Author: G. Mahadevan
Publication: The Hindu
Date: January 4, 2006
URL: http://www.hinduonnet.com/2006/01/04/images/2006010401390201.jpg
During the eighth century AD when Sadayan
and Ko-Karunandadakkan kings of the Ay dynasty shifted their capital to what
is now Vizhinjam, they built a fort on a seaside cliff. Later, as Vizhinjam
grew in importance as a port of trade and military importance, the fort changed
hands several times - from the Ays to the Pandyas, then to the Kulasekharas
and finally to the Cholas. Sometime between 1070 AD and 1120 AD, Kolothunga
Chola is said to have destroyed this fort.
Some months ago, when a team of researchers
from the Department of Archaeology - led by the department head Ajit Kumar
- stumbled upon the remnants of what appeared to a fort by the side of the
sea near the lighthouse at Vizhinjam, little did they realise that they were
looking at a site where history was literally made and unmade.
"If all the archaeological evidence we
have is indeed true, then this is the oldest fort in Kerala. All other extant
forts belong to the colonial era. I would date this to far back as the eighth
or the ninth century," Dr. Ajit told The Hindu on Tuesday.
A preliminary investigation by the team has
revealed the fort might have originally been 800 sq. m in area. The fort's
wall can be found on the northern and western (seaside) parts and has been
constructed using large boulders set in mud mortar. The wide base of the wall
tapers on its way up. According to Dr. Ajit, one important clue in dating
the fort is that the walls have no battlements or `loop holes' (holes to place
cannons in). This is typical of early forts, he says.
The team was also able to trace literary and
epigraphical references - of 9 AD to 12 AD vintage - to a fort and port at
Vizhinjam. Sangam literature such as `Pandikkovai', `Iraiyanar Ahapporul Urai',
`Kalingattup-parani', of Jayamkondar, and `Vikrama-solan-ula' are said to
have numerous references to the existence of a fort, port and a mansion at
Vizhinjam.
Moreover, the Srivaramangalam copper plate
s of Pandyan King Nedum Chadayan ( 8 AD) have clear reference to Vizhinjam
and its fort. "Here, the fort is described as surrounded by waters of
three seas, protected by a wide moat, high walls which the sun's rays do not
touch and so on. Leaving aside the hyperbole typical of such inscriptions,
the ground evidence at Vizhinjam that we got fits this description of the
old fort. In fact the port at Vizhinjam has been mentioned in the work `The
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea', a work of the first century AD. Here Vizhinjam
has been called as Balita," said Dr. Ajit.
Hearing news that an earth-mover was used
for construction activity in a part of what once was the fort, the team rushed
to the site and was able to identify artefacts including pottery that also
indicate the age of the fort. The department plans to undertake an extensive
exploration in the area soon for "further verification and authentication'
of the evidences unearthed so far.
