Tamil inscription mentioning the repair of the highway by the Chola king Aditya I
Rajakesari Peruvazhi (lit. 'highway of the lion king[a]') was an ancient highway that traversed the present day states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in India. In the ancient Tamilakam, the highway connected the Chera Nadu and Kongu Nadu regions, which were separated by the Western Ghats. The highway passed through the Palghat gap in the Western Ghats.[4] It was part of a route that linked Muziris in the western coast of India and Arikamedu in the eastern coast, and formed part of an extended trade route between the Mediterranean and East Asia.[5][6]
Tamil Brahmi inscriptions found near Coimbatore, indicate the usage of the highway by the Medieval Cholas in the ninth and tenth centuries CE.[7] The inscriptions mention that the highway was strengthened by Aditya I in the tenth century CE.[8] As per inscriptions on a memorial stone, Rajendra Chola I took the road to reach Chera Nadu from Chola Nadu.[4]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Asoke Kumar Majumdar (1977). Concise History of Ancient India: Political theory, administration and economic life. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. p. 267.
- ^ Ē. Kē Cēṣāttiri (1998). Sri Brihadisvara, the Great Temple of Thanjavur. Nile Books. p. 31.
- ^ V. Manickam (2001). Kongu Nadu, a History Up to A.D. 1400. Makkal Veliyeedu. p. 290.
- ^ a b "On how Kongu Nadu was a Jain bastion". The Hindu. 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Flaws in the rivers interlinking". Vikatan. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ J. Innes, Miller (1998) [1969]. The Spice Trade of The Roman Empire: 29 B.C. to A.D. 641. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-1981-4264-5.
- ^ "Scripting history". The Hindu. 21 June 2010. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
- ^ "Tale of an ancient road". The Hindu. 30 June 2007. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2011.