Latest news with #AmarnathRamakrishnan
Asharq Al-Awsat
29-07-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Ancient Site Sparks Heated Political Debate about India's Past
The Keeladi village in India's southern Tamil Nadu state has unearthed archeological finds that have sparked a political and historical debate. Amid coconut groves, a series of 15ft (4.5m) deep trenches reveal ancient artifacts buried in layers of soil - fragments of terracotta pots, and traces of long-lost brick structures, BBC reported on Monday. Experts from the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology estimate the artifacts to be 2,000 to 2,500 years old, with the oldest dating back to around 580 BCE. They say these findings challenge and reshape existing narratives about early civilization in the Indian subcontinent. With politicians, historians, and epigraphists weighing in, Keeladi has moved beyond archaeology, becoming a symbol of state pride and identity amid competing historical narratives. Yet history enthusiasts say it remains one of modern India's most compelling and accessible discoveries - offering a rare opportunity to deepen understanding of a shared past. Keeladi, a village 12km (7 miles) from Madurai on the banks of the Vaigai river, was one of 100 sites shortlisted for excavation by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishnan in 2013. He selected a 100-acre site there because of its proximity to ancient Madurai and the earlier discovery of red-and-black pottery ware by a schoolteacher in 1975. Ajay Kumar, leading the state archaeology team at Keeladi, said the key finds are elaborate brick structures and water systems - evidence of a 2,500-year-old urban settlement. 'This was a literate, urban society where people had separate spaces for habitation, burial practices and industrial work,' Kumar said, noting it's the first large, well-defined ancient urban settlement found in southern India. William Daniel, a teacher from neighboring Kerala, said the discoveries made him feel proud about his heritage. 'It gives people from the south [of India] something to feel proud about, that our civilization is just as ancient and important as the one in the north [of India],' he said. The politics surrounding Keeladi reflects a deep-rooted north-south divide - underscoring how understanding the present requires grappling with the past. India's first major civilization, the Indus Valley, emerged in the north and central regions between 3300 and 1300 BCE. After its decline, a second urban phase, the Vedic period, rose in the Gangetic plains, lasting until the 6th Century BCE. This phase saw major cities, powerful kingdoms and the rise of Vedic culture - a foundation for Hinduism. As a result, urbanization in ancient India is often viewed as a northern phenomenon, with a dominant narrative that the northern Aryans "civilized" the Dravidian south. This is especially evident in the mainstream understanding of the spread of literacy. It is believed that the Ashokan Brahmi script - found on Mauryan king Ashoka's rock edicts in northern and central India, dating back to the 3rd Century BCE - is the predecessor of most scripts in South and Southeast Asia. Epigraphists like Iravatham Mahadevan and Y Subbarayalu have long held the view that the Tamil Brahmi script - the Tamil language spoken in Tamil Nadu and written in the Brahmi script - was an offshoot of the Ashokan Brahmi script. But now, archaeologists from the Tamil Nadu state department say that the excavations at Keeladi are challenging this narrative. 'We have found graffiti in the Tamil Brahmi script dating back to the 6th Century BCE, which shows that it is older than the Ashokan Brahmi script. We believe that both scripts developed independently and, perhaps, emerged from the Indus Valley script,' Kumar said. Epigraphist S Rajavelu, former professor of marine archaeology at the Tamil University, agrees with Kumar and said other excavation sites in the state too have unearthed graffiti in the Tamil Brahmi script dating back to the 5th and 4th Century BCE. But some experts say that more research and evidence are needed to conclusively prove the antiquity of the Tamil Brahmi script.
