The State government on Friday announced two monuments in the State as protected sites. They are Ammakulam at Keezhravanthavadi village in Tiruvannamalai district and an elephant statue at Azhagarmalai village in Ariyalur district.
A press release from the Department of Tamil Culture and Archaeology said Ammakulam might date back to the 16th century during the reign of the Nayakkar kings. “During that period, they seem to have had the practice of inscribing symbols around their ponds.”
“Many of these symbols around the pond have references to the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, scenes from Periyapuranam and war scenes. Also, on the four corners of the pond, there are Nandi statues,” the release said.
Similar pond
According to the release, a similar pond is found at Chinnayampettai in Chengam circle. Chinnamanayakkar, who had constructed the pond there, could have set up the Ammakulam pond as well, it said.
The elephant statue at Azhagarmalai, spanning a height of 81 ft, length of 41 ft, and width of 12 ft likely dates back to 16th-17th century.
“Azhagarmalai was a part of the first Rajendra Chola empire when Gangaikonda Cholapuram was its capital. The place was an important centre for the subsequent empires of the Vijayanagar and Nayakkar kingdoms,” the department said.
Bell designs
The elephant statue’s neck and body are seen to be adorned with designs of bells; under the belly there are statues that seem to be clapping, while there is a statue of a soldier under the elephant’s trunk that is rested on the soldier’s head, the press release from the department said.
