CHENNAI: Kal thondri man thondra kaalathey mun thondriya mootha kudi tamizh kudi.
(The Tamil tribe appeared on earth when there were stones but the sand had not appeared).
Many an adage of such character has been shrugged off as cliche, but evidence puts then in a different light — smelted iron was used by Tamils as far back as 5,300 years ago.
Over half a century has passed since C N Annadurai renamed Madras Presidency as Tamil Nadu. The current DMK government declared the day would be observed as ‘Tamil Nadu Day’. The first celebration took place on July 18, 2022. Chief Minister M K Stalin, who was recovering from Covid-19 at the time, could not attend the event in person but delivered his address via video conferencing.
“They say the first monkey born was a ‘Tamil’ monkey,” Stalin said, referencing the criticism that Tamils often claim their language to be the most ancient seemingly without any evidence. His unintentional pause while making the statement led to the misinterpretation that he was literally endorsing the idea that the first monkey on earth was a ‘Tamil’ monkey, sparking ridicule.
Stalin, however, was attempting to highlight the government’s commitment to leveraging modern, scientific archaeological methods to trace the antiquity of the Tamil language and civilization, rather than simply holding on to aphorisms.
There is no doubt that this has been a keen focus of the present government. The most significant outcome of this focus has been the announcement made on January 23, 2025, when Stalin “declared to the world” that the “Iron Age began on Tamil soil.” This statement, made at a function attended by internationally-renowned experts, was based on radiocarbon dating and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) of materials excavated from Sivagalai in Thoothukudi district. The findings revealed that the iron was used in present-day Tamil Nadu — the geographical region — as far back as 5,300 years ago, in the 4th millennium BCE.
“The history of the Indian subcontinent can no longer overlook Tamil Nadu. In fact, it must begin here!” asserted Stalin. The assertion that an independent Dravidian civilisation existed in India, prior to the arrival of Aryans, rooted in the contested Aryan invasion (or migration) theory, has been a core tenet of the Dravidian movement.
However, the impetus for these archaeological excavations took root during the previous AIADMK administration, amid a controversy over excavations in Keezhadi in Sivaganga district, conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Preliminary work at Keezhadi began in 2013-14, and by 2017, radiocarbon dating of materials from the site supported the theory that the Sangam Age was over 2,000 years old.
The sudden transfer of K Amarnath Ramakrishna, who was then overseeing the Keezhadi excavations, to the ASI’s Guwahati circle in 2017, and the subsequent delay in initiating the third phase of excavations, sparked outrage in Tamil Nadu. The DMK, then in opposition, along with other parties, alleged that the move by the BJP-led union government was politically motivated, and that the centre was uncomfortable acknowledging the existence of an independent Tamil civilisation as it could challenge the supremacy they accorded to Sanskrit and strengthen the Aryan invasion theory.
This controversy led to cases being filed in the Madras High Court, eventually resulting in the state archaeology department taking over the Keezhadi excavations. In 2019, the department published a report titled ‘Keeladi - An Urban Settlement of Sangam Age on the Banks of River Vaigai,’ which provided evidence that the Sangam era could date back to the 6th century BCE, suggesting the existence of a culturally-advanced, urban habitation in Keezhadi during that period.
After the DMK came to power in 2021, archaeological studies were given a boost with two archaeology and literature enthusiasts—Thangam Thennarasu and T Udhayachandran —now leading the department respectively as minister and secretary. It may be noted that Udhayachandran was the department’s secretary in 2019 when the Keezhadi report was released.
A few months after assuming office, Stalin announced in the state Assembly that the Thamirabarani (or Porunai) civilization was 3,200 years old. He said this conclusion was based on radiocarbon dating of rice with husks found in a burial urn in Sivagalai. The findings suggested that a mature civilisation existed along the Thamirabarani River. The same Sivagalai site later provided evidence indicating the use of iron in Tamil Nadu in the 4th millennium BCE.
In March 2023, Stalin inaugurated a heritage museum in Keezhadi, which has since attracted large crowds and garnered praise for its innovative design. The government has also announced plans for similar on-site museums at other archaeologically significant locations.
Prior to the Iron Age findings in Sivagalai, excavations in Mayiladumparai and Krishnagiri revealed that iron was used in Tamil Nadu as early as 2,200 BCE (4,200 years ago). The report on these findings noted that Sangam literature — such as Purananuru and Natrinai — contains multiple references to the use of iron and iron weapon-making techniques. The Mayiladumparai site, first excavated in 2003 but abandoned later, was reopened in 2021.
Two dates obtained from Mayiladumparai, based on accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), further substantiated the existence of the Iron Age in 2200 BCE and the neolithic phase before this date in Tamil Nadu.