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ancient site stirs heated political debate on India's past
The Keeladi village in India's southern Tamil Nadu state has unearthed archeological finds that have sparked a political and historical battle. Amid coconut groves, a series of 15ft (4.5m) deep trenches reveal ancient artefacts buried in layers of soil - fragments of terracotta pots, and traces of long-lost brick structures. Experts from the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology estimate the artefacts to be 2,000 to 2,500 years old, with the oldest dating back to around 580 BCE. They say these findings challenge and reshape existing narratives about early civilisation in the Indian subcontinent. With politicians, historians, and epigraphists weighing in, Keeladi has moved beyond archaeology, becoming a symbol of state pride and identity amid competing historical narratives. Yet history enthusiasts say it remains one of modern India's most compelling and accessible discoveries - offering a rare opportunity to deepen our understanding of a shared past. Keeladi, a village 12km (7 miles) from Madurai on the banks of the Vaigai river, was one of 100 sites shortlisted for excavation by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishnan in 2013. He selected a 100-acre site there because of its proximity to ancient Madurai and the earlier discovery of red-and-black pottery ware by a schoolteacher in 1975. Since 2014, 10 excavation rounds at Keeladi have uncovered over 15,000 artefacts - burial urns, coins, beads, terracotta pipes and more - from just four of the 100 marked acres. Many are now displayed in a nearby museum. Ajay Kumar, leading the state archaeology team at Keeladi, says the key finds are elaborate brick structures and water systems - evidence of a 2,500-year-old urban settlement. "This was a literate, urban society where people had separate spaces for habitation, burial practices and industrial work," Mr Kumar says, noting it's the first large, well-defined ancient urban settlement found in southern India. Since the Indus Valley Civilisation's discovery in the early 1900s, most efforts to trace civilisation's origins in the subcontinent have focused on northern and central India. So, the Keeladi finds have sparked excitement across Tamil Nadu and beyond. William Daniel, a teacher from neighbouring Kerala, said the discoveries made him feel proud about his heritage. "It gives people from the south [of India] something to feel proud about, that our civilisation is just as ancient and important as the one in the north [of India]," he says. The politics surrounding Keeladi reflects a deep-rooted north-south divide - underscoring how understanding the present requires grappling with the past. India's first major civilisation - the Indus Valley - emerged in the north and central regions between 3300 and 1300 BCE. After its decline, a second urban phase, the Vedic period, rose in the Gangetic plains, lasting until the 6th Century BCE. This phase saw major cities, powerful kingdoms and the rise of Vedic culture - a foundation for Hinduism. As a result, urbanisation in ancient India is often viewed as a northern phenomenon, with a dominant narrative that the northern Aryans "civilised" the Dravidian south. This is especially evident in the mainstream understanding of the spread of literacy. It is believed that the Ashokan Brahmi script - found on Mauryan king Ashoka's rock edicts in northern and central India, dating back to the 3rd Century BCE - is the predecessor of most scripts in South and Southeast Asia. Epigraphists like Iravatham Mahadevan and Y Subbarayalu have long held the view that the Tamil Brahmi script - the Tamil language spoken in Tamil Nadu and written in the Brahmi script - was an offshoot of the Ashokan Brahmi script. But now, archaeologists from the Tamil Nadu state department say that the excavations at Keeladi are challenging this narrative. "We have found graffiti in the Tamil Brahmi script dating back to the 6th Century BCE, which shows that it is older than the Ashokan Brahmi script. We believe that both scripts developed independently and, perhaps, emerged from the Indus Valley script," Mr Kumar says. Epigraphist S Rajavelu, former professor of marine archaeology at the Tamil University, agrees with Mr Kumar and says other excavation sites in the state too have unearthed graffiti in the Tamil Brahmi script dating back to the 5th and 4th Century BCE. But some experts say that more research and evidence are needed to conclusively prove the antiquity of the Tamil Brahmi script. Another claim by the state department of archaeology that has ruffled feathers is that the graffiti found on artefacts in Keeladi is similar to that found in the Indus Valley sites. "People from the Indus Valley may have migrated to the south, leading to a period of urbanisation taking place in Keeladi at the same time it was taking place in the Gangetic plains," Mr Kumar says, adding that further excavations are needed to fully grasp the settlement's scale. But Ajit Kumar, a professor of archaeology at Nalanda University in Bihar, says that this wouldn't have been possible. "Considering the rudimentary state of travel back then, people from the Indus Valley would not have been able to migrate to the south in such large numbers to set up civilisation," he says. He believes the finds in Keeladi can be likened to a small "settlement". While archaeologists debate the findings, politicians are already drawing links between Keeladi and the Indus Valley - some even claim the two existed at the same time or that the Indus Valley was part of an early