Keezhadi

Keezhadi
Name	Keezhadi
Native name lang	ta
Settlement type	Archaeological site
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Sivaganga
Excavation	2015–present
Epoch	Sangam period
Cultures	Tamilakam

Keezhadi Keezhadi is an archaeological site in Tamil Nadu near Madurai and Sivaganga district that produced evidence associated with the Sangam period and Early Historic India. Excavations at the site yielded artefacts linking to wider networks such as Tamilakam, Meenakshi Temple region traditions, and material parallels with sites like Arikamedu and Porunthal. The finds have prompted inter-institutional work involving bodies such as the Archaeological Survey of India and university teams from Tamil University, French Institute of Pondicherry, and IIT Madras.

Introduction

The site lies near Vaigai River tributaries close to the city of Madurai and the town of Keeladi in Sivaganga district. Initial surveys attracted attention from state agencies including the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology and national agencies including the Archaeological Survey of India. Keezhadi became a focal point for scholars from institutions such as University of Madras, Jawaharlal Nehru University, IIT Bombay, and international collaborators like University of Cambridge and the French Institute of Pondicherry. The project sparked interest among heritage bodies including UNESCO and debates in political fora including the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

Archaeological Excavations

Excavation campaigns began under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department and teams led by scholars from Tamil University in collaboration with specialists from Archaeological Survey of India and laboratories at IIT Madras and CSIR-NMITLI. Fieldwork employed stratigraphic techniques used at comparative sites such as Arikamedu, Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, and Chidambaram. Trenches revealed structural remains comparable to urban features at Amaravati and Kanchipuram, and artefactual assemblages akin to those at Porunthal and Perur.

Chronology and Dating

Radiocarbon dates were obtained from samples processed at facilities including Physical Research Laboratory and National Geophysical Research Institute. Chronologies were compared with datasets from Banawali, Atranjikhera, and Paiyampalli. Results suggested continuity into the Sangam literature timeframe, overlapping with references found in texts associated with Tamil Sangams and contemporaneous with periods mentioned in sources like Megasthenes and Ashoka inscriptions. Dating debates referenced methods used at Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, Vikram University and calibration curves employed by INTACH researchers.

Material Culture and Findings

Excavations produced pottery typologies similar to wares from Arikamedu and Chola region assemblages, along with iron objects akin to materials from Kaveripoompattinam and Kodumanal. Finds included inscribed potsherds comparable to epigraphic forms found at Adichanallur and Korkai, beads resembling examples from Lothal and Khirbet Qeiyafa parallels for trade studies, and brick structures resembling urbanism at Poompuhar. Metal finds invited comparison with metallurgy at Taxila and iron-working evidence at Hallur. Other artefacts connected to craft traditions recorded at Kanchipuram and Uraiyur.

Social and Urban Organization

Structural remains indicated planned layouts comparable to urban grids at Pattinam sites and civic features paralleling those at Perur and Kaveripattinam. The occupational sequence suggested craft specialization similar to evidence at Kodumanal and marketplace activities comparable to those reported at Arikamedu and Korkai. Organic residue and botanical remains were analyzed using protocols from Indian Agricultural Research Institute and compared to agricultural regimes mentioned in Sangam literature and referenced by travelers like Pliny the Elder.

Interpretations and Debates

Scholarly interpretation involved historians from University of Madras, archaeologists from Archaeological Survey of India, and independent researchers associated with Centre for South Indian Studies and Madras Christian College. Debates touched on chronology and the relationship to literary sources like the Sangam literature and cross-regional interactions with Maurya Empire and Satavahana dynasty spheres. Methodological discussions referenced comparative work at Harappa, theoretical frameworks from Glyn Daniel and Mortimer Wheeler-inspired stratigraphic traditions, and epigraphic analysis drawing on corpora maintained by the Epigraphia Indica project.

Conservation and Site Management

Conservation efforts involved collaboration between the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, and heritage NGOs such as INTACH and academic partners including IIT Madras and Tamil University. Site management planning referenced practices from ASIAA projects, case studies at Mahabalipuram, and museum-display protocols used by the Government Museum, Chennai and the National Museum, New Delhi. Public outreach engaged local bodies like the Sivaganga district administration and cultural institutions such as Kalakshetra to integrate findings into heritage education.

Category:Archaeological sites in India