10 hours ago
Alagankulam residents demand museum in their place to exhibit archaeological findings
Hindu Muslim Joint Administrative Council of Alagankulam village in Ramanathapuram district opposing the exhibit of the archaeological findings from their village in Mandapam museum, submitted a petition with the district Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon here on Monday.
Ashokan, former panchayat president of Alagankulam village, said that starting from 1984 when an archaeological excavation was conducted in the village, several stages of archaeological studies were carried out in the village till 2016.
He added that during the excavations many rare elements like pots and liquor containers dating back to the Roman trading period were found from the sites.
As the rare elements were traced back to 500 BC, they remained a key source to learn about the overseas trade of Tamil people, he noted.
Not just that, some of the findings were connected to Sangam literature, Mr. Ashokan stated.
With about 25,000 objects found during the excavations in the sites, the Tamil Nadu government issued an order to open a museum in the village to display the objects found in the excavation sites.
'As the objects are currently placed in various places like Keezhadi museum and other places, we felt happy after the G.O. which informed us about the setting up of a museum in our village itself,' he noted.
But the recent announcement that the archaeological findings would be placed in a museum in Mandapam disappointed the villagers.
'Officials argue that Mandapam museum would receive more tourists than other places. By placing the objects there, more people visiting the place across the country would be able to see the findings,' he added.
But Alangankulam was located on the way to Mandapam and all other villages, he claimed.
Through repeated advertisements and publicity, the presence of the museum could be communicated to the people, he suggested.
Viewing the rare objects in a place from where they were taken would be an enriching experience for the visitors, the residents added.
Moreover, the presence of such rare objects in their own village would also be a source of pride for them, they noted.
