Devankuruchi is an archaeology site located near to T.Kallupatti and 40 km far from

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Devankurichi is a small village on the road towards

Peraiyur Peraiyur is a panchayat town in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the Revenue blocks of Madurai District. Peraiyur is the headquarters of the peraiyur taluk. Location Peraiyur town lies 42 km south west of Mad ...

. The Devankurichi hill is a symbol of spirituality as one can see it while driving closer to T.Kallupatti. Many people throng the Agneeswaran Temple of Devankurichi for doing the last rites of those who are dead and so its equated to Kasi.

Archaeological excavation

An archaeological excavation in 1976-77, revealed that Devankuruchi was a human habitation even 6,000 years ago. 2,000-year-old black and red wares, stone beads, bangles made of conch shells and burial urns were unearthed during the excavation which prove the existence of megalithic culture. Iron and chalcolithic age evidences were also found during the excavation. The site continued to be occupied in the early historical period, as attested to by the presence of some copper coins and russet coated white painted ware. Analysing the habitation site, it was understood that both

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...

and

Saivism Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

flourished in the area. ‘Sri Agnieswarar, Gomathi Amman Temple’, the present Siva temple, was constructed during the later Pandya period (12 – 13 CE). Later, it was fully renovated and reconstructed during the Nayak period. Tamil inscriptions belonging to

Maravarman Sundara Pandyan Maravarman Sundara Pandyan I was a Pandyan king, who ruled regions of South India between 1216–1238 CE. He laid the foundation for the Pandya revival, after being dominated by the Cholas for several centuries. Accession Sundara Pandyan ...

(1216 CE -1238 CE) has details about donations made to the temple. Though the Jain temple as ruined, Jain sculptures found around the temple reinstates its presence. At the foothills of Devankuruchi, a Nayak period

hero stone A hero stone (Vīragallu in Kannada, Naṭukal in Tamil) is a memorial commemorating the honorable death of a hero in battle. Erected between the second half of the first millennium BC and the 18th century AD, hero stones are found all over India ...

was established in remembrance of a hero who was killed while fighting a tiger.

References

{{coord missing, Tamil Nadu Archaeological sites in Tamil Nadu