southern Indian, or Dravidian, civilisation. The controversy over ASI archaeologist Mr Ramakrishnan's transfer - who led the Keeladi excavations - has intensified the site's political tensions. In 2017, after two excavation rounds, the ASI transferred Mr Ramakrishnan, citing protocol. The Tamil Nadu government accused the federal agency of deliberately hindering the digs to undermine Tamil pride. The ASI's request in 2023 for Mr Ramakrishnan to revise his Keeladi report - citing a lack of scientific rigour - has intensified the controversy. He refused, insisting his findings followed standard archaeological methods. In June, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin called the federal government's refusal to publish Mr Ramakrishnan's report an "onslaught on Tamil culture and pride". State minister Thangam Thennarasu accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led federal government of deliberately suppressing information to erase Tamilian history. India's Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has now clarified that Mr Ramakrishnan's report has not been rejected by the ASI but is "under review," with expert feedback yet to be finalised. Back at the the Keeladi museum, children explore exhibits during a school visit while construction continues outside to create an open-air museum at the excavation site. Journalist Sowmiya Ashok, author of an upcoming book on Keeladi, recalls the thrill of her first visit. "Uncovering history is a journey to better understand our shared past. Through small clues - like carnelian beads from the northwest or Roman copper coins - Keeladi reveals that our ancestors were far more connected than we realise," she says. "The divisions we see today are shaped more by the present than by history." Solve the daily Crossword
BBC News
27-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Keeladi: The ancient site that has become a political flashpoint in India
The Keeladi village in India's southern Tamil Nadu state has unearthed archeological finds that have sparked a political and historical coconut groves, a series of 15ft (4.5m) deep trenches reveal ancient artefacts buried in layers of soil - fragments of terracotta pots, and traces of long-lost brick from the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology estimate the artefacts to be 2,000 to 2,500 years old, with the oldest dating back to around 580 BCE. They say these findings challenge and reshape existing narratives about early civilisation in the Indian politicians, historians, and epigraphists weighing in, Keeladi has moved beyond archaeology, becoming a symbol of state pride and identity amid competing historical history enthusiasts say it remains one of modern India's most compelling and accessible discoveries - offering a rare opportunity to deepen our understanding of a shared a village 12km (7 miles) from Madurai on the banks of the Vaigai river, was one of 100 sites shortlisted for excavation by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishnan in 2013. He selected a 100-acre site there because of its proximity to ancient Madurai and the earlier discovery of red-and-black pottery ware by a schoolteacher in 1975. Since 2014, 10 excavation rounds at Keeladi have uncovered over 15,000 artefacts - burial urns, coins, beads, terracotta pipes and more - from just four of the 100 marked acres. Many are now displayed in a nearby Kumar, leading the state archaeology team at Keeladi, says the key finds are elaborate brick structures and water systems - evidence of a 2,500-year-old urban settlement."This was a literate, urban society where people had separate spaces for habitation, burial practices and industrial work," Mr Kumar says, noting it's the first large, well-defined ancient urban settlement found in southern the Indus Valley Civilisation's discovery in the early 1900s, most efforts to trace civilisation's origins in the subcontinent have focused on northern and central the Keeladi finds have sparked excitement across Tamil Nadu and Daniel, a teacher from neighbouring Kerala, said the discoveries made him feel proud about his heritage."It gives people from the south [of India] something to feel proud about, that our civilisation is just as ancient and important as the one in the north [of India]," he says. The politics surrounding Keeladi reflects a deep-rooted north-south divide - underscoring how understanding the present requires grappling with the first major civilisation - the Indus Valley - emerged in the north and central regions between 3300 and 1300 BCE. After its decline, a second urban phase, the Vedic period, rose in the Gangetic plains, lasting until the 6th Century phase saw major cities, powerful kingdoms and the rise of Vedic culture - a foundation for Hinduism. As a result, urbanisation in ancient India is often viewed as a northern phenomenon, with a dominant narrative that the northern Aryans "civilised" the Dravidian is especially evident in the mainstream understanding of the spread of literacy. It is believed that the Ashokan Brahmi script - found on Mauryan king Ashoka's rock edicts in northern and central India, dating back to the 3rd Century BCE - is the predecessor of most scripts in South and Southeast like Iravatham Mahadevan and Y Subbarayalu have long held the view that the Tamil Brahmi script - the Tamil language spoken in Tamil Nadu and written in the Brahmi script - was an offshoot of the Ashokan Brahmi now, archaeologists from the Tamil Nadu state department say that the excavations at Keeladi are challenging this narrative."We have found graffiti in the Tamil Brahmi script dating back to the 6th Century