Aaroor Visit

Aaroor Visit – Reach Foundation: Conserve our Rich Heritage!!

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!!!

REACH FOUNDATION along with the support of the local villages, their councilor, their PR person Ms. Jayashri has planned for elaborate exploration and research and further decided to renovate the temple for them.

The inscription students (some 19 of them) were very happy on making this field trip as they had hands on training on as how to take estempages on stone inscriptions, preparing the ink/ lamp black mix and applying the wet paper on to the surface before taking on the estempages. REACH FOUNDATION thanks the Aaroor villages and the Shriram group- Amudasurabhi directors for sponsoring this filed trip and making the world know on these excellent Pallava- Chola historic marvel and for bestowing it the privilege of restoring the temple. The Shiva temple nearby is also under ruins and REACH will take up restoration and renovation of the Shiva temple in succession to the work of Vishnu temple.

Comments:

Excellent work. It gives me great enthusiasm to join such teams and contribute my part.

RAVIKONDDA

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Ravi Kondaji,
Pls join our yahoo group temple_cleaners for regular messages and for volunteering work.

Thanks
REACH team………