MADURAI
As the Keeladi archaeological site continues to grab global attention, there has been an enormous surge in the number of locals visiting the site.
Every day, between 2,500 to 7,000 tourists, students and locals who wish to take a peek at their heritage and assert their Tamil pride land up at the site, say officials from the Tourism department.
District Tourism Officer P. Balamurugan says that there has been a steady stream of locals and Indian tourists asking the department about the best ways to reach Keeladi at tourism information centres located in the airport and the railway station.
Keeladi has become a site of selfies and a market for small-scale vendors selling knick-knacks and snacks. A senior official from the tourism department in charge of Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram says that the crowds had helped boost the local economy. “Although many tourists are not staying here [Sivaganga], they are stopping by for breakfast and lunch. They also end up buying some jewellery and clothes from here,” he says.
With the site likely to be closed in the next two weeks, people want to take a look at the site and artefacts. The student community, particularly from schools and colleges have been regularly visiting the place.
M. Rajesh, a professor from The American College who recently visited the site, said, “We have read about the Indus Valley civilisation in our books. We have seen famous pots, figurines and vessels from there but the sites are far from here. History is learnt best by experiencing it. Keeladi is that experience,” he says.
According to Travel Club Madurai president, Chitra Ganapathy, Keeladi answers the question “After temple hopping, what next?” for tourists who visit Madurai. “The site is currently being studied and does not have enough for international tourists yet. However, several locals, who are deeply intrigued by the need to learn about their roots and heritage are heading there. Such places help locals understand the antiquity of their culture. Everyone is looking to identify with their roots and have their curiosity kindled,” she says.
The sizeable inflow, however, causes a predicament for officials from the Archaeology department. The officials who are wrapping up the fifth phase by completing the documentation procedure, say that they are not being allowed to do their job.
“There is manpower shortage to handle such massive crowds. We have four archaeologists and 10 research scholars manning 52 digs. Of the pits, 30 are off limits and are important. Each research scholar supervises four pits. Several instances of people stealing broken clay items from digs have been reported but they are not any significant items,” said an official from the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department.
He adds that hundreds of people ask the officials about the site’s history and pester them. “When we do not answer, they throw a fit. This is why we have put up a board containing basic information in Tamil and English,” he says.
As on October 3, officials from the Police department have been asked to deploy their personnel at the site and allow tourists in batches of only 100 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. “This is only in writing. Today [Saturday] we saw 2,500 people at least and no specific regulations were in place,” says the official.
Although an officer from the Tourism department in Sivaganga said that he planned to fence the site and ensure ticketing at the site, the Archaeology department is unwilling to consider the proposal yet.
Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan says that the bare minimum that the government can do is to ensure 24x7 police protection. He adds that it is important for all people to view the site and learn about their local history. “To strike a balance, some of us as history enthusiasts and members of the Rotary club have asked 50 students to man each pit and help with crowd control,” he says. The surging crowds demand a state-of-the-art virtual museum instead of the originally planned site museum, he adds.
