Dr. Chithra Madhavan obtained her M.A. Degree in Indian History with first rank in 1988 from the University of Madras. In 1989 she received her M.Phil. degree from the same University. Subsequently, she obtained her Ph.D. degree in Ancient History and Archaeology from the University of Mysore in 1999. Her Doctoral dissertation has been published as a book entitled “History and Culture of Tamil Nadu – Vol. I.” She was awarded the Junior Fellowship in Epigraphy by the Department of Culture, Government of India for the period 2001-03, and the present book embodies the results of this research work. She is now the recipient of a Post-doctoral Fellowship from the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi.
Dr. Madhavan has contributed a number of research papers on epigraphy, art and architecture to various seminars and reputed journals, and also many popular articles to newspapers on Indian history and art.