Inscription on Chennai’s water crisis in 1818 is in Madurai museum

A stone inscription, explaining the water crisis in Chennai in 1818 and the 27 wells dug by British Civil Servant and Tamil Scholar F.W. Ellis, is in the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal Museum in Madurai.

Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture and Archaeology Minister Thangam Thennarasu and Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan, who inspected the renovation work at the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal, also viewed the inscription on Saturday.

“It is a treasure since unlike the British period inscriptions, it is in beautiful Tamil verse. Ellis, who translated Tirukkural in English, had also included a couplet from Tirukkural in the inscription,” said Mr. Venkatesan.

The particular inscription was placed on the parapet wall of the well dug near Periyapalayathamman temple in Royapettah, Chennai.

“Mr. Thennarasu was able to read the inscription and it threw light on the drinking water crisis faced by Chennai and the efforts taken by Ellis to overcome the crisis. He also minted gold coins with Tiruvalluvar’s image embossed on it,” Mr. Venkatesan said.

Mr. Thennarasu said it was in Chennai before being taken to the World Classical Tamil conference held in Coimbatore in 2010. “The inscription is important because it included a Tirukkural couplet. Our leader Kalaignar (late DMK leader Karunanidhi) appreciated it. When we created a museum for inscriptions in Nayakkar Mahal, it was exhibited along with other inscriptions,” he explained.