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Ancient South Indian archeological sites

Cool. Look I am sorry for being crude but this is PDF. I can't really be bothered with the incessant rubbish so I just dismiss it with some provoctive terms. I mean strictly speaking Ganga-desh merely translates into Ganga dweller which is quite descriptive in that over 60% of Indians live in the mighty Ganga basin. And Ganga is a holy river to Indians and central to your culture and religion. But non of that deflects from the fact that I am always open to civilized discourse with people from the wrong side of the Radcliffe Line. And I have had many civilized discussion with your countrymen - some I would be happy to call friends. So when I fire my blunderbuss although it has wide arc it is not mean't for likes of you.

I would not call myself important. Indeed that makes me blush.

I wanted to but the more additions meant the font size got so small as to make it impossible to read. So I had to redact some - Gandhara, Sirkap. But I figure as Taxila was central to Gandhara I could afford to miss it. I could include it but I would have to take one out. Which one do you think?

Just to clarify in real life I observe incredible manners and very, very rarely use any foul language. I like to dress, to talk, to eat and live a refined life. But online you get this chance to 'release' and let go of social conventions that bind you.
As if today has not been surprising enough, you actually thanked my post. I have looked at some of your other posts, and I was expecting you to call me a gangadeshi aboriginal and post a picture of a banana(and I HATE bananas).
I honestly do not think there is anything inherently wrong with that term, but I get the faintest sense you use it as a slur.

Anyway, what I posted is not new. It has been known for a while that South India is home to many sites dating to 1 to 2 thousand BC, some as far back as 3 thousand. I was very surprised there was almost nothing about this on the forum, so I decided to make a thread about one myself. I plan to do more threads like this highlighting the lesser known parts of Indian history. I already posted one other thread "History of Gujaratis" It would be great if someone as experienced as you read my threads and gave your input, but I am probably pushing my luck.
 
I mean strictly speaking Ganga-desh merely translates into Ganga dweller which is quite descriptive in that over 60% of Indians live in the mighty Ganga basin. And Ganga is a holy river to Indians and central to your culture and religion

It's actually 400 million people who live in the Ganga river basin, that's including it's tributaries and all. That makes about 35% of India's population. And almost all major rivers in India is termed as a holy river. Just one question, since Ganga or Padma as it is known in Bangladesh, is the lifeline of Bangladesh or former East Pakistan, is it ok to say Pakistan was also a Gangadesh or Padmadesh before 1972? Since East Pakistan had more than 40% of total Pakistani population?
 
It's actually 400 million people who live in the Ganga river basin, that's including it's tributaries and all. That makes about 35% of India's population. And almost all major rivers in India is termed as a holy river. Just one question, since Ganga or Padma as it is known in Bangladesh, is the lifeline of Bangladesh or former East Pakistan, is it ok to say Pakistan was also a Gangadesh or Padmadesh before 1972? Since East Pakistan had more than 40% of total Pakistani population?
I think its clear he never considered BD a part of Pakistan. no need to derail the thread with another 1971 discussion.
 
Back on topic:
Bojjannakonda- A small town in Andhra Pradesh famous for its unique rock-cut Buddhist Architecture and stupas dating between the 4th and 9th century CE. In addition, the artifacts such as pottery, terracotta figures, a gold coin of King Samudragupta( 340-375 AD) and copper coins of King Vishamasiddhi of the Chalukya Dynasty(633 AD)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bojjannakonda


Carving of Buddha dating to 4 to 9 hundred CE

Kodumanal: An ancient city in Tamil Nadu that started producing high quality steel as early as 500 BC. Kodumanal soon became a major destination for trade with the Romans. Archeological excavations have unearthed Iron arrowheads and swords, Roman artifacts, Iron furnaces, workshops, bangles, beads, Roman coins, a bronze statue of what looks like a tiger, and pottery shards with ancient Brahmi inscriptions, all dating from 200 Bc to 200 Ad. Skeletons have also been found from that time period.

Ancient workshop where various ornaments were produced
ScreenShot210.bmp



large pot with early Brahmi inscriptions, Circa 200 BC


Copper tiger statue. circa 300 BC


Black Onyx beads dating 200 Bc-200 AD. Kodumanal was a major bead producer and supplied beads to the Roman Empire, many made of precious and semi precious materials.
https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blog...ation-yields-bonanza.html#gMEJgv2TgXeSgZAB.97

@Taimur Khurram @Indus Pakistan @Talwar e Pakistan @Joe Shearer @niaz @scorpionx @waz @Suriya @GURU DUTT @HariPrasad @Nilgiri @Kashmiri Pandit @Levina @AyanRay
 
Just one question, since Ganga or Padma as it is known in Bangladesh, is the lifeline of Bangladesh or former East Pakistan, is it ok to say Pakistan was also a Gangadesh or Padmadesh before 1972? Since East Pakistan had more than 40% of total Pakistani population?

