Tamil Nadu man made thousands of ancient inscriptions searchable for free
Udhaya Shankar embarked on his journey by showcasing traditional kolam designs, but soon his focus shifted towards safeguarding Tamil inscriptions. Through his initiative, Udhayam.in, over 8,500 ancient texts have been made available for online searching. Balancing a design career, Shankar dedicates approximately six hours a day to this labor of love, showcasing his unwavering commitment to…
Udhaya Shankar, a young designer from Tamil Nadu, envisioned sharing traditional kolam designs on the internet in 2007. This early initiative evolved into Udhayam.in, a digital platform preserving over 8,500 ancient Tamil inscriptions. The project, recognized with the THT Prof. S. Swaminathan Heritage Award 2026 and a Rs 50,000 prize, showcases Shankar's dedication to heritage preservation.
Despite working full-time and dedicating six hours daily to the endeavor, the majority of Udhayam.in's maintenance costs are self-funded. The platform's success hinges on accurate research, with Shankar overcoming challenges in identifying the modern locations of ancient inscriptions.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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