Kerala is not very rich in inscriptions, when compared to neighbouring states. But many documents have been discovered, interpreted and preserved that are crucial in shedding light on history. Many of the stone inscriptions and copper plates found in this way are helpful in estimating the history from 800 to 1125 C.E. Most of this fall into two broad categories: royal charters and land grants.
Between 1783 and 1821, Colin Mackenzie collected many stone inscriptions and copper plates from the old Madras province, including the Malayalam-speaking region. As early as 1819, Francis White Ellis read the Jewish Copper Plates of Kochi and recorded his opinion. Later, the first government epigraphist of Madras province, E. Hultzsch, edited and published this document as his own in 1894. Herman Gundert, a German missionary, also published some documents, including the Tarisapalli Plates. Such documents from Kerala were also featured in many publications of that time, including the Annual Report of South Indian Epigraphy. However, it was with the publication of the Travancore Archaeological Series (1910–1938) that the collection and study of Travancore documents began in earnest. It was able to bring to light many documents that were unknown to the scholarly world until then. T.A. Gopinatha Rao, K.V. Subrahmanya Iyer, A.S.R. Ramanatha Iyer and R. Vasudeva Poduval were behind it. The bulletin of the Rama Varma Institute started in Kochi in 1925 and brought more such documents to light. K.R. Pisharodi, A. GovindaVariar, V.K.R. Menon, Anujan Achan, etc. made crucial contributions in this.
Since the formation of the State Archaeology Department, many manuscripts have been discovered and interpreted. The Sri Visakham Thirunal Centre for Epigraphy was set up in 1979 to undertake epigraphic studies and impart training in reading ancient inscriptions. The centre has done an efficient job in locating ancient manuscripts and epigraphs and copying them in order to read and interpret them. It read the ancient inscription on the bronze recovered from the Padmatheertha pond, Thiruvananthapuram in 1989–90. The inscription was about the renovation work done to the pond in 1896 (Malayalam era 1071). The centre also deciphered the Vattezhuthu record of the installation of adhishtanam at the Vaniyamkulam Siva temple, besides reading and interpreting the four epigraphical records on the walls of the ancient Syrian Church at Chengannur. The Vattezhuthu records in the Dharmasastha temple at Vakathanam, the Malayalam records at the Subrahmanyaswamy temple at Arpookkara, the Malayalam and Tamil inscriptions at the Kanjiramattom Siva temple and the Vattezhuthu inscriptions in the Kottayam Cheriyapalli and on the mizhavu (drum) at the Kottayam Tali temple were all read for the first time.
Also examined were the Vattezhuthu inscriptions at the Alapuzha Cheriya Kalavoor Sastha temple and the palm leaf records at the Pandalam Mahasiva temple. The stone inscriptions at the Sri Mahavishnu temple in Karuppur, Mukhavur have been copied and subjected to analysis.
Steps were taken to preserve the stone inscription found in Thrikkanamathilakam in Thrissur. This inscription was taken over and transferred to Sakthan Thampuran Museum, Thrissur. The copper plates obtained from the Chazhoor Kovilakam were taken to the Hill palace Museum. This document in Vattezhuthu script is about the properties of this Kovilakam, a branch of Perumpadappu Swaroopam.
The stone inscription found in Palat village of Kozhikode district (Palat Inscription) was acquired and kept in Pazhassiraja Museum, Kozhikode.
The Department re-examined the inscriptions of Sri Vamana murthy temple, Thrikkakkara, in Ernakulam district. Four more uncopied inscriptions were found, and estampages were taken. It is thought that Mr. Gopinatha Rao omitted these in T.A.S., probably because they were incomplete. Inscription from Naikkarpadi Bhadrakali temple, Karayur, Attapadi, were also copied. This inscription is in the Grantha and Tamil scripts.
The Department has also examined inscriptions from Kannady, Palakkad, Vattezhuthu Inscription kept in Palakkad Taluk Office, Attapadi Veerapatanakallur Stone Inscription, Thrikalayur Temple Inscription in Malappuram District, Maralur Temple Inscription in Panthalayani Kollam, Tamil Inscription about donation in Madavoorpara Cave Temple, Stone Inscription regarding the making of stone steps at Chempra Kothupara, Perampra, etc.
Parvati Parameshwara temple inscription from Pinarayi, believed to be of the 12th–13th century, and Kottayam Manganam Narasimhaswamy temple inscription, which mentions the construction of the temple, were also examined.
The inscription of Sthanuravi in Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikyam temple was copied. In the examination conducted by taking the estampage, it was possible to identify some previously unclear letters.
The inscription on a platform built around the foot of a banyan tree at Taliparamba Rajarajeswara temple regarding its construction in 1779 and the inscription on the balikkallu of the Thirumittakkode temple were also copied and studied. The preliminary conclusion is that the Thirumittakkode temple inscription, which has lost many letters, dates back to the 9th–10th centuries based on the style of script.
The Department examined the inscriptions on the granite slabs near the Muthalakkulam Devi temple near Mananchira in Kozhikode district. These inscriptions are recorded in Tamil language and script.
The inscriptions on the south, east and north sides of the Valiya Balipeeda of Sri Mannur Bhagavathy temple in Palakkad district were also examined. These inscriptions are in Vattezhuthu.
The epigraphy wing had also taken care to record hitherto unknown relics that came to its attention while looking for epigrams. The Sri Visakham Thirunal centre also provides basic training in epigraphy to the staff of the Archives Department.
