Kerala - Kollam   

Historians claim exposed well is 800 years old

Staff Reporter

Seawall building activity could destroy the well

KOLLAM: The remains of an old well, which got exposed on the Eravipuram beach in Kollam, reportedly has features that can date it to be more than 800 years old. The well was uncovered following the recent sea erosion in the area. The age of the well was put at 800 years by a group of historians, who inspected the site on Thursday.

According to M.S. Jayaprakash, former professor of history, who led the team, the well was dated based on historical aspects that could be linked to the well. If the historical aspects and the age tallies, there can be ruins of archaeological value lying buried in the area, the group of historians believes.

Dr. Jayaprakash says that the features of the well link it to ones constructed during the megalithic age. Made of neatly shaped laterite stone rings in four tiers, the stones are arranged to maintain a perfect radius. Each stone is one feet long and six inches wide and were glued together by a mixture of clay.

The foundation is made up of a harder variety of laterite stone. What has aroused the curiosity of the historians is that the lowest ring has a layer of wood pieces made of gooseberry at the portion where the water should have oozed in. Each piece is almost two feet long.In earlier days wells were constructed as part of an institution to serve a large community. There could be such a link to the well. There are historical records of a major tidal activity or tsunami, which had washed away vast portions of the coastal areas of the Arabian sea during the 12th century. He pointed out that boulders being brought to the area for the construction of a seawall could destroy the exposed well.

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