Urn, handmade roof tiles unearthed

Trench near Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple entrance confirmed as part of drainage system

An urn and handmade roof tiles were unearthed on Friday from the trench excavated in front of the northern entrance to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

The State Archaeology Department started excavation after workers stumbled upon the trench while installing electro-hydraulic bollards and other security apparatus of the police on the road leading to the temple

B. Mohanachandran, in-charge of the Excavations Wing, State Archaeology Department, told

The Hindu that the trench excavated early this week had been confirmed as part of a drainage system.

Preliminary finding

“When we resumed our excavation on Friday, we found an urn and associated handmade roof tiles in the trench. Preliminary examination of the earthen items revealed that they were more than 500 years old. The mud inside will have to be scooped out to find whether it was urn burial,” he said.

The findings, he said, confirmed that there was human settlement at the site, and further examination needed to be done to ascertain its exact year. The department started excavation at the site after unearthing three steps while digging to install the hydraulic bollards, he said. The steps, red bricks, and slab-like blocks of laterite found inside the trench indicated that there was a proper draining system in place near the temple.