4,000-yr-old Tamil Brahmi inscriptions turn to dust Sites With Early Form Of The Script Are Falling Prey To Quarrying. TOI Takes A Look On World Heritage Day B Aravind Kumar | TNN
Madurai: Friday is World Heritage Day and Mahavir Jayanti. But, around the temple town of Madurai, nearly 4,000-year-old Tamil Brahmi inscriptions are crumbling due to granite quarrying in the area. Also in danger are rare Jain sites of archaeological importance. There are about two dozen sites with Tamil Brahmi (an early script from which the Tamil script evolved) inscriptions that are a linguistic, cultural and historical legacy. The Melakyilkudi site with samana padukkai (stone beds for Jain monks), 15 km west of Madurai, has already got destroyed, with cracks developing and boulders falling on these stone structures due to strong vibrations from explosives used for licenced quarrying. While the government has given licence for quarrying within limits, sources say it is often taken beyond the stipulated area. "What is happening is outrageous. The earliest Tamil Brahmi inscriptions date back to second century BC. These are irreplaceable and invaluable records,"' says Iravatham Mahadevan, scholar of the undeciphered ancient Indus script. In his book. `Early Tamil Epigraphy,' Mahadevan has made a special appeal for the preservation of these earliest Tamil scripts. "These monuments are faced with threats from two fronts. People scribble on monuments and destroy the inscriptions. But, a far greater threat comes from licensed granite export," says K T Gandhirajan, researcher and archaeologist. Rare Tamil Brahmi Jain sites are also found in Sivagangai, Pudkottai and Villupram disricts and face the same threat from quarrying. Archaeologists are fightng a losing battle. ASI has its presence but does not have the manpower and resources to take on this menace. In Kizhavalavu, one of the first sites to be discovered with Tamil Brahmi inscriptions in 1903, numerous petitions from locals to the district collector have had no effect. "Quarrying is on around most of the ancient archaeological sites with contractors drawing their own lines without any government guidelines or supervision. They have no respect for the ASI rules. This is proving to be a danger,"' says Gandhirajan
It is such a shame...Article reported in today's TOI Ragothaman
4,000-yr-old Tamil Brahmi inscriptions turn to dust Sites With Early Form Of The Script Are Falling Prey To Quarrying. TOI Takes A Look On World Heritage Day B Aravind Kumar | TNN
Madurai: Friday is World Heritage Day and Mahavir Jayanti. But, around the temple town of Madurai, nearly 4,000-year-old Tamil Brahmi inscriptions are crumbling due to granite quarrying in the area. Also in danger are rare Jain sites of archaeological importance. There are about two dozen sites with Tamil Brahmi (an early script from which the Tamil script evolved) inscriptions that are a linguistic, cultural and historical legacy. The Melakyilkudi site with samana padukkai (stone beds for Jain monks), 15 km west of Madurai, has already got destroyed, with cracks developing and boulders falling on these stone structures due to strong vibrations from explosives used for licenced quarrying. While the government has given licence for quarrying within limits, sources say it is often taken beyond the stipulated area. "What is happening is outrageous. The earliest Tamil Brahmi inscriptions date back to second century BC. These are irreplaceable and invaluable records,"' says Iravatham Mahadevan, scholar of the undeciphered ancient Indus script. In his book. `Early Tamil Epigraphy,' Mahadevan has made a special appeal for the preservation of these earliest Tamil scripts. "These monuments are faced with threats from two fronts. People scribble on monuments and destroy the inscriptions. But, a far greater threat comes from licensed granite export," says K T Gandhirajan, researcher and archaeologist. Rare Tamil Brahmi Jain sites are also found in Sivagangai, Pudkottai and Villupram disricts and face the same threat from quarrying. Archaeologists are fightng a losing battle. ASI has its presence but does not have the manpower and resources to take on this menace. In Kizhavalavu, one of the first sites to be discovered with Tamil Brahmi inscriptions in 1903, numerous petitions from locals to the district collector have had no effect. "Quarrying is on around most of the ancient archaeological sites with contractors drawing their own lines without any government guidelines or supervision. They have no respect for the ASI rules. This is proving to be a danger,"' says Gandhirajan