No, because we were just ruling over them. They were as much a part of Pakistan as British India was a part of the UK.
 
One candidate could be Krokola.

It’s not well known. Although Karachi doesn’t have any ancient Neolithic-type archeological sites yet. Though, it was a major port for the Greeks and Babylonians. Krokora is the name for Karachi, or the port which embodies the city. The word has some sort of etymology to “crocodiles”, as Karachi’s identity was wild crocodiles. Some archeologists day that Karachi’s coast has sites as old as “Mohenjo-daro” that haven’t been discovered yet. If not, then Karachi is a city that never died through history like the others.

On second thought, Gandhara seems out of proportion, as it wasn’t that old. Those sites you already have fit the “Indus Valley” history much better.
Gandhara is quite ancient, emerging shortly after the "collapse" of the Indus Valley Civilization.
 
It looks like several people thanked my latest post, which is good to see. I will probably post one or two of these every day or so, so watch this thread if you are interested. Also, if anyone has any information, please feel free to post. Also, just a gentle reminder to try and stay on topic, there are already several threads to discuss Gandhara, Taxilla, etc.
 
Cool. Look I am sorry for being crude but this is PDF. I can't really be bothered with the incessant rubbish so I just dismiss it with some provoctive terms. I mean strictly speaking Ganga-desh merely translates into Ganga dweller which is quite descriptive in that over 60% of Indians live in the mighty Ganga basin. And Ganga is a holy river to Indians and central to your culture and religion. But non of that deflects from the fact that I am always open to civilized discourse with people from the wrong side of the Radcliffe Line. And I have had many civilized discussion with your countrymen - some I would be happy to call friends. So when I fire my blunderbuss although it has wide arc it is not mean't for likes of you.

I would not call myself important. Indeed that makes me blush.


Would 'intelligent' work for you? To distinguish you from the, umm, rest?

I wanted to but the more additions meant the font size got so small as to make it impossible to read. So I had to redact some - Gandhara, Sirkap. But I figure as Taxila was central to Gandhara I could afford to miss it. I could include it but I would have to take one out. Which one do you think?

Just to clarify in real life I observe incredible manners and very, very rarely use any foul language. I like to dress, to talk, to eat and live a refined life. But online you get this chance to 'release' and let go of social conventions that bind you.
 
I would not call myself important. Indeed that makes me blush.

Would 'intelligent' work for you? To distinguish you from the, umm, rest?
Eh Joe, sorry for the late reply. For some reason the tag is not functioning and I just came across this by accident. I would accept any description from you. Positive or negative. In equal measure because I know it would be informed without any bad intent. I think when we have disagreed it was always merely because of our being from the 'other' side of the Durand. Other than that I think we pretty well rolled on the same wavelength.
 
Keezhadi Excavation: How an Ancient Civilisation Is Being Unearthed in Tamil Nadu!
Three months into their excavation, the site began yielding interesting finds like beads made of glass, terracotta and even pearls. Other discoveries included figurines, roof tiles and also pottery.

by Ahmed Sherrif October 15, 2018, 1:05 pm


In 2013-2014, the Archaeological Survey of India had set out to explore the regions along the banks of river Vaigai in Tamil Nadu. Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts all were part of the 293 sites set up to unearth artefacts and ruins to discover the culture that might have existed aeons ago.

A Bengaluru-based excavation branch of the ASI took up the site at Keezhadi village, 12 km south-east of Madurai, in the Sivaganga district.

Three months into their excavation, the site began yielding interesting finds like beads made of glass, terracotta and even pearls. Other discoveries included figurines, roof tiles and also pottery.

One particular excavation area named – Pallichandai Thidal – was brimming with potential finds. The area – slightly elevated to 2.5 meters above ground level – is a mound with a circumference of 3.5 km, spanning 80 acres.

Due to this particular elevation of the Pallichandai Thidal, the site was relatively undisturbed and hence, housed intact bricks measuring 33 cm in length, 21 cm in breadth and 5 cm tall.
1-2.jpg

Keezhadi excavation
An earthen pot with leaf decorations was also unearthed at the excavation site, adding to a repository of evidence that points to the existence of an urban habitation closer to the erstwhile capital of the Pandya kingdom.

The exquisitely crafted pot 72 cm wide and 42 cm long was found by an ASI team led by Superintending Archaeologist K Amarnath Ramakrishna.

