What the script says: V.Vedachalam, former Senior Epigraphist, Tamil Nadu Archeology Department, explaining the finer details of a temple at Melathirumanickam near Usilampatti on Sunday.

MADURAI

14 October 2019 02:17 IST

The Thirumanickayam Udaiya Nayanar Temple, located 18 km away from Usilampatti in Melathiru Manickam village, has a rich legacy of heritage and holds a special place in Madurai’s history. The inscriptions at the temple, which is believed to be over 1,000 years, were brought to the fore at Madurai Heritage Walk organised by DHAN Foundation on Sunday.

Led by V. Vedachalam, former Senior Epigraphist, Tamil Nadu Archeology Department and G. Sethuraman, renowned historian, a team of about 50 people from Madurai and local villagers took part in the tour.

The temple, now called Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, has Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Shiva as presiding deities. The temple, spread over five acres, also has a tank and a kalyana mandapam. The name of the village was derived from that of the temple, explained Mr. Sethuraman. “The temple was earlier known as ‘Thirumanickayam Udaiya Nayanar Temple’ and hence the village was named Thirumanickayam,” he said.

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The temple has about 50 inscriptions - the oldest one belonging to the period of the Pandiya king, Cholan Thalai Konda Veerapandian (946 A.D. to 966 A.D.) “These inscriptions are written in Vattaezhuthu (one of the oldest Tamil scripts),” said Mr. Vedachalam. The inscriptions on the walls spoke about donations made by rulers such as Rajendra Chola I, Vikrama Pandiyan, Sundara Pandiyan and Kulasekara Pandiyan.The inscriptions on the wall helps one to understand the transformation witnessed in the written Tamil language. “The stone inscriptions are placed in a haphazard manner due to the renovation of temple undertaken during 17th century under Naick rule,” said Mr. Sethuraman.

Earlier, this was a prosperous village and was on the arterial route connecting the Pandiya kingdom with the Chola kingdom, said Mr. Vedachalam. “The inscriptions show that the revenue from raising crops and millets in the village was given to the temple for renovation work,” he said.

The villagers said the temple tank which was once brimming with water remains dry throughout the year. Stressing the need to desilt it, the experts urged the locals to take steps for the upkeep of the temple.

K.P. Bharathi, Programme Leader, Dhan Foundation, who organised the walk, said the walk was aimed at helping the locals understand the significance of the temple and instil a social responsibility in them.