Meikeerthi
Meikeerthis of various stone and metal inscriptions serve as important archaeological sources for determining Tamil History.During the rule of Rajaraja Chola I it became common practice to begin inscriptions of grant with a standard praise for the king's achievements and conquests.By using the meikeerthi found in their inscriptions, they are identified as follows[1] They also mention the names of the king's consorts, his conquests, vanquished enemies, vassals and seats of power.The year of the reign when taken along with contemporary historical records such as the Mahavamsa and accounts of foreign travelers like Abdulla Wassaf, Amir Khusrow and Ibn Battuta helps to determine the chronology of the Chola and Pandya dynasties.For example, the Chola prince Aditya Karikalan's meikeerthi refers to him only as "The king who took Vira Pandiyan's head" (Tamil: ஸ்வஸ்திசர் வீரபாண்டியன் தலை கொண்ட கோப்பரகேசரி) without naming him.