Tirupur: Archaeological enthusiasts are claiming to have found ‘ancient structures’ which could be ‘either cemeteries or marking stones’ near Palladam in Tirupur district. They have informed the state archaeological department about the find.
A total of five structures were found on a farmland in Ugayanur panchayat. Of them, one is damaged. Presently, some villagers worship the structures and celebrate ‘Aadi Perukku’ festival, despite having no knowledge about their history.
“Like megalithic remains, these structures were made by placing irregular rectangular stones on all the four sides. Capstones were placed atop the stones planted on either side, giving them a box shape,” said B Stephen Mudiyarasu, an archaeological enthusiast.
“According to a few nonagenarians in the locality, about 10 similar structures were once present on the farm but only five were left now. Earlier, members of two communities used to celebrate festival near the structures, but it is confined to one community now,” Mudiyarasu told TOI.
The structures could be ‘kalthittai’ or dolmenoid cists (box-shaped stone burial chambers), he said. “Stone deities were found inside two of the structures but the people could have placed them in later centuries.”
A senior official with the state archaeological department told TOI that the department had received information about the find. “Similar stone structures erected to protect marking stones were found in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts. Dolmenoid cists were mostly discovered in hilly areas. In plains, ‘Kalpathugai’, another box-shaped burial chamber was found earlier. So, only proper study would help to understand history about the structures.”
