Thirumalapuram Excavation, Tamil Nadu Iron Age Site near Western Ghats
Location & Context
Place: Thirumalapuram, Tenkasi district, Tamil Nadu
Conducted by: Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA)
Proximity: About 10 km northwest of present-day Thirumalapuram village, situated between two seasonal streams rising from the Western Ghats near Kulasegarapereri tank.
Key Findings
(a) Burial Features
Type: Urn burial site, typical of Iron Age Megalithic culture in South India.
Unique Discovery: A rectangular stone slab chamber containing urn burials — first of its kind in Tamil Nadu.
Structure: Chamber made of 35 stone slabs, filled with cobblestones up to 1.5 m depth.
(b) Ceramics (Pottery Types)
A rich variety of pottery found — important for cultural dating:
White-painted black-and-red ware
Red ware & red-slipped ware
Black-polished ware
Coarse red ware
Special Feature:
Pottery with white-painted designs on black-and-red ware — earlier seen at T. Kallupatti, Adichanallur, Sivagalai, Thulukkarpatti, and Korkai.
Symbolic decorations: A red-slipped pot showing human figure, mountain, deer, and tortoise motifs indicating symbolic or ritual significance.
(c) Antiquities (Artefacts Found)
A total of 78 artefacts made of bone, gold, bronze, and iron, including:
Weapons/Tools: Sword, spearhead, dagger, axe, chisel, arrowhead
Personal items: Tweezer, gold ring (3 tiny rings found in one urn, each 4.8 mm wide and <1 mg)
Bone artefacts: Bonehead, possibly ornaments or ritual tools
Cultural and Chronological Significance
The artefacts and urn burials are characteristic of Iron Age–Megalithic traditions.
Tentative dating suggests early to mid-third millennium BCE (≈ 3000–2500 BCE).
This aligns the site chronologically with:
Adichanallur: ~3345 BCE
Sivagalai: ~2513 BCE
Indicates Iron Age presence and early settled communities near the Western Ghats region.
Archaeological Importance
New geographical dimension: Establishes Iron Age settlements closer to the Western Ghats, extending the known cultural zone.
Material culture linkages: Similar pottery and symbols show continuity of Megalithic culture across southern Tamil Nadu.
Potential insights: May reveal early metallurgical practices, trade, and burial rituals in Iron Age Tamil society.
Pointers
Site | Thirumalapuram, Tenkasi district, Tamil Nadu |
Conducted by | Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology |
Cultural Phase | Iron Age / Megalithic |
Unique find | Rectangular stone slab chamber with urn burials |
Notable artefacts | Gold rings, iron tools, symbolic pottery |
Tentative date | Early to mid-3rd millennium BCE |
Comparable sites | Adichanallur, Sivagalai, Korkai |
Location feature | Between two seasonal streams near Western Ghats |
The Thirumalapuram excavation (Tenkasi district) reveals an Iron Age–Megalithic urn burial site with unique stone slab chambers, symbolic pottery, and metal artefacts, possibly dating to early–mid 3rd millennium BCE, marking Western Ghats’ earliest evidence of Iron Age culture in Tamil Nadu.