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About Keeladi : Keeladi Heritage Museum - Sivaganga District

To understand the Vaigai River Coastal Civilization, the Central Archeology Department conducted 3 phases of excavations from 2015 to 2017 in the Keeladi, Kontakhai, Manalur and Akaram areas of Sivagangai District near Madurai.

Three thousand years old Tamils habitation was found in the excavations. After that Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department started excavation work from the 4th to 8th phase from 2017 to 2019. A variety of items were found in it.

The Keeladi excavations are archaeological excavations that have been taking place in the village of Keeladi, located in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, since 2014. The excavations have been carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and have unearthed significant evidence of an ancient urban settlement.

The Keeladi site dates back to the Sangam period, considered the golden age of Tamil literature and lasted from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE. The excavations have revealed a complex urban settlement that included residential areas, streets, public buildings, and water management systems.

Some crucial findings from the Keeladi excavations include beads, iron tools, terracotta figurines, expensive gold ornaments, copper articles, iron tool parts, flint pieces, round chips, flint earrings, glass and precious bell stones (agate, sapphire, crystal), earthenware shells, revoluted pottery, old men's talismans etc. These artefacts provide valuable insights into the life and culture of the people who lived in the area during the Sangam period.

It has been established that the Tamils inhabited the area with an ancient urban civilisation. The period between the 6th century BC and the 1st and 2nd century BC has been confirmed by the organic samples of material recovered in Phase 4 excavations.

Scratches, symbols and patterns were found on the pottery found here. All these are engraved before and after firing. Over 50 pieces of clay inscribed with Tamil Brahmi characters have been recovered.

During each excavation phase, more than 3 thousand objects were taken by the archaeology department. In this, 5,820 items were found by the archaeology department only during the 4th phase of excavation. So far, 8 phases of excavations have been completed. All the finds are examples of the excellence of the ancient Tamils in urban civilisation.

It was reported that the Keeladi Museum would be set up at Rs.11.03 crore. It is currently set at an estimate of Rs.18.42 crore. Currently, an additional allocation of Rs.7.39 crore has been made.

The discoveries made at Keeladi have the potential to shed new light on the history and culture of ancient Tamil Nadu, and the ongoing excavations continue to be an important area of research for archaeologists and historians.

Keeladi Heritage Museum was inaugurated on 5th March 2023, and tourists can visit the Museum.

The Keeladi Heritage Museum

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cHwJqia4qvV53CST7?g_st=ic

Opening hours:

10 AM to 6 PM - All days except Tuesdays and National Holidays

Entrance Fees:

Adult Rs 15 per person
Child Rs 10 per person
School students Rs 5 per student

Excavation site visit: The excavation site is half a km from the Museum. Tourists and students can visit all previously excavated sites except the current location.Keeladi Heritage Museum - Sivaganga District

To understand the Vaigai River Coastal Civilization, the Central Archeology Department conducted 3 phases of excavations from 2015 to 2017 in the Keeladi, Kontakhai, Manalur and Akaram areas of Sivagangai District near Madurai.

Three thousand years old Tamils habitation was found in the excavations. After that Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department started excavation work from the 4th to 8th phase from 2017 to 2019. A variety of items were found in it.

The Keeladi excavations are archaeological excavations that have been taking place in the village of Keeladi, located in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, since 2014. The excavations have been carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and have unearthed significant evidence of an ancient urban settlement.

The Keeladi site dates back to the Sangam period, considered the golden age of Tamil literature and lasted from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE. The excavations have revealed a complex urban settlement that included residential areas, streets, public buildings, and water management systems.

Some crucial findings from the Keeladi excavations include beads, iron tools, terracotta figurines, expensive gold ornaments, copper articles, iron tool parts, flint pieces, round chips, flint earrings, glass and precious bell stones (agate, sapphire, crystal), earthenware shells, revoluted pottery, old men's talismans etc. These artefacts provide valuable insights into the life and culture of the people who lived in the area during the Sangam period.

It has been established that the Tamils inhabited the area with an ancient urban civilisation. The period between the 6th century BC and the 1st and 2nd century BC has been confirmed by the organic samples of material recovered in Phase 4 excavations.

Scratches, symbols and patterns were found on the pottery found here. All these are engraved before and after firing. Over 50 pieces of clay inscribed with Tamil Brahmi characters have been recovered.

