Inscription shows people, govt worked together for water

Over a millennium old inscription discovered days ago by archaeologists at a village shows people took an active part in water management, ensuring proper irrigation of farm lands in Tamil Nadu.

The inscription records the setting up of a stone sluice in a lake by a local man to cater to the irrigation needs of a village near the temple town of Thiruvannamalai.

It says the man, identified in the inscription as 'Korra Nangi of Gangeya Uttama Nallur,' was the donor for putting up the sluice and it showed that people played an active role in water management.

Prof S Rajavelu, Department of Maritime History and Marine Archaeology, Tamil University here, told PTI that the inscription was from the period of Chola king Rajaraja I, dating to his 24th regnal year (1009 AD).

The archaeologist said the inscription on a stone was found at Kovil Poraiyur village near Thiruvannamalai.

"Interestingly, the inscription stone is planted underneath a peepal tree and it is worshipped by the villagers as Lord Muniyappa Swamy or Muneeswarar, revered by devotees as a form of Lord Shiva," he noted.

Rajavelu said he discovered the ancient stone inscription, along with Prof R Sekar and Sethu of Thiruvannamalai Historical Society.

The Tamil varsity professor said Thiruvannamalai and its surrounding regions, known traditionally as "Tondaimandalam," in Tamil, was studded with thousands of irrigation lakes due to the work of Pallava kings dating about 1,200 years ago.

The Pallavas ensured that officials from the state and village bodies took care of maintaining the village water bodies. They also raised the lake bunds, and undertook desliting work every year.

There was a separate body for lake management called "Eri Variyam" and new outlets and inlets were set up by individuals in large numbers to regulate water use for agriculture, he pointed out.

"The Cholas continued their good work. However, centuries later many ancient lakes were put to disuse due to a variety of factors," he said.

The stone inscription recording the setting up of a sluice was in one such ancient lake at Kovil Poraiyur village, which was known as "Sri Rajaraja Brahma Mangalam" during the Chola era, he said.

Due to disuse,the inscription was brought out of the lake and people began worshipping it and this could have begun several centuries ago, he said.

"Our historical documents in the form of inscriptions and heritage are being preserved in the name of the God in villages," he said.