Sculpture of 13th-century guardian deity found near Chengam

According to centre secretary S Balamurugan, the 3x3 feet sculpture shows the deity Thavvai sitting in the Sugasana pose with son Mandan who is usually on the left on the right in this sculpture while the daughter Mandhi is seated on the left. The sculpture has an 8 line inscription which when deciphered revealed that this was the guardian deity for the local irrigation tank as Tamils of yore celebrated such deities for guarding water resources. Balamurugan said this was the first sculpture of Thavvai with inscriptions on it. He also said the inscription stated that this sculpture was provided by a woman from Tiruvannamalai.