Archaeology of The Palani Hills- A Case Study of Thandikudi

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This book brings out the cultural wealth of entire Palani hills, for the first time, through the intensive archaeological exploration. The two seasons of the systematic excavation conducted at Thandikudi in Kodaikanal Region of Tamil Nadu is neatly presented with more than 200 illustrations. The formidable evidences on Iron Age culture and rock paintings provide a new dimension to our understanding. The cultural links with adjoining regions and the cultural dynamics are discussed in detail. This book turns the attention of archaeologists to go for such region specific archaeological explorations and excavations to unravel the diverse cultural heritage of Indian subcontinent.

K. Rajan,

N. Athiyaman,

India being an embodiment of multi-cultural zone, it is a formidable task to unravel its entire cultural past. Nevertheless, several individuals and institutions mobilized their resource and energy to understand many facets of cultural history of India. Indian cultural history is the amalgamation of multiple cultural traits that emerged in specific geographical niches. Unless, one understand these niches in its cultural context, it is very difficult to visualize the emergence of Indian cultural ethos. The region specific micro studies would help to understand the assimilation of different cultural traits at macro level. The present book Archaeology of the Palani Hills: A Case Study of Thandikudi is one such attempt.
Ever since the British administrators and Christian Missionaries effort made in pre-Independence era, particularly the works of Hosten (1907), Newton (1928), Rosner (1937) and Aiyappan (1940), there was hardly any attempt to explore this region. The attempts made by Anglade (1954), Newton and Aiyappan were more than half a century old and lack methodological rigour. Raymond Allchin (1974) made a brief study on the material collected by Aiyappan and housed in Government Museum and Allchin reported pre-Iron Age potteries among the assemblages. After three decades, the wealth of this region was brought to light by the authors and its team (Rajan et.al., 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008), particularly M.Saranya (2003). A thorough survey was made around entire Kodaikanal region and the archaeological wealth was meticulously recorded. Seeking in line with Allchin's remark, the search for pre-Iron Age material intensified and finally it was narrowed down to Thandikudi where the pre-Iron Age burials were closely associated with the settlement. Two seasons of excavation at Thandikudi throw much light on the nature of cultural process that undergone in this inhospitable terrain. Right from the pre-historic evidence to the medieval period is presented in this volume along with the excavation report at Thandikudi.
In the Introduction chapter, the works so far carried out in Kodaikanal region are discussed along with the literary evidence which indirectly induced the authors to go for a region specific intensive survey. The factors like geology and bio-diversity that influenced cultural mobility of a particular region are discussed in the following chapter. The archaeological data, particularly Iron Age monuments, obtained through intensive and systematic explorations are presented to understand the cultural wealth of Palani hills and also provide enough clues to situate Thandikudi evidence in a given cultural context. Besides, the rock art sites ever reported first time in Kodaikanal region are also given in this chapter along with the rock art characters of Tamil Nadu.
The landscape, geography, archaeological vestiges, inscriptional evidences and trade routes that connect Thandikudi provided ample scope to understand various cultural dynamics that played a greater role in shaping this site. The following chapter exclusively provides a good picture on various antiquities unearthed in ten excavated Iron Age graves. The various intricacies involved in the construction of pits, simple cists, double cists, transepted cists and dolmens are elucidated with necessary illustrations. The availability of black-on-red ware in a pit burial and urn burial and the absence of iron and the presence of particular ceramic typology like lipped pot (spouted vessel), dish-on-stand, basin with raised handle (vanali) posed a new problem in dating these graves. The reason for dating of each grave is discussed in chapter six as the chronology of Thandikudi had a major implication on all other graves excavated in its vicinity. Ceramics form the major source of chronological studies in archaeology. A thorough account of various potteries unearthed in the Iron Age burials is discussed in chapter seven. We believe that the faithful documentation made at this site will be quite useful for future studies. In the last chapter, we tried to focus on the uniqueness of the archaeological data encountered in Kodaikanal region of Palani hills. The archaeological and historical evidences are presented coherently to understand the cultural change that took place in this region.
We wish to record that the present work is just a beginning and only points to the amount of work awaiting the spades of archaeologist. If this modest attempt induces any one to take-up such a region specific work, we feel this work achieved its goal.

