State archaeology department officials will inspect the Kurichi check dam across the Noyyal river in Coimbatore after allegations that a historical structure was damaged during desilting work at the waterbody. The inspection will be conducted jointly with the Water Resources Department and local body officials, although a date has not yet been fixed.
The archaeology department is currently identifying documents and references linked to structures found at the site. District archaeology officials said stones damaged during the desilting process had been identified as historical structures, while their possible connection with the Kolur dam of the Chola dynasty was still being analysed.
The issue follows a representation by R Manikandan, founder of Kovai Kulangal Padhukappu Amaippu, to the state archaeology department. Manikandan also wrote to the district administration and archaeology officials seeking restoration of the damaged structure and recognition of the site as a historical location.
A district archaeology department official said the joint inspection would document the site and examine the available evidence. The official also said declaring check dams as historical monuments was not generally possible when they remained in public use. If such structures were inactive, they could be protected with fencing, the official said.
The distinction highlights the administrative challenge at Kurichi: the structure is being treated both as working water infrastructure and as a possible heritage asset. Any protection or restoration plan will therefore require coordination between agencies responsible for archaeology, water resources and local administration. The department’s inspection is expected to establish the condition of the stones and assess the historical references associated with them.
Manikandan said the archaeology department should go beyond inspection and restore the damaged structure. He argued that documenting and declaring historically significant elements would alert organisations undertaking work on check dams, channels and waterbodies to their presence. He also proposed retaining historic names for such structures to preserve the region’s civilisational record alongside its development.
According to Manikandan, the Indian Council of Historical Research has documented evidence and topographical references related to the Kolur dam that overlap with the present Kurichi check dam. The archaeology department is analysing those references before determining the structure’s historical status.
The inspection will be the next formal step. Its findings, along with the documentary and topographical evidence being examined, will determine whether the damaged elements can be linked to the historic Kolur dam and what protection or restoration measures may follow.
