Kurumathur inscription (871 AD), also romanized as Kurumattur, is a mid-9th century inscription from Kurumathur, near Areacode in

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, south India. The

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

inscription in Pallava Grantha script is engraved on a loose granite slab from the Kurumathoor Vishnu Temple. It is one of the rare Sanskrit inscriptions from Kerala. The inscription relates to the rule of medieval Chera king Rama Rajasekhara (9th century AD) in north-central Kerala. It is dated to 24 May 871 AD as a Kali Day chronogram. Composed in shardula-vikridita metre in Sanskrit, the three-stanza inscription states that the king Rajasekhara belonged to the "illustrious"

Ikshvaku dynasty The Solar dynasty or (; ), also called the Ikshvaku dynasty, is a legendary Indian dynasty said to have been founded by Ikshvaku. In Hindu literature, it ruled the Kosala Kingdom, with its capital at Ayodhya, and later at Shravasti. They ...

of lord

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

. It wishes that king Rajasekhara's glory be spread across the oceans. Further, he is praised as "having ruled the country with justice and never deviated from the Laws of Manu".'''' During the "righteous rule" of Rajasekhara, twelve Brahmanas constructed a temple pond and also installed an idol of god

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

in the temple he Kurumathoor Vishnu Temple The record was excavated during a renovation of Kurumathoor Vishnu temple (south of Areacode) in February, 2011. The discovery of the inscription was first reported by M. R. Raghava Varier. The record notably helped historians to revise the medieval Chera chronology (locating Rama Rajasekhara after king Sthanu Ravi Kulasekhara).

References

{{reflist History of Kerala Kerala history inscriptions Chera Kingdom 9th-century inscriptions