Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s23.t4.8

c23.s23.t4.8

Karur is near Pugalur (ancient Pukaḻiyūr), the site of the Irumporai inscriptions. The city straddled the ancient trade routes from the west coast through the Palghat Gap to the east coast and southward to Madurai. Numerous Roman gold and silver coins found in and around Karur attest to the importance of the place in the trade with the Western world in Classical times. It was known to Ptolemy, the Greek geographer, who refers to it as *Karoura* 'the inland city' and capital of *Kerebothros* (*kēralaputra*).