Porunthal
Topic: Sangam Age and Early South India · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Porunthal is an archaeological site in Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu. Archaeologists dug up burials there that held pots and grain. Some potsherds (broken pieces of pots) carry writing in Tamil-Brahmi, the early script used to write Tamil. Scientific dating of the finds points to c. 5th century BCE. This matters because it suggests writing was in use in the Tamil region earlier than many scholars once thought.
Example
Rice grains found inside a pot in a Porunthal grave were dated to c. 5th century BCE. Because the grains came from the same burial as the inscribed potsherds, the Tamil-Brahmi writing there is thought to be about that old too.
Don't confuse with
- Kodumanal: another Tamil Nadu site, in Erode district. Kodumanal is known mainly for its bead-making, gemstone and shell industries, not for early dated writing.
Related concepts
- Tamilakam
- Sangam age
- Sangam literature
- Tamil Sangams
- Akam and puram
- Tinai
- Ettuthokai
- Akananuru
- Purananuru
- Pattuppattu