KEEZHADI-- Unearthing the truth

                           To make my first blog special I want share you all one of the great unknown truth which we tamilian have to know before someone delete our own history because it will reveal a truth which many of us won’t be happy with that it will be difficult for everyone who believes in something for a long time.

                             Many of us would have not heard the name keezhadi. Some may aware if they were belonging to Madurai or some who travels to Madurai often. What comes in our mind if someone mentions the place called Madurai. Many will tell Madurai Meenakshi amman temple, and people like me will tell jigarthanda and idly and some mention it as thoonganagaram and many of us will fail to tell “sangam valatha Madurai “. Wow… yes people who studied in state board will recognize this word sangam and I am sorry CBSE students it will be difficult for you guys to recognize what it means but any how sangam is the era where tamil people lived as before as Mesopotamians, Greek and whatever civilization you have read in your syllabus. And coming to the point, Yes there is a lot more relation between keezhadi village, sangam era and pandya kingdom.  Keezhadi is the small village near the border between Madurai and sivagangai district. If you enter the keezhadi village lot of coconut trees will welcomes you with a cool zephyr. If you travel along with smell of sand you can see excavation activity.

                    Archaeological survey of India (ASI) made a survey close to 500 villages and discovered 293 locations and many of them were habitation sites and in that many were burial, temple sites and many inscriptions were found. In those 293 locations they have filtered about 90 habitation sites. This made the archaeologists very happy because arikamedu (puducherry) and kaveripompatinam (Near nagapattinam) didn’t give the kind of results what they have expected about the existence of urban settlements. Keezhadi was selected * as the most appropriate site to do excavation from three sites (Siddharnatham 40 Km west of Madurai and Maranadu which is southeast of Madurai). Excavation was taken place in the banks of the river vaigai** which is standing as challenge for Indus valley civilization and still we didn’t have concrete evidence for the same but sure it will break many ideologies about our Sangam era.

                  Okay what is so important about the keezhadi excavation and why it is so important to us? This question may arise for the people who were reading this. As I said before it’s going to change the history what we have been taught so far and also at that end of this topic you can also see how Indian politics/Religion plays a huge role in stopping this excavation.

                  Pallichanthai thidal is the exact place where the excavation (Figure 1) is carried out and it is the place where different items were found. 

Figure 1: Keezhadi with pottery in the middle

                       Excavation happened in different phases and each phases given more surprises to us. First phase during September 2015 and the archaeologists found 43 trenches of 4 feet by 4 feet measurements which gave more spirit and attracted other scholars to visit the site. The location which we have more number of trenches is the settlement of educated rich people. The most importantly they have found the ring wells and it is a crucial finding which indicates the site is an urban settlement. Just imagine in olden time itself they made their people’s life made easy by making the people not to go to river or lake every time to fetch water. And who knows it may be for small scale industry also. They have also found the walls and platforms of large bricks (figure 2).

Figure 2:Brick wall and platform

                 There were flourishing antiquities including the ivory dice (dayakattai). Second phase gave more clarity than the first which was happened in 2016. This time 59 trenches were found and now totally it was 102 trenches and which is the largest ever in Tamil Nadu. The second phase showed more evidences of urban settlements like a complex drainage with terracotta pipe. I just want to explain one more point here about the terracotta which we found in this settlement is different from the Mohenjadaro and harrappa civilization. Terracotta in northern civilization is only red in the outer side and the one in keezhadi terracotta was made by heating the sand by both way inside and outside which means the technologies they used to make the terracotta is much more advanced than the other civilization. And found more evidence for industrial activity happened there which are bigger platforms and six number of furnaces. Found lot of potteries in the excavations. Pottery means not just the simple one, pottery (Black and Red) (figure 3) with tamil brahmi letters and names. Names of individuals such as Thisan, Aadhan and Udhiran which were typical sangam age of Tamil names. Exquisitely crafted pot (Figure 4) was found which were measured 72 cm width and 42 cm height. Other two types of pots are also found in the excavation site which may be used for storing the water facility.

Figure 3: Black and red pottery

Figure 4:Exquisitely crafted pot

              Building facility also would be much advanced than the other settlements so far we have found. It indicates the unearthed city belongs to sangam age. Groove tiles used for laying the roofs and the typical flat bricks measuring 38 centimeters. Bricks (Sutta kallu) which was used is the type of bricks which we were using now.

Bone tools, iron weapons and fish symbol which is a sign representing the clan of sangam age was found. Beads of agate, bangles made of sea shell, rusted old coins, carnelian and quartz(Figure 5) indicate that Pandya Empire had trade link with the countries like Rome. Historically this settlement would have been the part of the Kuntidevi chaturvedimangalam which was named after the pandya queen***

Figure 5: Pearls,Carnelian and quartz

   

            Okay now coming to the important point which troubles the excavation. Do you guys know which archaeological dept doing excavation activity?  The Bengalaru based excavation branch VI of the ASI has taken up the excavation at keezhadi village. Our Tamil Nadu government also having archaeological department but it is not doing the activity because of low budget. Sad part is our Tamil Nadu government is busy in playing hide and seek for the CM chair and they also having budget for the 110% increment  for reputed, busy and work alcoholic  MLA’s but not to research taking place which makes history. Mr.Amarnath Ramakrishnan, Superintending archaeologist and director of excavation and he done his duty very well more than his level. The evidence which was found in the keezhadi challenged the ideologies of the central ruling party. No evidences so far said that the sangam ages are vedic followers indeed they are the pure dravidans. Some evidences showed that the sangam people believed in nature and prayed the nature. Sangam era is the independent ancient civilization something that could challenge the notion of vedic roots of all of Hinduism. This made the central government to take a decision which stopped the excavation, they transferred Mr. Amarnath aramakrishnan to bengalaru again.  

                         Some may ask this question. Okay sangam era is a non vedic civilization then how come lord muruga was in sangam era. Your question was right lord muruga is not hindu god he is a tamil god. Aryans made a story and said he is a son of Lord Shiva (he is vedic god). Okay I will talk about this later in another blog then. Okay coming to point after a struggle by DMK and other archeological departments excavation again started. Third phase started on May 17^th with a simple pooja by the villagers who were keen to work on this project.

Let’s hope for some more evidence to prove our puraporul vaenba maalai (புறப்பொருள் வெண்பா மாலை) sayings.

பொய் அகல, நாளும் புகழ்விளைத்தல் என் வியப்பாம்?
வையகம் போர்த்த, வயங்கு ஒலி நீர் – கையகலக்
கல் தோன்றி மண் தோன்றாக் காலத்தே, வாளோடு
முன் தோன்றி மூத்த குடி!

*Disproves there were no proper ancient habitation sites or riverine settlements in Tamilnadu.

** It took a year to completed these surveys and to select keezhadi

*** Which indicates queen was given more importance in those days.