Prabavathy is a scholar in Tamil epigraphy. She has concentrated her research on the function of social institutions as gleaned in the Pondicherry inscriptions. Her articles focused on caste formations and communities in medieval Tamil history and society. Her research focus is on changing social hierarchies, caste discrimination and  histories of marginalized people. She will be curating epigraphic information from south Indian Inscriptions to curate the measures of labour and gender from 900 to 1600 CE.