Chola-era inscriptions in Nagai temple decoded

Trichy: A team of archaeology enthusiasts has identified unrecorded stone inscriptions at a Chola-era Sivan temple in Keelaiyur village in Nagapattinam district. The stone inscriptions found on the walls of the temple highlight donations made by kings and record a land-sharing deal between two groups of villagers.
Mani Maaran, a Tamil scholar with Thanjavur Sarasvati Mahal library, said that Keelaiyur locals requested him to study the inscriptions at the Semmalainathar temple, which is estimated to date back to the 10-11th century.The temple was renovated by the successive Pandyas, Nayaks, and Maratha kings.
The stone inscriptions found on the temple’s mandapam and outer walls were not recorded previously. Inscriptions in Tamil near the sanctum sanctorum praises the achievements of Rajendra Chola I, he said.
“Centuries ago, the temple was called the Sivapatha Eeswaramudaiyar temple. Names of various kings including Raja Raja I, Kulotunga Chola, and Parakram Pandya were mentioned. An inscription details a land sharing deal settled between brahmins and vellalars. Alathur Thiruvaranga Battan, Ananda Narayana Battan, Kanagasiva Battan, Moovayirapriyan and Kuravaicherry Sri Krishna Battan were the witnesses to the deal.”
The inscriptions also record land parcels donated by kings to temples during festivals such as Thirukarthigai festival. Some of the villages mentioned in the inscriptions include Rajaraja Cholanallur, Meenavanallur, and Rajendra Cholanallur. Names of coins in circulation including rarapurathu achukasu and vaasi etrina kaasu were also mentioned. “We are planning to decode more unrecorded inscriptions in the temple,” Mani Maaran added. He was accompanied by Thillai Govindarajan and K Jayalakshmi.