2,500-yr-old burial sites found in Auroville

Jun 03 2014 : The Times of India (Chennai) 2,500-yr-old burial sites found in Auroville Bosco Dominique Puducherry TNN   Iron Age burial sites from about 2,500 years ago have been unearthed in Auroville, 5km north of Puducherry, by a team led by assistant professor of a government college P Ravichandirane during an archaeological survey and excavation funded by the Auroville Foundation.The team excavated seven urns measuring between 1m and 75cm, with different base and rim styles containing articles made of iron, copper, bronze, ceramic and clay from three pits at different sites near the entrance of Matir Mandir. Semi-precious stones and glass beads in black and blue were found inside and near the urns. Two urns were sealed with granite slabs.The team also unearthed five swords, three spears, four daggers, knife fragments, sickles, two copper vessels and a bronze bell among others. They also found a Neolithic tool (5000 BC) made of stone at Kuilapalayam, 2km east of Auroville.“The objective of the survey and excavation is to study the lifestyle of Iron Age settlers with emphasis on the materials they used while burying the dead. It also focussed on the relation between Arikamedu, an erstwhile port town with the settlers besides understanding the early history of Auroville,“ said Ravichandirane.The survey plotted hun dreds of burials on the surface between Bharath Nivas and Matir Mandir. Excavations also found two types of secondary burial sites — cist burials and urn burials. The practice of cremating dead bodies in small structures made of granite was referred as cist burials, while burying the dead in urns was referred as urn burials. The team dug five trenches near the entrance of Matir Mandir during the first phase of excavations. “The excavations were carried out up to 8.75m from the surface to reveal the burial sites and articles. The burials were highly disturbed,” he said. The first phase of the survey began in February and concluded in April. The team will soon undertake the next phase.