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In the aboriginal 1910s, the roadworthy to Kodaikanal was a enactment successful progress. Workers were widening the bridle way formed successful 1878 to scope the star-shaped water formed by the past Collector of Madurai, Sir Vere Henry Levinge, successful 1863. For the British, the hills and their salubrious clime offered a respite from the wilting vigor of the plains. The workers were toiling to implicit a motorable road envisaged by Major G.C. Law. But for the earliest recorder of the dolmens of Kodaikanal, Father A. Anglade, it was a play of anxiousness and suspense. The roadworthy was completed successful 1914 and opened by 1916. But adjacent earlier the roadworthy was laid, utilizing the bridle path, a ungraded roadworthy utilized by the Paliyar tribes, Jesuit priests had gone up the hills to recovered the Sacred Heart College astatine Shembaganur in 1895.
The archetypal survey
This seminary, a monastic spot for meditation and rejuvenation of the spirit, besides allowed Jesuit priests to indulge successful their passionateness for biology and history. It was present — wherever the lone sounds were the chirping of birds, the brushed susurration of rain, or, connected agelong nights, the large buzz of cicadas carried by a chill breeze — that Reverend A. Anglade S.J. and Reverend L. V. Newton S.J. wrote The Dolmens of the Pulney Hills, a enactment aboriginal compiled successful the 1928 variation of Memoirs of the Archaeological Survey of India.
The enactment was seen arsenic a pressing request by the Fathers. As it was said, “The demolition inactive goes connected adjacent the villages and on the roads. The champion radical of the dolmens of Machur near the Forest Bungalow astatine a crisp crook of the ghat road, and a small beyond the 18th milestone, was greatly damaged by the road-makers immoderate years agone and usage is being made of what remains to repair walls and culverts whenever determination is need, which is alternatively often.”
Along with the Paliyar men, Father Anglade, besides a well-known botanist, and Father Newton whitethorn person traversed the dips and hollows of the hills, signaling the dolmens and the affluent flora and fauna of this unsocial region. Struck by the galore dolmens scattered successful these crevices and a pattern, they started the archetypal survey of the dolmens successful the hills.
The dolmens, which are megalithic structures, could beryllium dated to beyond 5,000 years. Father Anglade writes, “From the contiguous tract and presumption of the dolmens and from the unsmooth materials seen adjacent by...it is comparatively casual to signifier an thought of the process of construction. Neither connected the stones utilized for the partition nor connected the slabs of the chambers is determination immoderate people of cutting oregon dressing with immoderate instrument.”
He imagines that possibly the main of the people chose a peculiar spot to physique the dolmens and the fig of chambers was determined according to the fig of slabs disposable successful the contiguous vicinity with the size depending connected the existent dimensions of the slabs. The builders would person been wholly babelike connected the earthy quarries nearby. As a result, successful Kodaikanal, astir of the dolmens are invariably erected connected rocky ridges oregon slopes oregon instantly beneath a ample expanse of rock. Even today, astatine immoderate of the sites, 1 tin spot slabs of assorted dimensions lying detached from the aboveground of the stone owing to the vagaries of nature.
Another absorbing reflection made by these aboriginal archaeologists was that the ample cap-stone that was placed connected apical of the 4 vertical slabs had a gentle slope. This led rainwater to travel distant from the dolmens. The dolmens besides had an opening astatine the little extremity to forestall rainwater from accumulating successful the chambers.
A probe insubstantial written by R. N. Kumaran and M. Saranya, ‘(Pre) Iron Age Burials of Thandikudi, Tamil Nadu’, successful 2015 says Thandikudi was good connected by large accepted commercialized routes. “One of the commercialized routes that connects Musiri on the West Coast and Madurai in the hinterland passes done Pollachi, Palani, Dindgul, and Madurai. The villages — Palamalai, Perumalmalai, Machhur, Pannaikadu, Thandikudi and Kadavumalai — were connected this commercialized route,” the insubstantial says. And the aboriginal records of dolmens, cists, urns, and cairn-circles are recovered connected this route. This showcases the density of the colonisation that had resided successful these hills truthful galore centuries earlier the aboriginal Pandya period erstwhile the commercialized routes had been established.
In different work, Archaeological Investigations astatine Thandikudi, by K. Rajan, N. Athiyaman, VP Yatees Kumar, and M. Saranya in 2008, it is said the terrain whitethorn person played a large relation for the aboriginal inhabitants of the region. “Nearly 90% of the archaeological sites of this portion autumn wrong the scope of 4000-5000 feet supra mean oversea level. This altitude provides a congenial situation for the maturation of wood products similar capsicum and cardamom,” the nonfiction says. For the forest-gatherers of the bygone days, this whitethorn person been 1 of the reasons to inhabit tracts successful this altitude.
Occupation from pre-Iron Age
In 2004, the archetypal signifier of excavation was done successful the burial tract that occupies astir 40 hectares connected the close slope of the Marudanadhi. It extends on the close bank, starting from the Forest Bungalow connected the westbound to Bommakadu on the east. From artefacts specified arsenic achromatic and reddish ware and beads of carnelian that person been excavated from immoderate of these megalithic structures, the archaeologists infer that the pre-Iron Age graves whitethorn person been located astatine the highest constituent of the burial analyzable that would person been conscionable other the habitation mound connected the different bank. And arsenic the burial analyzable grew implicit the years, the graves moved progressively distant from the habitation. The explorations by the Jesuit Fathers and the consequent excavations carried retired successful the capsicum and cardamom plantations successful the little Palani hills uncover continuous concern from the pre-Iron Age to the contiguous day.
At Pethuparai near Perumal Malai, 1 tin spot connected a mildly sloping ridge, dolmens that person been fenced by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). At Thandikudi, the dolmens are vanishing, and immoderate person dilatory disappeared nether heavy vegetation. It whitethorn person been a premonition of Father Anglade when helium writes successful his work, “Out of the 3 groups adjacent Neutral Saddle, astatine the ft of Perumal Malai, the smallest 1 was wholly destroyed...and different greatly damaged successful May 1925. If specified demolition tin instrumentality spot successful our days and nether our eyes, it needs nary peculiar acquisition of prophecy to foresee that earlier agelong not a azygous chromatic on the nationalist roadworthy and wrong the scope of contractors and their coolies volition flight their ravages.”
Lobbo Christian, who works astatine Sacred Heart College digitising the galore aged records, fears that the prophecy whitethorn travel existent arsenic lone little than 50% of the dolmens, recorded by the Jesuit Fathers, tin beryllium seen precariously lasting successful these hills, revealing the important relation this portion played successful the past past of Tamil Nadu.
