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Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c20.s14.t4: 1.13.4 Kodumanal

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c20.s14.t4

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1.13.4 Kodumanal

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Kodumanal is now a small village situated on the north bank of the river Noyyal in Perundurai Taluk, Erode District. It was, however, a major industrial and trading centre during the Caṅkam Age and was noted for its manufacture of jewellery from semi-precious stones. It is referred to in Caṅkam literature by its older name *koṭumaṇam*.⁷ It is significant that the site is located just across the river from Padiyur known in antiquity for the export of beryl (aquamarine) stones to Rome. The site is strategically situated commanding the trade routes from the west coast via the Palghat Gap and onward to Karur, Madurai and the east coast. The importance of the site was recognised from surface collection of gems, terracotta figures and ancient pottery.

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⁷ *Patiṟ.* 67 & 74.

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The site has been excavated in three stretches during 1985-86, 1989-90 and from 1996-97, first by a Tamil University team led by Subbarayalu and then by a TNSA team led by Natana Kasinathan. The excavation reports are yet to be published, though some important findings have been reported in various publications.¹ This section is mainly based on Subbarayalu's unpublished manuscripts, 'Report on Kodumanal Excavations' (1988) and 'Illustrated Catalogue of Pottery Inscriptions from Kodumanal' (1996), and a personal communication (1997) on the chronology of the site with special reference to the inscribed sherds.

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¹ K. Rajan 1994: chapter 6 'Excavations at Kodumanal' (pp. 57-89); chapter 9, section on Kodumanal graffiti (pp. 116-122); 1997: chapter 3, section on Kodumanal (pp. 75-90).

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The site comprises a habitation mound and a burial mound (with megalithic graves). The inhabitants of the site in Period I (ca. 200 b.c.-50 a.d.) were principally engaged in the manufacture of gems and iron weapons and implements. The inhabitants in Period II (ca. 50-150 a.d) were mainly agriculturists. The site has yielded large quantities of beads of carnelian and other semi-precious stones. The gemstone industry at this site seems to have come to an end around 100 a.d.

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About 170 inscriptions on pottery, mostly from Period I and incised on russet-coated and black and red ware, have been recovered, the maximum number so far from an ancient Tamil site.² The language of the inscriptions is mostly Tamil; only two or three seem to be in Prakrit and one in Sinhala-Prakrit.³ One of the inscribed sherds with the name *visākī* (fem.) was found inside a megalithic grave.⁴ Two remarkable features of writing at this site are the juxtaposition of Tamil-Brāhmī letters and megalithic symbols within the same inscriptions⁵ and a very distinctive angular or rectilinear style of writing seldom found at other sites.

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² ARE B. 306-475/1993-94. Y. Subbarayalu: Catalogue of Pottery Inscriptions from Kodumanal 1996 (unpublished). More inscriptions have been found in further seasons of work by the TNSA at this site. See also No. 4, Table 1.5 and Fig. 1.20A in this vol.

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³ No. 34 in Sinhala-Prakrit in Subbarayalu's Catalogue has been published in I. Mahadevan 1996c: No. 7.

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⁴ No. 1 in Subbarayalu's Catalogue. For details of the discovery, see K. Rajan 1994: pp. 75-76.

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⁵ K. Rajan 2001: pp. 1-18. See also Fig. 5.13 in this vol.

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It is difficult to accept the explanation of the excavators for the style that it is easier to write in straight lines on pottery, since such writing is not found from other sites. The angular writing has to be regarded for the present as the 'signature' of the Kodumanal scribes. This would help us to recognise pottery inscriptions from Kodumanal at other sites.⁶

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⁶ E.g., a pottery inscription from Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, is written in this style (R.A.E. Coningham *et al.*, 1996: pp. 73-97, No. 16,472). The 'distinctive angularity' of the letters has been noted by the authors (p. 85, Fig. at p. 84). See especially Nos. 12 and 115 in Subbarayalu's Catalogue for very close parallels. I suggest that the inscribed sherd reading *ti mu ḷa* (prob. for *tamiḻa*) or the scribe who incised it came from Kodumanal, perhaps in the course of the gem trade. The date (190 b.c.) assigned to the Anuradhapura sherd on the basis of stratification falls within the range known at Kodumanal.

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