Puthur hill, Rajapalayam: Stone Age dwellings, 3,000-year-old rock art

9 November 2026 · English History, Art & Culture

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Current affairs of 9 November 2026 (Shanmugam IAS Academy) – explained for UPSC, TNPSC and other competitive exams

News

Natural caves once inhabited by Stone Age people have reportedly been identified on Puthur hill near Thalavaipuram in Rajapalayam taluk, Virudhunagar district (reported 9 Nov 2026). Acting on information from local resident Ramkumar, Dr Po. Kandasamy, history professor at Rajapalayam Rajus' College, and Prof. Po. Prem of Ramco Engineering College surveyed the hill. Three rain-proof natural caves served as Stone Age dwellings, with grinding pits on their floors. The ceiling of one cave carries white-lime paintings of battle scenes, animals and weapons such as swords and shields, which the researchers date to about 3,000 years ago. A Jain stone bed on the south-western face and two meditation caves at the foothills point to a Jain presence. The researchers have urged protection, as soot from cooking near the hill temple threatens the paintings.

Key facts for the exam

Background

• Stone Age phases: Palaeolithic (hand-axes, cleavers – hunting-gathering), Mesolithic (microliths) and Neolithic (polished stone axes, farming, herding, pottery). Grinding pits and grooves on rock surfaces were used to sharpen stone tools and to grind grain.
• Robert Bruce Foote, the 'Father of Indian Prehistory', found a Palaeolithic hand-axe at Pallavaram, Chennai, in 1863. Attirampakkam and the Gudiyam caves (Tiruvallur district) are key Palaeolithic sites of Tamil Nadu. The Bhimbetka rock shelters of Madhya Pradesh became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
• Rock paintings are mostly in white (lime/kaolin) and red (ochre – iron oxide). Kizhvalai (Villupuram), Mallapadi (Krishnagiri) and Karikkiyur (Nilgiris) are well-known rock-art sites of Tamil Nadu. White paintings are generally assigned by scholars to the Iron Age.
• Jain stone beds (palli) on the hills of southern Tamil Nadu were shelters of monks. The Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions on the beds at Mangulam near Madurai are among the oldest and mention the Pandya king Nedunchezhiyan.

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Sources: ABP Live Tamil (9 Nov 2026) (republished by IPD Tamil); Daily Thanthi (24 Sep 2022); DT Next; UNESCO. Compiled by Shanmugam IAS Academy.

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