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Megalithic period urn found at Lalgudi

By V. Ganapathy

A megalithic period burial urn, with a pot kept inside, discovered at Lalgudi in Tiruchi district.

TIRUCHI JULY 6. A burial urn of the megalithic period (1 B.C. to 1 A.D.) has been discovered at Bharathinagar, a residential area at Lalgudi by locals. Sahul Hameed, thasildar, rushed to the spot, and recovered the same. The residents who were sinking a well, also saw a few bones inside the urn but threw them away.

According to R. Kalaikovan, Director, and M. Nalini, research scholar of the Dr.Rajamanickam Centre for Historical Research, though there are about 75 megalithic excavation sites in Tamil Nadu, it was the first burial urn discovered in the Tiruchi region. In the megalithic period burial was the most common method among the ordinary folks, of disposing of the dead or very old people. According to historical evidence, a people who was dead or one who could not be cured of deadly diseases and was on the verge of death was put inside the urn, and along with him, grain and other edible articles were kept in small mud pots and the urn was buried.

The red colour urn recovered at Lalgudi, measured 1.1 metre in height, the circumference of the belly was 2.35 metres, and the neck 1.1 metre.

During digging, a small portion at the top was damaged.

The urn was party discoloured in a few spots with clay. The outer part was shiny and smooth whereas the inner part had a coarse finish and retained the clay colour.

Two pots kept inside the urn were also brought to the Lalgudi taluk office.

Defaced graffiti was seen on one of the sides of the urn but it could be deciphered, says Dr. Kalaikovan. It is a rare discovery for in the Lalgudi region, there was no sign so far of megalithic period burials.

There are a few megalithic burial sites near Kudimiyanmalai in Pudukottai, says Dr. Kalaikovan.

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