TIRUCHY: An inscribed four-sided trident stone (Nanmugha Choolakkal) dating back to the 13th-century Chola era has been discovered in the agricultural fields of Aadhanpatti, under Marudampatti Panchayat near Illuppur in Pudukkottai, on Wednesday.
According to A Manikandan, founder of the Pudukottai Archaeological Research Centre and researcher in the Department of Archaeology, Tamil University, Thanjavur, the team had received information from Keeranur P Murugaprasad, a member of the Pudukottai Archaeological Research Centre. After this, a field study was carried out, and a trident stone was found lying tilted in the field, with trident engravings on all four sides.
One side depicts a bull figure along with a sun and moon symbol above, which indicates that the land was donated as Thirunamathukkanis (perpetual tax-free gift in the name of the deity) during the Chola period.
The inscription, spread across three sides with 23 lines, is partly damaged. The legible portion reads, “Swasti Sri. To the Lord Azhagiya Somanisvaramudaiya Nayanar of Keezhakkurichi, I (Chola Kadambar Veeran) have granted the lands including the Aadhanur tank, fields, groves, crops, wells, and all associated features as Thirunamathukkani (perpetual tax-free gift in the name of the deity).”
This confirms that the Aadhanur lake and surrounding lands were donated to the Keezhakkurichi Azhagiya Somanisvara temple as a sacred endowment.
Remarkably, the names Aadhanur tank and Aadhan fields mentioned in the 700-year-old inscription are still in use today, highlighting the continuity of cultural memory and land identity, added Manikandan.