The original Times of India article is here, with more photos:
Asmall cement lane off the busy main road of Thiruporur,situated about 50 kms from Chennai,leads up to a quiet hill strewn with several large boulders.This site,as discovered years ago by the Archaeological Survey of India,is the final resting place for a 2000-year-old megalithic civilization.But today,the burial ground of a centuries-old civilisation is giving way to modern housing blocks.Several concrete houses can be spotted within the fenced land,standing defiantly against the ASI signboard erected a few feet away,warning stringent action,even imprisonment,against trespassers.
The land under ASI protection in Thiruporur is spread over 66 acres.But several encroachments over the years have considerably reduced the size of this land.There are a few multi-storeyed buildings on the protected land, said Narayan,an LIC agent residing in the town.However,most residences here are really small concrete houses brought from real estate developers who sold them government land for a tidy sum.Also,a lot of these boulders have been cut and blasted by developers for use in construction. Faced with a severe space crunch,the thought of several acres of prime land sitting vacant has been too tempting for people to resist.Though the site is demarcated by stiles,they are not enough to keep people out.Nor are the several warning boards put up by the ASI in the area.
However,the Thiruporur site has not been excavated yet.The dead are buried beneath each stone circle, explained an ASI official.We havent excavated it yet,but we could easily make out from the placement of the stones that it was a burial site.Construction of houses in the site would disturb the placement of the stones and make it difficult for us to study the site.
ASI officials say that several appeals had been made to the state government to save the sites that could tell rich tales about the culture and practices of an ancient civilisation.But there has been no response from the state yet.
Its not too late though, said Narayan.There are over 35 acres of this land that has not been encroached yet.This land could still be saved if the ASI posts a few security guards here and maybe plant trees.Otherwise with the IT park expanding along this route,even this land could be swallowed by developers. Additionally,a black-top road maintained by the local body also passes through the fenced area.
Several such megalithic sites have been discovered in the backyards of Chennai that includes Siruthavur,Ponmar and Perungulathur.Siruthavur,located about 60 kms from the city,has also fallen prey to real estate development.This site unearthed a treasure trove of urns and sarcophaguses during an excavation in 2009 as reported by TOI.Today,a residential plot and a private nursery for plants stand on the same spot.ASI sources say that most of the sarcophaguses have been rescued and stored in a safe place.There are numerous megalithic sites in Tamil Nadu,most of which are facing encroachment problem, said S Suresh,state convenor for Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH ).Most of these sites dont even have the protected status granted by ASI.I have seen quite a few sites,located in rural areas,converted to farming land.
However,as he pointed out,most people in the surrounding area neither understand nor relate to the significance of these sites.Said a Thiruporur panchayat official,who felt that the site was being protected at the cost of their towns development,Since 2009,not a single new building has been denied electricity or water connection.Over 75% of the town falls within the 300 metres barrier limit set by the ASI as regulated zone that freezes all construction activities. But,a newly-constructed police quarters and several new shops have been denied power and water connection as they fall within the ASI regulated zone.
More, with photos at
http://www1.lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=8&edlabel=TOICH&mydateHid=24-04-2010&pubname=&edname=&articleid=Ar00800&format=&publabel=TOI&max=true
Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road