MADURAI: Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu announced that Rs 17 crore has been allocated for the construction of an open air museum at the Keezhadi excavation site, to showcase the artefacts and structures unearthed at the location.
Tamil people across the world are unified by the term ‘Keezhadi’, the minister said, noting that the excavations near Madurai, on the banks of Vaigai River, revealed the remains of a glorious Sangam-era civilisation.
Notably, the new museum will be second in line, following the Keezhadi museum inaugurated by Chief Minister Stalin last year, that showcases about 13,000 artefacts.
The minister said that an additional Rs 3 crore has been sanctioned for a study to determine the genetic antiquity, migration patterns, agricultural practices, cultural traditions and dietary habits of the ancient people using advanced genetics technology at the laboratory in Madurai Kamaraj University.
G Kumaresan, head of the Genetics Department, MKU, said that 10 samples from the artefacts have been tested, and one billion pieces of DNA have been sequenced so far.
Minister Thennarasu also announced that in 2024-25, excavations will be carried out in eight locations: Keezhadi in Sivaganga, Vembakottai in Virudhunagar, Thirumalapuram in Tenkasi, Porpanaikottai in Pudukkottai, Keelnamandi in Tiruvannamalai, Konkalnagar in Tiruppur, Marungur in Cuddalore and Chennanur in Krishnagiri.
“Archaeological expeditions will be conducted outside the state too, in Musiri, Kerala; Palur, Odisha; Vengi in Andhra Pradesh and Maski in Karnataka, in an effort to better understand ancient Tamils,” the minister added.
A total of Rs 5 crore has been allocated for the purpose, the minister said, adding that Tamil Nadu is the only state in the country that has consistently provided significant funding to various archaeological endeavours.
Moreover, commemorating the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilization in 1924 by the then director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India, Sir John Marshall, a centenary conference will be convened in Chennai, featuring renowned scholars from across the world, the minister added.
TN to conduct pilot study on deep sea excavation
Minister Thennarasu said the state government, in collaboration with the National Institute of Ocean Technology and the Indian Maritime University, will conduct a pilot study to undertake deep sea excavation in the coastal regions of Korkai and Alagankulam, the ancient ports of the Pandyas, at a cost of `65 lakh.
(With inputs from Rajalakshmi Sampath @ Tiruvannamalai, Sivaguru S @ Krishnagiri and Jeyalakshmi Ramanujam @ Madurai)
