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| The lovely and massive Buddha statue in Enlightenment Grove, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India. |
The oldest settlements in South India: The Keeladi excavations
What did the recent excavations at Keeladi (aka Keezhadi) and other places along the Vaigai and Porunai (Thamirabarani) rivers reveal?
For a long time, it was believed that South India had no ancient urban civilizations like in the north [where the Indus Valley Civilization and the Vedic Civilization thrived near Gandhara, now in parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which were formerly parts of the Indian Empire].
While the Sangam Period (dated 300 BCE–300 CE) literature talks of a sophisticated Tamil civilization, there was no concrete archeological proof to back it up…until the path-finding/groundbreaking Keeladi excavations that started in 2015.
A series of digs carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India in a little village near Madurai unearthed artifacts dating back at least to the 6th century BCE [the time of the Buddha].
This included pottery fragments with graffiti marks very similar to the Indus Valley Civilization script.
But Keeladi isn’t the first or only place to offer evidence of ancient settlements in Tamil Nadu.
Adichanallur, Korkai, Pallavaram, Attirampakkam, and many more sites have produced an array of amazing artifacts over the last 100 years or so, including the oldest human tool to be ever discovered in India -- a hand-axe that was discovered in Pallavaram, part of present-day Chennai.
It’s only in recent years that the pieces of the jigsaw have started coming together. Archeologists believe that many more exciting discoveries, possibilities, and answers are waiting to be found at this site.
#keeladi #keezhadi #Adichanallur #Korkai #sangamliterature #Porunai #thamirabarani #Vaigai #IndusVallley #indusvalleycivilisation #VediCivilisation #anicientcivilisations #madurai #Agaram #Pallavaram #Egmore #southindianhistory #indianhistory #chennai #storytrails #storiesofindia #tamilnadutourism
Produced in partnership with:
- Saint-Gobain: saint-gobain.com/en (@SaintGobainTV)
- Tamil Nadu Tourism: tamilnadutourism.tn.gov.in (@TamilnaduTourismOnline)
- The Egmore Museum, Chennai
Editing credits: Studio A, Chennai
Music, Sound Design, Mix & Master: Vishwi (vishwimusic.com)
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