Restoration experts working on a 12th-century Later-Chola era temple in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, have discovered a large subterranean granite granary located within the temple’s outer enclosure. The structure was designed to store grain for ritual offerings and as a reserve for the local community during times of famine, showcasing the temple's role as a social welfare hub.
Accompanying inscriptions found on the granary walls detail ancient flood relief measures and grain distribution systems managed by the temple authorities. These records provide a rare glimpse into the administrative and economic functions of Chola religious institutions and their sophisticated management of natural resources nearly 900 years ago.