Sunday 30 September 2012

500 years old Tamil Bell!


Tamil bell-
The Tamil Bell is a broken bronze bell discovered in approximately 1836 by the missionary William Colenso. It was being used as a pot to boil potatoes by Māori women near Whangarei in the Northland Region of New Zealand.The bell
 is 13 cm long and 9 cm deep, and has an inscription in old tamil. The bell could be about 500 years old. The bell has been dated by some historians to the Later Pandya period(11th to 13th century).
It suggest Ancient Tamil sea-farers might have had a knowledge of Australia, New Zealand and Polynesia before European reach, The first Europeans known to reach New Zealand were the crew of Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in December 1642 .

The bell was bequeathed by William Colenso to the Dominion Museum in wellington, New Zealand.

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