Madurai :

A group of archaeologists from Palani have discovered five dolmenoid cists, probably belonging to the megalithic period, in a tribal village in Dindigul district.

According to V Narayanamoorthy, an archaeologist, who stumbled upon these ancient structures at Kummalamarthupatti in the Western Ghats on Saturday, only two of the five dolmens found in the area were intact. Just the remains of the other three can be seen.

One of them is four feet high while the other one is six-and-a-half feet high. The capstone of the taller dolmen has a diameter of about 10m. The stones were found in a site about 582m above sea level, inside a thick forest. Tribal people who come to the spot seem to use it as a resting spot.

Narayanamoorthy said the capstone might weigh around two tonnes. It has an 8-cm diameter circle in the middle, which was drawn in red ink. The centre of the circle is marked with a red point.

He said dolmens pertaining to the Sangam period discovered in this region were usually found facing north. “But these dolmens were placed haphazardly, which prove that they belong to the pre-sangam era and are about 3,000 years old,” he said. Pottery chips found at the site had nailmark cuttings, which also pertains to that period.

T L Subash Chandira Bose, an archeo-symbolist, said the sign on the dolmen signified that the person buried under it had lived a full life and attained the ‘mukthi’ state according to Hindu beliefs. “Just a single circle with one middle dot is very significant. Explaining its importance will be a lecture on its own,” he said.

“This larger circle with a dot at the centre signifies what we call ‘parathuvam,’ that is, attaining eternity without rebirth. To my knowledge, this is the first time that this sign has been found in this part of Tamil Nadu. Usually, there would be two or more circles under the capstones,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / June 27th, 2015

Tirunelveli :

A sleepy village now, Ukkirankottai in the district was a bustling centre of trade and commerce till the reign of the Pandiyas. The ongoing excavations here has thrown new light on human settlement and trade during the period.

Remnants of ancient temples besides tiles, terracotta figurines, decorated pot shards, Chinese pots, beads and bangles have been found so far at the place  located between Azhagiya Pandiyapuram and Alankulam.

Briefing the media about the excavation, going on for more than 10 days, S Vasanthi, Deputy Superintendent of Archeology said, “The site was selected on the basis of available historical records such as stone and copper inscriptions which establish the early and later Pandiya connections to Ukkirankottai. Besides, there were also remains of a Pandiya fort and temples. Hence, our present excavation focuses on the human settlement, trade and cultural materials of the Pandiya rule.”

The excavations are being carried out at five places in the farmlands. “The team has identified the remains of a temple of  early Pandiyas. We are not able to identify the deity. Based on the architectural design of the basement and other remains such as tower, we assume that it belongs to early Pandiya rule, but renovated later,” she said. Elaborating on other materials unearthed from the trenches, J Ranjith, Excavation director, said “We have so far unearthed ammikal (grinding stone), pot shards, bangles, beads, tiles, roofs, iron logs and terracotta sculptures belonging to early Pandiyas. At the same time, we have also identified Chinese pots belonging to later Pandiya rule – 13th to 16th century. This reveals the trade links of Ukkirankottai.”

“While the wheel made pots are fine products, hand made pots are decorated with either coir or nail impressions,” he added.

Stressing the historical and political importance of this place during the Pandiya rule, former senior Epigraphist V Vedhachalam told Express that Ukkirankottai was an important military base for the early Pandiya kings (from 600 AD to 1000 AD). Ukkirankottai was earlier called as Karagiri or Karakondapuram. During 9th century, a military leader named Ukkiran resisted Pandiya supremacy following which Paranthaka Veeranarayanan invaded Karakondapuram and defeated Ukkiran, he pointed out.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / June 18th, 2015

Chennai :

The city will witness a tribute to its heritage and culture at the annual week-long ‘Madras Week’ beginning on August 16.

Expectation has soared this time following last year’s success of the event, which had almost 200 and odd groups.

Programmes like group-walks with special focus on food, photography, history etc were a hit in the previous edition which drew in a swarm of people taking renewed interest in the city. This time, the idea is to encourage a localised approach, by helping organise area-wise activities. For example, the Fort St George trip last time was conducted by Heritage Club of schools taking students to the oldest landmark (375 years) from where the city came to grow. “We would even like to have a Kutthupaatu event. It is such a Madras thing isn’t it,” says Vincent D’Souza, one of the key organisers of Madras Week.

“There is an upsurge of citizen-driven programmes of late. This Madras Week is an unique movement to celebrate them” says S R Madhu of Rotary Club (Madras South), member of the Madras Week team. Whether it’s a walk to identify 70 types of trees or a gallery show, the essence of Madras Week is ultimately to bring realisation on the cultural value of this city.

Founded by historian S Muthiah, the board of  Madras Week, comprises journalists, members of Indian National Trust for Art and Heritage (INTACH) and the Rotary Club of Madras.

The web page www.madrasweek.in is the official platform for all updates and an updated version of the Madras Week app is also in the pipeline. Simultaneously, those interested in planning group activities or events to celebrate or experience Madras, could write to editor@madrasmusings.com and themadrasday@gmail.com and they would serve as the networking platform and the go-to people for anyone with an idea.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / June 16th, 2015