Dindigul, Tamil Nadu’s largest district, has been a significant site for archaeological finds, including rock art, ancient tools, and burial sites. Recently, researchers uncovered 4,000-year-old stone cupules from the megalithic era in the region. These cupules, possibly carved for funerary or ritual purposes, offer valuable insights into the area’s ancient history.
According to Archaeological researcher Dr Narayanamurthy, a stone structure, seemingly a dolmen, was found at the site, which had roughly arranged rocks with depressions on them. He shared that the cupules are one of the oldest sculpting techniques known to man. The dolmen contained forty-four cupules distributed in three clusters. Each cupule measured 0.5 cm to 4 cm in depth and 3 cm to 8cm in width.
These cupules have been found in three clusters: one containing 28, another with seven, and a third with nine. Some of these cupules are also connected by lines. He noted that similar cupules have been discovered in Bolivia, England, and France.
The dolmen featured 131 lines, each measuring 3 to 4 cm in length and divided into seven sections, possibly inscribed using an iron nail. According to the archaeologists, these lines were intended to symbolize a community. When water is poured into one pit, it will flow through these lines, causing all the pits to fill with water.
Narayanamurthy also urged the Archaeology Department to study and preserve these 4000-year-old stone pits.
In Dindigul, locals revere Karuppasamy, a prominent deity in Southern India. Dr Narayanamurthy, who researched the Karuppasamy structure, identified it as a Stone Age monument dedicated to a fallen soldier or warrior. He suggested that the symbols engraved on it might have been intended as a memorial for a leader or commander who had died.
