Kerala - Kochi   

Burial urns of Megalithic period excavated

G. Krishnakumar

TREASURE TROVE: One of the urns found in a residential site at Kalady.

KOCHI: Three types of burial urns, believed to be dating back to more than 2,000 years, have been excavated from a residential site at Kalady by a team of researchers from Sree Sankara College here.

The urns, said to be the archaeological remains of the megalithic period (early iron age), were found in a residential plot owned by Marottikudy Varkey, near St. Martin kadavu on the banks of the Periyar river. Researchers came across the findings on Friday when the site was dug up for constructing a new house.

P.K. Gopi, Documentation Officer of the Archaeology Museum at Thripunithura Hill Palace, who visited the site on Saturday, described the urn burials as "extraordinary." He said the urns were found conical in shape, different from the round-type urns excavated from other parts of the State earlier.

Mr. Gopi said the urns could have been buried sometime between the 6th century BC and 2nd century AD. Officials of the State Archaeological Department have collected skeletal pieces and small pots from the site. These materials would be sent to the Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleo Botany in Lucknow for carbon dating.

The urns were excavated by a team of researchers led by B. Ramesh, Director of the Research Centre at Sree Sankara College in Kalady. "Three types of earthen urn burials and some pots were found in a single day's excavation. Due to heavy downpour, the contents were severely affected. The biggest urn is 4.5 feet high and 2.75 ft in diameter," Dr. Ramesh said.

He said that its lower half had a height of 2.75 ft. The height of the upper half cannot be ascertained due to the damage that has occurred to it over the years. This was found 2.5 feet beneath the surface. It is a handmade red-and-black ware having a shape similar to that of an egg, with an ovoid lid. A prominent rim is seen on the middle part that joins the two halves.

The second urn (a medium-sized) was 3 ft high and has an inner diameter of 1.5 ft. It was situated on the northeast side of the main urn and three feet beneath the ground level. It also has a lid similar to the big one. But the bottom portion is a flattened one.

The third urn, smaller in size, also was 2.75 ft away from the main urn. Small earthen plates in broken conditions are also seen near the urns. Dr. Ramesh said the research team had conducted similar excavations near the present site on the banks of the Periyar. The team had found tools of varying sizes and shapes belonging to the Neolithic period. Various black and red pots and pot shreds were also retrieved.

The research team is now trying to identify more sites in the area that bear the relics of ancient culture and civilisations. They have also started a project to collect evidence that mark the presence of such age-old remains dating back to the Neolithic and Megalithic periods.

Archaeologists say the burial urns found in Kalady indicate that a civilised society lived there more than 2,500 years ago and the excavation also reflects the typical south Indian megalithic culture.

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