Ancient Tamil Civilization's photo.
Ancient Tamil Civilization's photo.
Ancient Tamil Civilization's photo.
Ancient Tamil Civilization's photo.
Arachalur Music Inscription
The cave inscriptions in Arachalur town, about 20 km from Erode. These are Isai Tamil – one of the three literary divisions of Tamil – inscriptions which date to the 2nd century B.C. The inscriptions, which were discovered by Raju, are important as they talk about dancing notes (tala).
Isai (Music) Tamil inscription in ruins
The oldest Isai Tamil inscription, dating back to the 2nd century, is no longer visible clearly. Soot, ash and stones have rendered illegible the inscription, which is in Tamili. It is in a cave, on the western end of the hillock in Arachalur.
The inscriptions are tala notes (adavu) that a Bharatnatyam dancer dances to. It has five lines and as many rows, resembling a five-row - five-column matrix. It has been arranged in such a way that read either from left to right or top to bottom it reads the same. It is a palindrome as well.
Close by is another inscription, which is also in Tamili.
It talks about the person who chiselled the above-mentioned lines. Most of it is damaged.
The third inscription is equally bad. Tamili Kal-vettukkal, a book on Tamili, published by the State Department of Archeology, acknowledges the damage. What is pitiful is that the inscriptions came to light only about five decades ago, when Prof. S. Raju, an epigraphist of Erode, discovered them in the early 1960s. He says they were carved by wandering Jain monks, who came south during Chandra Gupta Maurya's time.
On the importance of the inscription, Prof. Raju says it is the oldest in Isai Tamil. He adds that apart from what the inscriptions convey, they hold additional importance in that they are a very important link in the evolution of Tamil vattaezhuthu (cursive letters).
Most of the inscriptions on Malai Vannakkan Devan Sathan are damaged. That these inscriptions were chiselled inside caves where the Jain monks used to rest has only compounded the damage. For, using the perfect cover that the rock-roof provides, locals indulge in merrymaking. Prof. Raju says he wants the State Department of Archaeology to immediately take up conservation work
Ancient Tamil Civilization's photo.
Ancient Tamil Civilization's photo.
Ancient Tamil Civilization's photo.
Ancient Tamil Civilization's photo.
Arachalur Music Inscription
The cave inscriptions in Arachalur town, about 20 km from Erode. These are Isai Tamil – one of the three literary divisions of Tamil – inscriptions which date to the 2nd century B.C. The inscriptions, which were discovered by Raju, are important as they talk about dancing notes (tala).
Isai (Music) Tamil inscription in ruins
The oldest Isai Tamil inscription, dating back to the 2nd century, is no longer visible clearly. Soot, ash and stones have rendered illegible the inscription, which is in Tamili. It is in a cave, on the western end of the hillock in Arachalur.
The inscriptions are tala notes (adavu) that a Bharatnatyam dancer dances to. It has five lines and as many rows, resembling a five-row - five-column matrix. It has been arranged in such a way that read either from left to right or top to bottom it reads the same. It is a palindrome as well.
Close by is another inscription, which is also in Tamili.
It talks about the person who chiselled the above-mentioned lines. Most of it is damaged.
The third inscription is equally bad. Tamili Kal-vettukkal, a book on Tamili, published by the State Department of Archeology, acknowledges the damage. What is pitiful is that the inscriptions came to light only about five decades ago, when Prof. S. Raju, an epigraphist of Erode, discovered them in the early 1960s. He says they were carved by wandering Jain monks, who came south during Chandra Gupta Maurya's time.
On the importance of the inscription, Prof. Raju says it is the oldest in Isai Tamil. He adds that apart from what the inscriptions convey, they hold additional importance in that they are a very important link in the evolution of Tamil vattaezhuthu (cursive letters).
Most of the inscriptions on Malai Vannakkan Devan Sathan are damaged. That these inscriptions were chiselled inside caves where the Jain monks used to rest has only compounded the damage. For, using the perfect cover that the rock-roof provides, locals indulge in merrymaking. Prof. Raju says he wants the State Department of Archaeology to immediately take up conservation work
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