Will work with Centre to take Keezhadi findings global, says Minister Rajmohan

MADURAI: School Education Minister Rajmohan on Sunday said the State government would work in consultation with the Union government to take the archaeological findings from Keezhadi to the global stage.

He described the excavations as significant not only for Tamils but also for world civilisation.

Speaking to reporters after inspecting the Keezhadi Open-Air Museum in Sivaganga district and the historic Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions and Jain rock beds at Mangulam near Madurai, the minister said the archaeological discoveries at Keezhadi, including brick structures, drainage systems, bead-making evidence and industrial remains, highlighted the sophistication of early Tamil civilisation.

He said the State government would continue scientific excavations at Keezhadi in consultation with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to take it to the global stage, and hinted that more significant archaeological discoveries from other sites in the State would be announced at an appropriate time with adequate scientific evidence.

During his visit to Mangulam, Rajmohan examined the ancient rock beds and Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions in the presence of Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director and Archaeology Department Director Jeyaseelan, Madurai Collector M Nishanth Krishna and local legislators.

Describing the Mangulam Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions as one of the oldest historical treasures dating back to the Sangam era, he said the government had instructed the Archaeology and Tourism Departments to improve basic infrastructure, install digital information and wayfinding boards, and strengthen conservation measures to make the site more accessible to tourists and researchers. He added that a detailed report on the site's conservation and development would be submitted to Chief Minister Vijay.