Chennai: Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma indicated that the excavation at Keezhadi site in Tamil Nadu has not been abandoned but “paused” to prepare and submit a report.
Responding to a request by DMK working president M. K. Stalin seeking his intervention in resumption of excavation at this ancient site, the Minister tweeted, “as per report obtained excavation has been going on for the last 2 years. It has been paused to prepare report on the outcome of excavation.”
Mr. Stalin had urged the Centre to resume archaeological excavation at Keezhadi near Madurai, the work on which has been reportedly stalled by Central Advisory Board of Archaeology (CABA).
Stalin claimed that further excavation would throw light on the ancient history of the state and asked for necessary funds for the excavation work at Keezhadi, a small village near Silaiman.
“While the people of State are anxiously waiting to know their true and ancient history of Tamil Nadu, in a sudden and surprise move, the Archaeological Survey of India has been refused fund and permission to continue the excavation though in Northern and Eastern States such excavations are being allowed liberally to continue even for more than ten years,” he had said in his letter addressed to Mr. Sharma on Jan. 6.
He also accused the CABA of stalling excavation. The ASI’s excavation had revealed an ancient and important landmark of Tamil’s civilisation dating back to the Sangam era, 2,500 years ago.
