Uncovering Iron Age Culture at Thirumalapuram Excavation Site

Iron Age culture DISCOVERED IN Tamil Nadu’S Thirumalapuram excavation

Overview

The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) has uncovered significant evidence of Iron Age culture at Thirumalapuram in Tenkasi district, near the Western Ghats. Tentative estimates suggest that the site could date to the early or mid-third millennium BCE, comparable to Adichanallur and Sivagalai.

Burial Site Details

The burial site spans about 35 acres, located 10 km northwest of present-day Thirumalapuram village, between two seasonal streams feeding the Kulasagareperi tank. Archaeologists excavated 37 trenches, revealing a rectangular stone slab chamber filled with cobblestones up to 1.5 metres deep. Urns and grave goods were found within the chamber — a first-of-its-kind discovery in Tamil Nadu.

Artefacts and Finds

The site yielded ceramics such as black-and-red ware, red ware, and black-polished ware. One standout find was a red-slipped pot with dotted designs depicting a human, mountain, deer, and tortoise.

Among 78 antiquities discovered were items of bone, gold, bronze, and iron — including a tweezer, sword, spearhead, gold ring, axe, chisel, bonehead, and arrowhead. Three tiny gold rings, each just 4.8 mm wide, were found inside an urn at 0.49 metres depth.

Cultural and Historical Significance

The black-and-red ware and white-painted pottery designs indicate continuity with earlier Iron Age sites such as Sivagalai, Adichanallur, and Kallupatti. These cultural parallels suggest Thirumalapuram may have been an early centre of Iron Age settlement close to the Western Ghats.

Synopsis

Recent excavations at Thirumalapuram in Tamil Nadu have revealed Iron Age burial chambers, ceramics, and artefacts made of metal, bone, and gold. These findings link the site to early southern Iron Age cultures dating back to around the early to mid-third millennium BCE, indicating the spread of advanced metallurgical and burial practices across the region.