 38 ‘kalams’ of paddy to the temple measured by a standard measure, ‘Nalayiravan’.
As per the queen’s instructions, ten ‘kalams’ of paddy from the interest was utilized to de-silt the temple pond whose water was used for the sacred bath of the deity and other temple uses. The remaining 28 ‘kalams’ of paddy was to meet the expenses towards special worship, services, and lighting of lamps during the two Sankranthi days that marked the sun’s transit and northward movement of the earth, he said.
Kodumbalur clan held supremacy in and around Thiruchirappalli during the formative years of the Chola hegemony. Inscriptions revealing the munificent gifts of several kings and queens of this family are noted at several places such as Vayalur, Allur, Andanallur, Paluvur and Thirupparaitturai. But the donor of Thanthonrisvaram temple Ananthan Chandramathi has now come to light through this inscription. The State department of Archaeology and Epigraphy has been informed, he added.
