Neolithic find in southern India suggests the species once ranged far beyond present-day Assam
Guwahati: Archaeologists have uncovered rare evidence of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros at a Neolithic site in Tamil Nadu—far south of the animal’s present-day range, offering new insights into prehistoric wildlife distribution and long-distance exchange networks in ancient India.
The discovery comes from Molapalayam, a Neolithic settlement in Coimbatore district excavated between 2019 and 2024. The findings were presented in a scientific paper titled “Scientific Investigations at the Neolithic Site of Molapalayam, Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India” at the International Symposium on Recent Scientific Studies in Archaeology of Tamil Nadu.
The study was authored by Dr V. Selvakumar, Satish Naik, G.S. Abhayan, Veena Musrif-Tripathy, P.S. Prabhakar, K. Krishnan, Supriyo Kumar Das, Ravi Kant Prasad, Adithya Ramesan, Ajith M., Sharmila Bhattacharyya, P. Udayaganeesan and M. Gautham.
Among the faunal remains recovered from the site, researchers identified bone fragments belonging to Rhinoceros unicornis, a species now largely restricted to Assam, eastern India and Nepal. Dating to around 1600–1400 BCE, the find is considered exceptional, as rhino remains are extremely rare in South Indian archaeological records.
The rhino bones were found alongside remains of elephant, gaur, leopard, sambar deer and wild boar, suggesting that Neolithic landscapes in the region once supported a far richer diversity of large mammals.
The specimen was identified by G.S. Abhayan and Ajith of the Department of Archaeology, University of Kerala, adding specialist confirmation to the rare find.
While the researchers outline multiple interpretations, V. Selvakumar said the evidence points more strongly towards a wider prehistoric presence of the animal. “However, the possibility of a local presence is stronger,” he said, adding that “trade and exchange of rhino horn was common” in ancient India.
Evidence of long-distance connections at Molapalayam includes the recovery of marine shells of Oliva species and Turbinella pyrum, along with shell beads, indicating established exchange networks between inland settlements and coastal areas. According to the authors, by the second millennium BCE, India’s hinterlands and coastal regions were already well connected through trade and exchange.
Selvakumar said the findings also highlight the need to broaden the geographical focus of archaeological research in India. While much attention has traditionally been placed on major cultural centres such as the Indus civilisation, he noted that discoveries like Molapalayam demonstrate why archaeologists must explore the nooks and corners of the country to better understand regional cultural developments and long-term human–environment interactions.
Identified as the southernmost Neolithic site in Tamil Nadu, Molapalayam reveals a mixed subsistence economy based on cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat rearing, alongside hunting and the use of aquatic resources. Cut marks on bones indicate active butchery, while remains of freshwater molluscs, turtles and fish point to the exploitation of multiple ecosystems.
For researchers, the Molapalayam rhino is more than an unusual find—it challenges modern assumptions about India’s ecological past and underscores how prehistoric mobility, trade and environmental diversity shaped human societies long before recorded history.