During each excavation phase, more than 3 thousand objects were taken by the archaeology department. In this, 5,820 items were found by the archaeology department only during the 4th phase of excavation. So far, 8 phases of excavations have been completed. All the finds are examples of the excellence of the ancient Tamils in urban civilisation.

It was reported that the Keeladi Museum would be set up at Rs.11.03 crore. It is currently set at an estimate of Rs.18.42 crore. Currently, an additional allocation of Rs.7.39 crore has been made.

The discoveries made at Keeladi have the potential to shed new light on the history and culture of ancient Tamil Nadu, and the ongoing excavations continue to be an important area of research for archaeologists and historians.

Keeladi Heritage Museum was inaugurated on 5th March 2023, and tourists can visit the Museum.

The Keeladi Heritage Museum

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cHwJqia4qvV53CST7?g_st=ic

Opening hours:

10 AM to 6 PM - All days except Tuesdays and National Holidays

Entrance Fees:

Adult Rs 15 per person
Child Rs 10 per person
School students Rs 5 per student

Excavation site visit: The excavation site is half a km from the Museum. Tourists and students can visit all previously excavated sites except the current location.


On recommendation of the State Department of Archaeology, the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology [CABA] had permitted Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology to conduct excavations at Keeladi, Sivagangai District during the years 2017-2018, 2018-2019 ,2019-2020 and 2020-2021. The analysis of carbon samples collected from the Keeladi Excavations resulted as 6th century BCE (580 BCE). Likewise, the date of Tamil-Brahmi is pushed back to 6th century BCE that is a century earlier than the hitherto held view of 5th century BCE. Which is evidence for the high literacy level that was well achieved in 6th century BCE in Tamil Nadu. It is generally believed among the scholars that second urbanization observed in Gangetic valley did not occur in Tamil Nadu. But, the Keeladi excavations clearly suggest that the second urbanization too happened in Tamil Nadu in 6th century BCE.

A TURNING POINT IN THE CULTURAL HISTORIOGRAPHY  OF SANGAM AGE

In order to reaffirm the antiquity of Tamils in the World arena, the Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department has placed the artefacts recovered from the Keeladi excavation for regressive scientific analysis and for AMS [Accelerator Mass Spectrometry] dating. The results received from the reputed laboratories are placed before the team of experts for their academic scrutiny.  The comments and suggestions of the experts are consolidated and the same is being placed before the public for their understanding and appreciation

TRACE OF AGRARIAN SOCIETY  AND  CATTLE REARING

The report on the faunal remains submitted by Deccan College, Post Graduate and Research Institute, Pune provided broad picture on the subsistence pattern of the Early Histotimes. The total number of animal skeletal fragments is of 70 samples. The analysis is made under the category of large-sized animals and medium - sized animals due to the nature of specimens recovered from the excavation. Further, the limited nature of the samples restricted our understanding on the nature of species. However, the species such as Cow/Ox (Bos indicus), Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), Sheep (Ovis aries), Goat (Capra hircus), Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), Wild boar (Sus scrofa) and Peacock (Pavo  cristatus) were identified.

If we put the ox, cow, buffalo and goat together, it occupies almost 53%, there by indicating that they were predominantly cattle raising people. The presence of antelope to the level of 6.66% and wild boar (1.33%) suggests that they were hardly domesticated. The availability of cut marks in some of the animals like antelope, goat and wild boar suggest that they consumed goat, boar and antelope.

Thus, the faunal remains recovered from the single season of excavation and the subsequent limited analysis suggests that the people mainly depended on agriculture and cattle rearing. The future analysis of botanical samples such as pollen and phytolith may reveal or substantiate the present findings. The excavation is in progress; therefore, there is a good chance of getting more number of samples.

ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURAL REMAINS

The samples like bricks, lime-mortar, roof-tiles and the binding materials of the ring well collected from the structural remains were sent to the Vellore Institute of Technology for scientific material analysis. The analysis revealed that every specimen contained elements like silica, lime, ferrous, aluminum and magnesium. The detailed report also furnishes of its constitution and nature. The bricks and roof-tiles contained more than 80% silica mixed with 7% of lime while the lime plaster possessed 97% of lime. In fact, the long survival of these
materials with considerable strength and quality is due to the quality of material deployed in the construction activities

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

Two seasons of excavation conducted at Keeladi exposed limited structural
activities. During the second season, a 13 m long wall with 3 courses of bricks was exposed. Bricks of two sizes measuring 38x23x6 cm and 38x26x6 cm respectively were used in the construction.

