Four rock-cut chambers from the megalithic period were unearthed from Peralam at Beemanadi village in West Eleri panchayat, Kasaragod.
It was the discovery of a rock-cut chamber while clearing the bushes and digging the land led to unearthing three others from different areas in the panchayat.
O.V. Rathnakaran, a sales manager in a private company, first stumbled upon the chamber while digging the land.
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However, on further digging the chamber was clearly visible and it was found to be more than 1,500-year-old and constructed during the megalithic period, said N.V. Sajith, a neighbour of Mr. Rathnakaran and researcher at the Kerala Central University.
He immediately contacted Nandakumar Koroth, professor, History department, and ascertained the facts.
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“There were similar structures in other places, and with the help of a few friends we decided to dig the land,” Mr. Sajith said.
They found three more chambers from the megalithic period from the land belonging to Raghavan Kunnumil, Mathew Kanichikuzhiyil and Babu Orithayil, in the adjoining region in the panchayat.
Prof. Nandakumar said so far 20 such laterite chambers had been found from Thalayadukkam, Umichi Poyil, Malappacheri, Parappa, Banam, Bengalam, Thimiri, Panangad, Chandravayal and Cheemeni in Hosdurg taluk.
The discovery that there were settlements of people in the region during the megalithic period, Prof. Nandakumar said.
The chambers had a rectangular entrance and a well-carved circle hole on the top, he said. The entrance was carved using hard implements, he added.
He said even though people believe such chambers were constructed by the sages for the purpose of penance, the monuments which look like rock-cut chambers, umbrella stones and capstones were built by megalithic people as part of the burial system for more than 1,500 years ago, he said.