MADURAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday said that the Thamirabarani River valley civilisation dates back to the Stone Age and gradually evolved into the Iron Age, citing strong archaeological evidence, after inaugurating the Porunai Archaeological Museum at Reddiarpatti in Tirunelveli at a cost of Rs 67.25 crore.

He noted that Sangam literature describes Korkai as an ancient seaport and that foreign scholars such as Ptolemy and Pliny had recorded the region’s pearl trade as part of Indo-Roman commerce.

The Nellai museum is aimed at showcasing the antiquity of Tamil civilisation and taking Tamil Nadu’s archaeological heritage to the global stage, CM Stalin said, urging people to have a look at the artefacts.

“This is not rhetoric or theatrical expression. The Dravidian model government is continuously establishing this as a scientifically verifiable truth,” he said, in an apparent response to opposition parties claiming that the ruling government is resorting only to optics.

Excavations conducted by the Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department at Adichanallur and Sivakalai have yielded bronze, gold, copper and iron artefacts, which are on display at the Nellai Museum, underlining the region’s long tradition in metallurgy and tool-making. Recalling a January report, Stalin said findings from Sivakalai established that the Iron Age originated in the Tamil region.

Drawing a parallel with the excavations near Sivaganga, Stalin said the Keezhadi museum, inaugurated in March 2023, had attracted over 12.50 lakh visitors worldwide till November 2025. “This is not mere pride or rhetoric, but an intellectual pursuit of truth,” he said