| Kodumanal | |
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Location in Tamil Nadu, India
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| Location: | Erode, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Coordinates: | |
| Type: | Cultural |
| State Party: | India |
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Kodumanal is a village located in the Erode district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was once a flourishing ancient trade city known as Kodumanam, as inscribed in Patittrupathu of Sangam Literature.[1] The place is a important Archaeological Site, under the control of State Archaeological Department of Tamil Nadu. It is Located on the northern banks of Noyyal River, a tributary of the Cauvery.[2]
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The inhabitants of this destructed ancient city of Chera dynasty were highly skilled craftsmen, who were specialized in making beads and high quality iron. The place is referred to in Sangam literature as an important industrial centre that had links with the Chola port city of Kaveripoompattinam, now called Poompuhar.
The city played a major role in Indo-Roman trade and relations, as the ancient city is located on the mid-way of a Roman Trade Route, linking Muziris Port i.e. Pattanam on the Malabar Coast with the Kaveripoompattinam (Puhar) Port in the Coromandel Coast.[3][4]
Excavations have been carried out and it came out with the layers of a megalithic-cum-early tombs of historic period. Also there were two female and one male human skeleton were recovered from a pit burial in this site. A set of 300 megalithic tombs of different types and sizes were observed and recorded in this area.The ancient city has been destructed in time and now the area is available with the remains of a megalithic settlement dating back to the 2nd Century B.C. Apparently, this was the centre for the Romans who visited to obtain beryls from Kodumanal.The megalithic communities flourished in this site were belongs to the period of 2nd Century B.C. to 2nd Century A.D. [1]
The Iron & Steel furnaces and Iron artefacts produced in these places revealed the technical advancement made by the iron smelters around 500 B.C. The excavated sword bit contained spheroidal graphite phase and forge welding of high carbon cutting edge.[5][6]This place was once celebrated for its trade in precious stones like Garnet, Carnelian, Lapis Lazuli, Sapphire and Quartz. The people of this city were experts in manufacturing the finest iron. The Iron Pillar in Qutub Complex in Delhi, a rustless wonder was built by the Wrought iron produced from this place.
Excavations also came out with ancient iron objects such as Arrow heads and Swords. Also they have collected Roman artefacts, iron melting furnaces, beads, shell bangles and pottery with the Brahmi scripts from the habitation deposits and burials. The ancient The other collections from the excavation of this site includes Roulette Pottery, Roman Silver Coins, and Gold and Silver Spirals. And a Bronze Statue of a Lion and an Iron melting furnace were the important one's helpful in deciding the past history.[7]
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