There is a negligible change in the breadth whereas the length and thickness were similar in size. As these bricks are similar in sizes to that of other excavated sites of the State with the ratio of 1:4:6, the technique of the construction could be realised. The well-laid floors, made of fine clay, associated with side brick wall were exposed in some portions of the excavated trench.The side walls were not raised up to the level of roof. It seems, wooden poles were planted over which roof was erected. There are post-holes at regular interval to suggest that these were meant for planting wooden poles. Though we could not recover wooden poles due to its perishable nature, the occurrence of iron nails gives clues of fastening the poles and rafters. Few quadrants of the trenches met with roof tiles suggestive of the fall of the roof. The roof-tiles contained finger grove impressions meant to drain water and double holes at the top to be tied with rafters were recovered. Similar roof tiles were also recovered from Arikamedu, Poompuhar and other sites. Such structural activities express the high standards of living during the Sangam Age. As the excavation is in progress, the future exposures of the structures and their subsequent analysis may reveal further technology involved in the structural engineering skill of the society.

GRAFFITI AND SYMBOLS

Among the available scripts of India, the Indus script. considered to be the earliest one and was 4500 years old. One kind of scripts that survived between the disappearance of Indus script and the emergence of Tamil-Brahmi script is called as graffiti marks by the scholars. These graffiti marks are the one evolved or transformed from Indus script and served as a precursor for the emergence of Brahmi script. Therefore, these graffiti marks cannot be set aside as mere scratches. Like Indus script, these graffiti marks also could not be deciphered till date. These graffiti marks were found in Chalcolithic culture as well as in Megalithic culture, particularly on black-and-red ware. These graffiti marks were encountered both in Iron Age megalithic monuments and associated habitations. Earlier excavations at Adichchanallur, Korkai, Alagankulam, Kodumanal, Karur, Teriruveli, Uraiyur, Mangulam, Perur and all other excavated sites of Early Historic Period yielded such type of graffiti inscribed potsherds. Outside India, these marks were recovered from the sites such as Tissamaharama, Kantarodai, Manthai and Ridiyagama of Sri Lanka. Of the graffiti sherds collected from the sites of South India, more than 75% of the symbols are traced from Tamil Nadu alone. The symbols and graffiti are very much suggestive of the symbolic and codified expressions and communication of the megalithic and Iron Age people. In this context, the recovery of 1,001 graffiti sherds from Keeladi excavation recalls the preliminary writing expressions of the Iron Age people.

Tami¶i [TAMIL-BRAHMI]

As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, the large number inscribed potsherds available next to graffiti is of the Tami¶i ( Tamil-Brahmi) inscribed potsherds. The scholars called the Tami¶i (Tamil-Brahmi) script as Tami¶i  or ancient Tamil script. Majority of Early Historic sites excavated so far met with Tami¶i (Tamil-Brahmi) inscribed potsherds and a few of the sites yielded inscribed metal rings.In Tamil Nadu, nearly 110 cave inscriptions were documented from 32 sites and these inscriptions were deciphered and well documented in the book by ‘Padma Sri’ Iravatham Mahadevan. At Keeladi, 56 Tami¶i (Tamil-Brahmi) inscribed potsherds were recovered from the excavation conducted by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology alone. Some of the inscribed sherds carry the personal names such as kuvira³-¡ta[n] and ¡ta³ and a few sherds with incomplete personal names carrying one or two letters. In these sherds, the name ¡ta³ is inscribed as ¡ta[n]. In the early phase of Tami¶i (Tamil-Brahmi), there is no diacritical mark to differentiate the long vowel from short vowel. This feature is well explained in the book written by K.Rajan Early Writing System – A Journey from Graffiti to Brahmi. This feature is observed in vowels. The availability of such features in Keeladi inscribed potsherds clearly suggests that the Tami¶i (Tamil-Brahmi) inscribed potsherds recovered from the site are older in date.

