Petition seeks to build memorial for Chola king

After hearing a petition filed by G Thirumurugan of Ramanathapuram, a division bench of Justice N Kirubakaran and SS Sundar sought response from the State government and adjourned the case for the next two weeks.

The petitioner claimed that the burial place of the king, which is located on the highway between Thanjavur and Kumbakonam at the Udayallur village, was not being properly maintained by the archaeological department.

Further, the petitioner pointed out that the central government constructed a memorial for Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji at a cost of Rs 4,900 crore in Maharashtra and the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was built at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore in Gujarat. Moreover, in many countries, statues were constructed by the governments to honour their kings and ancient leaders, he stated.

King Rajaraja Chola ruled over the Chola kingdom of medieval Tamil Nadu, parts of northern India, a part of Sri Lankan territory, Maldives and parts of East Asia between 985 and 1014 AD.

It was Rajaraja Chola who built the Thanjavur Periya Kovil, which serves as a centre of culture and artistic advancement, several centuries ago and hailed Thanjavur as the cradle of arts.