An inscription from Koyil-Tevarayanpettai dated in the 14th year of the king Sundara Chola( No. 250) provides an interesting example of the encouragement given to learning in ancient times. It registers an endowment of 20 karunkasu made by one Bradayan (Bharadvajan) Senda [n] Nakkapiran-Bhatta Sarvakratuyaji (the same as Senda Nakkan of No. 169 of the king's 7th year) of Kurramangalam, who stipulated that the sum of 3 kasu accruing from the amount as interest every year should be given as a prize to the best of the competitors (excluding the successful candidates of the previous years) who recited prescribed portions of Jaiminiya-Samaveda before the deity on the night of Tiruvadirai in Margali month, evidently as part of the festival in the temple.
Similar examples of encouragement to learning are provided in Nos. 170 and 342 both of the time of Rajaraja I. The former registers several gifts to the temple including an endowment to two persons reciting the Tiruppadiyam and another to 25 Brahmins who were to recite Talavakara-Samaveda, Taittiriya-Veda and Chhandogya-Samaveda before god in the temple at Kuttalam (Tanjore) built by Sembiyan- Mahadevi, the mother of Uttama-Chola. The latter record mentions an endowment made as Mahabharata-vritti for the (daily) reading of the Mahabharata in the temple.