^{Photograph: New Indian Express}

A Tamil Nadu schoolgirl has won widespread praise after identifying three ancient copper coins from Tamil Eelam that her father had unearthed from a field in the Ramanathapuram district.

The three copper coins reportedly date back to the 11th and 12th centuries and were issued to mark Rajaraja Chola I’s rule over the island.

They were discovered by K Muneeswari’s father whilst he was digging an agricultural field at Koraikuttam. Muneeswari had been learning how to identify ancient coins as part of the heritage club of the Suresh Sudha Azhaghan Memorial Government Higher Secondary School at Thirupullani, when she identified her father’s findings.

“The Eelam coin in copper is called ‘Eela karunkasu’ (black coin),” explained V Rajaguru, secretary of the school’s heritage club and archaeologist, stating that they would have been in use from the time of Rajaraja Chola I to the time of Kulothunga Chola I.

This is not the first time that students at the school have had such archaeological success, with similar Eelam coins discovered in 2017.

The Chola Empire is known as being one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the world's history, with an empire expanding across South Asia and South-East Asia. At one point, it ruled across the whole island of Tamil Eelam and Sri Lanka.

Read more from the New Indian Express here.

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