In July 2023, Minister Thennarasu, who also handles the finance portfolio, announced that potsherds with Tamil inscriptions (‘Thieeeya’, ‘Thisa’ and ‘Kuvira(n)’) were unearthed during the second phase of excavations at Thulukkarpatti, Tirunelveli district. The first phase yielded about 1,000 antiquities. Other active excavation sites include Kondagai in Sivaganga district, Gangaikondacholapuram in Ariyalur district, Vembakottai in Virudhunagar district, Kilnamandi in Tiruvannamalai district, and Porpanaikkottai in Pudukkottai district.
Excavations at Perumbalai, Dharmapuri district, in 2022 uncovered pottery from the Iron Age, as confirmed in a mid-2024 report. One of the important features of the Perumbalai excavations is the occurrence of a large quantity of graffiti-bearing potsherds. Nearly 1,028 inscribed potsherds were excavated. The more common graffiti marks are geometrical signs, particularly two oblique lines meeting a central vertical on the top. Interestingly, a fully shaped black-and-red ware bowl containing a Swastika sign was also exposed during the excavations. These graffiti marks are confined to the Iron Age and Early Historic period.
A senior archaeologist with the state archaeology department explained the meticulous approach behind these important discoveries: “Through scientific, archaeological, epigraphical and numismatic data, we are reconstructing the history, culture and antiquity of Tamil Nadu in the most credible manner,” he said.
The department has collaborated with leading institutions in India and abroad for radiocarbon dating and OSL dating. “For DNA-related testing, we tied up with Harvard University. Normally, samples should not be sent to foreign countries and there are several rules and regulations in this regard. Hence, we have established an ancient DNA laboratory at the Madurai Kamaraj University (in 2022), which is the first of its kind in Tamil Nadu. Preliminary research using the samples will be carried out in this lab and for further analysis, we will contact Harvard,” the archaeologist explained.
The archaeologist also said that Adichanallur, Sivagalai and Mayiladumparai have provided strong evidence for the contemporaneity of Tamil Nadu’s ancient culture with the Indus Valley Civilisation.
“We are not claiming that Tamil Nadu was part of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Rather, we are saying that a distinct culture existed here during the same period, with possible interactions between the two,” he explained. He added that while the Indus Valley transitioned through the Copper Age, evidence found so far shows that South India moved directly to the Iron Age possibly due to the scarcity of copper ore in this region.
Tamil Nadu has also initiated measures to further advance the research on the Indus Valley Civilisation to find the missing pieces of the puzzle in unravelling its history. This included the $1-million prize money for those who are able to convincingly decipher the script used in the Indus Valley artefacts, which has remained an unresolved mystery for a century, and the setting up of a chair in the name of noted epigraphist and archaeologist Iravatham Mahadevan at the Roja Muthiah Library in Chennai for furthering the research on Indus Valley Civilisation. These announcements were made by Stalin during the international conference the state government organised to mark the centenary of Sir John Marshall announcing to the world the discovery of the Indus Valley civilisation.
After unveiling Marshall’s statue at the Egmore Museum complex this month, Stalin said, “His (Marshall) discovery dismantled the false notion that Sanskrit is the foundation of everything and led to the Dravidian hypothesis, reshaping our understanding of the ancient Indian subcontinent forever,” which underlined the importance given by the Dravidian movement for the Indus Valley Civilisation.
The archaeologist said underwater explorations and collaborations with institutions such as the Indian Maritime University and National Institute of Ocean Technology are also under way to study coastal geomorphology, sea-level fluctuations and trans-oceanic trade. This is being undertaken due to the encouragement given by the finding of Tamil Brahmi-inscribed potsherds in Egypt, Oman, Thailand and Sri Lanka, suggesting extensive trade networks between present-day Tamil Nadu and these places.
In the 2025-26 budget, Minister Thennarasu announced excavations in eight locations and expanded research to Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. He also allocated Rs 43 crore for the ‘Noyyal Museum’ in Erode district, based on Kodumanal excavations, and the ‘Naavai Museum’ in Ramanathapuram district, showcasing the maritime trade of the Pandyas during the Sangam age. This is besides an allocation of Rs 7 crore to the department of archaeology, which is witnessing a notable increase in allocation of late, after suffering from fund crunch for many years since its inception in 1961.
Speaking to TNIE recently, Thennarasu reiterated the government’s commitment to rigorous, internationally accepted and credible scientific methods in its journey to unearth the antiquity of Tamil civilization. He emphasised that the government took ample time, without jumping the gun, to validate the recent findings on the Iron Age through multiple tests and expert scrutiny before making them public. Regarding scepticism from certain quarters and the reluctance of the BJP government at the centre to acknowledge the Iron Age-related findings, he noted that such reluctance exists due to ideological reasons. He stressed that all findings and methodologies are transparent and open to scrutiny by anyone.
(With inputs from Pon Vasanth B A @ Chennai)