Extensive study on at Udayalur to identify Raja Raja Chola’s burial site

The team, led by R Sivanandam, the Deputy Director of Tamil Nadu Archaeological department, with archaeologists Thangadurai, J Baskar, epigraphists Loganathan, Sakthivel and Professor Ramesh as its members, checked the spot to find out if there were archaeological remains to ascertain or confirm that it was the burial site of the Raja Raja I.

Experts with the help of micro-flights and drones inspected nearly 10 acres around the said site and also visited a makeshift temple built over a Siva Lingam at Ottathoppu in Udayalur village which is being worshiped as the Chola’s burial spot by locals.

It is said that Thirumurugam , an advocate from Ramanathapuram filed a Public Interest Litigation at the Madurai bench of Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu government to maintain the burial ground of the Raja Raja Chola, whose kingdom was spread across south India and built the now world famous Big Temple in Thanjavur.

While the statues of Maratha King Chantrapathi Shivaji and Sardar Patel were being maintained with great care by Maharashtra and Gujarat governments respectively, the Tamil Nadu government should also accord top priority in maintaining the burial site of Raja Raja I, one of the greatest kings of Tamil Nadu, located at Udayalur village near Kumbakonam. The petitioner also wanted the state government to install a statue and construct a memorial for the Chola emperor at the site.

Based on the appeal, High Court had passed interim orders on April 11, directing the state government to form a special team to find out whether the Udayalur site was the burial spot of King Raja Raja Chola. The court in its order asked the team to find out whether any archaeological remains or artefacts existed there. The committee was told to file a report within two weeks.