Kerala, God’s own country, will occasionally surprise you with its expansive sandy beaches, swaying palms, glistening backwaters, lush green mountains, etc. Do you aware that the Keralan Wayanad Forest has been controlled for a few 1000 years?
The Edakkal Caves are located in Ambukutty Mala, a slope hill forest high on the Western Ghats with elevations ranging from 700 to 2100 m. Edakkal is located in two natural caves, and archaeological evidence from this region dates as far back as 6000 BCE!
The word “Edakkal” means “a stone in the midst.” The buckle is a broken or shake shield that is often shaped out of three enormous boulders arranged in an odd way such that one of them lies on top of the other two. The centre of the base stone protrudes and serves as the rooftop. One must hike across the Ambukutty Mala to reach these famous Caves.
Must people believe that Ambukutty Mala served as a mediator in an ancient trade network connecting Mysore’s high mountains and the ports on the Malabar Coast? Additionally, Malabar, which comprises the entire south-western littoral of the Indian promontory, was historically recorded as being a key hub of trade in ancient and mediaeval India. According to Sumerian records, Kerala exported flavour to Babylonia, Egypt, Assyria, Arabia, and other countries as early as 3000 BCE.
According to local folklore, Lav and Kush, the children of Shri Rama, released bolts that formed the Edakkal Caves. The primary Luv Kush Temple in Kerala is located near Pulpally, around 32 kilometres away from Edakkal Caves.
The caverns are where Goddess Mudiampilly resides in another form. The Hills top serves as a yearly pilgrimage destination for Goddess worshippers.
The majority of India’s southern region’s Stone Age carvings can be found in the Edakkal Caves. The Cave has two chambers, the upper chamber being 96 feet in length, 22 feet in breadth, and 18 feet in height. 18 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 10 feet high make up the basement chamber.
On the cave’s walls are engravings of tools used by humanity as well as human and animal depictions. Here, 429 signs have been discovered, including some in Tamil and Brahmi Script. A few of the engravings may resemble those from the Indus Valley Civilization.
From 6000 BCE to 1000 BCE, three age groups of carvings are distinguished. A collection of the artworks connects the north, north-west, and south by having a connection to the Indus Valley human development. These carvings depict humans with raised hair, and some wear veils. “A man with a jug glass” stands out among them as a notable individual.
The examination of the sculptures at the location was led by M.R. Raghava Warrier, a history student and authority on the inscriptions of Edakkal Cave. The Kerala State Archeology Department was his employer. A piece about this was published by The Hindu.
Based on the survey that was published, Warrier stated that “there had been remnants much like the Indus Valley civilisation in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, so these scientific advances offer credibility to the way that the Harappan civilisation had its spirit in the locale also and might follow the history of Kerala even beyond the Iron Age.”
The most distinctive subject in the Indus Valley Civilization is the depiction of a “Man with a Jar Cup.” The engravings on the walls separating the caverns in Edakkal feature this motif.
According to Warrier, the Edakkal carving includes a two-dimensional human form that differs somewhat from the Indus Valley representation.
According to Warrier, the jug is very similar to those in the Indus ligature. The image is a key component of the composition of compound letters, according to historians. Such letters could be used to decipher important ideas.
Photographs from the Indus Valley and the Edakkal Caves can be compared to show social transmission between the two regions of ancient India. Warrier oversaw additional investigation alongside historian Rajan Gurukkal in order to draw the assumption that the inscriptions in the Cave date to the Iron Age.
The anthropological and genuine significance of Edakkal Caves was originally discovered in 1890 by Fred Fawcett, a police official of the former Malabar state in British India. He accidentally ran over the Caves while pursuing Colin MacKinzie, a cultivator, in the Wayanad Jungle.
Fawcett showed a clear interest in visiting locations and buildings with historical significance and writing about his experiences there.
Fawcett’s stone etching was mentioned by Colin MacKinzie in 1890. In 1894 and 1895, Fawcett visited the caverns once more and discussed the illustrations. Archaeologists and anthropologists started looking at the carvings based on his designs.
It will be possible to learn additional facts about an Ancient civilization that took place in South India before the Indus Valley human advancement by taking part in and doing a thorough analysis of the stone carvings of the Edakkal monuments.
More of these ancient sites and caves that are buried beneath the soil must be waiting to be discovered in order to show us who our ancestors were and the source of our world.