HIGH LITERACY LEVEL OF THE SANGAM AGE

Tamil-Brahmi letters as part of inscriptions are found by means of pointed object engraved on the shoulder portions of the earthen vessels. In general, these letters were inscribed when the pot is in leather condition or were inscribed /engraved after the pot became dry. The letters engraved in leather condition could be made only by the potters at the time of making pots. In the case of Keeladi examples, they were all post-firing in nature and were engraved by the owners after purchasing the pots. The representation of various styles of writing also suggests this view. It clearly suggests that the high literacy level of the contemporary society that survived in 6th century BCE

Key Findings – Keeladi Excavation
Excavation work, during this season had yielded 5820 antiquities with enough cultural traits in the form of structural activity (brick structures, terracotta ring wells, fallen roofing tiles with double holes and deeply finger pressed grooves to draw rain water).

Antiquities like few pieces of golden ornaments, broken portions, copper objects, iron implements, terracotta gamesmen (chessman), hop scotches, ear ornaments, spindle whorls, figurines and portions besides beads of terracotta, glass, semi-precious stones (agate, carnelian, crystal, etc.).

Popular ceramic types like finer variety of Black and Red ware, Black ware, Black Polished ware, Red ware, Rouletted ware, few pieces of Arretines were also found. There are also enough numbers of graffiti sherds of both pre and post firing nature. A good number of Tamil Brahmi sherds also have been unearthed.

All these finds clearly indicate the cultural richness of the ancient civilization of the Tamils of this region having its close proximity to the temple city Madurai. Hence it becomes essential to continue to probe such cultural hidden treasures of Keeladi site in future and reveal the cultural wealth of the ancient Tamil society.

The Sangam age is a period of history in ancient Tamil Nadu which was believed to be from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE and derives its name from the renowned Sangam assemblies of the poets of Madurai from that time.
A recent ASI report has pushed the Sangam age to 800 BCE based on these archaeological findings.
Keeladi could also provide crucial evidence for understanding the missing links of the Iron Age (12th century BCE to sixth century BCE) to the Early Historic Period (sixth century BCE to fourth century BCE) and subsequent cultural developments.

The unearthed Keeladi artefacts have led academics to describe the site as part of the Vaigai Valley Civilization. The findings have also invited comparisons with the Indus Valley Civilization while acknowledging the cultural gap of 1,000 years between the two places.
The gap is filled with Iron Age material in south India, which serve as residual links.
According to Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department (TNSDA) Keeladi has all the characteristics of an urban civilization, with brick structures, luxury items and proof of internal and external trade.
It comes across as an industrious and advanced civilization and has given evidence of urban life and settlements in Tamil Nadu during the Early Historic Period.


1. Golden Ornament : A gold ornament, similar to the ear piercing needle used by  goldsmiths, was discovered in Keeladi ancient site in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu on April 30 2021.The object is bent and has a sharp tip. When straightened, it measures 4.5 cm. It is 1.99 cm in diameter at one end and 1.73 cm at the tip. Deputy director of archeaology R Sivanantham said that the ornament was found at a depth of 109 cm in the center of a quadrant.These antiquities provide a fascinating glimpse into the cultural richness of ancient Tamil civilization.The findings in the TNSDA report placed Keeladi artefacts about 300 years earlier than the previously believed third century BCE.

2. Ring wells : Ancient earthenware and ring wells have been found. Archaeologist Velappan said that this proves the ancient tradition of Tamils indicating that they used these wells in river shores and ponds for water. Brick buildings are considered rare in ancient times but a large number of brick buildings have been found. A well decorated ring-well was traced on 05.07.2021 in the fourth quadrant of the trench YP5 at a depth of 1.26 m revealed a terracotta ring of diameter 77 cm with a height of 44 cm and thickness of 3 cm containing with two embossed rope decorations on the exterior as decorative feature. The top band of decoration is observed to have been thumb pressed and just above this decoration, incised dotted designs are noticed on the south facing ring. As the exterior contains this feature similar to that of the pinched rope design, it could naturally be visible either as the top terracotta rings of the well just above the ground level. In due course of excavation, two more course of the terracotta rings were exposed and the overall height of the ring well so far traced is 84 cm. The height of second ring is 19 cm and third ring is 18 cm respectively. The rings are observed to have been interlocked within one another. It is planned to continue further digging to trace the rings beneath. Yet another ring-well is noted on 15.07.2021 in the south eastern part of the quadrant YP4/1 at the depth of 411 cm. The rim of the ring-well traced is observed to have decoration. Its east-west length is 58 cm as major portion of the ring is intruding inside the southern section. Its perpendicular length from southern section is 18 cm. The thickness of the decorated rim is 3 cm.

