TIRUCHY: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) plans to undertake a comprehensive study, including exploration and excavation, of two brick structures found on the bed of the Kollidam River at Koohur village near Lalgudi in Tiruchy, once the water recedes.
An ASI Tiruchy Circle team, led by Superintendent P Aravazhi, inspected the site after villagers posted about the remains on social media. The structures, found at two locations around 500 metres south of Moongil Karuppar Temple, could date back to the Sangam era, officials said.
“Future work at this site has the potential to reveal a major water-management feature of early historic significance in the Cauvery-Kollidam system,” Aravazhi said.
The remains comprise large rectangular and wedge-shaped bricks with a consistent ratio of about 44:22:6, along with stone structural members. Their alignment suggest they may have formed an ancient water-management structure, possibly a sluice, an inlet or outlet channel, or a canal-regulating structure.
Aravazhi said the large-sized bricks and construction characteristics were suggestive of the Sangam period, but the exact chronology could be established only after examination. Based on preliminary assessment, the remains appear broadly comparable to a water-management structure unearthed at Vanagiri near Kaveripoompattinam, he added.