Tamil Nadu: Archaeological excavations in seven sites to begin in Feb

Archaeological excavations at four existing sites, including Keeladi and Sivagalai whose findings date back to 2,600 and 3,200 years respectively, in Tamil Nadu will resume in February with the Central Advisory Board for Archaeology (CABA) giving its seal of approval for the proposal and granting permission for digging in three new locations.

As part of its plans to conduct offshore explorations in the sea off the coast of Korkai, the much-celebrated port of the glorious Sangam Era, a Reconnaissance Survey will also be taken up in association with the Indian Maritime University and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) to identify and assess the archaeological potentiality of the then port city.

Four old sites and three new locations

Chief Minister M K Stalin said that permission has been granted for the eighth phase of archaeological excavations to be carried out by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) in Keeladi and its cluster sites of Agaram, Manalur, and Konthagai, while Sivagalai will enter the third phase, and Gangaikondacholapuram, and Mayiladumparai (second phase).

He added that nod has also been granted for digging for the first time in Vembakkottai (Virudhunagar district), Thulukkarpatti (Tirunelveli district), and Perumbalai (Dharmapuri district).

“The digging will begin in seven sites in 2022 in a bid to dig the past of the ancient Tamils and add to their glory and rich past. These excavations will help us scientifically prove that the history of the Indian sub-continent is written from the Tamil landscape,” Stalin said in a statement.

B Chandra Mohan, Principal Secretary (Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Department) told DH that archaeological excavations at all seven sites will begin in February and go on till September. He added that a fund of Rs 5 crore has been allotted for archaeological excavations to be taken up in the state.

Significance of Keeladi and Sivagalai

The senior bureaucrat said CABA has also given its nod for undertaking two archaeological explorations to identify Neolithic sites in Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, and Salem districts and to identify potential archaeological sites on the banks of Thamiraparani river in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi.

DH had on December 15 reported that Tamil Nadu has approached the CABA seeking permission for excavations in the above-mentioned seven sites.

Carbon dating of artefacts unearthed from Keeladi and Sivagalai have found that they date back to 2,600 and 3,200 years old, pushing the Sangam Literature further behind a few centuries.

These findings have created a huge buzz with researchers in Tamil Nadu calling them significant as they “narrow down” the gap between the Tamil urban settlements and the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC). However, many experts outside Tamil Nadu have rejected the Keeladi-IVC link theory, calling it “too pre-mature.”

‘People are custodians of history’

Indology expert and retired Odisha-cadre bureaucrat R Balakrishnan told DH that public interest and awareness about archaeology has increased significantly after the Keeladi excavations while welcoming the move to continue digging there and in new sites.

“History is not only essential but also inescapable. Any fresh narrative of history must be evidence-based. People are the ultimate custodians of history. Let us dig more and more till we unravel the true facts about our past,” Balakrishnan, author of critically-acclaimed Journey of a Civilization: Indus to Vaigai, said.

He stressed that the use of scientific tools and state of art methods during excavations and evaluation of evidence is essential. “It is heartening to note that recent excavations in TN are guided by not mere passion but a huge scientific temperament. The broad basing of international collaborations is evident. More than anything, I am very happy about the fact that there are no delays in bringing the findings to the public,” Balakrishnan, chief advisor to the Odisha chief minister, added.

How TNSDA took over Keeladi excavation from ASI?

TNSDA took over the Keeladi excavation in 2017 (from the fourth phase) following a surprise announcement by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that there was “no significant finding” from the site during the third phase after unearthing over 5,000 artefacts in the first two phases.

The report of the fourth phase, first under TNSDA, released under the then AIADMK government found that artefacts that were analysed date back to 2,600 years old. To facilitate analysis of the findings, the government has established a DNA analysis lab at the Madurai Kamaraj University at a cost of Rs 3 crore.

During the second phase of excavation at Sivagalai in Thoothukudi district in 2021, carbon dating of rice husks found in a burial urn established that date back to 3,200 years old. The new DMK government gave much-needed impetus to the TNSDA by allotting over Rs 5 crore for the excavations in the state to “dig deep into the past glory” of Tamils.

The Keeladi cluster includes Agaram and Konthagai, a habitation and burial site respectively. Sediments scrapped from the burial urns and skeletons found from the site have been sent for carbon dating and DNA analysis for further studies.

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