TIRUCHY: An 11th-century Chola-era inscription with information about the land donation for the devotees to light lamps in a temple was found at Boothalur in Thanjavur, on Friday.
According to sources, Rajkumar, a teacher from Vanarankudi Government High School found the inscription at the raja gopuram of Nagambigai Naganathaswamy temple at Vanarankudi near Boothalur.
The teacher passed on the information to a team of archaeological enthusiasts headed by Professor Kannadasan in the Department of Tamil at Thanjavur Rajah Serfoji Government College. Based on the information, the professor and team visited the spot and examined the inscription.
According to Professor Kannadasan, the inscription belonged to the Chola era dating back to the 11th century. “Though there is no mention of meikeerthi or the period of the ruler, we can justify the finding with the statement on “Vaishnavar Rakshai’ that denotes that the particular land which was donated to the Thirumal Sannidi at Padmanatha Swamy for facilitating the devotees to light lamps to the temple”, Kannadasan said and added that the mention of ‘Swasti Sri’, the auspicious word also gives strength to the claims.