It appears that Ovamalai, a hillock with Jain beds and Tamil Brahmi inscriptions — proof of existence of Tamil language in as early as 2nd century B.C. — had a narrow escape from illegal granite miners.
Legal Commissioner U. Sagayam started inspection of illegal granite quarrying from this hillock in Tiruvadavur on Thursday. This place stands as a model for every kind of violation with respect to the colossal granite scam in Madurai district.
From attempts to endangering a site of archaeological significance, destroying waterbodies, encroachment on grazing land and panchami land and obstructing the pathway to burial ground, this small place had all kinds of violations.
Noted historian V. Vedachalam said that 10 Jain beds were engraved on the stone in a natural cavern in the hillock. While no quarrying activity is allowed in a radius of 300 metres around monuments, till recently, four quarry operators had been mining within a range of 125 to 228 metres from the hillock, posing a threat to the monument.
P. Kabilan, a faculty of Madurai Kamaraj University, said the path leading to the archaeological site was blocked by a quarry operator.
“They had put up a ‘check-post’ to restrict access,” he said.
During inspection, Mr. Sagayam found that the Melasunaikulam tank was filled with quarry waste with no trace of the existence of an irrigation tank. Similarly, its ayacut was also used as granite or granite waste dump. Quarrying activities had destructed Keezhasunaikulam.
Illegal granite quarrying, which started in Tiruvadavur area in 1992-93, had destructed an oorani as well.
Granite stones had been mined for a depth of around 150 feet on the oorani bed, revenue officials said.
Mr. Sagayam also inspected a sprawling expanse of grazing land which was fenced by a quarry operator. He had constructed a huge office-cum-guest house, which was later evicted by the district administration. Some of the heavy machinery and vehicles that were impounded in the sealed compound were taken away by the operator, the officials added.
V. Rajendran, a farmer, complained that he stood firm against a granite baron and refused to sell his one acre of farmland. However, the operator had dumped hundreds of granite blocks on the foreshore of Mangulam tank.
“The granite stones have blocked the path to the burial ground. We have to tread through an irrigation tank to bury the dead,” he said with a plea to remove the encroachment. Revenue records also show the existence of the path.
