| 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]