VILLUPURAM: A 2,000-year-old urn has been unearthed by a team that was looking for archeological artefacts at Parikal village in Ulundurpet taluk.
K Senguttuvan, writer and member of the team, said, “The famous Lakshmi Narasimha temple is located in Parikal. We conducted a field survey in the village of Nattam in this block and found several urns. There are ancient mansions buried in a private land opposite the Kalingal lake area.”
Thiruvamathur Saravanakumar, a part of the team, said, “The urn is almost destroyed. There are a lot of low-lying ares here and lot of broken ancient pots and artefacts are found lying here.” Ancient urns are hallmarks of Tamil culture and have to be protected, Senguttuvan said.
“Most of the urns are found in pieces. It is painful to see such traditional icons lying buried without proper care,” he added.
The team has submitted a petition to the Chief Minister’s cell and the Director of Department of Archeology, Government of Tamil Nadu, and the Villupuram Collector insisting that these artefacts be preserved carefully.
The team also found a hero stone on a private land in Parikkal block. The stone, which is about four and a half feet high, has been carved in three phases.
From below, a goddess carrying a charioteer on a horse is found in the first stage, a figure seated in the second, and a woman worshipping a Shivalingam in the third.
“It may be from 16-17 CE,” said inscriptionist D Sundaram from Coimbatore.