Over the previous few years, if there was one declare that attracted unanimous denunciation from archaeologists as “unscientific”, it was the declare of a geologist that the traditional port metropolis of Poompuhar flourished 15,000 years in the past, off the current day Kaveripoompattinam village in Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu.
He had claimed that the Poompuhar harbour was 11 km lengthy, 2.5 km large and had 70-80 docks for berthing ships. The harbour was discovered 30 km-40 km from the current day shore. There had been human settlements round, and a lighthouse with a spiral staircase, too.
Archaeologists throughout the spectrum misplaced no time in knocking the underside out of this declare on the grounds that it was illogical. 15,000 years in the past, it was the Microlithic Age within the Indian sub-continent when human-beings had been hunter-gatherers. They had not even learnt to cultivate cattle then. The declare had “no scientific basis” as a result of no underwater exploration was accomplished, archaeologists stated. No archaeologist was concerned within the train. It relied solely on remote-sensing photos, which couldn’t reveal whether or not they had been pure formations beneath the ocean or man-made constructions. No date might be assigned to an archaeological web site with solely remote-sensing photos, specialists argued.
The declare was made by geologist SM. Ramasamy, National Coordinator, Project Poompuhar, Department of Remote-sensing, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchi, at a press convention on January 20, 2023. He stated one of many main findings of a analysis examine, headed by him, was that the port metropolis of Poompuhar was not 2,500 years outdated as it’s extensively believed, however “appears to be more than 15,000 years old. It thus appears to be one of the oldest port cities in the world.”
This got here to gentle when the examine to “digitally reconstruct the comprehensive life-history of Poompuhar” was undertaken over an space of about 1,000 sq. kilometres within the offshore space of the Bay of Bengal, off Kaveripoompattinam, Dr. Ramasamy stated. The examine was accomplished with Indian Remote-sensing Satellite photos and the General Bathymetry Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO). The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, chipped in with Multi-beam Echo Sounder (MBES) information. The survey was accomplished for about 30 km to 40 km from the shore at a depth of fifty metres to 100 metres within the sea.
An announcement issued by Dr. Ramasamy stated the port metropolis of Poompuhar was “discovered” undersea. It lined 250 sq. km. It was “inferred” that the harbour was 11 km lengthy within the north-south route and was 2.5 km broad. There had been lengthy canals operating north-south. There had been east-west cross-canals. The former was for the motion of huge vessels and the latter for turning them. There had been 70 to 80 docks over 30 km for berthing the ships, the assertion stated.
North of the harbour, there was a (human) settlement with a cluster of homes over 4 sq. km. Besides, a row of settlements with compound partitions was “inferred”. The settlements inside the compound partitions had been intact due to the safety supplied by the partitions. But in one other settlement, discovered 10 km south-east of the harbour, the compound partitions had been intact however the homes inside “were totally buried under the sand”, the assertion stated.
Poompuhar, now known as Kaveripoompattinam, has had an fascinating historical past of explorations and excavations. Archaeologists say Poompuhar existed about 2,500 years in the past close to the confluence of the Cauvery with the Bay of Bengal. About 1,000 years in the past, it went beneath water, submerged maybe by a tsunami or tidal motion. Excavations on land, geophysical surveys in the ocean off Kaveripoompattinam and underwater explorations by educated divers-cum-archaeologists within the Eighties and the Nineteen Nineties revealed man-made constructions, wharfs and ceramic materials, which might be dated again to the third century BCE to fifth century CE.
Archaeologists and teachers throughout Tamil Nadu had no hesitation in brushing apart Ramasamy’s claims as “unscientific data” and missing in logic.
V. Selvakumar, Head, Department of Maritime History and Marine Archaeology, Tamil University, Thanjavur, stated, “We have primary evidence for the existence of hunter-gatherers across South Asia 15,000 years ago. This is established scientific research.” Anybody, who’s aware of archaeological analysis, would say it could have been unimaginable for prehistoric people to construct such a huge harbour with dockyards, human settlements and a lighthouse. The options seen in remote-sensing photos distributed by Dr. Ramasamy “may be some kind of natural formations or other types of formations and they must be investigated further”, he added. Dr. Selvakumar is additionally Coordinator, Centre for Indian Ocean Studies.
Shanti Pappu, former Professor of Prehistory, Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, Pune, stated, “Around 15,000-20,000 years ago, South Asia was occupied by prehistoric populations making stone tools. These were hunter-gatherers adapting to various ecological contexts across this region. I, therefore, look forward to chronometric dates from the sites under investigation and involvement of archaeologists in these interdisciplinary studies.”
An completed archaeologist-cum-academic, who has excavated a number of websites in Tamil Nadu, argued how even the Indus Valley Civilisation didn’t exist 15,000 years in the past. So the most recent declare about Poompuhar had “no scientific basis”. He requested, “Were human beings sea-faring then? Did they know ship-building technology? Did they know astronomy? Society at that time was not even agro-pastoral.”
The archaeologist-cum-academic identified that Dr. Ramasamy had claimed that the then Poompuhar’s harbour was 11 km lengthy, 2.5 km large and had 70 to 80 docks. “With whom did the people of Poompuhar trade with such a big port? What were the commodities exported and imported? Even the Shanghai port today in China is not so big,” he stated.
Even on land, no city settlement has been found, which is 15,000 years outdated, he stated.
