His friends have nicknamed him Indiana Jones. His parents think he is crazy. But his uncle thinks he is doing right by following his heart. MBA graduate Gowtham M defies stereotypical expectations and puzzles over remnants of ancient history.
Such has been his passion as a ‘paranormal hunter’ that even as a child he would sneak out of the house in darkness to simply star gaze. His ancestral house and estate in Adalur, Dindigul District, provided him the right setting as he enjoyed sleeping out in the open counting the stars. “Though I was barely in my teens, I never felt scared because that something-waiting-to-happen feeling always beckoned me,” says the 21-year-old.
It was during one of his stays at the estate that he spotted at some distance ordinary little stones forming part of an extraordinary alignment. It immediately attracted him and he started reading literature on megalithic sites.
On a mission
“The more I read about such sites in India,” says Gowtham, “I realised the register is inadequate and incomplete.” This was enough to send him off on a search for lost dolmens just a few kilometres away in the hills below his village. “I was on a ‘re-discover’ mission, as these tombs and stones have been known to the villagers nearby for generations.”
Gowtham walked on a forest path to see and learn more about the site and its magnificent structures and the people who built them. On that first visit he stayed the entire day, amazed by the remarkable sight. “I was able to reach one dolmen but could see a few more scattered around within a compound bordered by a stone wall.”
The enchanting image of the sun setting over the dolmen remains in his mind and he has returned to the site innumerable times, mostly alone and sometimes with like-minded friends who love to trek and are interested in history.
Says Gowtham, “From whatever I have studied I realise an appropriate description of the current state of dolmens is very essential. They need to be described exactly in terms of length, height and orientation. Their exact position needs to be marked.”
Gowtham has also approached several local historians, retired archaeologists and local experts.
“There is a general impression that all megalithic monuments have been discovered and described. Most people have stopped taking interest in the pre-history of their commune. Look at this spot, neither is it known nor is there any care, attention or respect for the earliest burial places.” Gowtham wants to scout the area but is aware that there are many rules regulating excavation. Worried that such precious sites may disappear without a record, he has started locating the dolmens in the Adalur region. Many are inaccessible in the woods, he says.
But still he regularly visits them, takes photographs and provides a basic description before sending the information to experts. An amateur enthusiast, Gowtham believes the megalithic site at Adalur is a powerful place and dreams of starting a science expedition club to get more people to such sites and make them aware of history. “In the wild and overgrown hills here, traces of our megalithic culture still remain, indicating human presence in the landscape centuries ago. It will be unfortunate if it is not taken note of,” he pleads. “Carbon dating of such sites in Tamil Nadu is a must.”
Gowtham rues the fact that, while dolmens in other countries are well protected, in India they remain in a state of neglect. He is obsessed with the idea of finding more but feels he lacks proper guidance and a mentor. “My interest in dolmens will not wane,” he says, “but I do not know whom to approach for further knowledge and guidance and what we could do to save these structures.”
FACT FILE: Dolmens are like stone tables in appearance and are also known as portal graves as their entrance leads to underground burial chambers. Dolmens are known to exist all over the world from Japan and India to Europe, Russia and North Africa. While some of the most important and famous Dolmens are found in Ireland, the world’s largest colony of dolmens is in Korea numbering 35,000. In India, the presence of dolmens is recorded in Kerala and Maharashtra.
(Making a difference is a fortnightly column about ordinary people and events that leave an extraordinary impact on us. E-mail to soma.basu@thehindu.co.in to tell about someone you know who is making a difference)
