The state government may have a notorious reputation when it comes to protecting the remnants of ancient history. The dolmens, also known as portal tombs, that belong to the megalithic period and are being reduced in numbers day by day.
The structure is also known as ‘muniyara’, mostly seen in Marayur and Chinnar region in Idukki, and is believed to be constructed around 300 BC to 100 AD. It is one of the oldest evidence of human civilisation and culture of the area, but till date, no serious efforts have been made to protect the ancient remnants. The forest officials in the area report the continuous destruction of the dolmens. “Few months ago when a survey was conducted by the district administration as part of a project, the officials had found that some of the dolmens were dismantled.
Over the decades, the dolmens were destroyed in large numbers. There were around 2,000 dolmens in the Marayur region alone as per a survey conducted by historian and archaeologist S Padmanabhan Thampi in 1974. Now the forest officials estimate that not more than 600 are left in Marayur and Chinnar regions,” said a forest officer working in Marayur.
The dolmens are believed to be the burial site of the earliest known inhabitants of the high ranges, possibly a nomadic tribe. “The dolmens are made of three or more stones kept upright position and covered with a huge capstone. People are unaware of its historic value and destroy them. Though numerous studies have been conducted by the district department as well as the Archaeological Department, the government has not made a serious move to preserve the sites,” said a forest official of the Marayur region. The Archaeological Department as well as individual anthropologists have recovered ancient pottery and pieces of iron used by the people of the megalithic age from the dolmens.
Dismantling of the structure by visitors and for household requirements is rampant in the region. The preservation of the ancient remnants call for speedy and willful government intervention.
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