City architect’s plan for a museum at Keezhadi praised

Namrata Narendra, an architect from the city, has come up with a design project to build a museum at the site by connecting the past and present landscapes in all its totality. “Keezhadi is the heart of the Vaigai river valley civilisation, parts of which have been excavated. It is of importance because it is the first built proof of the existence of the glorious Sangam Era as known from the texts of Sangam literature. The finds are monumental — with a silk dyeing industry at the centre of it and residences. But there is a lack of awareness about it is and most often, it is misrepresented. My intention was to revive this cultural hub, that once was, for a larger debate on origins and Indian history and development,” she says.

Another reason for Namrata to come up with a project is to transform the landscape and throw open the years of history accumulated on site to the viewers for an unbiased perception and to question the necessity of a museum. “Considering the different complex layers on site, it is necessary to pay attention to the sensitivity of the archaeological landscape. The design is spread over three phases which range from present time to 10 years from now moving along with the pace and discovery of the ongoing archaeological excavation. The first phase will involve the uncovering of the origin of the ancient city — the lake. The second phase involves reconstruction of the excavation to discover the extent of the ancient city so we can decide an intervention. The third phase is to roof the excavations to prevent damage and deterioration,” says Namrata, who was selected for Asia Young Designer Award recently.

The designer’s intention is to create a place that connects the past and the present landscapes in all its totality while providing spaces for observation, reflection and introspection for both visitors as well as the local residents. “I derived the programme from the principles of archaeology and architecture. The entire design concept revolves around retaining the surroundings as they are and placing a shell to view the layered landscapes. I have submitted my design project to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and am waiting for the next step,” the youngster tells us.