Thiruketheeswaram Tamil Inscriptions of Rajendra I

Thiruketheeswaram Tamil Inscriptions of Rajendra I

A stone pillar containing two inscriptions of the reign of King Rajendra I (1012-1044 A.D.) was discovered from Thiruketheeswaram in Sri Lanka during the early years of the 20th century (Pathmanathan, 2005). It was removed from the original location and taken to the National Museum of Colombo for conservation. The pillar There are two inscriptions written separately on the two faces of the stone pillar. However, the stone has been broken and therefore, the inscriptions are fragmentary (Pathmanathan, 2005). In its present state of preservation, the first inscription has 31 lines of writing while the second has 27 lines of writing (Pathmanathan, 2005). Scholars have dated these inscriptions to the reign of the South Indian Chola King Rajendra I [(1012-1044 A.D.) Pathmanathan, 2005]. The pillar is believed to be originally a part of a building attached to a temple (Pathmanathan, 2005).  Content The first inscription (31 lines of writing) This inscription records some information about social a…