Musical notations dating back to 2nd Century C.E. digitised in Erode

Explore the 1,800-year-old Tamil Vattelethu inscriptions in Arachalur, Erode district, captured in high-resolution digital images by a Bengaluru team.

In a move to document the 1,800-year-old Tamil Vattelethu inscriptions (Tamil-Brahmi), sculptures and musical notations engraved on the bed of the natural cavern at Arachalur in Erode district, a team from Bengaluru has captured the inscriptions by 3D scan and has created high-resolution digital images.

The site is located about 22 km from Erode, on the northern slope of Andiparai of Nagamalai hills in the reserve forest area in Arachalur. Stone beds are found where the Jain monks lived in 2nd Century Common Era (C.E.), while Tamil Vattelethu inscriptions record the composition of notations for music and dance. The place is also called Pandiyar Kuli and the site is preserved under the Tamil Nadu Ancient Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1966.

Erode District Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara in his social media post invited artists and souvenir makers to capture the essence of the Arachalur musical inscription that dates back to 2nd Century C.E. The Arachalur rock-cut cave musical inscription, also called Arachalur Isai Kalvettu, is not just a piece of history, but also a testament to the rich cultural and musical heritage of Erode district, he said. He said the inscriptions were perfect palindromes of dance syllables. Hence, the Collector sought creative souvenir makers to capture the inscription to create unique souvenirs that not only depicts the inscription, but also explains its historical and cultural significance.

Bengaluru-based The Mythic Society expressed interest to digitalise the inscriptions and a team led by P.L. Udaya Kumar, Project Director, Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project, visited the cave on September 1. They were assisted by staff from the forest and revenue departments. The team scanned inscriptions, sculptures, musical notations, and said, “it was a special experience for the team as these were the first Brahmi inscriptions the team was scanning in its native setting.”. Later, the team created three-dimensional digital models and handed over three high-resolution digital images to the Collector.

Mr. Raja Gopal Sunkara told The Hindu that the district administration was planning to come out with a souvenir on archaeological site at Kodumanal and the rock-cut historical site of musical inscriptions at Arachalur. “The team digitised the rock site and handed over images that would be kept for public viewing,” he said. The Collector said discussion was on to utilise the images for various purposes.