The monograph Archaeology of the Palani hills is the outcome of sustained and well planned archaeological explorations and excavations carried out in Kodaikanal region of Tamil Nadu, particularly at Thandikudi. Although investigations were carried out in this region by Anglade and others in the early part of 20th century, their studies reflect a colonial bias. Moreover, these studies were carried out at a time when archaeology was in its nascent stage in India. Therefore, fresh studies are urgently needed in the areas investigated earlier by the colonial archaeologists. The work is one such important attempt.
The cultural matrix of India is made of different regional traditions. The emergence of distinct traits of a culture in a particular micro zone is rooted to its varied landscape and ecological settings. These divergent characters have some bearing on formation of distinct cultural zones. Understanding these micro zones and various cultural processes require well planned research strategy. K. Rajan made an attempt to bring out these intricacies through two seasons of excavations at Thandikudi in Kodaikanal region in Tamil Nadu. One of the important contributions of the present excavation is the exposure of the different Iron Age megalithic monuments. Based on the important archaeological data unearthed at the site, the authors attempt to draw a picture on socio-cultural transformation that took place in this region, say from Microlithic times to the Historical period. The availability of the microlithic tools provides a clue to understand the occurrence of the first human settlement in this remote area. The occurrence of microlithic tools in the vicinity of Iron Age sites indicates the possibility of transition from Microlithic to the Iron Age without a Neolithic stage. The element of existence of pre-Iron Age material unearthed in the second seasons of excavations at Thandikudi is another important feature. The presence of black-on-red ware and absence of iron in a pit burial is unique to this region. The quality of materials encountered in the Iron Age monuments suggests that people of the Iron Age might have developed a network of exchange of forest products like medicinal plants, pepper, cardamom and host of other items. K. Rajan also highlights various forms of chamber tombs and rock art sites near the Iron Age monuments.
These explorations and excavations have opened up a new area of research in this region. The work emphasizes the importance of an integral approach to the understanding of the archaeological context of the site. I congratulate K. Rajan and N. Athiyaman for their research in Palani Hills and for bringing out the excavation report in time.

Tamil Nadu is known for its cultural integrity and linguistic homogeneity. The varied geological, geographical and ecological settings played a decisive role in the development of distinct cultural entity within the pan-Indian cultural mosaic (fig. 1.1). Kodaikanal and its surroundings, occupying the huge landmass between Upper and Lower Palani Hills, remain to be a popular hill resort right from the British times to till date. Due to its climatic condition, vibrant and serene location (fig. 1.2), the British administrators and Christian Missionaries started settling in and around Kodaikanal towards the beginning of the 20th century. They were the first to take initiative in recording the archaeological wealth of this region in pre-Independence period itself. As far as the antiquity of Kodaikanal is concerned, the earliest human settlement goes back to pre-Iron Age times. This region was associated with a chieftain named Kodaiporunan! (the Porunan of Kodai region) during Early Historic period (Purananuru 205). Peruntalaisattanar, the Sangam Age poet, narrated the chieftain Kodaiporunan. Kodai is identified with Kodaikanal. Likewise, the Sangam. poet Aiyur Mudavanar speaks on another chieftain of high hills Tondri-ko [the ko (chieftain) of Tondri] (Purananuru 399). The place name Tondri probably is the ancient form of Tandri. The place Tandri is found mentioned in trade guild inscription issued during the 12th regnal year of the Pandya king Kulasekhara corresponding to 1280 AD. The place Tandri-kudi is presently called as Thandikudi. It seems, Captain B.S. Ward is the earliest explorer of this region who recorded the Iron Age monuments in Vurragherry and Kunnundavan mountains as far back as 1837. The mountains mentioned as Vurragherry is probably, the Varahi hills which is presently known as Pantrimalai (carahi > pantri (pig); malai > hill) (Ward 1837: 282). Robert Sewell recorded numerous groups of dolmens scattered on the slopes of Perumal hills (Sewell 1882-288). In 1888, Alexander Rea examined two groups of dolmens reported by Turner (Rea 1888: 68-71). It seems one of the groups of dolmens were noted by Bishop Caldwell (Hosten 1907:735-740). Rea also noted some beads recovered from these monuments. Robert Bruce Foote (1901) documented ceramics and a huge urn recovered from a cist at Thandikudi and presented to E. Thurston, then Superintendent of the Madras Museum. Then, Rev. Father H. Hosten, S.J., brought to light several dolmens and cists in and around Perumalmalai and Palamalai during his stay at Senbaganur in 1902 (Hosten 1905: 34; 1907: 735-740). He also recorded the dolmens at Pallangi as told to him by the villagers. Rev. Rosner brought the earliest archaeological monument to the notice of the academic world in 1906 (Rosner 1937: 3). Subsequently, Anglade (Anglade and Newton 1928: 1-18; Anglade 1954: 23-78) and Aiyappan (1940-41: 373-379) played a greater role in investigating and recording the archaeological wealth of this region. Since then, South Indian archaeological monuments are being destroyed by the inroads of civilisation, but in the Palani Hills they are more or less protected on account of their inaccessible situation. However, irrespective of its isolation, the treasure hunters opened or pillaged many of the Iron Age monuments, particularly dolmens, in search of treasures. The size of the dolmen and their position above the ground invariably attracted the attention of scholars as well as treasure hunters who plundered the archaeological wealth found inside the chamber. These treasure hunters removed the capstones in majority of the cases and exploited the grave goods but did not disturb the structures. Fortunately, several of them still retain their original features to give us an idea on the manner of their construction. The cist burials below the ground are inconspicuous and very often completely hidden in the thick growth of vegetation.