Researchers at the Tamil University have successfully used advanced deep-learning algorithms to decipher a previously unreadable collection of stone inscriptions in the Grantha script. These 8th-century records, found in the Kaveri delta, detail a sophisticated system of Dharma-Shastra local governance, including laws regarding water taxation and land disputes between merchant guilds and local temples. The AI tool was trained on thousands of known characters to predict the values of eroded symbols, reaching a 94% accuracy rate.
The newly deciphered texts provide a rare glimpse into the secular legal life of the early medieval period, revealing that local councils had significant autonomy from the central royal authority. The documents specifically mention 'Vellalar' agrarian unions and their role in maintaining irrigation tanks, offering a detailed look at the social contracts that sustained one of the world's most productive agricultural regions during the Middle Ages.