Pipeline Excavation Uncovers Megalithic Site in Kerala

Pipeline Excavation Uncovers Megalithic Site in Kerala

Subject: History

Section: Ancient India

Context

• Recent salvage excavation by State Archaeology Department at Nagaparamba, Kuttippuram village, near Tirunavaya, Kerala.
• Discovery of numerous megalithic hat stones, also known as Thoppikkallu, used as lids for burial urns during the megalithic era.

Key Findings:

• The unprotected site reveals possibly the largest collection of hat stones in the State.

• Led by archaeologist K. Krishnaraj, Pazhassi Raja Archaeological Museum, Kozhikode.
• Recovery of earthen urns and unique iron implements offering insights into ancient life (2,000+ years ago).

• Unconventional architectural attributes of the rock-cut cave.
• Different designs of recovered pots compared to regular urns at such sites.
• Discovery of special ashes within pots and under hat stones, unlike typical cremated bones.

Significance of the site:

• Urgent appeal to grant heritage village status to Tirunavaya due to its historical significance on Bharathapuzha’s banks.

Megalithic Monuments and their Types

• ‘Megalith’ refers to monuments with large stone blocks.
• Kerala megaliths were constructed over a broad time frame, c. 1st millennium BCE to the middle of 1st millennium CE.

Major types in Kerala:

Surface Megaliths:

Type of Megalith	Definition
Dolmens	Large stone blocks arranged above ground in a square or rectangular shape with a capstone.
Cists	Architectural variant of dolmens, mostly underground, with a capstone covering the burial area.
Dolmenoid Cists	Subtype of dolmens, partially buried in the ground. Sometimes used interchangeably with ‘dolmen’.
Menhirs	Monolithic slab, often made of granite, erected vertically.
Kudakkal	Mushroom-shaped laterite monument with an umbrella-like stone supported by clinostats (slanting stone blocks).
Topikkal	Hemispherical laterite stone is used as a lid on a burial urn.
Pathikkal	Dressed blocks of laterite arranged to resemble a snake’s hood.
Stone Circle	Circles made of granite and laterite stones marking burial sites, arranged in single or multiple circles.
Cairn	Circular packing of rubble associated with a stone circle, often covered by soil and vegetation.

Sub-Surface Megaliths:

Type of Megalith	Definition
Rock-cut Caves	Subterranean laterite monuments with single or multiple chambers. May have carved stone benches and portholes.
Urns	Pyriform (pear-shaped) handmade jars buried with burial goods inside a pit.
Sarcophagus	Legged terracotta coffin, is rare in Kerala compared to other burial forms.