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Uncovering the earth’s rare relics

EXQUISITE ART: The sculpture of Gangadharamurthi with eight arms.— Photo: EFEO

PUDUCHERRY: Like old homes are broken down and doors and windows carted off to form part of new structures, old temples too seem to be put to use in unusual ways.

Babu alias N. Ramaswamy and G. Ravindran of the Photo Archives section of the French School of Oriental Studies (EFEO) here found that stones from a Gangadharamurthi (a form of Lord Shiva) temple have been used to strengthen a tank bund in a village.

The duo that often goes on trips to obscure villages in neighbouring districts also found that the remains of a temple in Vengalam village had been used to make a culvert.

Recently they found a rare Pallava sculpture of Gangadharamurthi with eight arms and Goddess Parvathi to His left. Usually Gangadharamurthi is seen with four arms and Parvathi to His right. The sculpture was found at Kunnathur in Thirukazhukundram.

They have also discovered sculptures of Somaskandamuthi in Veerapuram of Thirukazhukundram Taluk and a standing Vishnu sculpture at Sirudavur in Chengalpattu.

The inscriptions section of the EFEO, headed by Vijayavenugopal, has discovered inscriptions regarding the construction and maintenance of native sluice gates and inscriptions regarding donations to temples.

“We found a particular sluice gate (Thoombu kall) in M. Kunnathur village that had an underground pipe leading from the lake to a small tank outside. When the gate is opened the water will slowly trickle outside and the bund would remain unaffected. It is dated back to 1256, which corresponds to Rajaraja Chola the third’s period ,” explained Dr. Vijayavenugopal.

“Sometimes we find inscriptions even in villages where the ASI and the Tamil Nadu Government have surveyed. Most times villagers don’t really know what the inscriptions mean and warn that the stone might be an ill omen,” he added.

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