Chennai, Mar 6 (FN Agency) The much-awaited onsite museum at Keezhadiin the southern Sivaganga district, which gained global popularity bytaking great pride in the ancient Tamil civilisation, was dedicated to thepublic. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated the state-of-the-artmuseum, established by the Archaeology Department at Keezhadi lastevening. The museum is a testimony to the regal life lived by ancient Tamilsduring the Sangam Age. The museum with adequate infrastructure facility has been built on asprawling two acre area at a cost of Rs 18.43 crore.The museum was adorned with over 15,000 unique artefacts un-earthedbetween the 4th and 8th phases of excavations by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology since 2018. The excavations underscored the fact that an urban civilisation existedin Tamil Nadu since the Sangam Age, contemporary to the urban liferecorded in the Gangetic plains.
The Chief Minister said the museum is a fitting tribute to our ancientTamils, their workmanship and life.The Chief Minister was also keen on making the museum more accessibleto school and college students by strengthening the educational aspect ofit. The museum housed six galleries titled ‘Maduraiyum Keezhadiyum’,‘Agriculture and Water Management’, ‘Kalam Seikho’, ‘AadayumAnikalankalum’, ‘Maritime Trade’ and ‘Vaazhviyal’, sources said. The spacious and bright air-conditioned museum offers a relaxingenvironment for visitors to explore the history and richness ofartefacts exhibited, an official release said. It is also equipped with a touchscreen display for the visitors to havea glimpse of artefacts regarding the Vaigai valley civilisation.
With all these facilities, the museum was incorporated into a virtualreality exhibition, much to the delight of onlookers. To showcase the Tamil civilisation, which existed several years ago,and its ancient culture, five phases of excavations have been carriedout at the archaeological site of Keezhadi since 2018. During those excavations, over thousand markings were recorded andmore than 60 potsherds and other historically significant objects thatwere identified as a trademark of the ancient civilisation were unearthed. The museum also features a display of a replica of a cargo ship recallingthe ‘Sangam era’ of maritime trade and earthenware and pottery werealso exhibited in various dimensions.Adding to this, ancient coins that were unearthed were also displayed.