Combine that with other findings like pottery with a Tamil-Brahmi script, the initial assumption of the town belonging to the Pandyas was materialising.

A fossilised piece of bone was also found which could have been used as an arrowhead, indicating the use of weapons. Not only that, square copper coins of Pandyan Peruvazhudhi with horse and turtle motifs were also found at the surface level, pointing towards the fact that the society used currency in its day-to-day life.

Experts say that the town could have also played a role in the Roman trade of the day.

Two similar pots of different shapes have emerged in other pits of the excavation site. The huge red pot, which is among a variety of earthenware discovered in the area, was found embedded alongside a water storage facility.
3-2.jpg

(Left) Red clay pot being unearthed and (right) water storage system.
The facility further pointed to another significant fact: the advancement of the society and the habitation during that time.


With such interesting finds, the excavation was extended to another year, and what they would go on to find would change pre-established notions.

The excavation continued to its second phase from 2015-2016 with about 1,800 antiquities unearthed. It was high time to call for carbon dating of these antiquities, where selected pieces would be sent to Beta Analytic Inc., Florida, USA, for the procedure.

Meanwhile, the excavation was shedding light on the history of Tamil Nadu. The archaeological team had dug up 53 trenches, an extraordinary number, considering the assumption that there was no large urban settlement; but these findings proved the opposite.

Noted epigraphist V Vedachalam told The Hindu that the antiquities found at Pallichandai Thidal reaffirm the belief that nestled amidst three ancient places — Konthagai, Keezhadi and Manalur — was an urban settlement that had trade links with North India and the western world during the Sangam Age.

Brahmi-inscribed pots, pastime games like dice, graffiti of the sun and the moon, all hinted towards a sophisticated civilisation on the banks of river Vaigai. All these led to the conclusion that the Sangam period was way advanced than it was earlier thought to be.

With this, the excavation was extended into the third phase, and the site was expanded to 110 acres of private lands.
Untitled-design-3.jpg

(Left) Excavated trenches and (right) discovered ruins
In the meantime, the results of carbon dating from the Florida lab had emerged, and the artefacts were dated back to 200 BC. This meant that the findings related to a civilisation existing during the Sangam period.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr Ramakrishna, who heads the excavation project in Keezhadi, said, “So far, there has been an impression that urban civilisation did not exist in Tamil Nadu. The excavations and carbon dating have disproved the opinion.”

As of the now, the 100-acre site has yielded 13,000 artefacts, more than enough to establish the notion of a flourishing civilisation that existed on the banks of the Vaigai.

The Keezhadi excavation continues well into the fourth season of excavation, with yields like small objects made of gold, terracotta figurines, a terracotta mould resembling a human face, two ring wells, ornamental objects made of ivory, and a large number of beads of different kinds.

Keezhadi is one of the most revered archaeological sites in India, owing to its habitation, which seems to co-exist with the period of the Harappan civilisation; a theory which had no basis even six years ago.

The State government has also shown interest in setting up a site museum at Keezhadi to display the 5,300 unearthed antiquities and has even offered to allot 72 cents of land for the same.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

Hey, you may also like: How One Indian Organization is Trying to Preserve Ancient Indian Rock Art Found in Caves

@Indus Pakistan @niaz @pothead @Nilgiri @AyanRay @Talwar e Pakistan @KAL-EL @surya kiran @suresh1773 @Soumitra @SOUTHie @Cherokee @Levina @third eye @Tshering22 @Aryan0395 @Rusty @Jackdaws @KapitaanAli @IndoCarib @LASER @
 
Keezhadi Excavation: How an Ancient Civilisation Is Being Unearthed in Tamil Nadu!
Three months into their excavation, the site began yielding interesting finds like beads made of glass, terracotta and even pearls. Other discoveries included figurines, roof tiles and also pottery.

by Ahmed Sherrif October 15, 2018, 1:05 pm


In 2013-2014, the Archaeological Survey of India had set out to explore the regions along the banks of river Vaigai in Tamil Nadu. Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts all were part of the 293 sites set up to unearth artefacts and ruins to discover the culture that might have existed aeons ago.

A Bengaluru-based excavation branch of the ASI took up the site at Keezhadi village, 12 km south-east of Madurai, in the Sivaganga district.

Three months into their excavation, the site began yielding interesting finds like beads made of glass, terracotta and even pearls. Other discoveries included figurines, roof tiles and also pottery.

One particular excavation area named – Pallichandai Thidal – was brimming with potential finds. The area – slightly elevated to 2.5 meters above ground level – is a mound with a circumference of 3.5 km, spanning 80 acres.

