State plans to dig deeper in Keezhadi; excavations to begin in two months 

CHENNAI: Even as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been hastily winding up operations at the famous Keezhadi site near Madurai, the Tamil Nadu government on Monday announced that it would dig deep to bring out the evidences that could prove the existence of urban civilisation in ancient Tamil land.Minister for Tamil official language, Tamil culture and Archaeology K Pandiarajan made the announcement in the wake of Opposition parties crying foul over hurried, deliberate winding up of operations by ASI.

“The Central Advisory Board for Archaeology (CABA) has approved the Tamil Nadu Archaeology department’s proposal to carry out excavations at Keezhadi. We are going to launch the expedition in two months. If things can be speeded up, it may be next month,” Pandiarajan told reporters here.

He noted that in the about 100 acre site, the ASI dug up very few trenches. In order to bring out the archaeological evidences lying at Keezhadi, the State government has decided to carry out excavations.
Keezhadi continued to generate much heat with opposition parties and Tamil organisations accusing the Centre of deliberately trying to conceal evidences and suppress facts that could establish the existence of urban civilisation in Tamil land matching the Mohenjo-daro and Harappa era.

The shunting of excavation director Amarnath Ramakrishna, superintending archaeologist attached to the excavation branch of ASI based in Bengaluru, from Keezhadi to Assam had led to a lot of hue and cry.

Union minister for Culture Mahesh Sharma recently informed the Rajya Sabha in reply to DMK MP Kanimozhi’s query that carbon dating of samples collected from the site revealed they were 2,200 years old.

Scoffing at the allegations levelled by certain political parties, Ma Foi Pandiarajan said the State government would take action to check any attempt to belittle the glory of Tamil culture and civilisation. He hoped further excavations would unearth many more rare antiquities, bringing to the fore the ancient Tamil’s political, socio-economic and cultural glory.

Referring to the excavations at Alagankulam, being done by the State Archaeology department, he said it was progressing well. Replying to a query on why the State government was keen on defending the Centre while the ASI authorities were not willing to respond to charges levelled by the Opposition parties, Pandiarajan said he was not actually defending the Centre but wanted to get along with it for the advantage of the State.

CPM welcomes State’s move

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) on Monday welcomed the announcement of the Tamil Nadu government over its decision to dig deep at Keezhadi. “We welcome the decision of Tamil Nadu government to hold excavations by its Archaeology department,” State secretary of CPM G Ramakrishnan told Express. However, he added, it should be in continuation with where former excavation director at Keezhadi had left the excavations. The CPM leader stressed that the government should pool in required expertise to establish the existence of the urban civilisation in Tamil land