Indus-Like Symbols in South India

history and cultures#topic

A rock engraving depicting a symbol commonly associated with the Indus Valley civilisation which flourished in the north-western region of the Indian sub-continent has been found in southern India.

The engraving, which depicts a man with a jar, was discovered recently in the Edakkal caves in the Wayanad district of Kerala.

Historian M R Raghava Varrier, who identified the symbol during excavation by the state's Archaeological Department, told The Hindu newspaper: "What is striking in the Edakkal sign is the presence of an Indus motif, which is rare."

"The jar is the same as the Indus Valley's. But the human figure is slightly different. This is where the influence of the Edakkal style really dominates."

Mr Varrier said: "It is wrong to presume that the Indus culture disappeared into thin air." He added that the findings indicated "the fact that cultural diffusion could take place".

The two-dimensional human figure with a jar is thought to be etched with a stone axe and is a part of the newly-discovered "compound letters similar to scripts".

The Indus script - dating between 2300 BC and 1700 BC - which comprises several hundred symbols which have been found on seals, small tablets, or ceramic pots but have not been deciphered yet.

Copyright © Press Association 2009

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