What has galled archaeologists is that the claims had been made with none artefacts being produced. No underwater exploration was accomplished. There had been no archaeologists or divers in Dr. Ramasamy’s staff. The findings had been primarily based on remote-sensing photos.
Remote-sensing photos of the constructions beneath the ocean wouldn’t reveal whether or not they had been pure formations or man-made constructions, asserted a younger archaeologist, who didn’t wish to be quoted by title. “Using remote-sensing images, you can provide information about the geographical features of an area, including an area which is under water. However, you cannot give a date to an archaeological site using remote-sensing images. A date can be given only by underwater excavation.”
There are a number of strategies comparable to accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS), optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), thermo luminescent courting (TLD), carbon-14 methodology, uranium courting and so on., to find out the age of an archaeological web site or an artefact.
The formations seen within the photos supplied by Dr. Ramasamy might have been shaped by wave motion. “Whether they are natural formations or man-made structures can be determined only by diving under the sea and exploring the area,” the archaeologist stated.
To return to the historical past of Poompuhar, it was a busy port of Sangam age Chola kings. (The Sangam age is datable from the third century BCE to 3rd century CE). It reportedly flourished about 2,500 years in the past. The port was located close to the mouth of the Cauvery. Merchants from completely different components of India and South East Asia traded items there. Poompuhar is well known in Sangam age poems comparable to Silappadhikaram, Manimegalai, Pattinappalai, Purananuru and Agananuru. The metropolis was dominated by Sangam age Chola rulers comparable to Ilanchetchenni, Killivalavan, Karikalvalavan and others.
Poompuhar held a fascination for M. Karunanidhi, the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. He arrange a Silappadhikaram Art Gallery there within the Seventies when he was the Chief Minister.
Onland excavation passed off first in 1981 on the shore of Kaveripoompattinam. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) did it beneath the steerage of S.R. Rao and Okay.V. Raman. The excavations revealed some constructions on the shore: a wharf at Keezhaiyur, a reservoir at Vanagiri and a Buddha vihara at Melaiyur.
Hence, a preliminary geophysical survey of the ocean, off Kaveripoompattinam, passed off in 1981 beneath the steerage of Dr. S.R. Rao and R. Nagaswamy. The latter was then Director of the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA). This survey was accomplished collectively by the TNSDA and the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), says a report revealed throughout a workshop held on September 29, 1994. Okay.H. Vora of the NIO took half on this geophysical survey, which deployed a side-scan sonar, an echo sounder and a magnetometer. Based on the survey’s findings, which included three “peaks”, about two to 3 metres tall, the NIO prompt that an intensive underwater exploration be made by divers. The NIO despatched its findings to the TNSDA in 1987.
Subsequently, in three underwater explorations that passed off within the Nineteen Nineties, Okay. Rajan, who retired as Professor of History, Central University, Pondicherry, took half. He dived, too. Dr. Rajan, an completed archaeologist and excavator, is a specialist scuba diver. He found a round stone construction, manufactured from three programs of stone, on the easternmost finish of the positioning. It was a man-made construction. Dr. S.R. Rao declared that it was a part of a lighthouse.
Natana. Kasinathan, in his e-book written in Tamil titled ‘ Poompuharum, Kadal Agazhvayvum’ (Poompuhar and Under-sea Explorations), says the underwater exploration started on February 25, 1991, beneath the steerage of Dr. S.R. Rao and himself. Dr. Kasinathan took over because the Director of State Department of Archaeology in 1988 from Dr. Nagaswamy. The e-book ‘ Poompuharum, Kadal Agazhvayvum’ was revealed in 1992 by Tirunelveli, Then Indhiya Saiva Siddhantha Nool Pathippu Kazhagam, Chennai.
In the 1991 underwater exploration accomplished by divers and during which a side-scan sonar and an echo-sounder had been used aboard a vessel, three man-made constructions had been discovered. In the underwater exploration accomplished near the shore from January 27, 1993 to February 28, 1993, a number of brick constructions had been discovered. According to Dr. Kasinathan, these brick constructions might be dated from the second century BCE to the fourth century CE.
A large paleo-channel of the Cauvery was discovered on the sea-bed.
Since ceramics, comparable to black and purple ware, and black ware belonging to the Megalithic interval and buff ware had been discovered near the man-made construction, constructed with three programs of stones, beneath the ocean off Vanagiri village, they might be dated to the third century BCE, he added.
In the underwater exploration, accomplished by divers once more from February 4, 1997 to March 12, 1997, remnants of a construction constructed with laterite stones had been found. Thus, the date of Poompuhar might be circa fifth century BCE, that’s, 2,500 years earlier than the current, archaeologists stated.
When requested how he had estimated that Poompuhar existed about 15,000 years in the past, Dr. Ramasamy stated, “We have established that the ancient shoreline existed 15,000 years ago.” The sea-level information, collected by 3-D elevation fashions, indicated it. “Obviously, the harbour must have been built there at the same time.” On why he didn’t use divers or maintain archaeologists in his staff, he replied, “We have discovered the structures now. We will take pictures using ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) in the next stage of our research-study. After the ROVs, we will plan for diving.”
But no archaeologist, value his salt, is satisfied that the port of Poompuhar existed about 15,000 years in the past with a harbour, dockyards, a lighthouse et al.
