Is the ghatam an ancient instrument?

The age of the ghatam is disputed. P. Sambamoorthy wrote that the Ramayana mentions the mud pot as a time-keeping instrument, but a 1984 Sruti writer found no ghatam reference in classical Tamil literature. Concert use is better documented: Palani Krishna Iyer (1876 to 1908) brought it to the Carnatic stage, and before that the pot served mainly as a folk instrument.