CHENNAI: Inaugurating the open-air museum at Keezhadi, developed over 4.5 acres at a cost of Rs 24 crore, through video conferencing, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday said that the DMK regime "will search and uncover the traces of Tamil antiquity and proclaim them to the world. We will write the history of the Indian subcontinent starting from the South."
He asked parents to bring their children after exams are over to visit the museum houses, which have two exhibition halls with a built-up area of 65,380 sq ft, showcasing artefacts unearthed during excavations, including pottery, pot sherds, and terracotta utensils. The steel-structured complex, designed with Mangaluru tiles and glass roofing, has two display halls located about 80 metres apart.
Structural remains uncovered during the second, fifth and sixth phases of excavation, such as brick walls, ring wells, terracotta pipelines and covered drainage systems dating back over 2,000 years, have been preserved and put on public display at the site.
The facility has been provided with basic amenities, including drinking water, toilets and fire safety systems.
Alongside the Keezhadi project, the Manora Memorial at Sarabendra Rajapattinam was developed at a cost of Rs 2.75 crore, with the historic coastal monument enhanced with facade lighting.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone, through video conferencing, for the Noyyal Museum at Karumandisellipalayam in Erode district and the Navai Museum at Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district.
In addition, an exclusive Chola Museum will be established at the Tamil University campus in Thanjavur at an estimated cost of Rs 56.14 crore. Minister for Tamil Development and Information MP Saminathan, Industries Minister TRB Rajaa and Chief Secretary N Muruganandam took part in the event.