Burial urn, pots unearthed in Pallavaram

Artefacts are estimated to be around 2,000 years old

December 09, 2017 12:53 am | Updated 07:21 am IST - CHENNAI

Rare find: The urn discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India in Pallavaram.

Rare find: The urn discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India in Pallavaram.

A six-foot-high burial urn, mudhumakkal thazhi , made of clay, and pieces of pots were unearthed at Old Pallavaram on Friday. The artefacts are estimated to be around 2,000 years old.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had earmarked several acres of land in Old Pallavaram for undertaking such excavations, which was objected to by the residents. The archaeological remains were found near Ambedkar Thidal, sources said.

A few clay pieces were initially found by the researchers on Thursday. On Friday, they unearthed a six-foot-high pot. The pot had 12 leg points made of sand mixed with clay, they said.

Although only a detailed analysis can ascertain the exact age of the urns, ASI officials said they could be at least 2,000 years old.

“The history of mudhumakkal thazhi goes back to over 3,000 years, and these pots could be at least 2,000 years old, going by their black and brown colour,” an official said. He said it was an ancient Tamil practice to make huge earthen pots to bury people.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.