Arikamedu Archaeological Site, Puducherry
Discover the ancient secrets of the Arikamedu archaeological site, Puducherry. Established along a vast stretch of open space which was once a bustling residential area and bustling middle-class commercial hub during colonial rule, this urban complex now stands as a testimony to people's capacity to survive difficult periods in their history with hard work and ingenuity. The Arikamedu site is located about 2 km north of Pondicherry city, close to the Bay of Bengal coast. It dates back to at least 400 BC, but was most active between 0 BC and 1500 AD. This important port city on the Coromandel Coast was called `Podouke' in ancient Tamil literature, which is probably a variation of `Potikai' or `Potiyil' in Sanskrit. It was frequented by traders from the west, who traded mainly in precious stones, pearls and silk. Settlements have been found at Arikamedu belonging to different cultural periods such as the Early Historic period (300 BC - 300 AD) and the Medieval period (1330 - 1500 AD), and it is believed that Arikamedu was a very important commercial city of South India.
The Arikamedu archaeological site has very impressive remains, out of which the most striking are two large open air workshops. This is where archaeologists discovered black and redware pottery, one of the first examples of its kind in India. The other important finding was evidence for cotton weaving. There is also evidence that the people who lived here were either local Tamils or migrants from South-East Asia.
Timings
Arikamedu archaeological site open at 08:30 AM to 05:00 PM during Monday to Saturday and 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM during Sundays.
Entry fees
No entry fee
Accessibility
Arikamedu archaeological site is about 9 kilometers away from Puducherry bus stand.