The ongoing dispute between the Union government and the Tamil Nadu government over the archaeological finds at Keeladi has reportedly claimed its first "victim," with the recent transfer of ASI Director Amarnath Ramakrishna. This move has ignited a political storm, with accusations flying between the Centre and the state regarding the handling and interpretation of the Keeladi findings.
K Amarnath Ramakrishna, who has become synonymous with the Keeladi site since discovering it in 2014, has been transferred for the third time in nine months. His latest transfer sees him moved from Director, Antiquity and National Mission on Monument and Antiquity (NMMA), New Delhi, to Director, NMMA, in Greater Noida, a move widely perceived as a "punishment posting" due to the NMMA in Greater Noida being largely dysfunctional.
This transfer comes shortly after Ramakrishna defended his 982-page report on the Keeladi excavations, submitted to the ASI on January 30, 2023. The report reportedly detailed the chronological sequence of Keeladi based on stratigraphical evidence, cultural deposits, material culture, and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating. He asserted that the period of the Keeladi site was reconstructed based on the available data and that the final report incorporated all documentary evidence.
The controversy surrounding the Keeladi findings centers on the dating of the artifacts and their implications for understanding ancient Tamil civilization. Ramakrishna's report suggested that the finds date back to the 8th century BCE, pushing the Sangam Era back by 300 years from previous estimates. However, the Union government, particularly Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, has expressed reservations about the report's scientific soundness, claiming that it requires more supporting evidence.
The ASI, under Director (exploration & excavation) Hemasagar A Naik, had requested Ramakrishna to revise his report, suggesting that the Keeladi finds could at best be dated around 300 BCE. Naik, who will now head the antiquities department, had sought "concrete justification" for the dating of the Keeladi findings from Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna, however, stood by his report, stating that all relevant data and analysis were included.
The Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister M K Stalin, has strongly criticized the Union government's approach to the Keeladi excavations. Stalin has accused the Centre of attempting to undermine Tamil history and suppress the significance of the Keeladi finds. He has argued that the Union government is hesitant to accept the evidence of an advanced, urbanized ancient Tamil civilization due to an underlying bias.
The Keeladi site, located 12 km southeast of Madurai, has yielded approximately 20,000 artifacts since excavations began in 2014. These findings have been interpreted as evidence of an urban civilization in South India dating back much earlier than previously thought. The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) has also been involved in the excavations, which are currently in their 11th phase.
The controversy surrounding the Keeladi report and the transfer of Amarnath Ramakrishna highlights the complex interplay of archaeology, politics, and regional identity in India. The differing interpretations of the Keeladi finds reflect broader ideological debates about the origins and nature of Indian civilization. While the Union government emphasizes the need for rigorous scientific validation, the Tamil Nadu government views the Keeladi excavations as crucial to understanding and celebrating Tamil history and culture.