Due to this particular elevation of the Pallichandai Thidal, the site was relatively undisturbed and hence, housed intact bricks measuring 33 cm in length, 21 cm in breadth and 5 cm tall.
1-2.jpg

Keezhadi excavation
An earthen pot with leaf decorations was also unearthed at the excavation site, adding to a repository of evidence that points to the existence of an urban habitation closer to the erstwhile capital of the Pandya kingdom.

The exquisitely crafted pot 72 cm wide and 42 cm long was found by an ASI team led by Superintending Archaeologist K Amarnath Ramakrishna.

Combine that with other findings like pottery with a Tamil-Brahmi script, the initial assumption of the town belonging to the Pandyas was materialising.

A fossilised piece of bone was also found which could have been used as an arrowhead, indicating the use of weapons. Not only that, square copper coins of Pandyan Peruvazhudhi with horse and turtle motifs were also found at the surface level, pointing towards the fact that the society used currency in its day-to-day life.

Experts say that the town could have also played a role in the Roman trade of the day.

Two similar pots of different shapes have emerged in other pits of the excavation site. The huge red pot, which is among a variety of earthenware discovered in the area, was found embedded alongside a water storage facility.
3-2.jpg

(Left) Red clay pot being unearthed and (right) water storage system.
The facility further pointed to another significant fact: the advancement of the society and the habitation during that time.


With such interesting finds, the excavation was extended to another year, and what they would go on to find would change pre-established notions.

The excavation continued to its second phase from 2015-2016 with about 1,800 antiquities unearthed. It was high time to call for carbon dating of these antiquities, where selected pieces would be sent to Beta Analytic Inc., Florida, USA, for the procedure.

Meanwhile, the excavation was shedding light on the history of Tamil Nadu. The archaeological team had dug up 53 trenches, an extraordinary number, considering the assumption that there was no large urban settlement; but these findings proved the opposite.

Noted epigraphist V Vedachalam told The Hindu that the antiquities found at Pallichandai Thidal reaffirm the belief that nestled amidst three ancient places — Konthagai, Keezhadi and Manalur — was an urban settlement that had trade links with North India and the western world during the Sangam Age.

Brahmi-inscribed pots, pastime games like dice, graffiti of the sun and the moon, all hinted towards a sophisticated civilisation on the banks of river Vaigai. All these led to the conclusion that the Sangam period was way advanced than it was earlier thought to be.

With this, the excavation was extended into the third phase, and the site was expanded to 110 acres of private lands.
Untitled-design-3.jpg

(Left) Excavated trenches and (right) discovered ruins
In the meantime, the results of carbon dating from the Florida lab had emerged, and the artefacts were dated back to 200 BC. This meant that the findings related to a civilisation existing during the Sangam period.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr Ramakrishna, who heads the excavation project in Keezhadi, said, “So far, there has been an impression that urban civilisation did not exist in Tamil Nadu. The excavations and carbon dating have disproved the opinion.”

As of the now, the 100-acre site has yielded 13,000 artefacts, more than enough to establish the notion of a flourishing civilisation that existed on the banks of the Vaigai.

The Keezhadi excavation continues well into the fourth season of excavation, with yields like small objects made of gold, terracotta figurines, a terracotta mould resembling a human face, two ring wells, ornamental objects made of ivory, and a large number of beads of different kinds.

Keezhadi is one of the most revered archaeological sites in India, owing to its habitation, which seems to co-exist with the period of the Harappan civilisation; a theory which had no basis even six years ago.

The State government has also shown interest in setting up a site museum at Keezhadi to display the 5,300 unearthed antiquities and has even offered to allot 72 cents of land for the same.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

Hey, you may also like: How One Indian Organization is Trying to Preserve Ancient Indian Rock Art Found in Caves

@Indus Pakistan @niaz @pothead @Nilgiri @AyanRay @Talwar e Pakistan @KAL-EL @surya kiran @suresh1773 @Soumitra @SOUTHie @Cherokee @Levina @third eye @Tshering22 @Aryan0395 @Rusty @Jackdaws @KapitaanAli @IndoCarib @LASER @


Chola and Pandya empire was at that time was more advanced than anything in rest of the world.

Pity that our history books have text books all about Akbar the drug addict & not even a page about these 2 great empires.
 
Notion that no urban civilisation existed in tamil nadu? Where did that come from?
There were chola, cheras and pandyas in that region. Cholas had the most advanced navy of that time and ruled as far as sumartra and java. It could not do so if it were a primitive civilisation.
Granted there arent many things known about these kingdoms but glad to know that the excavations are yielding results.
 

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