Coimbatore, Sep 29 (PTI) A four foot tall earthenware, believed to be 3,000 years old for preserving human body, was discovered while digging foundation for a house here, Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department sources said.
It was taken out from nearly five foot deep dig, as the construction workers heard a big sound while digging the plot yesterday, the sources said.
A few human bones were also found inside the pot, they said.
Weighing 150 kg, the two and half feet wide strong pot (called 'Mudumakkal Thazhi in Tamil) has some decorated portion on its upper part, they said.
The pot has been handed over to the department by the owners of the land. Since many such pots were recovered from the area over a period, the department would carry out a study on the area, they said.
its really weird - why should it be called Mudumakkal Thazhi. I vaguely remember from my grandmother that - old people - still living, they were so strong that they just wouldnt die. their intake would be minimal - just a few drops of water for a month - just skin covering bones. yet their eyes would shine. so they would be put in these pots - and every month they would be opened to see if they were still alive. gosh, felt really bad. But anyone can throw light - is it a burial urn - if so why should it be called old people urn in tamil
Wow, is that for real? Did people really put alive people into such urns? It reminds me of the story where a person, with his young son, takes his old ailing father to the forest for burial. The young son asks the father if he should be doing the same thing that he was doing to his grand father. The father realized what he was doing, and took his father back.
Vijay...can you throw more light on this practice that your grand mother described.