Tamil Nadu's Keeladi gets the pride of place
SIVAGANGA: Keeladi has yet again been accorded due importance, along with other archeological sites in the budget this year with finance minister Thangam Thennarasu announcing allocation of Rs 7 crore for excavations and scientific research.
Besides Keeladi, excavations would be carried out at Pattanamarudur in Thoothukudi, Karivalamvanthanallur in Tenkasi, Nagapattinam in Nagapattinam, Manikollai in Cuddalore, Adichanur in Kallakurichi, Vellalur in Coimbatore and Thelunganur in Salem.
Artifacts that would be uneartherned will be sent for advanced technological analysis, micro botany, pollen analysis, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and ceramic technology.
An officer in the archeology department said this year excavation in Vembakottai in Virudhunagar district has been dropped. However, the excavation at Keeladi will be taken up in the next phase and every time it unravels a page of Tamils glorious past.
"The tenth phase of excavation will continue till April/May 2025. So far, we have found terracotta pipelines, mud floor that prove it was a habitation site, storage vessels at the nine quadrants in four trenches. The excavation would continue phase by phase," said the officer.
Further, a series of deep-sea archaeological excavations will be carried out this year from Kaveripoompattinam to Nagapattinam to bring out the maritime trade excellence of ancient Tamils in Southeast Asia, Mediterranean region, Arabian Peninsula and Roman empire.