Latest news with #archaeologist
The Print
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
ASI to publish controversial Keezhadi excavation report, but along with ‘questions by domain experts'
'We are planning to publish the report submitted by archaeologist Amarnath Ramkrishna on our website. The report will be in soft copy form. It will include questions raised by domain experts at the end,' Nandini Bhattacharya Sahu, joint director general (monument) and ASI spokesperson told ThePrint. The 982-page report, submitted in January 2023, on Tamil Nadu archeological site Keezhadi by Ramkrishna has seen a lot of controversy, with the ASI asking for 'additions and corrections' and the archeologist refusing. The matter escalated to Parliament, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin accusing the Centre of trying to diminish the importance of Tamil heritage. New Delhi: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is planning to publish the controversial Keezhadi excavation report by archaeologist Amarnath Ramkrishnaon on its website, ThePrint has learnt. This will not be the final version of the report, she added. The ASI spokesperson further said: 'We want to publish it. No one in the ASI wants to hold the report as it requires a lot of hard work. But in the ASI, a set of procedures has been followed before publishing the report, which is a must.' Ramkrishna's report classified Keezhadi into three periods: Pre-Early Historic (8th century BCE to 5th century BCE), Mature Early Historic (5th century BCE to 1st century BCE), and Post-Early Historic (1st century BCE to 3rd century CE). But according to Union Culture Minister Gajendra Shekhawat in Parliament, as per the experts' suggestions, the nomenclatures of the three periods require change and the time bracket of the 8th century BCE to 5th century BCE given for period I is not justified at all. He also said that in the report, some details were missing—a village map that needs to be redrawn, a contour map, and images of graffiti. Keezhadi, near Madurai, has yielded significant archaeological findings, including evidence of a well-planned urban settlement dating back to the 8th century BCE, potentially older than previously believed. Excavations have unearthed artefacts such as pottery with Tamil Brahmi inscriptions, a literate society, and evidence of an urban planning system. Accusations of political interference In May, the ASI responded to the Tamil Nadu government's accusations of political interference and attempts to suppress Tamil heritage, stating: 'The Archaeological Survey of India regularly publishes the reports of sites excavated under the aegis of Director General, ASI. Great emphasis is given to this aspect, since much time, energy and money is spent on every excavation work and the basic purpose of the excavation work otherwise, remains unfulfilled.' According to ASI, following procedure, the Keezhadi report was sent for the vetting to experts. The experts' suggestions were communicated to Ramkrishna, but he refused to make any changes. In June, Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the report requires further scientific validation before it is given official recognition. On 21 July, the Modi government told Parliament that the ASI was fully committed to following the law and due scientific process for releasing the accurate findings based on the excavation at Keezhadi. On 7 August, actor and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan met PM Modi and requested that the recognition of Keezhadi's antiquity be expedited. 'As a representative of the people of Tamil Nadu and as an artist, I placed before him a few requests, foremost among them was the call to expedite the recognition of Keezhadi's antiquity,' Kamal Haasan posted on X. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: Keezhadi excavation report under review—Centre on ASI's tussle with archeologist
New York Times
7 days ago
- General
- New York Times
The Perp in This Murder Mystery Might Be History Itself
INDIAN COUNTRY, by Shobha Rao Delhi, 1968. A young Indian man persuades an American woman to travel with him to the ancient city of Varanasi, along the Ganges River, telling her that he promised his mother to go there 'to take darshan' before starting a new job. The woman, a housewife from Illinois who's come to India to escape a bad marriage, asks what darshan means. 'To get the Ganga's blessings,' he replies. 'But literally darshan means to see a thing. A holy thing.' This moment in Shobha Rao's second novel, 'Indian Country,' reveals how and why the structurally ambitious and multilayered book succeeds: It does so beguilingly, by inviting new ways of seeing. The Hindu concept of darshan is richer than the man explains; it involves both seeing and being seen by the divine. Rao challenges readers to regard reality more deeply through a densely populated web of interwoven story lines, and introduces surprising spectators to watch them unfold. In the creation story of a Montana prairie river believed to be sacred, three Native American spiritual figures are transformed into cottonwood trees rooted along its banks. These unorthodox witnesses are also storytellers, narrating what they see in an opening and ending with the quality of a fable. Between that prologue and epilogue set in mythic time, a suspenseful, decisively plotted 21st-century crime story unfolds. An Indigenous archaeologist drowns in that same (fictional) Cotton River in Montana while she's excavating a Native burial site near a dam that is controversially under deconstruction. The hydraulic engineer hired to remove the dam, another young Indian man named Sagar, is wrongly blamed for the death and suspects he's being scapegoated. As he and his new bride, Janavi, maneuver through a xenophobic corner of the American West, lingering grief and guilt from childhood traumas and the awkward distances in their arranged marriage, they come together as an amateur detective duo to uncover what really happened. When Sagar is fired, the clock starts ticking as the immigrant couple have 60 days to leave the country. In the mix are the dead woman's abusive ex-husband and their young daughter, a mayor from a powerful white ranching family who objects to the dam's removal, and an Indigenous community tallying the unsolved cases of their missing and murdered women over decades. When Janavi oversteps to help the dead woman's young daughter — back in Varanasi, she'd been a social worker rescuing street children — the caretaker's rebuff highlights the double meaning of the book's title: 'You're confused about which kind of Indian you are.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Texas couple finds royal tomb, plus best gas stations for food
