10/6/2014

2,500-year-old labyrinth discovered in Dharmapuri

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Oct 05 2014 : The Times of India (Chennai)

2,500-year-old
labyrinth discovered in
Dharmapuri
MT Saju

Chennai

Archaeologists Believe It To Be The Largest

In The World
A 2,500-year-old labyrinth has been excavated in
Kambainallur village in Dharmapuri district of Tamil
Nadu.Archaeologists believe it could well be the
largest in the world.With a complicated network of
paths,

labyrinths

have

been

fertility

symbol

associated with many cultures. They represent a

unique pattern of consciousness and have been used
as meditation tool since the Neolithic period.
Ancient people used to worship labyrinths to be
blessed with a child, to attain success in their pursuits
and for long life for their cattle, experts say.All the
rituals were in practice since the ancient period. Every
ritual followed today is just an extension of the
fertility cult in this region, said Sugavana Murugan,
who

along

with

Sad

hanandham

Krishnakumar,

discovered the site a month ago. Even though it is

difficult to find one's way inside a labyrinth, it is
believed that those who come out through the right
path are blessed by the almighty , he said.
Soon after the discovery, the duo sent details with
pictures to Jeff Saward, a London-based expert in the
field of labyrinths and mazes, for his opinion. After
studying it in detail, Saward said, The pattern is
exactly same as the one which is found on the clay
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10/6/2014

2,500-year-old labyrinth discovered in Dharmapuri

tablet from Pylos in Greece, one of the oldest laby

rinths in clay found in the world.
The labyrinths and mazes, according to Saward,
have been found to be in existence since the Neolithic
period. Maze is a multi-curved category where we
have multiple pathways to reach our goal whereas in
labyrinths there is only one pathway which leads
inexorably to the goal from the point of entry, said
Saward, who is editor of `Caerdroia', the journal of
mazes and labyrinths.
This

square

labyrinth

found

in

Kambainallur

contains seven paths. This labyrinth has been under

worship from time immemorial. It was found among
cist burials, which has made it easy for archeologists
to predict its age, said Murugan, who is a member of
the

Krishnagiri

District

Archaeological

Research

Centre.

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