Kurumathur inscription
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| Kurumathur Inscription | |
|---|---|
 Kurumathur inscription (9th century AD) | |
| Material | Granite |
| Writing | Sanskrit (Grantha) |
| Created | 871 AD; Kerala |
| Present location | Kurumathoor Vishnu temple |
Kurumathur inscription (871 AD), also romanized as Kurumattur, is a mid-9th century record discovered in Kurumathur, near Areacode in Kerala, south India.[1][2] The inscription is significant as it pertains to the rule of medieval Chera king Rama Rajasekhara (9th century AD) in north-central Kerala.[3][4]
Composed in Sanskrit and engraved in the Grantha script, the inscription is carved on a loose, rectangular granite slab measuring 6' 10" x 1' 7".[3][2][1] It consists of three stanzas (six lines, each containing 38 letters) in the shardula-vikridita metre.[1] The record was unearthed from the premises of Kurumathoor Vishnu temple at Pookkottuchola, south of Areacode, during renovation work in February, 2011.[1][2] The discovery was first reported by epigraphist M. R. Raghava Varier.[3][5] The original Kurumathoor temple structure, which once enshrined the deity, had almost completely deteriorated over time.[1]
The primary purpose of this panegyric appears to have been to commemorate the construction of the side walls of a tank, likely located within the temple premises. Remnants of a large tank can still be seen today in the low-lying fields in front of the temple. In the text, the place name "Thrikkaipatta" is notably sanskritized as "Bhujagiri".[1]
The Kurumathur inscription is one of the rare Sanskrit epigraphs from Kerala and the first known instance of a royal panegyric dedicated to a medieval Chera king of Kerala.[3][1] It also confirms the inference that the personal/given name of king Rajasekhara was "Rama", and it traces the mythical origins of the dynasty to Iksvaku and lord Rama.[1]
The inscription is particularly important because it contains an exact and verifiable date expressed as a Kali Day chronogram: "netaram yamavapya" (= 1451260 = 24 May 871 AD).[1] This helped historians refine the chronology of the medieval Cheras, placing king Rama Rajasekhara after Sthanu Ravi Kulasekhara.[4][1]