The excavations at Talakadu in Mysuru district not only helped push back the antiquity and the history of the region by several hundred years, but also enabled scholars to provide scientific evidence for emergence of sand dunes.
Talakadu on the banks of the Cauvery is a delight of archaeologists and the history of the region spans from the days of the Western Gangas, who ruled from the 4th to 10th centuries CE down to the modern times of the Wadiyars.
But the excavations conducted by the State Department of Archaeology Museums and Heritage since the 1990s and more recently a few years ago, yielded evidence that there existed a culture and human habitation during the Neolithic Age which translates to around 2000 BCE.
This was stated by S. Krishnamurthy, former dean and head of the Department of History and Archaeology, University of Mysore and who was involved in the Talakadu excavations.
He was delivering the monthly talk at the Department of Archaeology Museums and Heritage in the city on Saturday.
Mr. Krishnamurthy said that excavations and studies by geologists have clearly provided evidence that there were no sand dunes before the 1750s and it was a result of geological processes. The sand dunes were cleared and removed and the earlier temples which were submerged by sand, have now been reclaimed and restored.
‘’The Keertinarayana temple was built during the period of Hoysala ruler Vishnuvardhana during the 12th century CE after his victory over the Cholas in the region. Similarly, there are evidence of so many other temples none of which would have been built had there been sand in the region earlier. It is a post 1750s development,” said Mr. Krishnamurthy.
He said the excavations also laid to rest the prevailing belief that the Gangas were orthodox and their capital was a Hindu bastion. But there were discoveries of Buddhist relics and an idol of Parsvanatha that proved the co-existence of Buddhism and Jainism in the region, Mr. Krishnamurthy added.
The oldest Vastu Mandala in any temple in South India was also discovered at Talakadu and it dates to the 2nd or 3rd centuries CE, based on the recovery of painted potteries corresponding to that age, said Mr. Krishnamurthy.
Other discoveries include the now well-known remains of a barrage across the Cauvery which measures 120 feet in length, 15 feet in height, and was 10 feet thick, he added.
The prevalence of Roman gold coins was common but a discovery of a kiln led to a conjecture that they were minted locally and could be fake.
Students from various colleges, Assistant Director of the Department of Archaeology Museums and Heritage C.N. Manjula, and others were present.
