Pattanam Site: No idols, no arms: the Pattanam mystery

Source: The post is based on the article “No idols, no arms: the Pattanam mystery” published in The Hindu on 2nd April 2023.

What is the News?

Recent excavation has revealed that the Pattanam Site in Kerala was a thriving urban centre from the 5th century B.C. to the 5th century A.D., with its peak phase from 100 B.C. to A.D. 300.  At present, the excavation has uncovered less than 1% of the site so far.

About Pattanam Site

Located in: Central Kerala

Pattanam is part of Muziris, ‘first emporium’ of the Indian Ocean. It is an example of the Greco- Roman classical age coming into direct contact with an ancient South Indian civilisation.

Note: The name Muziris is believed to have originated from the Tamil word “Muciri”, which means “the land of seven rivers”.

Significance: It is the only multi-cultural archaeological site on the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent. The excavations have unearthed over 45 lakh sherds (ceramic fragments). Of these approximately 1.4 lakh belongs to the littoral regions of the Mediterranean, the River Nile, the Red Sea, the western and eastern Indian Oceans, and the South China Sea. Further, the recent findings also include the seal of a sphinx, native to the ancient Greek city of Thebes.

What are the key findings on Pattanam Site?

No Idol Worship: The site is devoid of any idols of gods and goddesses or grandiose places of worship.

No Social Hierarchy: Evidence for institutionalized religion or caste system in ancient Pattanam is also absent. This suggests that there was a secular ethos prevalent in society.

No Weaponry: The absence of sophisticated weaponry also stands in contrast with some other Pattanam-contemporary sites. This suggests that the people of Pattanam may have been peace-loving people who did not harbour religious and caste boundaries.

Cremation and Burial Practices: The burial practices were confined to fragmentary skeleton remains. The burials were of a “secondary” nature. In this, the dead were cremated first and the osseous remains were ceremoniously buried later.

People of widely differing backgrounds were buried the same way, which also highlights the prevalence of a secular society.

Connected to nature: Material evidence from Pattanam site strengthens the belief that Pattanam society may have lived in harmony with nature, like several indigenous societies. Pattanam society also not viewed people as separate from nature. This had the positive fallout of living life in an ecologically responsible manner.