Several people interested in history and culture visited Thuvariman, a village on the outskirts of Madurai, which has a rich archaeological history dating back to over 3,000 years and is known as the spring from where the erstwhile Kiruthumalnadhi originated.
People are regularly taken to such places around Madurai for the last seven years as part of the heritage walk organised by Dhan Foundation. Professor V Vedachalam, an archaeologist, briefs them on the importance of these places.
The visit to Thuvariman highlighted the fact that many archaeological evidences including burial urns, vessels and copper coins from the early Pandyan dynasty had been unearthed. Vedachalam said the villages in this region including Kochadai, Thenur, Sholavandan, Kodimangalam and Thuvariman were very important during previous eras, as was evident from the ancient Pandya and Chola temples found in this region.
According to history, Thuvariman acquired importance because it was a place to where people from Dwaraka migrated and settled, he said. This place was important because a series of springs that originated in the Nagamalai hills in the vicinity converged here to form the river of Kiruthumal, which played and important role in the history and civilization of Madurai. This river has now been transformed into a sewage channel trickling through Madurai city and has almost become non-existent.
Local villagers expressed their unhappiness over the disappearance of water bodies such as the large Thuvariman tank due to negligence. An elderly person from the village, Venketraman, said the villagers were ready to contribute to the rehabilitation of this tank if the government and NGOs came forward to renovate it. Project officer of the tourism wing of Dhan Foundation said the public should take up such causes and carry out the work independently without waiting for others to initiate it. Members of the Travel Club in Madurai, students and public participated in the heritage walk.
Source - TOI
People are regularly taken to such places around Madurai for the last seven years as part of the heritage walk organised by Dhan Foundation. Professor V Vedachalam, an archaeologist, briefs them on the importance of these places.
The visit to Thuvariman highlighted the fact that many archaeological evidences including burial urns, vessels and copper coins from the early Pandyan dynasty had been unearthed. Vedachalam said the villages in this region including Kochadai, Thenur, Sholavandan, Kodimangalam and Thuvariman were very important during previous eras, as was evident from the ancient Pandya and Chola temples found in this region.
According to history, Thuvariman acquired importance because it was a place to where people from Dwaraka migrated and settled, he said. This place was important because a series of springs that originated in the Nagamalai hills in the vicinity converged here to form the river of Kiruthumal, which played and important role in the history and civilization of Madurai. This river has now been transformed into a sewage channel trickling through Madurai city and has almost become non-existent.
Local villagers expressed their unhappiness over the disappearance of water bodies such as the large Thuvariman tank due to negligence. An elderly person from the village, Venketraman, said the villagers were ready to contribute to the rehabilitation of this tank if the government and NGOs came forward to renovate it. Project officer of the tourism wing of Dhan Foundation said the public should take up such causes and carry out the work independently without waiting for others to initiate it. Members of the Travel Club in Madurai, students and public participated in the heritage walk.
Source - TOI
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