TIRUCHY: Even as the first phase of the Poompuhar Heritage Project, executed at a cost of 2.57 crore, is nearing completion, the Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned Rs 23.60 crore for its second phase, inducing much interest into the reliving one of the oldest port cities of the world.
According to officials, the renovation of the Silapathikaram art gallery, Paavai mandram, Ilanji mandram and other facilities to help tourists have been completed in Phase-I. The tourism department has taken up construction of an arrival plaza, ticket counter, promenade, architectural and road works, parking facilities, gazebo, and cloakroom in the Phase-II.
Interest in Poompuhar’s history was rekindled by the recent findings of the department of remote sensing, Bharathidasan University. The port city has featured in the ancient Tamil literature Silapathikaram and Manimegalai was earlier considered 2,500 years old. But the findings of the researchers from the Bharathidasan University underlines how the port city might be more than 15,000 years old, giving fresh interest in redeveloping the port town.
A team led by SM Ramasamy, Professor of Eminence and national coordinator, Project Poompuhar found several geological features such as deep river cut valleys of Cauvery river system and submarine canyons. The findings have been interpreted as the seafloor. They indicate that the Poompuhar was a flood prone region and it might have been relocated and rebuilt repeatedly owing to such natural calamities. The study by the team found that the seventh redevelopment was probably about 2,500 years ago and it might have submerged due to rise in sea level about 1,020 years ago.
On Saturday, the Mayiladuthurai Collector AP Mahabharathi visited the site where the retaining walls are constructed around Poompuhar. He said that the entire work would be completed by December.