BCE, which shows that it is older than the Ashokan Brahmi script. We believe that both scripts developed independently and, perhaps, emerged from the Indus Valley script," Mr Kumar says. Epigraphist S Rajavelu, former professor of marine archaeology at the Tamil University, agrees with Mr Kumar and says other excavation sites in the state too have unearthed graffiti in the Tamil Brahmi script dating back to the 5th and 4th Century some experts say that more research and evidence are needed to conclusively prove the antiquity of the Tamil Brahmi claim by the state department of archaeology that has ruffled feathers is that the graffiti found on artefacts in Keeladi is similar to that found in the Indus Valley sites."People from the Indus Valley may have migrated to the south, leading to a period of urbanisation taking place in Keeladi at the same time it was taking place in the Gangetic plains," Mr Kumar says, adding that further excavations are needed to fully grasp the settlement's Ajit Kumar, a professor of archaeology at Nalanda University in Bihar, says that this wouldn't have been possible."Considering the rudimentary state of travel back then, people from the Indus Valley would not have been able to migrate to the south in such large numbers to set up civilisation," he says. He believes the finds in Keeladi can be likened to a small "settlement". While archaeologists debate the findings, politicians are already drawing links between Keeladi and the Indus Valley - some even claim the two existed at the same time or that the Indus Valley was part of an early southern Indian, or Dravidian, controversy over ASI archaeologist Mr Ramakrishnan's transfer - who led the Keeladi excavations - has intensified the site's political 2017, after two excavation rounds, the ASI transferred Mr Ramakrishnan, citing protocol. The Tamil Nadu government accused the federal agency of deliberately hindering the digs to undermine Tamil ASI's request in 2023 for Mr Ramakrishnan to revise his Keeladi report - citing a lack of scientific rigour - has intensified the controversy. He refused, insisting his findings followed standard archaeological June, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin called the federal government's refusal to publish Mr Ramakrishnan's report an "onslaught on Tamil culture and pride". State minister Thangam Thennarasu accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led federal government of deliberately suppressing information to erase Tamilian Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has now clarified that Mr Ramakrishnan's report has not been rejected by the ASI but is "under review," with expert feedback yet to be finalised. Back at the the Keeladi museum, children explore exhibits during a school visit while construction continues outside to create an open-air museum at the excavation Sowmiya Ashok, author of an upcoming book on Keeladi, recalls the thrill of her first visit."Uncovering history is a journey to better understand our shared past. Through small clues - like carnelian beads from the northwest or Roman copper coins - Keeladi reveals that our ancestors were far more connected than we realise," she says. "The divisions we see today are shaped more by the present than by history."
News18
13-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
What's Been Knocked About By Shadow-Boxing Over Keeladi?
That was bound to fuel charges of manipulation, and lead to allegations of suppressing the 'truth". It would also make any professional—as superintending archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishnan definitely is—double down on his work. After all, another Archaeological Survey of India stalwart KK Muhammed also refused to budge from his report on the Hindu pillars and terracotta figures found beneath the Babri Masjid though he was under intense pressure. Even in Tamil Nadu, the case of Keeladi is not unique; T Satyamurthy, who led excavations at Adichanallur, also went through travails related to the submission of his findings. Not only did a century go by between the first dig and the next—1904 and 2003-4—over 15 years elapsed before the ASI came out with a report about what was found. And Tamil parties cited its findings as proof of a separate civilisation separate and superior to the Sindhu-Sarasvati one. As the Adichanallur saga continued, ASI asked Ramakrishna for clarifications on what depth (and therefore what date) some artefacts were excavated in Keeladi too, particularly those attributed to the oldest period, saying they needed more analysis. Like Satyamurthy, Ramakrishna did not budge, asserting his findings were sound and based on established archaeological procedures—stratigraphic sequences, material culture and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. 'Science" has long been used as a weapon to prop up hypotheses on antiquity and tear them apart. So it is not surprising that in Keeladi too, science is being posited as the neutral adjudicator in a bruising battle of competing political ideologies as state elections in Tamil Nadu loom menacingly. Setting up a museum in Keeladi even as excavations and discoveries are still happening point to the drumming up of popular support for discoveries yet to be peer-reviewed. The southern extremity of Indian is the location of many ancient burial sites—in cists, cairns and urns—but no settlements had been found until the dig at Keeladi. Indeed, even the 178 urns unearthed at Adichanallur had human remains with a diverse racial range: 35% Caucasoid, 30% Mongoloid, 16% Negroid, 6% Australoid, 8% ethnic Dravidian, and 5% mixed trait. Thus, Adichanallur was