Where is Keeladi Museum?

The Keeladi museum was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in the Sivaganga district. This museum showcases the life of ancient Tamils during the Sangam Age. It is built on a 2-acre land in Keeladi at a cost of ₹18.43 crore. The museum features a variety of antiques, virtual reality experiences of the excavations, and models of the ships of the Sangam Age.

About Keeladi Museum

The museum houses over 15,000 unique artefacts unearthed between the 4th and 8th phases of excavations by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology since 2018. The excavations revealed the existence of an urban civilization in Tamil Nadu during the Sangam Age, contemporary to the urban life recorded in the Gangetic plains. Since its excavation started in 2015, it has emerged as a major urban habitation site in Tamil Nadu’s history.

What is in Keeladi Museum?

The museum has the artefacts and crafts used by the urban civilization from the 6^th century BC. This civilization thrived along the banks of the river Vaigai. There were big controversies in fixing the time period of this civilization. First, it was said that the Keeladi excavations belonged to 300 BCE. Later, the carbon datings confirmed that the excavations were much older than thought before and belonged to 800 BCE. This finalised that the Tamil Sangam era was older than thought before and dated back to 800 BCE.

The museum has artefacts that depict the history of Tamil and the heritage of Tamil Nadu. Also, the museum has exhibits of brick structures used in 800 BCE and earthenware structures. The museum also has animated paintings that explain the livelihood of the people who lived in that era.

What are the special inclusions in the Keeladi Museum?

The museum has antiquities that provide the missing link between the iron age and the early historic period. The iron age was between the 12^th century BCE and the 6^th century BCE. The early historic period was between the 6^th century BCE and the 4^th century BCE.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2023

Category: Places in News Current Affairs