Archaeological excavations are known to throw up extremely rare and interesting finds; but it is a bonus when such antiquities are unearthed during routine pipeline work. Recently, in Kerala, archaeologists were called in when a megalithic laterite burial chamber and relics were found at Nagaparamba in Kuttippuram village, near Tirunavaya, in district Malappuram.
The Hat Stones
The archaeological excavation that the Kerala State Archaeology Department conducted, led to a discovery of a substantial number of megalithic 'hat' stones. Often called Thoppikkallu in Malayalam, 'hat' stones were used as hemispherical laterite stones to serve as lids for burial urns in the megalithic era. This archaeological find is notable for its significance and potential scale, possibly representing one of the largest 'hat' stones gatherings in an unprotected state site.
Regrettably, many of these hat stones have faced inadvertent destruction by local residents, who were largely unaware of their archaeological relevance. The stones were harmed during land clearance for housing construction.