Tamil Heritage Trust
Dr V Vedachalam, eminent Tamil epigrapher and historian, is the Winner of the V Venkayya Epigraphy Award for 2024.
Dr Vedachalam will receive the Award on Saturday, July 27, 2024, at an
Award function from the Chief Guest of the occasion, Shri V
Muralidharan, Founder & Managing Trustee, Sevalaya, an NGO founded
in 1988, active in education, vocation, homes for destitute children and
elders, health services and rural development.
Award Lecture on "Historical and Political Geography of the Pandya Country" by Dr Vedachalam
at 6.00 pm on July 27, 2024 at Arkay Convention Centre, Mylapore, Chennai 600004.
The event live online
The one-of-its-kind award was instituted by Smt. Sunitha Madhavan, the
great-granddaughter of Shri V Venkayya. The Award commemorates Rai
Bahadur Shri V Venkayya, a pioneering Epigrapher who was the first
Indian Chief Epigraphist to the Government of India.
The annual V Venkayya Epigraphy Award (VVE Award) aims to recognize
exceptional individual contributions, in any Indian language, towards
the discovery of unrecorded inscriptions, interpretation of inscriptions
from a refreshingly new perspective, dissemination of wealth of
knowledge contained in them by conventional as well as digital medium
and preservation of Epigraphic resources for posterity. The recipient
was selected by a Jury consisting of experts in epigraphy, history,
archaeology and heritage.
Dr V. Vedachalam completed his post-graduation at Madurai Kamaraj
University and earned his PhD from the same university for his study on
“Culture and Society in the Pandya Country”. In addition, he holds a PG
Diploma in Archaeology and Epigraphy and a Certificate in Museology
awarded by the National Museum, New Delhi.
He retired from the Department of Archaeology, Govt of Tamil Nadu after
serving for thirty-three years, in various capacities as Senior
Epigraphist, Museum Curator, and Archaeologist.
During his tenure in the Department of Archaeology, Dr Vedachalam
was part of teams that conducted excavations at Madurai, Tondi, Karur,
Thiruththangal, Mangudi, Alagankulam and Keeladi.
He has studied, interpreted and written about inscriptions and copper
plates in Tamil Brahmi, Vattezhuthu, Tamil and Grantha characters. He
has also studied coins, Palm Leaf Manuscripts, Copperplate records,
Sculptures and Temples. He has recorded his findings and interpretations
in his various articles and books.
Dr. V. Vedachalam has authored & co-authored more than twenty-five
books on various subjects and themes such as Epigraphy, Numismatics
(Coins), Copperplates, Temple Arts, Religion and Society. His book
Parakramapandiapuram has received the Best Book award from the
Government of Tamil Nadu in the year. Some of his other notable books
include “Pandiyanattu Varalaatrumurai Samooga Nilaviyal”, “Pandiyanattil
Samana Samayam”, “Pandiyanattu Oorgalin Varalaaru” . He is the
co-author of “Pandian Nindraseer Nedumaran”, “Virudhunagar District – An
Archaeological Sourcebook”, “The Sculptural Splendours of Meenakshi
Temple” etc., He has also written more than 100 articles in state,
national and international publications.
He served as a visiting professor in Tamil University, Thanjavur and
M.S. University, Tirunelveli. He has delivered lectures and conducted
workshops/courses on Epigraphy, Archaeology and Temple Arts for various
colleges and Universities in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka.
Over the past decade Dr Vedachalam has dedicated himself to
enhancing heritage literacy. His efforts have significantly contributed
to the development of tourism through Heritage Walks and Talks. He has
been instrumental in conducting over 300 heritage walks in 220
historical locations across Tamil Nadu. He is helping a few stakeholders
in developing historical documents and films on heritage.
Tamil Heritage Trust
tamilheritage.in
tamilheritage.in@gmail.com
919444823681
|
