Hidden treasures of an ancient Dutch Fort

        They are centuries-old but seldom dismissed as things of the past. Forts and palaces have a unique charm and draw not only those who want to a have at least a feel of such places and visualise how people of those times lived, but also archaeologists in pursuit of evidence to link the life of the past and the present. One such monument which has shed some light on the past is the 17th century Sadras Dutch Fort.
 

       Hidden treasures from the Fort near Kalpakkam, off the east coast, have been unearthed by the Chennai Circle of Archaeological Survey of India.

        Excavation conducted in the eastern part of the 24-acre Sadras Fort during the past three months have so far led to the unearthing of invaluable pieces of evidence, according to K T Narasimhan, Superintending Archaeologist, Chennai Circle of Archaeological Survey of India.

        Different types of floor made with hexagonal, rectangular and circular bricks (like the ones used on Marina beach pathway now), two wine bottles, three ovens, smoking pipes, adupuli attam board made of terracota and three copper coins were among the valuables found in the Fort, which looked like a sand dune till recently. 

        A well, a buttress wall to the inner defence wall and working area for colouring the muslin cloth (dyeing wall) were also found during the excavation process. 
Concealed drainage
system

        The shining wine bottles had been recovered without even a scratch and cigar pipes made of white clay looked as if they were made of ivory. The concealed drainage system excavated in the Fort was an example of the technological know-how adopted before five centuries. Apart from these, a huge granary had also been found, he said.
 

 
The Sadras Fort and cemetry before 
and after conservation
        The Sadras Fort was identified in the year 1991, two km away from Kalpakkam near the East Coast Road. So far, Rs1.5 lakh had been spent on excavation work and it would go on for another year.

        Sadras, a flourishing weaver settlement during the medieval period, became a Dutch settlement after they obtained it in 1612 from the rulers of Carnatic. The Dutch East India Company established a factory, essentially to produce and trade the famous muslin cloth till the settlement was razed to the ground in British bombardment.

        Besides, the excavation conducted at Gingee has revealed palace (party) of Nayaks, an open Darbar with Royal throne, numerous structural evidence and well-planned underground drainage.

        The Department of Archaeology of the Tamilnadu government has also taken up underwater excavations in Pumpuhar to establish the States cultural past with material evidence.
 

        Recently, a team of scientists from the National Institute of Ocean Technology conducted an underwater expedition in the Gulf of Cambay (Gujarat) and unearthed some invaluable antiquities which would help a long way in restructuring archaeology.

        The theme for this years World Heritage Day celebrations would be underwater cultural heritage, according to Narasimhan. The Chennai Circle had already brought to light some invaluable underwater cultural heritage through excavation of structures such as inlet channels made of bricks at Poompuhar that could be dated to dawn of history. 
Smoking pipes 
used by the Dutch
An ancient well excavated in the Fort

       Similarly, at Mamallapuram, an ancient canal with five landings made of a well-dressed stone having a jetty point with laterite screen wall was unearthed in the recent past which showed that the Tamil people had achieved such high civil engineering skills approximately two millennium years ago, he said.
 

    
Rectangular tiles used in the Fort 
before 450 years
        The circle had requested the UNESCO to accredit World Heritage Site status to Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Airavateswara temple, Darasuram, in addition to the Sri Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur, which has already been declared as World Heritage Monument, because the former two monuments also belong to the Chola dynasty.

        This year, the Chennai Circle had undertaken conservation of 16 monuments at a cost of Rs.1.75 crore lakh. Some of these include the Kailasanathar temple at Kanchipuram, Brihadiswara temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Airavatswara temple at Darasuram, the Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur, Fort at Vellore, the group of monuments at Mamallapuram, Jaina temples at Mettupudur, Tirumalai and Sitannavasal.
      - T Muruganandham, Newtodaynet.com


Courtsey: newstodaynet.com