COIMBATORE: Archaeologists and historians are upbeat after the government announced that archaeological excavations would be carried out at Vellalore in Coimbatore, and Telunganur in Salem and a Noyyal Museum would be established in Erode district. They say the excavations throw light on the hoary past of the western region. The previous excavation in the region was done at Kodumanal in Erode.
B Meenakshi Sundaram, a writer and historian, said Vellalore was an important point of trade in the Kongu region, in the early centuries of the Common Era (CE). “Rajakesari Peruvazhi, an ancient trade route which connected the east and west coasts, passed through this region and Vellalore was a key landmark for trade on the route. Vellalore existed before the formation of Coimbatore and many archaeological excavations have been performed here since the 19th century. Various gold coins were excavated here, which showed evidence of trade between regional towns, as well as the Roman Empire. Many coins had images of Roman generals including Claudius and Nero. The pride of Vellalore was also mentioned in Sangam lyrics.”
Archaeologist Kumaravel Ramasamy said that the excavation at Vellalore has been a long-awaited one for researchers and enthusiasts as they believe it will provide crucial evidence to confirm trade relations between the local population and Romans 2,000 years ago. The excavation is expected to unearth significant artefacts that will help enrich the historical narrative in this region.
Further, Telunganur in Mettur taluk of Salem district has a cluster of burial sites featuring cists, urns and pit burials suggesting differing ritual practices, sources said. Excavations here unearthed varieties of stone tools, iron objects including an iron sword, which shows the prowess in metallurgy ancient people here possessed, they added.
Kumaravel Ramasamy also welcomed the announcement of ‘Noyyal Museum’ in Erode district to be built at Rs 22 crore. He said excavations have been carried out for over 30 years on the Noyyal River banks near Kodumanal. The government has now announced that a museum will be established to display materials recovered during excavations.
We welcome this as it is essential for the next generation to learn about the artefacts. “There were signs of human habitation around 2,300 years ago in this region and materials they used were discovered during excavations,” he added.
(With inputs from P Srinivasan from Tiruppur)