Adichanallur

Adichanallur
Location in Tamil Nadu, India
Location:	Tirunelveli, India
Coordinates:	8.73°N 77.7°E / 8.73; 77.7
Type:	Cultural
State Party:	India

Adichanallur is an archaeological site near Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, India. The town is known locally as Aathichanallur, and has been the site of a number of very important archeological digs.

Archaeological excavations

In 2004, a number of skeletons dating from around 3,800 years ago were found buried in earthenware urns. More than 160 urns have been found. These urns also contained writing, which according to some ASI archaeologists, is "very rudimentary" Tamil Brahmi.

Later, a three-tier burial system was discovered in which earlier generations were buried in urns at 10 feet depth and recent ones above them. Soon the habitation site of the people who were buried was also discovered recently.

Analyzing the habitation site, it was understood that people lived in a fortified town and it had a separate potters quarters. There was also evidence of industrial activity and archaeologists think that it was a crowded busy town. Sherds were also found with writings in Tamil-Brahmi scripts.

Site Museum

New initiative involves setting up of site museums. “Efforts are on to set up museums in the very places from where significant objects are excavated, the ASI has a huge collection of materials like urns excavated from Adichanallur. “At present, they are lying in Chennai. The idea is to set up a museum in Adichanallur itself and putting on display whatever had been excavated from there.”

External links

• Archialogical Survey of India's Page on Adichanallur excavations
• Rudimentary Tamil-Brahmi script unearthed at Adichanallur - The Hindu, Feb 17, 2005
• Iron Age habitational site found at Adichanallur - The Hindu, Apr 03, 2005
• Some pottery parallels - Spread of material culture from south to Deccan? - The Hindu, May 25, 2007