It is a long, tiring journey to Kodumanal, a tiny village in western Tamil
Nadu -- a place virtually unheard of until archaeologists recently
unearthed a 2,500-year-old industrial estate there.
Now,there is only the occasional coconut tree. It is hard to believe that
this area once held a thriving town. Modern Kodumanal has just around
1,000 people to make a living they breed cattle and work in the nearby
textile town of Tirupur.
At the archaeological site
near Kodumanal, even at 8 am the sun is merciless. Approaching the arid
excavation area, one hears the sounds of digging, and of instructions
being yelled to the scores of archaeology students busy on the site.
Kodumanal was a
manufacturing and trading centre in the 4th century BCE. It is mentioned
as such in the Sangam literature of classical Tamil (circa 300 BCE-300
CE). The settlement, which would have accommodated several thousand
people in its heyday, appears to have been abandoned after the 3rd
century CE.
Kodumanal was one of the earliest wootz steel centres of the world.
Wootz steel, a form of carbon steel, was a prized, highly durable
speciality of ancient India, and much sought-after in the West.
Kodumanal is not far from Tirupur, the textile hub
of modern India. Ancient Kodumanal also manufactured textiles. A number
of terracotta cotton spindles pierced through the centre with an iron
rod have been unearthed here. Incredibly, a well-preserved piece of
actual cotton has been found. It is believed to be 2,200 years old.
More proof of Kodumanal's trade links comes in the form of Roman
coins, dug up in hoards as well as single pieces. The town lay on a
trade route frequented by Roman merchants, who came to buy beryl, quartz
and other stones.
Goods to be exported to the West were carried
by road to the Chera port of Muziris (Pattinam) on the west coast near
Thrissur, and then went by ship. Goods for South-east Asia were carried
east to Karur, capital of the Chera kingdom, then to Poompuhar near the
mouth of the Kaveri, and then overseas.
Judging by the trade pattern, and as is suggested by finds of beryl
jewellery in eastern Europe and elsewhere, Kodumanal's exports went a
long way. Although Kodumanal is on the Noyyal, a tributary of
the Kaveri, the river was not used by shipping. The Noyyal is shallow,
rocky and has strong currents, so the trade route followed its banks.The number and variety of the tombs and graves
tell us what the rest of the site already makes clear: at its peak this
was a prosperous place, with many residents, whose pride in their work,
which was organised on an industrial scale, reflected the strong
worldwide demand for it.
