CHENNAI: A push from residents and local associations to remove protection for certain megalithic sites in the fast-urbanising fringes of Chennai has reached the union government, prompting the Ministry of Culture to clarify that while such requests have been received, no megalithic monument in Tamil Nadu will be delisted and none of the notified sites have officially “vanished”.
In a written reply to a starred question in the Lok Sabha, the government revealed that representations were submitted by individuals and Residents’ Welfare Associations from Ezhichur (Kancheepuram district) and Sembakkam (near Chennai), urging the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to withdraw protection notifications for megalithic cist and cairn fields that they claim have lost their archaeological integrity amidst development pressures.
Despite these appeals, the Ministry of Culture stated unequivocally that “the question of delisting does not arise”. Officials emphasised that none of the megalithic sites notified as monuments or areas of national importance have become untraceable.
Tamil Nadu has 412 centrally protected monuments, including 158 megalithic structures. These range from cairn circles and cists to dolmens spanning Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Chennai, Pudukkottai, Dindigul and Villupuram, representing a vast Iron Age-Early Historic mortuary landscape that once formed an interconnected cultural zone.
Yet, the government’s assurance that none is “lost” does not mask the fact that several have suffered severe damage. The ASI admitted that megalithic sites located at Guduvancheri, Nanmangalam, Pallavaram, Perungalathur, Sembakkam, Sittalapakkam, St Thomas Mount, Tiruneermalai, Tirusulam, Vallanjeri and Vandalur have been “adversely affected by rapid urbanisation and related developmental activities”. Encroachments, levelling of land, unauthorised construction and infrastructure expansion have eaten into these pre-historic sites.
The ASI has issued stop-work orders and show-cause notices, and has referred violations to district authorities and police, while also stepping up on-ground monitoring. Despite these interventions, the fragmented state of many sites highlights the gap between legal protection and effective preservation on the ground. TNIE in the past had reported how the local municipalities attempted to convert megalithic sites on the outskirts of Chennai to dumping yards.