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Megalithic Age Menhir at Uzhakudi Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 MEGALITHIC AGE MENHIR AT UZHAKUDI 1 M.ARUMUGA MASANA SUDALAI, (Reg.No:17212231051006), Ph.D Research Scholar, 2 Dr.K.SASIKALA. M.A.,M.Phil,Ph.D, (Guide), Assistant Professor, P.G & Research Department of History, V.O.Chidambaram College, Thoothukudi.628008. (Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli,627012. Tamil Nadu, INDIA) E.Mail: [email protected] Mobile. No: 9043205505 ABSTRACT In history Megalithic age is a most important one. Megalithic age was known as “Iron age”. This period constructed in large slabs and blocks of stone. These stone constructed buildings providing a important information about that period people used Menhir. It is a used for burials places and it is like a standing stone . Worldwide this burial stone are found in all over the world. In Tamil Nadu Menhir are mostly found in more places. In this article I present one tallest Menhir. Key words: Megalithic , Burial , Menhir ,Thoothukudi , Uzhakudi , Hill , Iron age. Volume XII, Issue IV, APRIL/2020 Page No:12 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 INTRODUCTION Menhir is one of the important Megalithic age monuments. People of this time made them as memorials of their elderly. These monuments were erected on the grave of a country’s king when he died. This stone was of various sizes. It’s called Menhir. Menhir is one of the monuments created for the dead of Prehistoric times. It is known that there was a monument for the dead in Prehistoric times. This Menhir is the Uzhakudi area has been discovered by a field survey. I submit my field analysis comparing this to other broad research and articles. The government should also look at the study in the area as it will stimulate the growth of various areas in Tamil Nadu. METHOD I have used two methods in this article. 1. Field survey 2. Literature analysis MEGALITHIC AGE The great age is called Megalithic in English. Megalithic is a Greek word. Mega means “big” and lith means “stone”. The Megalithic age is the period from 1000 B.C.E to 300 B.C.E. Megalithic age is the time when people made large stone structures such systems are often found on top of the burials of the dead. Such organizations have been built by different ethnic groups around the world at different times . Great age plays an important role in human development. Volume XII, Issue IV, APRIL/2020 Page No:13 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 MENHIR In Britain men means “stone” hir means “long” and the pillar of the same stone are planted in memory of the dead. This is a single monolithic set up at or near a burial mound. The monolith may be small or gigantic in height with it is base fixed in the earth. Sometimes to standing stones is smaller than the other. The local people call them as the King and Queen. The monoliths may be plain or ornamented. Menhir is dating between 1000 B.C.E to 300 B.C.E. The tallest Menhir in world is located at Locmariaquer , France in Britain. It could have been as high as 20 meters and today it is broken into four pieces, which is called by broken Menhir. UZHAKUDI Uzhakudi (N 8° 46’21.3168” E 77° 50’59.3592 ) village is located at the Kaliyavoor Panchayat, Srivaikundam Taluk and belongs to Thoothukudi District. The Village of Uzhakudi lies around 38 kms from Thoothukudi. The name of Uzhakudi was derived from its farmer name of “Residence ploughers” (uzhavar kudi- irupu). As we skim through the history, decades ago, the place was under 4 Zamindars who employed famous yielding crops from their land. The ploughers are called “Uzhavars” (tamil). Hence the name “ residence of farmers” ( Uzhavar kudi-irupu -tamil) was derived. Till date, acres of land in this locality is used for agriculture. Around 250 acres is used for plantations, wells covering 150 acres of land, are found . Irrigated or rainfed crops plantation is most commonly done. Most people here depend an agriculture as their livelihood. The 4 families who migrated for farming, has populated to 200 families today. Volume XII, Issue IV, APRIL/2020 Page No:14 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 Uzhakudi Village location from Google Map MENHIR AT UZHAKUDI Uzhakudi ,next to Uzhakudi pond it is northern side is covered by small hill. In this area, my archaeological hunt has happened. I learned of this by felling the ancestors of our area that there is a large number of elderly people in the area. One day unexpectedly, I saw a single standing stone (N 8° 47’22.0344” E 77° 50’46.464) there on 28.01.2020. Volume XII, Issue IV, APRIL/2020 Page No:15 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 A Satellite