Milestone with Tamil numerals found near Adhanakottai

One of the milestones with Tamil numerals found at Adhanakottai near Pudukottai.

A milestone carrying Tamil and Roman numerals has been found at the Koozhiyan Viduthi village near Adhanakottai on Sunday.

A group of teachers from the Government High School in Gandarvakottai found the milestone and have informed the revenue authorities of Pudukottai.

The milestone gives the distance between Pudukottai and Adhanakottai as six miles in Tamil and Roman numerals. “This indicates that that the residents of the area, till a century ago, were fully aware of the Tamil numerals,” says A. Manikandan, one of the teachers who is also the district vice-president of Tamil Nadu Science Forum.

A Tamil scholar S. A rumugam, who coordinated the study, said that another milestone being preserved at the museum at the Thanjavur Palace referred to the distance up to Adhanakottai and Thanjavur in Tamil and Arab numerals.

Sangam era

M. Muthukumar and B. Rameshkumar, both teachers, said the ancient Sangam era was best noted for the use of Tamil numerals.