Adichanallur

The archaeological site of Adichanallur lies in Thoothukudi district, about 15 kilometres from Korkai, the capital of the early Pandya kingdom. Excavations in 2004–06 under T. Satyamurthy uncovered skeletons buried in earthenware urns, some marked with Tamil-Brahmi script, and in 2005 about 169 urns with human remains were found.

The dating of the site has been argued over. Samples sent to a US laboratory in 2019, after a delay of some 15 years that drew criticism from the Madras High Court, gave dates between 905 and 696 BC, which the court said placed Adichanallur among the earliest ancient sites in Tamil Nadu. Other tests have suggested earlier dates, including copper remains put at around 1500 BC, though that method was disputed.