A Megalithic Dolmen cist, which is probably 2,500 years old has been found in Veeraraghavapuram, around 4-5 km from Koovathur off the Pavunjoor road leading to Madhuranthakam.
The site was discovered by K.T. Gandhirajan, an art historian and Krishna Ramkumar, a writer who had gone to the place to visit Kanniammar shrine which is located under a banyan tree in the area.
A simple Dolmen structure is a single chamber megalithic tomb consisting of two or more megaliths or large stones which are vertical. A large flat horizontal stone is usually on top of the vertical megaliths.
“In the structure, the large dolmen slabs seem to be from an early megalithic period since they don’t have a very good finish. Most megalithic dolmens in Tamil Nadu have been found to have burial remains so they are usually called megalithic burial sites. But in the one we found near Koovathur, we are assuming that the dolmen could have been a monsoon shelter for people during the megalithic era. There are no other natural shelters in the area and it is possible that this was used during harsh weather,” said Mr Gandhirajan.
Describing the area where the dolmen is located, he said that the site had water sources nearby and was at a higher level than the surrounding plains. Of the four hillocks there which stand near paddy fields, one hillock has three small natural reservoirs near the rocks there which was observed to have water even in the middle of the summer.
Treasure trove
Discoveries of historical importance are, however, not new in the area, he said. In the Narkunapattu village situated in the Palar Basin nearby, a number of megalithic sites which include such Dolmen cists, Cairn circles and other artefacts have been previously found. In Vasavasamudram nearby as well, many Roman artefacts have been unearthed, he noted.
Stating that there would have been more megalithic dolmen cists and cairn circles in the area, Mr. Gandhirajan pointed out that they would have been destroyed by vandalism. “In Sirudhavur, which has been identified as a place with a large number of megalithic cairn circles, real estate promotion due to the rapidly expanding city has led to many of these sites being distrubed. In a few places, the megalithic stones have been moved away. It is important that more such sites near the city are identified and documented,” he said.
