Indus Valley, Vedic, South Indian Civilizations

The lovely and massive Buddha statue in Enlightenment Grove, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India.

The oldest settlements in South India: The Keeladi excavations

(Storytrails) Premiered March 6, 2023. CHENNAI (Madras), India - How old are the oldest settlements in South India?

What did the recent excavations at Keeladi (aka Keezhadi) and other places along the Vaigai and Porunai (Thamirabarani) rivers reveal?

For a long time, it was believed that South India had no ancient urban civilizations like in the north [where the Indus Valley Civilization and the Vedic Civilization thrived near Gandhara, now in parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which were formerly parts of the Indian Empire].

While the Sangam Period (dated 300 BCE–300 CE) literature talks of a sophisticated Tamil civilization, there was no concrete archeological proof to back it up…until the path-finding/groundbreaking Keeladi excavations that started in 2015.

A series of digs carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India in a little village near Madurai unearthed artifacts dating back at least to the 6th century BCE [the time of the Buddha].

This included pottery fragments with graffiti marks very similar to the Indus Valley Civilization script. But Keeladi isn’t the first or only place to offer evidence of ancient settlements in Tamil Nadu.

Adichanallur, Korkai, Pallavaram, Attirampakkam, and many more sites have produced an array of amazing artifacts over the last 100 years or so, including the oldest human tool to be ever discovered in India -- a hand-axe that was discovered in Pallavaram, part of present-day Chennai.

It’s only in recent years that the pieces of the jigsaw have started coming together. Archeologists believe that many more exciting discoveries, possibilities, and answers are waiting to be found at this site.

#keeladi #keezhadi #Adichanallur #Korkai #sangamliterature #Porunai #thamirabarani #Vaigai #IndusVallley #indusvalleycivilisation #VediCivilisation #anicientcivilisations #madurai #Agaram #Pallavaram #Egmore #southindianhistory #indianhistory #chennai #storytrails #storiesofindia #tamilnadutourism

Produced in partnership with:

• Saint-Gobain: saint-gobain.com/en (@SaintGobainTV)
• Tamil Nadu Tourism: tamilnadutourism.tn.gov.in (@TamilnaduTourismOnline)
• The Egmore Museum, Chennai

Editing credits: Studio A, Chennai Music, Sound Design, Mix & Master: Vishwi (vishwimusic.com)

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Jain Festival in India

It's not the Buddha. But you wouldn't be blamed for thinking it was. Mahavira, founder of Jainism, and contemporary of Shakyamuni. The two traditions have so many points of commonality (a just a few drastic differences) that some scholars believe that Jainism is a breakaway Buddhist school. Jains and are often mentioned in Buddhist sutras but are called Niganthas (possessionless ones). Mahavira is referred to as Nigantha Nattaputta (Natta's son, the Nigantha).

(India Express Buzz, Sept. 3, 2009)

Chitaral Jain Temple, Kanyakumari district, site of intended festival (expressbuzz.com)

Jain festival in Kumari district

Yogesh Kabirdoss (9/3/09)
CHENNAI, India: In a bid to showcase Tamil Nadu’s unique Jain monuments, which stand in testimony of a cultural past that saw the dharma propounded by Mahavira flourishing for several centuries in various parts of the state, the Tourism Department is organizing a "Jain Temple Tourism Festival" at a remote village called Chitharal in Kanyakumari district on Sunday.

An initiative of the State secretary of tourism, Dr V Irai Anbu, the festival is the first of its kind event in Tamil Nadu that will ultimately turn the various heritage Jain structures, hitherto unknown to tourists and visitors to the State, into places of tourist attraction and also a pilgrimage for followers of Jainism.

Mahavira, voluntary going without any possessions, is often depicted nude ("sky clad"). It is not an erotic expression but rather one of complete detachment and harmlessness (ahimsa). This is never done with otherwise extremely similar depictions of the Buddha.

At Chitharal, situated near Marthandam, a huge cave with rock-cut sculptures of Jain Tirthankaras and attendant deities exemplify how Jainism has thrived and has spread close to the land’s end, 2000 years ago, and how much it has contributed to the religious and cultural heritage of the State.

Though the cave (pictured above), which was carved in a hillock standing against scenic landscape, was converted into a Bhagavathi Amman Temple around the 13th century, the Jain images have not been tampered with. The preserved relics will be the highlight of the festival, which will be marked by folk performances and cultural events.

The Department of Tourism has developed a pathway leading to the hillock, which is about 200 feet up, for the convenience of those visiting the cave, which is likely to be added to the list of popular places of interest in the district. Besides the Chitharal site, there are 13 other Jain monuments spread across the state... More>>

• expressbuzz.com