An ancient beach rock quarry in Kovalam, a coastal village, near Kanniyakumari, that is believed to have supplied sea rocks for local use and for the construction of a fort located between Kanniyakumari and Kadukkarai, was discovered recently.
A team led by V. Selvakumar, Head of the Department of Maritime History and Marine Archaeology, and Coordinator, Centre for Indian Ocean Studies, Tamil University, Thanjavur visited the spot and studied the quarry. Samples of the rocks have been sent to a local laboratory for further studies.
“The quarry was exposed when the sea receded, and a local photographer and history-enthusiast, M. Faizal, spotted it. We immediately informed Prof Selvakumar,” said Chenthee Natarajan, managing director of Chembavalam Aaiyuthalam Arakattalai.
