TEMPLES REVIVAL

Brothers Shri. AVS Raja and Shri.AVS Baabu of vernacular magazine Amudasurabhi (Tamil) of the Shriram Group companies, were keen on renovating the ancient temple in their ancestral village Aaroor near Soraiyur on the Seyyar Aarani Road. They sought the advise of REACH FOUNDATION to unearth the temple's history and inscriptions. Our founder Dr T Satyamurthy and PRO Chandrasekaran made a preliminary visit and to their joy and pleasure, it was found that the temple was certainly a new find for scholars as the inscriptions on the wall were not yet deciphered. Reading few Pallava and few Parantaka Chola inscriptions REACH sent its team of inscription students (from AASAI- the educational wing of REACH FOUNDATION) along with their main Epigrapher and Historian S. Ramachandran on 4th October 2009 to unveil the findings. The sanctum sanctorum was dug around and was cleaned by the enthusiastic villagers. Out of 13 inscriptions some 4-5 were estempaged and read out. New facts of the Bengal connection (Bangalanaadudaya பங்கள நாடுடைய...) and the connection of Lada desam kings with that of the Cholas were found wanting of more digging out of the inscription stones which were buried. The name of the adorning deity Vishnu also added to the puzzle. Aeindra puratthu vishnu grahaperumal or Aeichatra perumal,(அஇந்திரத்து விஷ்ணு அல்லது அஇச்சத்திரத்துப் பெருமாள்.. ) is not yet deciphered. Both names have greater ramifications even if either of them are true!!!