Archive · 6 Jun 2025
800-Year-Old Shiva Temple Unearthed in Melur, India
Imagine kids playing and suddenly finding an old, broken stone.
Turns out, it's part of an 800-year-old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva!
This temple was built during the Pandya period, a long time ago.
Historians learned that the village was called Attur and the temple was called Thennavanisvaram.
The writings on the stones tell stories, like how someone sold a waterbody.
These writings also share how the temple got money for things it needed.
The discovery gives us clues about how people lived and what they did hundreds of years ago.
An 800-year-old Shiva temple from the later Pandya period was discovered in Udampatti, near Melur.
The temple's foundation and inscriptions on the culvert were found.
Inscriptions date the temple to 1217-1218 CE, during the reign of Maravarman Sundara Pandya.
The village was previously known as Attur, and the temple was named Thennavanisvaram.
Inscriptions detail a sale deed of a waterbody, revealing socio-economic dynamics of the time.
- Who
- Historians and archaeologists.
- What
- The unearthing of an 800-year-old Shiva temple.
- When
- Dated to 1217-1218 CE.
- Where
- Udampatti, near Melur, India.
- Why
- To understand the history of the region and the socio-economic dynamics of the Pandya period.
- Location
- Udampatti, near Melur
- Temple Age
- 800 years old
- Deity
- Shiva
- Inscriptions Date
- 1217-1218 CE
- Reign
- Maravarman Sundara Pandya
- Temple Name
- Thennavanisvaram