Page:Origin and spread of the Tamils.djvu/35



24 ORIGIN AND SPREAD OF THE TAMILS Maula Ali in Hyderabad it was so constructed that at a time 20 people can stand upright. The one common feature about these burials is that no evidence can be cited of cremation in practice *. It is remarkable to find as many as five types of disposal of the dead mentioned in the Manimekalai, a Tamil classic of the 2nd century A.D. Among the five one is cremation (Courr). The other is that dead bodies were thrown on the waste land, which is neither burial nor cremation. This is g ouri, perhaps tyāga ghuba. Both these, I venture to think, betray influences of the Aryan culture. The remaining three are characteristic of South India. Burying in deep pits (Q8r GLUQuburi) potery cists (or youdoumluluri) and sepulchral urns (sryd Burr). This shows that while the earlier forms of burial continued to exist new forms have also been introduced in the early centuries of the Christian era." Mention has already been made of the barrows in Nilgiris. Besides, the other types of tombs are kistvaens (also Pāņdukuļis). These may be compared to pitchamber tombs. In addition, there was the cromlech called also vīrakallu by Kurumbar and Irular. These cromlechs are not sepulchral but monumental stones raised in honour of the fallen heroes in battle. This is known as Kollekallus in Coorg. These stones are also named Viragals, Mastikkal, Mahasatikkalt (e.g. Nilgris). In all these graves many objects have been discovered,
 * Ind. Ant., VI, pp. 279-80. t Sati stones do not belong to the archaic period.