A bright Class XII student from a government school in Ramanathapuram district identified three Chola period coins and as a result, the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archeology (TNSDA) in association with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) are planning to intensify the excavation process in the district.
The student, whose name is Muneeswari, identified the coins after her father found them while working on his fields. The student of Suresh Sudha Azhagan Memorial Government Higher Secondary School, Thirupullani, informed that it was the heritage club at her school which taught her to identify ancient coins and potteries and she also understood how to read inscriptions on these artefacts from the club.
"We have a strong heritage club in our school and teachers tell us to identify ancient coins, potteries as also inscriptions on these coins and potteries to gauge out the period of these coins as there was a rich civilisation in this part of the world during the period of Raja Raja Cholan and the Chola dynasty that had extended up to Sri Lanka and Vietnam," stated Muneeswari while speaking to IANS.
"The students of the school are made aware of such coins and the inscription on the coins and potteries that are unearthed in this part of the world. Recently, students have identified Chinese potsherds a few months ago on the school campus," informed secretary of the school's heritage club V Rajaguru. He also informed that Muneeswari identified that the coins were issued by Raja Raja Chola, the powerful Chola king, after his conquest of Sri Lanka in a war and that it belongs to the 11th or the 12th century CE.
This has encouraged the two aforementioned departments to take up excavation work in the area with increased vigour. "We are into the initial stages of discussions regarding the excavations at Ramanathapuram and the concept note is not finalised yet. We will carry out some excavations there and have already held discussions with the ASI officials. The date and time for the excavations are not finalised, but we will be doing it," a senior official of TNSDA shared.
