P.J.Cherian Links Megaliths and Dravidian Race Theory
Cherian Calls Pattanam site as a Civilization Spreading from Pattanam to Idukki district in Kerala
http://www.thehindu.com/arts/history-and-culture/article2764185.ece?homepage=true
03-01-2012; 2.30pm
Bone remains found inside a burial urn believed to be of Iron Age
The bone remains found inside the nannangady (burial
urn) believed to be of the Iron Age, recently excavated from a
construction site near Ramakkalmedu in Idukki district, throw up the
possibility of carbon dating for further studies.
The
site is located at Thovalappady en route to Ramakkalmedu from
Thookkupalam and it is one of the many sites of megalithic remains
excavated in the district. K.T. Rajesh, historian, who led the
excavation, said an in-depth technical study of the bone remains could
provide data on the period of the burial urn. The discovery shows that a
society which revered the dead and a prominent civilisation existed in
the eastern hills of the district.
The nannangady is
about a metre tall and its brim had a diameter of about 12 inches. The
top of the urn was covered with a round stone slab. Two small pots
shaped like a coconut and a bowl having a diameter of about eight inches
were placed near the urn.
“The red and black
pottery is remarkable as it denotes the Dravidian expansion to south
India,” Mr. Rajesh said. It was the first time that a human bone was
found in a nannangady and this biological element was very important
because it would open the window for scientific studies, he said.
The
bones collected will be sent for scientific experiments soon.
Megalithic evidence like dolmens (muniyaras), table stones, burial urns
and historic stones believed to be of BC 1050 and AD 300 was discovered
at various locations in the eastern parts of the district. It is
believed that an administrative hierarchy in Keezhmalanadu with a
supporting civilisation existed in the interior areas of the present
Thodupuzha spread over the Western Ghats.
P.J. Cherian, director of the Kerala Council for Historical Research, told The Hindu
that the Pattanam excavation had opened up the possibility of further
study of the valuable historical remains in Idukki district too. Though
they have been classified broadly, it needs specific study to establish
the period of each historical remains, he said. “Burial urns and dolmens
are mortuary remains of a society and it is true that a civilisation
spreading its roots to the interior areas remained in the district,” Dr.
Cherian said. Serious studies were needed on the complex architecture
of the megalithic era. These historical remains throw light on the
actual life of that period and the practices followed by a society which
is different from the other. He said that such remains had been
unearthed in many areas but a historical map had not been prepared so
far.
The district administration has drawn up a
project, ‘Discovering Idukki,' in its annual budget for 2011-'12 to
protect the megalithic sites and initiate studies into them.
