ASI set up centre to showcase relics of ancient port city

CHENNAI: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will set up an interpretation centre' at the site of the excavated remains of Kaveripattinam, also known as Poompuhar, or Puhar, an ancient port city in Nagapattinam district on the Tamil Nadu coast. To be inaugurated on Wednesday, the centre will explain to tourists the historical importance of the site, Sathyabhama Badrinath, superintending archaeologist, Chennai circle, ASI, told The Times of India. Kaveripattinam was once a small fishing village. Located at a point where the Kaveri river flows into the Bay of Bengal, it was once also a bustling port. Poems in Tamil describe merchants from many countries speaking different languages living in friendship and going about their business of buying and selling goods. Greek and Roman writers called the town Khaberis or Camara. According to ancient Tamil literature, Kaveripattinam was made up of two parts - the living area and the harbour. There are evidences of a well-to- do town with eating places, gardens, halls for meetings, bathing areas, tanks and temples. At the harbour, there were godowns for storing merchandise and customs offices, with the tiger emblem of the Chola kings on the doors. Excavation at Kaveripattinam, on since 1910, revealed how a small village port with a simple dockyard made of wood and poles grew into a large and impressive port city during AD 900-1200.

At Vanagiri village nearby, archaeologists have found remains of an artificial channel that drew water from the Kaveri for irrigation purposes. There were brick platforms for landing boats, in Kilayur; boats were anchored by using wooden pegs. At Pallavanesvaram nearby, a Buddhist temple and a monastery were built in around the 3rd century AD. Excavation work also revealed the existence of several ring wells (Urai Kinaru) near the seashore. There is menton of these wells in Sangam literature. Excavation was carried out near Champapthi Amman and Pallavaneswaram temples. Remains of the several buildings were found in 1960-1961, as were those of a brick building, a boat jetty and a water reservoir in the Keezhaiyur area in Poompuhar. Relics of a 60-feet long Buddha vihar with rectangular rooms were discovered at Pallavaneswaram. The feet of Buddha (Buddhapadam) carved on a limestone slab, with two feet and holy symbols such as the lotus flower, Poorna Kumbam and Swastikam, was unearthed. Other ancient artifact include pottery, jewellery made of beads and terracotta, copper objects like vessels, rings, bangles, wires and a rattle, stone objects like pestles for grinding grain, iron knives and nails, brick figures, and rectangular and circular copper coins. The coins have engraved on them the Chola emblem of a tiger with an upright tail and the sun. A coin, considered to be that of Karikal Cholan, has engraved on it Karpagatharu', the heavenly tree capable of giving anything. A copper idol of Buddha in meditation and green beads, shells and glass bangles were other items excavated A gold-coated copper statue of Buddha in meditation (Bothi Sathuva Mytheya), belonging to the 8th century, was found in Melaiyur in 1927