Recommended Videos Published July 22, 2025 11:13am EDT PRICELESS DISCOVERY: A Texas archaeologist couple uncovered the 4th-century tomb of Te' K'ab Chaak, the ruler of a major Mayan city. SWEAT AND SIP: Medical experts debate the benefits of drinking pickle juice for hydration. NOTABLE STOPS: Here are the 15 best gas stations for food in America. MORE IN LIFESTYLE PARTY ON – Summer entertaining is easier with the right supplies. Consider these 10 items to enhance your next soirée. Continue reading… CALLING ALL CROSSWORD PUZZLE LOVERS! – Play our Fox News daily crossword puzzle for free here! And not just one — check out the multiple offerings. See the puzzles... FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook Instagram YouTube Twitter LinkedIn SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERS Fox News First Fox News Opinion Fox News Lifestyle Fox News Autos Fox News Health DOWNLOAD OUR APPS Fox News Fox Business Fox Weather Fox Sports Tubi WATCH FOX NEWS ONLINE Fox News Go STREAM FOX NATION Fox Nation
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Union minister lists ‘missing details' in Keeladi report
Chennai: Union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday listed "missing details", pointed out by unnamed experts, in the Keeladi excavation report submitted by lead archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna. The minister clarified that ASI did not request any revised report on Keeladi from the state archaeology department. Shekhawat was responding in writing to questions from DMK MPs Thamizhachi Thangapandian and Dayanidhi Maran in Lok Sabha. Thamizhachi asked whether the Centre officially reviewed the excavation report after it was submitted in June. According to Shekhawat, the "omissions" include "the need for the cultural period to be reoriented as specified, the village map to be redrawn, and updates of content/map, plate, drawing, plan, contour, cuttings, stratigraphy, drawing, and image-graffiti". You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai "ASI is fully committed to following the law and due scientific process for releasing the accurate findings based on the excavation at Keeladi. Views of eminent experts will be taken and incorporated for a scientifically authentic record," the minister said. Amarnath declined to comment on the matter. His associates said he gave all necessary details in both soft and hard copies during the submission stage and responded to queries on May 23. Shekhawat said "experts" were of the view that nomenclature of the three periods listed by Amarnath need to be changed, and the time bracket of the 8th century BCE to the 5th century BCE given for the first period was "not justified at all". The "experts" suggested the other two periods should be dated using accelerator mass spectrometry and the material recovered. According to "experts", the earliest period originates somewhere in pre-300 BCE. They noted that for the available scientific dates, the depth from where the sample was collected may not be enough and that layers should be marked for comparative consistency analysis. Shekhawat said the excavation conducted under ASI and the lead archaeologist's report are under review. He said that the experts' comments have been shared with the lead archaeologist and are yet to be finalised. "There is no practice of rejecting a report as explained in the aforementioned paragraph," he said. Regarding the repeated transfer of the lead archaeologist within nine months and its impact on excavation continuity, Shekhawat said allocation of work to archaeological officers is a routine administrative matter. In a separate response to Dayanidhi Maran, Shekhawat said ASI did not request any revised report on Keeladi from the state archaeology department. "Since 2018, the TN state department of archaeology is conducting excavations at the site, for which ASI does not provide any funding support," said Shekhawat.
New Indian Express
10-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Retired archaeologist to submit report on Keezhadi 3rd phase
CHENNAI: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has requested retired superintending archaeologist PS Sriraman to write the report for the third phase of excavations in Keezhadi (end of May to September 2017) and ASI's excavations in Kodumanal during 2017-2018, both headed by him. ASI granting permission for Sriraman to write the Keezhadi the report came after the controversy that erupted in May when the organisation raised certain doubts and sought clarifications from archaeologist K Amarnath Ramakrishna on his 982-page report he submitted three years ago on the first two phases of excavations in Keezhadi. Sriraman told TNIE that he had requested ASI to permit him to write these reports since he had supervised them and it was the excavator's responsibility to give the report to the public. On whether any time frame has been given, Sriraman, who will write the reports from the ASI office in Chennai, said, 'The ASI instructed me to complete as quickly as possible.' 'I am concentrating more on Kodumanal because it is an individual work - my work, while the third phase in Keezhadi is for a shorter period and it was a continuation of work done earlier,' Sriraman said. The objects discovered by his team confirmed Kodumanal's significance as a craft-production centre, approximately dating back to the 4th-3rd century CE. The third phase took place amid huge controversy over the sudden transfer of Ramakrishna, who headed the first two phases and brought attention to the site with the findings. The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology took over the excavations after the third phase. During the third phase in Keezhadi, Sriraman had said that a key objective to trace the continuity of brick structures discovered in earlier two phases was not successful.
