Theni students stumble upon megalithic tomb

Madurai: Students and professors of history at a college in Bodinaickanur in Theni district have discovered a stone age dolmen in the hills near their institution.
Archaeological Sites and Preservation is a part of the BA history course for the students of the Cardamom Planters Association College in Bodi. As part of a field visit, they were visiting Marakkamalai hills near Anaikaraipatti, when they came across the dolmen.
According to the head of the department of history, professor G Gnanasekharanl, the site contained four dolmens of which three were damaged due to weathering. Only one was in good condition.
Professor C Manickaraj, who assisted the students, said dolmens are burial sites of leaders and war heroes. "This particular dolmen was four feet in length and three feet in width. It has a pillar-like structures supporting a flat horizontal megalithic capstone. The dolmens are collectively surrounded by an 8ft diameter circle, to protect the inner structures," he told TOI.
The local goat herds called the dolmens 'Pandian veedu' or 'Pandian thittu' showing that they associated it with the times of the Pandiya dynasty. "However, the stones pertain to a period, which is much older. They may date back to over 2,000 years," Manickaraj said.
According to the professors, the four dolmens may pertain to a chieftain and his family or four men who died a heroic death in war. There are many more sites in the region, which they plan to explore.