not a strong candidate to assert a superior 'Dravidian' civilisation. So Keeladi, 12 km southeast of Madurai—one of many ancient sites identified along the Vaigai river, is now the poster-place for Tamil pride. Thousands of artefacts were unearthed there by ASI's Ramakrishna, indicating a 2,100-year-old thriving urban centre of the Sangam era, the first discovery of this kind. Many theories have been expounded since then about Keeladi, including postulations that it was sophisticated and 'highly literate' and even 'secular'. Assertions of 'secularism' in that pre-modern society even though the presence of ritual burials prove that the people of that time had certain beliefs indicates a distinct political agenda given the trajectory of current Dravidian politics; the politicisation of Keeladi is clear. That is why the Centre and ASI have to tread carefully, even when citing science as the reason for their scepticism about Keeladi's antiquity, or any other aspect of the findings there. When Ramakrishna refused the Centre's order to revise his 982-page report on the two phases of excavations he carried out at Keeladi in 2014-2016, he gained huge support from segments in the state who claimed 'northern' bias. Transferring Ramakrishna to Assam—a very bureaucratic move—and delays in central funds for more excavations at Keeladi only exacerbated Tamil anger. Eventually excavations there by ASI restarted, but under PS Sriraman. However, Sriraman concluded there was no continuity in the brick structures discovered earlier, so all the accusations of suppression of Tamil heritage surfaced again. The Madras High Court intervened, visited Keeladi and ordered ASI to continue digging and allow Tamil Nadu's department of archaeology to join in. The latter promptly published a report in 2019 saying Keeladi was an urban settlement dating from 6th century BCE to 1st century CE. In January 2023 Ramakrishna, by then back in Tamil Nadu, submitted his report on the first two phases. But he was again transferred thrice more in quick succession. Meanwhile the third phase of excavation by the state's archaeology department has been accompanied by strong 'Tamil pride' narratives by a wide range of mostly non-experts in archaeology. The ASI, and by extension the Centre, maintain that scientific lacunae remain about Keeladi. advetisement The discovery of hundreds of ancient megalithic burials points to the probability of nearly as many as-yet unexcavated human settlements too, as hunter-gatherers gradually became agro-pastoralists. But centuries of disconnect with our ancient roots, then colonial exploitation followed by post-1947 decades of focus on increasing agricultural production and economic infrastructure has led to the destruction of evidence that could have given a clearer picture. But instead of shadow-boxing, the Centre (and the ASI) must join hands with Tamil Nadu, and indeed all states, to formulate a policy on accessing excavation sites that are so crucial to our understanding of India's ancient heritage. Extensive digs in the north have led to the realisation that the Indus was not the fountainhead of subcontinental civilisation and that many more contemporary settlements flourished further east along a paleo-channel of the Sarasvati.
India Today
19-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Tamil civilisation like volcano, dangerous to provoke it: Vijay on Keeladi row
Actor-politician Vijay, in a scathing statement, attacked BJP-led Union government over the Centre-state dispute over Keeladi findings, saying: 'Tamil civilisation is like a volcano, it's dangerous to provoke it.'Vijay accused the BJP government of attempting to suppress findings from the Keeladi (also known as Keezhadi) excavation and using Hindi and Sanskrit to 'cover up' Tamil the statement released on his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's X handle, Vijay condemned the BJP for not releasing the original Keeladi excavation report and removing the lead archaeologist of the project from his Archaeological Survey of India's director of antiquity He alleged that the Centre asked archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishnan to make changes to the report, but when the latter refused, Amarnath was transferred to Noida.'Keeladi is not some mythical story used to fool people but a report based on scientific evidence which, once out, can destroy the stories made by BJP,' he said, suggesting that the excavation's findings challenge dominant historical narratives supported by the ruling in his Keeladi excavation report stated that the findings were based on 'extensive research'.According to Vijay, the Keeladi site could potentially prove that the Tamil civilisation is older than the Indus Valley civilisation. He said the Centre's reluctance to publish the report was part of a broader attempt to 'cover up our proud Tamil land, civilisation and culture using Hindi and Sanskrit.'advertisementHe also accused the BJP of 'playing with the emotions' of Tamil people, adding, 'Tamil land is like a volcano. Even a child would know what would happen if you try to touch it.'Turning his criticism towards the DMK as well, Vijay said the ruling party speaks about Tamil identity only when it suits them. 'DMK's drama is much worse as they use Tamil and Thamizhar (Tamil people) when something goes against the government or the rulers,' he remarks come amid renewed attention on the Keeladi archaeological site in Tamil Nadu, which has been at the centre of debates over Tamil history, which pushes back Sangam age to be even before the Harrapan age, and the supposed political control of historical narratives.
