Stalin opens Keezhadi museum showcasing cultural richness of Tamils

MADURAI: The much-awaited onsite museum at Keezhadi in Sivaganga district, which gained global popularity by taking great pride in the ancient Tamil civilisation, was dedicated to the public on Sunday.

Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated the museum in the presence of dignitaries at Keezhadi. The state-of-the-art museum was established by the Department of Archaeology, Tamil Nadu.

The museum with adequate infrastructure facility has been built on a sprawling two acres of land at a cost of Rs 18.43 crore.

The museum housed six galleries titled ‘Maduraiyum Keezhadiyum’, ‘Agriculture and Water Management’, ‘Kalam Seikho’, ‘Aadayum Anikalankalum’, ‘Maritime Trade’ and ‘Vaazhviyal’, sources said.

The spacious and bright air-conditioned museum offers a relaxing environment for visitors to explore the history and richness of artefacts exhibited.

It’s also equipped with a touchscreen display for the visitors to have a glimpse of artefacts regarding the Vaigai valley civilisation.

With all these facilities, the museum was incorporated into a virtual reality exhibition, much to the delight of onlookers.

To showcase the Tamil civilisation, which existed several years ago, and its ancient culture, five phases of excavations have been carried out at the archaeological site of Keezhadi since 2018. During those excavations, over thousand markings were recorded and more than 60 potsherds and other historically significant objects that were identified as a trademark of the ancient civilisation were unearthed.

The museum also features a display of a replica of a cargo ship recalling the ‘Sangam era’ of maritime trade and earthenware and pottery were also exhibited in various dimensions.

Adding to this, ancient coins that were unearthed were also displayed.

Minister for Tamil Culture and Archaeology Thangam Thennarasu, Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu, Tourism and Culture Secretary B Chandra Mohan and ministers of various portfolios took part in the programme, sources said.