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Opposition parties have accused the BJP-led Centre of attempting to derail the excavations since Hindutva groups are uncomfortable with its findings.
The Sangam era, from 400 BCE to 200 CE, refers to a period of ancient Tamil Nadu in which Tamil culture and language evolved to its zenith, producing some of the finest literature and art in the language. This period was named after the Sangams (academies) of Tamil poets and writers said to have existed in and around Madurai. In Sangam times, Tamil Nadu consisted of parts of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Sri Lanka as well.
The team excavating the site was led by superintending archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna, who has overseen two phases of the project. However, in a sudden development last week that left many surprised, Ramakrishna, who belongs to the institution’s Bengaluru office, was transferred to Guwahati in Assam. This came a few months after the excavations at Keezhadi were halted due to the lack of funds.
Opposition parties have accused the BJP-led Central government of attempting to derail the excavations at Keezhadi since Hindutva groups are uncomfortable with its findings. They said that the excavations have added strength to the idea that an advanced and secular Tamil civilisation – independent of the Hindu tradition – may have existed in the South during the Sangam era. This claim has been central to the cultural assertion of Dravidian politics, which has used Sangam literature to distinguish Tamil Nadu from the rest of the country.
G Ramakrishnan, Tamil Nadu Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said that the Centre tried to derail the project by stopping funding in October. However, the Union government was forced to restart the excavation after the Opposition took up the issue in Parliament, he added.
Ramakrishnan said since funding for the project could not be stopped, the Centre was now trying to slow down the excavation work by transferring the officer in charge. “This is not some clerical work,” he said. “Excavations need continuity.”
He added that those who try to paint a homogeneous picture of India’s ancient past were uncomfortable with the new findings, which suggest that a secular civilisation flourished in South India in the ancient times.
The criticism was also echoed by Kanimozhi, Rajya Sabha member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. She said that evidence of an independent Tamil civilisation was getting systematically subverted.
This reporter has learnt that Amarnath Ramakrishna has challenged the transfer order before the Central Administrative Tribunal, which on Thursday told the Archaeological Survey of India to consider his petition to reconsider the transfer. A senior ASI official said Ramakrishna wanted to continue his work in Keezhadi since the third face of excavations, which begin next month, were possibly the most crucial given the depths it would reach.
https://scroll.in/article/833255/tr...sangam-era-site-leads-to-uproar-in-tamil-nadu
The Sangam era, from 400 BCE to 200 CE, refers to a period of ancient Tamil Nadu in which Tamil culture and language evolved to its zenith, producing some of the finest literature and art in the language. This period was named after the Sangams (academies) of Tamil poets and writers said to have existed in and around Madurai. In Sangam times, Tamil Nadu consisted of parts of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Sri Lanka as well.
The team excavating the site was led by superintending archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna, who has overseen two phases of the project. However, in a sudden development last week that left many surprised, Ramakrishna, who belongs to the institution’s Bengaluru office, was transferred to Guwahati in Assam. This came a few months after the excavations at Keezhadi were halted due to the lack of funds.
Opposition parties have accused the BJP-led Central government of attempting to derail the excavations at Keezhadi since Hindutva groups are uncomfortable with its findings. They said that the excavations have added strength to the idea that an advanced and secular Tamil civilisation – independent of the Hindu tradition – may have existed in the South during the Sangam era. This claim has been central to the cultural assertion of Dravidian politics, which has used Sangam literature to distinguish Tamil Nadu from the rest of the country.
G Ramakrishnan, Tamil Nadu Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said that the Centre tried to derail the project by stopping funding in October. However, the Union government was forced to restart the excavation after the Opposition took up the issue in Parliament, he added.
Ramakrishnan said since funding for the project could not be stopped, the Centre was now trying to slow down the excavation work by transferring the officer in charge. “This is not some clerical work,” he said. “Excavations need continuity.”
He added that those who try to paint a homogeneous picture of India’s ancient past were uncomfortable with the new findings, which suggest that a secular civilisation flourished in South India in the ancient times.
The criticism was also echoed by Kanimozhi, Rajya Sabha member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. She said that evidence of an independent Tamil civilisation was getting systematically subverted.
This reporter has learnt that Amarnath Ramakrishna has challenged the transfer order before the Central Administrative Tribunal, which on Thursday told the Archaeological Survey of India to consider his petition to reconsider the transfer. A senior ASI official said Ramakrishna wanted to continue his work in Keezhadi since the third face of excavations, which begin next month, were possibly the most crucial given the depths it would reach.
https://scroll.in/article/833255/tr...sangam-era-site-leads-to-uproar-in-tamil-nadu
