A Madurai-based archaeologist has discovered a Tamil Brahmi inscription in a cave in the Tirupparankundram hillock. It is believed to be over 2,200 years old.
Archaeologist V. Balamurali said the inscription was discovered along stone beds on the way to the two natural caves with similar archaeological findings on the western slope of the hill which is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
“The five stone beds are circular in shape and have a cut in front to prevent rainwater from entering,” said Mr Balamurali.
Speaking of the inscription on the roof of the cave, he said that though a few letters were missing in the two-line Tamil Brahmi inscription, a part of the second line could be identified as ‘Yaara adhira eeththa/////vathara’ and ‘dhittanam.’
“The five slanted lines represent the number ‘five’ and to substantiate it, there are five stone beds cut in the cave. Before using the present number style, we had used straight lines to represent numbers. Similarly three lines carved at Arittapatti and Thondur refer to the three stone beds in the caves there, hence this could be a possibility,” he said, adding that ‘Yaara Adhira’ could be the person who set them up.
“The word ‘dhittanam’ can be assumed as ‘adhittanam’ which refers to a seat,” he said.
Further, president of Ramanathapuram Archaeological Research Foundation V. Rajaguru and, president and a researcher of Pandya Nadu - Centre for Historical Research C. Santhalingam and Udhayakumar, respectively studied the inscription.
The historians collectively assume that the inscription belongs to the 2nd century BCE, which is much earlier than the ones already documented and protected by ASI.
They further requested the ASI and State Archaeological Department to take steps to decipher the complete meaning of the inscription.
