1,200-year-old sculpture of Lord Vishnu unearthed in Srivilliputhur

During a field exploration by V Rajaguru, president, Ramanathapuram Archaeological Research Foundation and Noorsahipuram V Sivakumar in the Vadamalaikurichi tank of Srivilliputhur, a half-broken stone sculpture of Lord Vishnu was found in the municipal cemetery. Rajaguru said the sculpture is ruined and only up to the waist. It could be a Pandyan era sculpture, which measures two feet in height and one and a half feet in width. It could be dating back to the 9th century AD, he opined. Dating back to the 10th century, the expert said the Vadapathrasayee Vishnu temple in Srivilliputhur had two ‘Vatteluthu’ inscriptions of the early Pandyas, Maran Sadayan and Veerapandian. Therefore, it’s evident that the temple was built by the early Pandyas before the 10th century AD.