view and location of the Menhir in Small Hill at Uzhakudi By the direction of my Ph.D Research Guide and Supervisor Dr. K. SASIKALA, Assistant Professor, P.G & Research Department of History, V.O. Chidambaram College, Thoothukudi. I found that stone is not normal one. Volume XII, Issue IV, APRIL/2020 Page No:16 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 It was belongs to the megalithic age “Menhir”. The Menhir, which I found at Uzhakudi on a small hill is more than 13 feet at height. Following pictures is given below. The Menhir in Small Hill at Uzhakudi Volume XII, Issue IV, APRIL/2020 Page No:17 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 From this archaeological sources, we can prove the primitive people dwelled there from the period 1000 B.C.E to 300 B.C.E. If this is proven there is no doubt that the civilization of Tamils will go further. CAIRNS Cairns are found here and there next to the Menhir. There are a few places where the Cairns can be seen. Following pictures is given below. Cairns (Heap of Stone) Volume XII, Issue IV, APRIL/2020 Page No:18 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 It is a heap of stone rubble. A circular enclosure formed by a wall or a heap or a rough stone or a single stone. It can be surrounded by a circular number. Under these cairns a tomb or tombs, a stone-chest or chests in which bodies and sometimes. Funeral urns were placed. BRICK WALL SOURCES There is a stream along the road from Uzhakudi to Kaliyavoor. This stream was dug up many years ago. I have now submitted the proof of brick wall construction. Following pictures is given below. The Brick wall at Kaliyavoor village Volume XII, Issue IV, APRIL/2020 Page No:19 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 There is evidence of brick wall construction in the Kaliyavoor border. It may have been the settlement place of human in the past. This gives the impression that a fertile Tamirabarani civilization could be buried in the area. Excavations can reveal the oldest Tamirabarani civilizations of Tamils. CONCLUSION It is true the most important discoveries in archaeological research have begun from such graves. By instigating such burials, it greatly helps us to understand the lifestyles of our ancestors , their cultural and cultural values in their time, and how superior they were to other race. This will provide a great opportunity for the world to know the earliest Tamil parents in the history of Tamils. Our purpose and goal is to make this a great opportunity to bring the civilization to the world by researching by the government. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I express my heartfelt thanks to My Guide and Supervisor Dr.K.Sasikala, Assistant Professor, P.G & Research Department of History, V.O.Chidambaram College, Thoothukudi for her moral and intellectual support in this work. My sincere thanks to Abinaya Rajendran, 4th M.Sc Geology (Integrated), Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University, Chidambaram who helped me in creating the map for this study. I would like to thanks Mr.A.MASANAM (My Father) Farmer , M.SOLAIAMMAL (My Mother), Mrs.M.Arockia Selva Sundari, K.Abirami Sundari, M.Vinayagam and R.Shrinath, who encouraged me to undertake this study. My special thanks to K.John Arul Pandi, C.Durai, S.Kandan,V.Kannan, M.Ramachandran, M.Mayandi, S.Arumugam, P.Muthuraj and A.Surya for their help in field survey the most important task of this study. Volume XII, Issue IV, APRIL/2020 Page No:20 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 Works Cited 1. M.,Arumuga Masana Sudalai & K.Sasikala, “cof;Fb kw;Wk; fypahT+H gFjpapy; njhy;nghUl;fs; fz;Lgpbg;G” , Ayidha Ezhuthu International Journal of Tamil Studies, 2019 , pp-10-14 2. M.,Arumuga Masana Sudalai & K.Sasikala & Jekila Antonyraj “FUTURE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN UZHAKUDI AND KALIYAVOOR”, Infokara Research An UGC-CARE Approved Group 2 Journal, 2020 , Volume:9, Issue:3 pp-185-191 3. Banerji N.R, “The Megalithic Problem of Chingleput in the light of recent exploration” , Ancient India Bulletin, Archaeological survey of India, No-12, p-21 4. Childe,V.Gordon “Megalithis” Ancient India Bulletin of the Archaeological survey of India. p-4. 5. Chinnian.P, “Megalithic Monuments and Megalithic Culture in Tamil Nadu”, Historical Heritage of Tamils, Madras, 1983. pp-25-30 6. Nagaswamy.R, “Ima chinnangal (Burial Monuments)” Handbook Exhibition Committee, Second world conference, Madras, 1968, pp-108-111 7. Social Science , VI th Std, Volume:3, Tamil Nadu Government Textbook, 2018. P-114 8. Subramanian.S.V, “Historical Heritage of Tamils”, International Institute of Tamil studies.
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