History and Culture of Tamil Nadu: Reconstructing Indian History and Culture, No.31 (Volume-2: 1310-C. 1885 AD)

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The present work embodies the result of the research carried out by me from 2001-03 as a recipient of the Junior Research Fellowship in Epigraphy from the Department of Culture, Government of India.

I am greatly indebted to Prof. K. V. Raman, Former Professor and Head, Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Madras, for all his help, encouragement and guidance at every stage of my research. I deem it my good fortune to have had the benefit of his scholary advice. I also thank Dr. S. Swaminathan, Assistant Superintending Epigraphist, Archaeological Survey of India, for his help.

I wish to thank my parents for their constant support and encouragement throughout the period of my research work. My special thanks to my mother who helped me in the reading and translation of the Sanskrit epigraphs. My heartfelt thanks to Shri L. J. Krishnamurthi and Smt. Sobha Jayaraman for all the help have rendered to me.

To Dr. K. V. Ramesh, Formerly Director (Epigraphy) and Joint Director General (Retd.), Archaeological Survey of India, I convey my gratitude for going through my book and contributing his scholarly Foreword. My hearty thanks to Shri Susheel K. Mittal of D. K. printworld (P) Ltd., New Delhi, for the interest and enthusiasm he has shown in publishing this book.

Back of the Book

Epigraphy, or the study of inscriptions, has played a very important role in reconstructing the history of India. Tamil Nadu in Particular has a very large number of epigraphs, which have been of immense help to historians in writing about the history of the Tamil country. The majority of theses inscriptions are written in Tamil. However, beginning from the sixth century AD, a large number of inscriptions, both lithic and copper- plate grants came to be composed in Sanskrit as well.

This book deals with the Sanskrit inscriptions of the period of the Vijayanagara, Nayaka, Later Pandya and Maratha Kings who ruled over Tamil Nadu. These Sanskrit records provide interesting and valuable details regarding civil and military administration, social and economic life, education, literature and the religious and cultural conditions of those times.

This book is an important contribution not only to the field of epigraphy, but to the history of South India in general and the history of Tamil Nadu in particular.

Dr. Chithra Madhavan obtained her M.A. in Indian History and M. Phil. Degrees from the University of Madras. Subsequently, she obtained her Ph.D. degree in Ancient History and Archaeology from the University of Mysore. She was awarded the Junior Fellowship in Epigraphy by the Department of Culture, Government of India for the period 2001-03, and the present book embodies the results of this research work. She is now the recipient of a Post-doctoral Fellowship from the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi.