Elements of South-Indian Palæography, from the Fourth to the Seventeenth Century A.D. c9.s2.7

c9.s2.7

3. Inscriptions recording the erection and repair of temples. Contrary to what is the case in Northern India, these are all very modern. The earliest, I know of, recording the restoration of a temple, is of the end of the 14th century⁴. The reason for this is that all the temples in S. India, with trivial exceptions, belong to two great temple-building periods: that of the Coḷas in the 11th century, and that of the Vijayanagara kings in the 16th. At favourite shrines, like Madura, Āvaḍiyārkōvil and Rāmanāḍ, there are numerous short inscriptions recording additions and improvements chiefly at the cost of trading castes. None of these go back beyond 1500. The only inscription that I know of, on a fort, is of the 17th century.