Tamil Nadu graffiti reveals link to Indus Valley civilisation

A study suggests over 90% of graffiti marks in Tamil Nadu resemble Indus Valley script, hinting at ancient cultural exchanges

Chennai: Nearly 90 percent of the graffiti marks found during excavations at ancient archaeological sites in Tamil Nadu have parallels to those found in the Indus Valley Civilisation signs, claims a recent study by the Tamil Nadu State Archeology Department.

Apart from graffiti, archaeologists had tumbled upon carnelian beads, agate, black and red ware and other items during the dig.

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Over 700 artefacts including terracotta spindle whorls, terracotta smoking pipe, bangles in glass, shell, etc. that were discovered at the Sivagalai site in Thoothukudi district indicated that this ancient civilisation had thrived more than 3,200 years ago.

The paddy husk found in one of the 120 burial urns found at the site proved to be 3,200 years old after carbon dating. The morphological study by Prof K Rajan and Joint Director TN Archaeology Department R Sivananthan led to the digitisation of over 15,000 graffiti-bearing potsherds obtained from 140 archaeological sites.

The comparative study showed that there could be a possibility of exchanges between the Indus Valley Civilisation and the Iron Age settlements. But more evidences was needed to conclusively establish the link, which is now being attempted at, the authors said.

More than 90 percent of the graffiti marks obtained in Tamil Nadu were found to be similar to the Indus script. The comparative study released during the centenary of the discovery of Indus Valley Civilisation showed the possibility of exchanges between the two.

Carbon dating of the artefacts recovered from Keeladi in Sivaganga district and Sivagalai sites in Tamil Nadu, archaeologists say, reveal that these sites are 2,600 and 3,200 years old.

A majority of the graffiti inscribed potsherds were found at Thulukarpatti in Tirunelveli, Keeladi, Arikamedu, Uraiyur, Korkai, Alangulam, Adichanallur, Kodumanal, and Kilnamandi.

The similarities between the Indus Valley Civilisation and Iron Age settlements of Tamil Nadu and they hypothesis that they could have been contemporary were being demonstrated through script, material culture, and trade and cultural exchanges, the researchers said.