A potsherd at the megalithic burial site. | Photo Credit: R. ASHOK
About 4000 years ago, a south Indian traveller might have taken advantage of the best navigational season to reach Sumeria. There, to write a letter home, he would have used the stylus and he might have engraved his well-being in cuneiform, the oldest form of writing, on a clay tablet. This would be baked and sent by sea to his homeland, perhaps a village in Tamil Nadu. But this clay tablet did not make its way home, but remained in Sumeria to be unearthed centuries later. In the early 20th Century, it was translated and found that the Sumerian language and the Dravidian language, the early Tamil script, had a genetic linguistic relationship. Though many can vouch for the fact that Tamil Nadu had a flourishing culture 4000 years ago, the remains that are being unearthed, other than rock paintings, only reveal a thriving culture from about 3000 to 3500 years ago. But artefacts from south India that have been unearthed in Mesopotamia point to a civilization of over 4000 years.
The first astronomers
One can assume that the traveller might have taken with him objects like wood and gold to be traded. Along with his business acumen, he would have exchanged his knowledge of the stars and the moons with the Sumerians. History says the Sumerians, or the ancient Mesopotamians, were among the first astronomers, and they had come up with a solar year consisting of 365 days. After gaining new knowledge for a few years, this unnamed traveller might have returned home. It may have been possible that his home was in a village now called Ellanthankarai in Sivaganga.
South India had a flourishing megalithic civilization. Potsherds, beads, and ornaments are still being unearthed from areas around Pudukkottai, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram. Residents like Sumathi of Kalayarkoil, which is 8 km from Ellanthankarai, say that each time someone digs up the ground for erecting a building, pieces of black and red pottery keep coming up. This claim is backed by the recent discovery of a huge burial and habitation site by amateur archaeologist Ramesh at Ellanthankarai. Assuming that the early traveller was from the region, the finding of an ancient observatory at the burial site assumes significance.
K. Balakrishnan, principal, Bharathi Matriculation School, Tiruchi, and a resource person in astro-archaeology, says this is the first astro-archaeological site in Tamil Nadu that reveals a clear observatory ground. This would then lead to a highly learned group called Tamil Arivargal who resided in the region. According to Madurai-based archaeologist Ve. Balamurali, the earliest mention of these people is in The Tholkaappiyam. These people were well versed in astronomy. They would disseminate what they learnt to others and this form of learning was called Ainthiram, the mention of which is also found in The Tholkaappiyam.
Today, at Ellanthankarai, opposite the open prison, is a 70-acre land covered with thorny shrubs. Here lies the huge burial site dating back to the megalithic period. A small canal, now called the Nattarkaal, divides the burial site from the habitation sites. This canal may have been once a distributary of the Vaigai or it may have been dug for irrigation. This stream drains into the sea on the Ramanathapuram coast. The habitation sites seem to have been built near lakes and ponds. As the region is characterised by floodplains, rain-fed agriculture might have been practised here.
Numerous cairn circles
The burial site, filled with brownish granular soil, seems to be on an elevated plain. The burial ground is mostly flat, and might have been treeless, and with not much human disturbance, it would have been the perfect place for the ancient astronomers to observe the night sky. A walk through the site reveals numerous cairn circles signifying the remains of a huge population of early people. The cairn circles are a megalithic burial place. The site is marked by a circular or quasi-circular arrangement of stones with a chamber often containing the remains of the deceased, along with grave goods such as pottery, tools, and beads.
At each turn among brambles, one can glimpse shards of black and red pottery and sometimes thick red ware pottery. Some retain their shape in the dense laterite soil and some are broken, hanging precariously in pits dug by vandals. Many of the stones show signs of heavy erosion and at some places, there are gaps revealing that they have been removed. Some of the stones are fully covered with climbing shrubs.
And in the midst of this burial site, the Tamil Arivargal had an observatory. A cylinder pillar still stands. Here, these men might have hunched down to observe the sun, the moon, and the stars. The site is strewn with menhirs, large upright stones that may signify some sort of ritual or a marker for a calendar. A very distinct menhir, shaped like an anthropomorphic figure, might have represented ancestral worship and played a major role in the celestial study.
Accurate reading of axial tilt
Mr. Balakrishnan says that after making continuous reading at the site, they found that the ancient people had even got the earth’s axial tilt precisely, which is about 23.5 degrees. These stones, some roughly hewn into a star shape, some hacked to reveal the first and third quarters of a moon, are in a line straight to the observatory point.
He says this study of celestial movement might have been the precursor to making a calendar. The marking of seasonal changes by observing the stars was needed for the early merchants to travel to Sumeria. It would have also helped to predict the monsoonal season for the early farmers. Even today, if one observes from the pillar, the winter solstice, the summer solstice, and the equinox are perfectly marked with the stones set in the precise location, Mr. Balakrishnan adds.
“What is needed are steps to protect this site that has immense potential for research. The U.K. government has turned a similar astro-archaeological site, the Stonehenge, into a major tourist attraction. At Stonehenge, only 52 of the original sarsen stones remain, but here we have numerous menhirs, a clearly marked station stone, and laterite stones kept in a studied distance with markings reflecting their use in astronomy,” Mr. Balamurali laments.
Sources from the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology confirm that Ellanthankarai is a massive burial site and steps are being taken to protect it. As for its importance to astronomy, they say that more research needs to be done. Till then, the Tamil Arivargal will remain hidden in the crumbling pages of history and will have to wait for someone to unlock their knowledge of the stars.
