Jal Jeevan Mission Works in Manimola

The historical artifact is estimated to be nearly 2,000 years old, dating back to the boulder period, and was recently discovered in Manimora during the excavation of Jal Jeevan mission. |Picture source: Special arrangement

Historical artifacts believed to date back to the boulder period were unearthed in Manimoola Village, Bandadukka during a recent excavation under the Jal Jeevan Mission program. These relics were found while digging the trenches and placed drinking water pipes in nearby houses.

Dr. Nandakumar Koroth, a historian and faculty member of the Kanhangad Nehru School of Arts and Sciences, confirmed that the rock chambers and handicrafts found at the site were an important reservation of the boulder era.

The historical artifact is estimated to be nearly 2,000 years old, dating back to the boulder period, and was recently discovered in Manimora during the excavation of Jal Jeevan mission. |Picture source: Special arrangement

Among the restored items are a black car pot, five four-legged jars, pots of various sizes, clay utensils resembling large container lids, an iron furnace rack with three support stones, and iron tools similar to Pengwu Knife.

It is worth noting that several bone fragments were found intact – rarely occurring in such areas – indicating that there may be air-sealed urns or burial tanks under the soil. According to Dr. Koroth, these cremated ones are still similar to those found in urn burials in southern India and suggest that large containers may preserve bone fragments by preventing natural decomposition. Residents claim the debris are located at the bottom of a huge clay pot.

The nearby stone structure, locally known as pathaya kallu, is also considered a monument to the megalithic stone era. The names of similar funerals are found throughout the region, such as Pandava Guha, Peerangi Guha, Muniyara, Swamikundu and Kalpatthayam.

The discovery is striking that migrant workers employed under Jal Jeevan’s mission are able to retrieve the burial chamber and its contents within minutes without causing any damage – an effort usually takes days and days of skilled archaeologists. The quality and durability of the pottery may help it preserve.

All cultural relics recovered from the site have been handed over to the Ministry of Archaeology for further inspection and scientific research.