Ancient terracotta lamps found in Tamil Nadu's Thenpennai river

CHENNAI: Terracotta lamps similar to the ones that have been unearthed in Keeladi (Sivaganga district) and Arikamedu (Puducherry) archaeological sites were unearthed from the Thenpennai riverbed near Panruti in Cuddalore district.
Archaeological researcher C Immanuel and Villupuram Arignar Anna Arts College history professor D Ramesh had found the lamps on the Thenpennai riverbed in Enathirimangalam in Panruti. The lamps were of various shapes and sizes and handmade. Immanuel said they were made of terracotta and black and red pottery.
One of them was disc-like with a depression in the middle and had four points for the wick to be placed and lit up. It was red in colour. The other lamp was black in colour and had one point to hold the wick. Both the lamps were intricately designed but damaged.
They too belonged to the Sangam era, because they were very similar to the lamps found in Keeladi and Arikamedu. Lamps were part of the domestication process of humans, when they wanted light for a long time in closed places. Early lamps were found in Paiyampalli and Appukkal in Vellore district and Mothur in Erode district, said Immanuel. The early lamps were made by hand and the middle portion was pressed to produce a depression.