The Madras High Court Bench here on Thursday directed the State government to spell out by October 18 the possibility of providing sufficient land near Pallichanthai Thidal of Keezhadi in Sivaganga district to establish a museum and preserve over 5,300 artefacts excavated by Archaeological Survey of India from the site.
A Division Bench of Justices S. Nagamuthu and M.V. Muralidaran also restrained the ASI from closing down around 100 trenches dug up for the excavation works and shifting the artefacts unearthed at Keezhadi to any place outside Sivaganga district until October 18. The interim orders were passed on a public interest litigation petition filed by a lawyer.
The petitioner, Kanimozhi Mathi (39), pointed out that excavations carried out by ASI at Keezhadi since last year had led to discovery of an ancient urban settlement having thrived on the course of Vaigai river and spread across 110 acres with possible trade and cultural relations with other parts of the Indian sub- continent and rest of the world.
“This is the first riverbed civilisation discovery in Tamil Nadu. Most of the excavation sites such as Arikamedu and Adhichanallur in Tamil Nadu were burial sites. Keezhadi is the first extensive find of an enviable ancient Tamil civilisation. Keezhadi proves that Sangam literatures were not merely poetic imaginations but substantive records of the experience of Tamils,” she added.
Further, claiming that more than 5,300 artefacts, including pots, shells, glass, beads, iron, rusted old coins, weapons, tools made of bones, mud vaults, brick walls and wells had been excavated just from half an acre of land, she wondered what a fabulous treasure trove on ancient Tamil civilisation could be discovered on excavating the entire site of 110 acres.
However, claiming to have learnt recently that ASI had decided to close down the site and shift all the excavated artefacts to Karnataka, the petitioner said that Tamil Nadu could not afford to lose such valuable articles, that speak volumes about ancient Tamil civilisation, to a neighbouring State just for want of facilities to establish a museum near the excavation site.
Ms. Mathi also pointed out that ASI itself insists on creation of site museums since the period of Sir John Marshall who during his tenure as Director General of ASI between 1902 and 1928 initiated the founding of local museums such as Sarnath (1904), Agra (1906), Ajmer (1908), Delhi Fort (1909), Bijapur (1912), Nalanda (1917) and Sanchi (1919).
The petitioner also said that the website of ASI proudly states that the concept of site museums had been well elucidated by its succeeding Director General Harold Hargreaves who said: “It has been the policy of the Government of India to keep the small and movable antiquities, recovered from the ancient sites, in close association with the remains to which they belong so that they may be studied in their natural surroundings and not lose focus by being transported.”
