Does the inscription on the Shiva lingam belong to the 1st century BC? | What is the True information of Kinnimangalam inscriptions?
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Archaeologists are still struggling to gather enough evidence before reaching the final conclusions about the location of the temple, which dates back to the 1st century BC.
In this context, posts and memes are being circulated with the image of the Shiva lingam engraved on a photo featured in the News claiming that the 1st century BC inscriptions engraved on the Tamil script found at Kinnimangalam. Followers are also asked us to investigate its authenticity. Therefore, we explored the Kinnimangalam inscription.
Fact Check
The new card says, “1st century BC inscription found in Madurai. The rhetoric of the word ‘Kottam’ is used for the first time in an inscription inscribed in Tamil script. ” A search on the Facebook page of the Puthiyathalaimurai about this News card reveals that no such information about Kinnimangalam. It seemed that it might have been deleted, but the News about Kinnimangalam has been published on the Twitter page of the new generation news and the YouTube news.
According to researchers, the inscriptions found at Kinnimangalam in Madurai district date back to the 2nd to the 1st century BC. The inscription’s round letters are said to date back to the 7th and 8th centuries AD. Archaeologists say that the word ‘pallipadai’ was first used in it and that this was the first pallipadai built near Madurai in Pandya country.
A study conducted on the 19th of last month has revealed that an inscription dating back to the time of Vijayaranga Sokkanathan, dated 1722 AD, has been found in the inscription which mentions the tombs. According to researchers, the first generation reference to the pallipadai was found in a 7th and 8th century AD inscription, and the word “pallipadai” refers to a monument erected for the dead.
Ancient Tamil and disk inscriptions are not easily read by everyone. However, when we look at the photo of the Shivalingam inscription separately from the news card, the inscription contains words written in contemporary Tamil script such as “Guruve Saranam, Arulmigu Eknathar Swami”. Also, the year 1-2-1942 is mentioned.
Upon further search, a full photo of the viral inscription was featured on September 3 in the New Indian Express entitled “Over 2,000-year-old Tamizhi inscriptions found near Usilampatti”.
It is believed that an 18th century Tamil inscription found in the temple premises was commissioned by King Vijayaranga Sokkanathan. It features 43 lines. The inscription mentions the names of previous kings of the same (Nayak) dynasty and another (Vijayanagara) dynasty. Mentioning the names of kings helped to organize their reign in a chronological order. The fourth and most recent inscriptions date back to 1942, ”said KT Gandirajan, an art historian with the Archaeological Survey of India, according to the New Indian Express.
It is true that in Kinnimangalam, there are many inscriptions found between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, such as the Tamil inscription and the inscription on the disc. However, the 1942 inscription with the Shiva lingam is being misrepresented as Kinnimangalam’s inscriptions .
Explanation
In our search, the information that spread with the image of Shivalingam claiming that it is a 1st century BC inscription found at Kinnimangalam, Madurai is false. The inscription on the Shiva lingam does not date back to the 1st century BC. Understandably, that the inclusion of a photo of the false inscription on the News card in the news has caused confusion.
Proof Links
கி.மு முதலாம் நூற்றாண்டைச் சேர்ந்த கல்வெட்டு மதுரையில் கண்டுபிடிப்பு | Madurai
கிண்ணிமங்கலத்தில் கி.மு. 2 ஆம் நூற்றாண்டை சேர்ந்த தமிழி எண்பட்டைத்தூண்!!-தமிழக தொல்லியல் துறை
Over 2,000-year-old Tamizhi inscriptions found near Usilampatti
