HENNAI: The history of the region could be rewritten if more than 65,000 Tamil inscriptions in stone dating back more than 1,500 years are decoded, says an epigraphist who is trying to popularise the study of inscriptions on temple walls.
Retired chief of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) T Satyamurthy and founder of Reach Foundation, who is one of the few epigraphists in the country, says Tamil history as we know it is based on reading of inscriptions on temple walls.
Tamil kings of the Pallava, Chola, Pandya and Vijayanagar dynasties were patrons of temples and inscribed the walls with their achievements.
"Ancient temples in the villages of Tamil Nadu are a treasure trove of historical data. Most of these temples are being desecrated," he said.
Stone inscriptions in temples throw light on the system of governance, political history and local traditions of that era.
Satyamurthy said, "In some temples, the authorities have covered inscribed stone walls with ceramic tiles. Some stone walls have been cut and used as slabs because people are not aware of the value."
The credit for preserving stone inscriptions should go to the chief epigrapher appointed by the British, he said.
About 1 lakh stone inscriptions from across the country are preserved by ASI, of which about 65,000 are in Tamil. "Since the 1920s, there has been no significant effort to document the inscriptions," he said.
Reach Foundation has been conducting classes in epigraphy for more than eight years on Sundays at T Nagar. It has trained 300 students from various walks of life. One of the students, A Gayathri, is a playschool teacher. "I was interested in reading stone inscriptions. The classes helped me learn more details."
In 2012, Reach Foundation renovated the Kunteeswarar temple at Thandarai, about 10km off Uttaramerur-Vandavasi road, at a cost of Rs 5 lakh.
"The year-long renovation began after a taxi driver spotted engravings on the temple walls and alerted us," said J Chandrasekaran, spokesperson for Reach.
A team of epigraphists found that the engravings had been whitewashed. They stripped the walls of paint and discovered precious stone reliefs.
"Epigraphers reading Greek or Roman stone inscriptions have an easier task as these languages can be deciphered by English speakers. Sangam Tamil inscriptions can only be read by speakers of the language with a strong grasp of past local traditions," said Satyamurthy.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Writing-on-temple-walls-could-recast-Tamil-history/articleshow/45142102.cms?
Retired chief of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) T Satyamurthy and founder of Reach Foundation, who is one of the few epigraphists in the country, says Tamil history as we know it is based on reading of inscriptions on temple walls.
Tamil kings of the Pallava, Chola, Pandya and Vijayanagar dynasties were patrons of temples and inscribed the walls with their achievements.
"Ancient temples in the villages of Tamil Nadu are a treasure trove of historical data. Most of these temples are being desecrated," he said.
Stone inscriptions in temples throw light on the system of governance, political history and local traditions of that era.
Satyamurthy said, "In some temples, the authorities have covered inscribed stone walls with ceramic tiles. Some stone walls have been cut and used as slabs because people are not aware of the value."
The credit for preserving stone inscriptions should go to the chief epigrapher appointed by the British, he said.
About 1 lakh stone inscriptions from across the country are preserved by ASI, of which about 65,000 are in Tamil. "Since the 1920s, there has been no significant effort to document the inscriptions," he said.
Reach Foundation has been conducting classes in epigraphy for more than eight years on Sundays at T Nagar. It has trained 300 students from various walks of life. One of the students, A Gayathri, is a playschool teacher. "I was interested in reading stone inscriptions. The classes helped me learn more details."
In 2012, Reach Foundation renovated the Kunteeswarar temple at Thandarai, about 10km off Uttaramerur-Vandavasi road, at a cost of Rs 5 lakh.
"The year-long renovation began after a taxi driver spotted engravings on the temple walls and alerted us," said J Chandrasekaran, spokesperson for Reach.
A team of epigraphists found that the engravings had been whitewashed. They stripped the walls of paint and discovered precious stone reliefs.
"Epigraphers reading Greek or Roman stone inscriptions have an easier task as these languages can be deciphered by English speakers. Sangam Tamil inscriptions can only be read by speakers of the language with a strong grasp of past local traditions," said Satyamurthy.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Writing-on-temple-walls-could-recast-Tamil-history/articleshow/45142102.cms?
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