Ground penetrating radar used at Udayalur

Continuing the inspection for the second consecutive day, a team comprising D Ramesh, Associate Professor, Department of Remote Sensing, Bharathidasan University, and others belonging to the same department deployed the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) at Udayalur. He said the radar which employ radio waves can penetrate the ground to map structures up to a depth of 15 metres.

The radar was used for over two hours to scan the area, which is around a present make-shift structure where a Sivalingam is sheltered. The results would be analysed, and the report would be submitted to the State Archaeology Department, which would then forward it to the Madras High Court.

King Raja Raja I (who ruled between 985 and 1014 CE) was a renowned Chola emperor, who controlled vast swathes of land across South India, parts of North India, besides Sri Lanka. He built the Big temple in Thanjavur, a UNESCO-listed heritage monument, which was completed in 1010.