3. Pottery : Ceramic types like Black-and-Red ware, Black ware, Black Polished ware and Red ware were found. Analysis of the Black-and-Red ware pottery revealed that the reason for its black colour is due to the use of carbon material and hematite was used for the red colour. Pottery was fired in kilns at the temperature to 1100°c to produce the typical Black-and-Red ware pottery.[35] The rouletted, arretine-type ceramics brought by merchants demonstrate business connections during Indo-Roman trade. It is noteworthy that such products have been discovered. Furthermore, black and red parchment fragments and white-colored black, red papillae and reddish-pitted pieces have also been unearthed. There are Tamil words engraved on the potteries that mention the names of individuals like 'Aathan', 'Uthiran' and 'Thiesan'.

4. Tamil-Brahmi script and Graffiti mark : In the fourth phase of excavations at Keezhadi, 72 potsherds with Tamil-Brahmi script were discovered at the site. Some of these artifacts have inscribed graffiti marks, similar to graffiti marks which some believe to have evolved from the Indus script. According to T. Udhayachandran, the artifacts found at Keezhadi excavation site may point to a link between the scripts of the Indus Valley civilization and Tamil-Brahmi. Based on these marks, and one Keezhadi findings of the fourth phase which was dated to 580 BCE, R. Sivanantham and M. Seran argue that the date of the earliest attestation of Tamil-Brahmi can be pushed back to the 6th century BCE, a few centuries older than Dhamma Lipi (Prakrit in the Brahmi Script) of Ashokan Edicts, which is stated to be dated from 268 BC to 232 BC. These claims have been challenged. It is not clear whether the potsherds containing inscriptions were found in the same archaeological layer as the 6th century samples, and University of Calcutta archaeologist Bishnupriya Basak said that "This unfortunately is not clear from the report and is very crucial," adding that the issues of "layer, period and absolute dates" needed clarity. Dravidian University archaeologist E. Harsha Vardhan said that a single report was not enough to "state scientifically that the Tamil-Brahmi script belongs to the sixth century BC”.

5. Ornaments and Antiques : Ornaments have been found including sponges, marble, agate beads, green, yellow and blue glass beads.The findings also include elephant tusks, copper ointment and sheets of wire. Rare artifacts including iron edged corners, gold ornaments,stylus, terracotta stamps, diaphragm tiles, firefly toys have been found as well, along with other tools.

6. Iron Dagger : The dagger’s 16-inch steel blade was rusted and broken in half, part of its wooden handle remained intact. R. Sivanandam, director of the Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology, tells the Hindu that this type of weapon was used by warriors during the Sangam period, which spanned roughly the third century B.C.E. through the third century C.E. Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology, carbon dating of artifacts dated some to as early as 580 B.C.E. The digs have yielded large numbers of cow, ox, buffalo and goat skeletons, suggesting agricultural activity by the ancient Keeladi people.

7. Double Roped Design Terracotta Ring: A well decorated ring-well was traced on 05.07.2021 in the fourth quadrant of the trench YP5 at a depth of 1.26 m revealed a terracotta ring of diameter 77 cm with a height of 44 cm and thickness of 3 cm containing with two embossed rope decorations on the exterior as decorative feature. The top band of decoration is observed to have been thumb pressed and just above this decoration, incised dotted designs are noticed on the south facing ring. As the exterior contains this feature similar to that of the pinched rope design, it could naturally be visible either as the top terracotta rings of the well just above the ground level. In due course of excavation, two more course of the terracotta rings were exposed and the overall height of the ring well so far traced is 84 cm. The height of second ring is 19 cm and third ring is 18 cm respectively. The rings are observed to have been interlocked within one another. It is planned to continue further digging to trace the rings beneath.

8. Skeletal Remains : Skeletal remains of four juveniles were found during excavation at Konthagai site, about four km from Keeladi, as part of the sixth phase of excavation. Excavations at Keeladi have revealed that it was the cradle of one of the oldest urban civilisations, dating to some 2,600 years. So far, over 14,000 artefacts and other related items have been obtained.

9. HackHeist : HACKHEIST 2K24 -NATIONAL LEVEL HACKATHON that is conducted by Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College on March 27 and 28. The HACKHEIST event is orgnizsed by ECE department. The First prize was Prize amount of 10,000 RS and Second prize was  Prize amount of 5,000 RS.