'Excavations can throw fresh light on historic Srirangam town'

A finer and clearer picture of ancient habitation of the historic temple town of Srirangam would be possible if excavations are carried out at strategic points near a junction inside the temple, according to a top archaeologist.
The excavations should be carried out near 'hasthi hastha,' the stone elephant found near a junction of the 1000 pillared mandapam on the East side of the temple, K T Narasimhan, senior archaeologist and advisor to the Tamil Nadu government, told PTI.
He said earlier excavations by archaeologists from the state near the mandapam had revealed certain inscriptions. "But excavation made out near the junction corner would reveal finer and clearer picture of the ancient past," he said.

A flight of steps near the corner of hasthi hastha opposite 'Thaayar Sannidhi' would reveal steps or squares in Darasuram temple near Kumbakonam and might even lead to finding existence of a civilisation or inhabitation 5000 years ago, he said.
It was equivalent to 'Harappan DFabric' excavated earlier by Archaeological Survey of India. In Harappa, handmade storage
jars for storage of grains, pulses and millets for household purpose were found.

He was happy clearance has come from CABA (Central Advisory Board of Archaeology under the union culture ministry)
to carry out the excavation in Srirangam, the constituency of Chief Minister Jayalalitha.

On restoration and renovation of perimeter walls along the fifth, sixth and seventh corridors of the temple, the other four comprising its premises, he said had suggested specific sized bricks for reconstruction of the walls as ordinary masonary bricks would not serve the purpose.
Initiatives had been taken to procure them and the special equipment to prepare the combination mortar had arrived from Maharashtra.
The special bricks along with the special prepared lime mortar would be very handy for reconstructing these walls from the 18 feet high granite stone structure, he said.