Preserving our ancient history and heritage

Even though the British were colonisers, it cannot be denied that they respected history. So much so that, like magpies, they took whatever they found of interest in the “colonies”, sometimes shipping glorious artefacts the size of a small house back to England. The British Museum today stands both as a repository of articles that speak of humanity’s history on earth as well as a symbol of colonial power and arrogance. 
It was a German who first discovered Adichanallur, an archaeological site in Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu, in 1876. The British conducted excavations in the 1910s, discovering gold and bronze items among other artefacts.

Excavations were not resumed till 2005, when the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered several clay urns with human remains, among other things. Radiocarbon dating of artefacts revealed that they dated back from 905 BCE to 696 BCE. Given the great deal of interest in the Keezhadi excavations and what the finds have revealed about the region’s history, it was apt that the Centre announced Adichanallur would be developed and an on-site museum built there. However, days after this acknowledgement, several ancient urns were unearthed by heavy machinery and damaged. Shockingly, the ASI admitted that the machinery had been used to “clear the site” ahead of fencing work. Experts said such archaeological sites should be cleared manually. Officials filed a police complaint against the contractor who hired the machines. 

The question arises as to how such an incident could be allowed to occur in the first place. Across India, monuments are vandalised or defaced by locals. This lack of respect and a callousness towards history and heritage could well account for the Adichanallur incident, in which those tasked with protecting our heritage contributed towards its destruction. The way forward must be in making the ancient world present to today’s people. If there is one thing we ought to have learned from the colonisers, it is the respect for and preservation of our history and heritage.