bharatayatra February 2013








Started February 2013 with a joke that I saw on the network - it brought about some smiles on my social net and good comments.

This one brought a smile - 
When Alexander Graham Bell first used his telephone, he realized that he already had two missed calls. 

[PS - They were from Rajinikant.]



Alipiri - the blog - where it all started

I began working and developing the blog titled ALIPIRI, about family roots and family situations. The blog has developed extremely well and is being read by relatives and friends and cogeneric surnames in other parts of the world. One of the questions that puzzled me, early on, in 2009, was why did my father and his grandfather show their reverence for Panduranga, when they were so closely associated with the Srirangam and Tirumala temples.

In the research that I did for ALIPIRI, the blog, I found the great link to my great grand father, Neela Meghala Shyamala Naidu, who was based earlier at Srivilliputtur and later migrated to Chennai. Near Srivilliputtur is the sacred place of Pandaripuram, also known as Dakshina Pandaripuram, dedicated to Panduranga.

Panduranga Vittala at Dakshina Pandaripuram or Vittalapuram
Seydunganallur Village, near Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu
[from the blog - temple, travel and sport. Copyright and ownership of original blog]



The ancients of Veeranam, near Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu

Iron Age burial site found near Tiruvannamalai. These megalithic burial sites (cairn circles), 
discovered near Veeranam in Tiruvannamalai district, can be dated to 1000 BCE-300 CE. 
The granite slabs of the dolmenoid cists, broken by villagers, are strewn around. 

Found this extremely interesting aspect of information about megalithic peoples near Tiruvannamalai, near Arunachala Shiva, indicating pre-temple social structures in the region, with knowledge about coming together, worshiping together. Amazing bit of information. Shared it on the social network and got some extremely good responses. 

First obvious question - was about the proximity to Arunachala Shiva, and to Tiruvannamalai. Did it have any significance? Was there any knowledge?

Second question - This was very interesting, very important and necessary to be visited and recorded before there is any loss. Was there extreme loss of information in this location?

Third question - Were these people the pre-ancient 'Naath' sampradaya followers? Were they Nuers? 


The article mentions that an Iron Age megalithic burial site, about 3 sq km, dated about 1000 BCE-300 CE, dotted with cairn-circles has been discovered near Veeranam village, in Tiruvannamalai district. Most of these cairn circles seem to have dolmenoid cists on the surface. These indicate burial chambers, with urns containing bones and pottery, paddy, beads, knives, swords and other artefacts. Tamil Sangam literature is known to refer to megalithic burials. Most cists and cairn circles have been broken up by local villagers. The site is in threat and may be destroyed very soon, once the local people understand the threat. The key expert is Dr. K. Rajan, Professor, History, Pondicherry University who has discovered scores of megalithic burial sites and also refers to dolmens at Mallanchandiram, Krishnagiri district and Iron Age burial sites at Orathupalayam, near Kodumanal, near Erode. 


No comments:

Post a Comment