Keezhadi or Keeladi is a place in Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu. During an excavation by archaeological residues were found the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Keeladi in 2013-14, in the excavation site located 12 km southeast of Madurai in Tamil Nadu. The pieces of evidence found by the ASI and the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department (TNAD) support that Keeladi is an urban settlement of Sangam Age on the banks of the river Vaigai. The settlement lies on the banks of the Vaigai River and it reflects the ancient culture of Tamil people.

The first phase of the excavation began in June 2015 in the area near the Vaigai River in Keezhadi. During the second phase of excavation in 2016, more than 6000 artefacts were found including various documents, medical jars, antique kitchen wells, and factory and government seals were found. The radiocarbon dating tests of these artefacts confirmed that these items were more than 2200 years old. In 2017 during the third phase of excavation, 16 digging sites were selected by the ASI. The total area of the sites was 400 square meters, which is 80 acres of land.

In the years 2017 and 2018, the fourth phase of excavation was conducted. While the first three phases were conducted by the ASI, the fourth phase was conducted by the TNAD. More than 58,00 artefacts were found during this excavation. Six carbon samples from the fourth phase were sent to Beta Analytic, Miami, Florida, USA for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating. It was found that one sample, collected at a depth of 353 cm, was dated at 580 BCE.

In June 2019, the fifth stage of excavation was done. During the excavation, many Sangam-era bricks and more than 700 objects were found. These have been sent for testing by the TNAD.

The sixth phase of excavation began in February 2020. Along with Keeladi, there were simultaneous excavations in the nearby villages of Manalur, Kondhagai, and Agaram.

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The findings included frosts, brick walls, roof tiles, pottery, mimic accessories, skeletal tools, iron Vel (divine spear), and Tamil-Brahmi letter-etched plates. This place is considered to be Pandyan dynasty’s city called “Perumanalur” which is the pioneer of literature.  Many findings, such as the use of fired brick, the size of the building complex, the array of pots placed in a way that it must have been used either as a lamp or for painting, etc., suggest that the settlement is of a more civilised population than was previously suspected during the Sangam period.

At the bottom of the settlement, there are buildings with a sewage canal facility made of ceramic tubes. The rouletted, arretine-type ceramics discovered during the excavations demonstrated the business connections of the people with the Roman Empire. The discovery of potsherds with Tamil-Brahmi script at the site indicates that the people attained the literacy or learned the art of writing as early as 6th century BC. Some of these artefacts have inscribed graffiti marks, similar to graffiti marks which some believe to have evolved from the Indus script. This lend credence to the view that the language of the Indus Valley Civilization was proto-Dravidian. Ornaments and antiquities, such as sponges, marble, agate beads, green, yellow and blue glass beads were also found. Rare artefacts including iron edged corners, gold ornaments, stylus, terracotta stamps, diaphragm tiles, firefly toys were also found.

The report submitted by the TNAD state that the cultural deposits excavated at the site Keeladi could be dated to a period between the 6 century BC and the 1 century AD. The ASI is yet to confirm the time period. The TNAD and the Tamil Nadu State Government has roped Madurai Kamaraj University’s School of Biological Sciences, Harvard University to step up the research and advanced studies at Keeladi. It has also teamed up with the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, for metallurgy studies of artefacts, the French Institute of Pondicherry for undertaking pollen studies, and the Deccan College, Pune, for animal bone analysis.

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