Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

These tools used by Pachamalai Malayalis are close to nature

S. Aishwarya

Ancient kitchen implements on display at Government Museum

FROM THE PAST: Students looking at the exhibits in Tiruchi. — PHOTO: R.M. RAJARATHINAM

Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI: From corporate machines to household appliances, technology's dominion has reached incredible heights.

Appliances have shrunk in size and expanded in utility.

Kitchenware is no exception.

Our ancestors made their own tools and utensils, which were massive, but close to nature.

Some utensils made of mud, stone and wood are on display at the Government Museum at an anthropology exhibition on `Stone tools and vessels used by Pachamalai Malayalis.'

The tribes used `ural,' `ulakkai' and `mann thirugai' for grinding millet and removing husk.

From Kancheepuram

On the neo-lithic vessels, which are also on display, Museum Curator P. Raja Mohan said, "The tribes hailed from Kancheepuram and must have moved to the hills in 15th century.

Their predecessors who were at Pachamalai used neo-lithic stone tools.

"These are more massive and sturdier than that of Malayalis.

Interestingly, the two sets of tools on display differ in many ways.

Worshipped stone tools

"Legend says there was just one family of Malayalis, which moved to the hills after a clash at Kancheepuram. Two other families occupied other parts of the Eastern Ghats.

These primitive tribes were endogamous and worshipped stone tools used by their predecessors. For their living, they made their own utensils out of mud and wood."

The exhibition packs interesting facts and a select display of tools used.

The Head of Department of Tamil, St. Joseph's College, A. Antony Cruz, inaugurated the exhibition on Tuesday. He gave a lecture on the lifestyle of the tribes.

The exhibition is open till March 31.

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