"धर्म एव हतो हन्ति धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः। तस्माद्धर्मो न हन्तव्यो मा नो धर्मो हतोऽवधीत् ॥": Archeological Survey of India teams discover 12,000-year-old artefacts near Chennai, recoveries include gold, beads, money, bangles, sculptures from Pallava period

CHENNAI: About 5km from the Renault Nissan automobile factory at Oragadam on the outskirts of Chennai, an ancient stone tool-making place must have functioned about 12,000 years ago, an Archaeological Survey of India team has reasons to believe. What's more, the team found in the same pit layers of artifacts from at least four civilizations separated by hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

The most important of the finds at Vadakkupattu village include hand axes, scrappers, cleavers, and choppers from the Mesolithic period. They were found just 75cm below the surface, along with hundreds of stone fragments. "This looks like a place where ancient people made stone tools for hunters and gatherers," said M Kalimuthu, superintending archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, Chennai Circle.

Archaeologists were astonished to find, at an upper layer of the same 10mx10m pit, Sangam era (more than 2,000 years ago) artifacts and rouletted ware, Roman amphora sherds, and glass beads indicating active trade with Rome. They also found gold ornaments, terracotta toys, beads, pieces of bangles, potsherds, and coins. In the surrounding area, on the surface, the team discovered sculptures ranging from the early Pallava era (275 CE) to the late Pallavas (897 CE).

Archaeologist K Sridharan, who retired from the state archaeology department, said the Vadakkupattu finds show continuous habitation for several thousand years. "The new evidence shows it is a culturally and archaeologically important site," he said.

An ancient burial site at Guruvanmedu, 1km from the Vadakkupattu village. This site was identified by archaeologists as far back as 1922

Buried in our backyard, four civilizations

For many years, history students, researchers, and archaeology enthusiasts have been doing field studies at Vadakkupattu, a nondescript village near Oragadam, after an ancient burial site was found at Guruvanmedu, about a kilometer away. When an ASI team decided to dig here a couple of months ago, they struck gold. Literally.

Now, Vadakkupattu is ready to burst into the archaeological limelight not just for what was unearthed there, but for the layers of history – and prehistory – found to have been preserved just inches below the surface. The excavation team had hardly gone a few centimeters down when out came gold ornaments, beads, broken bangles, potsherds, coins, and terracotta toys. The deeper they went, the older the pieces got. At a depth of 75cm, they found chiseled stone tools – telltale signs of a Mesolithic civilization. And, hiding in plain sight on the surface were sculptures and stone carvings of the early and late Pallava eras.

ASI superintending archaeologist M Kalimuthu said Vadakkupattu has gained importance. “Besides the Teri sites at Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts, Vadakkupattu is the only place in Tamil Nadu where evidence of tools of the Mesolithic period has been found. As per the typological study, the tools may have been made roughly 12,000 years ago. Carbon dating and thermoluminescence (TL) dating will reveal the exact age of the tools. It is unique to find stone tools, artifacts, and ornaments belonging to four different eras in a single place,” he said.

Researchers said the small size and sharpness of the tools, which ancient people made by removing flakes from stones, indicated the settlement was of the Mesolithic period. “The stone tools of different types show that a large number of people had lived here,” said Kalimuthu.

Sridharan said it is significant that at the same site the team found handmade roof tiles belonging to the Sangam era. “They are different in shape compared to the ones found in places such as Keezhadi and Kodumanal,” he said. The other finds, the Pallava-era sculptures, were made of sandstones and have been eroded by time. The team found statues of Vishnu, and a Shivalinga, suggesting the existence of a temple in the medieval period.

Once they decided to excavate Vadakkupattu, the 20-member team of surveyors, researchers, and laborers looked for signs to start the process. Sand mounds and the presence of rivers Cheyyar and Palar close to the site helped them locate the probable spots. The sand mounds of Vadakkupattu were largely disturbed as the locals had dug up the topsoil (which, as the team later realized, must have destroyed some surface objects). The first set of trenches exposed some structures including roof tiles that appeared to be of the Sangam period. The team found Mesolithic stone tools and more Sangam-era artifacts in pits dug 100m away from the first dig.

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