Pudukkottai: Members of the Archaeological Research Foundation of Pudukkottai have discovered a stone temple belonging to the great grandfather of Rajaraja Chola at Nandanpatti village near Killukkottai in Pudukkottai district, according to foundation president Kalvettu Rajendran.
Rajendran said that based on information from locals, team members of the foundation including Manganoor Pradeep, Nandanpatti Stalin and Poongudi Rajendran and volunteers did field research at the spot recently and concluded that these findings might belong to the 8th or 10thcenturies.
A stone temple was found in a dilapidated state. The stone pillars of this temple match with the early Chola era’s style. The broken pillars, the decapitated guardian angels and a monkey statue, might have been a part of a stone temple found at the site, he added.
Manikandan also pointed out that the stone inscription found near the temple gives clues that this temple might have been be installed by the conqueror of Mathirai, Kopparakesari Paranthaman, whose reign lasted between 907 AD and 950 AD.
The statues of Muruga and Gowmari might be older than the temple itself, he added. The statues found in this area reveal our ancient matriarchal roots.
These statues are in early Chola style. A Jain Tirthankara statue in meditating pose was also found there, he said, indicating that Jainism might have co-existed with Saivism, he added.
Manikandan said that another stone inscription was found in a nearby paddy field stating that this temple was built by Miyanoorklaya, MallaMutharaiya, and conqueror of Muthiraiyar. He appealed to the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to collect these stone sculptures and curate them in a public place or in a museum.
