Keeladi has been a runaway success both in terms of preserving our past and also in the number of footfalls it is seeing. Does the government have any plans to start a museum of the same size or on a larger scale anywhere else in Tamil Nadu.

Yes, we do have plans, we have also announced a few in the Budget. As mentioned in my Budget speech, our government firmly believes that showcasing the archaeological artefacts unearthed across Tamil Nadu through state-of-art museums equipped with advanced technological facilities will effectively proclaim the glory of Tamil culture to the world in befitting manner.

The Porunai Museum at Tirunelveli will be established shortly showcasing the cultural transformation that had occurred in the Porunai or Tamirabharani river valley from Microlithic Age to the Sangam Age. The construction of the museum is nearing completion.

We are in the process of identifying land to construct the “Naavai” museum showcasing the maritime heritage of Tamil Nadu and trade ties of Pandiyas in Ramanathapuram District. We have also announced that a ‘Noyyal Museum’ will be established in Erode district at an estimated cost of ₹22 crore focusing on Kodumanal excavation.

As more inscriptions are being unearthed, do we have any plans to have an exclusive museum that will showcase the emergence of Tamil Brahmi scripts, the evolution and also the beginning of modern Tamil script.

We have a small thematic museum setup in Thirumalai Naicker Mahal in Madurai specifically displaying various inscriptions over the period. The proposal to establish a museum showcasing the origin, evolution and transformation of Tamil script over the years is under the active consideration of the government.

The State is focusing on unearthing the past but are there any plans to see that this goes hand in hand with a focus on higher education and research in these fields and also heritage management? Do you think that more needs to be done to create awareness among the younger generation to choose archaeology as a field of study?

The younger generation evinces keen interest to know our past heritage and they are very much concerned and interested in preserving the archaeologically important sites and monuments. They actively participate in conservation initiatives. 

In order to create awareness and interest among the young minds, the government has set up heritage clubs in schools. The acceleration of higher research depends on the availability of basic data, particularly the primary sources, to the researcher. The government is in the process of creating a strong database through its series of publications and proper documentation. So far, 67 volumes of inscriptions have been published. The documentation of rock art sites is in progress and the publication of two volumes of rock art sites is also in progress.

Apart from the announcement made in June last year by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin when he launched archaeological excavations in eight locations across the State, will this financial year see more excavations being undertaken in other places that are of historical importance?

It has been announced in the Budget for 2025-26 that the department will undertake excavations at eight places across to State. These are Keeladi (Sivagangai), Pattanamarudur (Thoothukkudi), Karivavalmvanthanallur (Tenkasi), Nagapattinam (Nagapattinam), Manikollai (Cuddalore), Adichanur (Viluppuram), Vellalur (Coimbatore) and Thelunganur (Salem).

In the Budget, you had said that the journey in search of the cultural identities of ancient Tamils will be expanded to neighbouring States like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. How will this be done? Will we be signing MoUs with the respective State archeological departments? And will we be bringing back the artefacts that will be unearthed there?

The department has engaged itself in excavation programmes in Palur (Orissa), Maski (Karnataka), Pedda Vengi (Andhra Pradesh) and Pattnam (ancient Muciri) in Kerala with active cooperation of the history and archaeology departments of various institutions such as Central Universities of Karnataka and Hyderabad, Odishan Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies, Bhuvaaneshwar, and the PAMA Institute for the Advancement of Transdisciplinary Archaeological Sciences in Kerala. 

As per the law, the artefacts unearthed in the respective territories of the States belong to the concerned States. 

Are there any plans to expand such operations to foreign shores too as the ancient Tamils had maritime trade links with the mediterranean countries.

We have a proposal to depute archaeological officers to archaeological sites at Berenike in Egypt where the maritime contacts of the Tamils are well established, for detailed study after obtaining necessary approvals and clearances.

In your Budget speech you had mentioned that the artefacts unearthed will undergo advanced technological analysis. Are there plans to set up new scientific labs for this purpose? Where will these be set up and how much funds will be allocated for the purpose?

The department is already in collaboration with various world-renowned research institutions in the country such as Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow; Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad; Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam; Deccan College, Pune; Agarkar Research Institute, Pune; Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore; School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai; Liverpool John Moores University, U.K.; National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore; and the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhi Nagar.

For the deep-sea archaeological excavation along the coast, you have said that it will be done with the support of leading technological institutions. Have you shortlisted any of the institutions and will you be looking at them for logical support too?

We have tied up with Indian Maritime University to conduct maritime archaeological survey for comprehensive deep sea excavation near Kaverypoompatinam that is Poompuhar. We will associate ourselves with various other renowned technological institutions and scholars once the target areas are identified.

Don’t you think that our government museum websites need a revamp. Do we have any plans of creating an interactive website something like the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. This would not only help showcase Dravidian culture but also help researchers abroad to study and utilise the materials we have?

I agree that our museums are to be revamped and upgraded on a par with international standards to provide a world class experience for the visitors. It’s not out of place to mention here that such a museum has been established in Keeladi.

Are we facing any problem from the Centre when it comes to giving funds to preserve these archaeological sites. In case there is difficulty would we look into crowdfunding for such projects?

Unlike the past, our Chief Minister allocates adequate funds for the archaeological department to carry out its activities. He has allocated sum of ₹7 crore for the archaeological excavation and scientific research in the coming financial year.

Published – March 29, 2025 11:49 pm IST