Madurai :

The remnants of a fort, which may be several hundred-years-old has been discovered in Padiyur in Dindigul district by a group of archeologists. V Narayanamoorthy , an archaeology enthusiast, along with professors Raja and Manoharan from Palani Andavar Arts College, went to the spot, which is about five kilometers east of Dindigul on the Dindigul- Trichy highway and goes into the village. A student from this village, Veera Karuppiah, had informed them about a large mound spread over an area of about five kilometers in his village, which was known as “kottaimedu” and looks like the wall of a fortress.

The mound stands about 30 feet above the ground on an elevated surface. There is also a culvert belonging to the 19th century with the words, “Narimedu” inscribed on it. “The student who told us about this site said that there were many pottery pieces scattered around the mound,” he said.They had found many pieces of black and red ware, which is said to have belonged to the Iron Age. They also found terracotta figures, beads, an urn and a terracotta lamp. A school has been constructed on half of this sand mound. Raja, Manoharan and Narayanamoorthy claimed that much could be obtained if this area was excavated scientifically.

“The word padi, refers to a place where an army was stationed according to Sangam literature and as the surrounding villages are called, Thamaraipadi, Mullipadi, Seelapadi and Melapadiyur, it strengthens the thought that this mound could be an ancient fort,” he said.

They have sent details of their findings to the Archeological Survey of India to be assessed.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Madurai News / TNN / October 30th, 2017