From excavation to exhibition: Tamil Nadu shows the way in showcasing the past

Archaeological investigations at Keeladi, Porunai, and other sites, together with scientific analyses of the materials unearthed, have couched Tamil Nadu’s rich and diverse heritage within a broader perspective, lending new depth to the understanding of early Tamil history.

This is in alignment with the argument of David Shulman, indologist and author of Tamil: A Biography, that Tamil was one of the languages of a great South Indian civilisation, emerging from one of the most creative and intellectually fertile geographical domains in historical South Asia.

Discoveries at Keeladi suggest that an urban and industrial civilisation once flourished there. Carbon dating of artefacts recovered from the site places them between the 6th century BCE and the 1st century CE. These findings prompted Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to declare on the floor of the Assembly in 2021 that the history of the Indian subcontinent ought to begin in Tamil Nadu.

The government clearly believes that public engagement with the past can be deepened by memorialising significant sites within their immediate surroundings. “There is a need to redefine Tamil identity by addressing micro-history and regional aspirations,” said T. Udhayachandran, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) and Commissioner of Archaeology.

Accordingly, ecofacts, artefacts, and antiquities collected through archaeological surveys and excavations are being conserved and placed on public display for the benefit of scholars, researchers, students, and the public in site museums across various districts of the State. In this context, The Hindu examines these efforts to bring people closer to their own layered past and cultural inheritance.

Keeladi Museum

Incorporating the traditional domestic architecture of the region, the Keeladi Museum evokes Tamil Nadu’s artistic heritage. Excavations here revealed Sangam-age characteristics and continuity of brick structures. Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dates from stratigraphical contexts show that Keeladi’s inhabitants were literate as early as the 6th century BCE and lived in an urban civilisation along the Vaigai river.

The museum features organised galleries with informative panels and curated archaeological exhibits in six thematic sections: Vaigai and Keeladi; Agrarian and Water Management; Ceramic Industries; Weaving and Beads; Sea Trade; and Lifestyle. A virtual tour on the Keeladi website offers global access to rare artefacts, a 15-minute documentary, and 2D and 3D animations, and has logged about 42,000 visitors from nearly 60 countries.

The Tamil Nadu government has also established an open-air site museum at Keeladi on 4.48 acres at a cost of ₹17.10 crore to preserve and display archaeological remains at their original excavation site. The museum allows visitors to view structural remains and cultural layers of a Sangam-age urban settlement along the Vaigai river basin.

Porunai Museum

The Porunai Museum showcases artefacts obtained from the excavations at Sivagalai, Korkai, and Adichanallur. These archaeological sites in the Porunai river valley contribute significantly to the understanding of the region’s cultural heritage, social life, and historical evolution. The museum features a 5D theatre, VR boat simulators depicting ancient maritime trade, and more than 33,000 artefacts highlighting early Tamil literacy and metallurgical practices.

It also displays underwater finds, including shipwreck materials, lead ingots, and Roman pottery, pointing to ancient trade links with Rome, China, and Southeast Asia.

Gangaikonda Cholapuram Museum

The museum at Gangaikonda Cholapuram — a city established by Rajendra Chola to mark his conquest of the north — is being developed to preserve and present the historical and cultural heritage of the Imperial Chola dynasty. Located near the Brihadeesvara Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the museum will highlight the Cholas’ political, architectural, artistic and administrative achievements.

It will display brick remains from the royal palace at Maligaimedu, war trophies, stone sculptures, inscriptions, architectural fragments, and archaeological artefacts from the region, with interpretative panels and visual exhibits explaining the significance of the capital founded by Rajendra Chola I and its role in South Indian history.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced the development of tourist activities and the strengthening of the bunds of the lake Chola Gangam, locally known as Ponneri, spread over 700 acres, at a cost of ₹20 crore.

Grand Chola Museum

Construction is under way to establish the museum on the campus of Tamil University in Thanjavur. It will foreground the historical significance of the Chola dynasty, under whose rule Tamil civilisation reached some of its most exalted heights. Monumental temple gopurams, dams, and vast irrigation tanks that endure to this day stand as testimony to the achievements of the Chola era. Across every sphere — water management, local administration, trade, the arts, architecture, literature, music and dance — remarkable advances were made under Chola governance.

A centrepiece of the museum will be a 125-foot-tall statue of the Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola I.

Naavai Museum

‘Naavaai’, meaning a large ship in ancient Tamil, lends its name to the proposed museum, envisioned as the State’s premier centre for maritime history and archaeology. It will focus on transoceanic trade and artefacts recovered from the excavations at Alagankulam, foregrounding Tamil expertise in shipbuilding, navigation, and naval power.

While acknowledging that the Chola conquest of the seas in the later period stands as clear evidence of a sustained naval policy pursued by Chola monarchs, historian K.A. Nilakanta Sastri notes that the early Cholas of the Sangam age also played a significant role in maritime trade and seafaring activity in the Indian seas.

The Pandyas, too, excelled in maritime commerce. The historical basis for this lies in the extensive archaeological finds from Alagankulam, an ancient port located at the confluence of the Vaigai river and the Bay of Bengal. Between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE, the port functioned as a major Pandya trade hub, linking South India with Rome, Egypt, and Southeast Asia.

Among the most striking exhibits will be the ‘ship graffito’ — a rare potsherd bearing the incised image of a three-masted sailing vessel — offering material evidence of advanced seafaring traditions. More than 13,000 antiquities recovered from the site, including Roman amphorae, Arretine ware, and a cross-inscribed seal, point to a cosmopolitan trading settlement with far-reaching connections.

Noyyal Museum

The Noyyal Museum is dedicated to the excavations at Kodumanal, referred to as Kodumanam in the Padhitrupathu of Sangam literature.

Situated on the northern bank of the Noyyal river, Kodumanal functioned as a multi-industrial settlement between the 5th century BCE and the 3rd century CE. The museum is intended to foreground the industrial heritage of the Noyyal river valley, highlighting Kodumanal’s contributions to early science and technology.

The site was a major centre for the production of semi-precious stone beads, with thousands of beads made of beryl, carnelian, agate, quartz, lapis lazuli, and sapphire being discovered at various stages of manufacture. While beryl was sourced locally from nearby Padiyur, lapis lazuli originated in Afghanistan, pointing to extensive long-distance trade networks.

Evidence of furnaces and high-carbon steel tools indicates a sophisticated iron-smelting tradition. Kodumanal has also yielded one of the largest collections of Tamil-Brahmi inscribed potsherds in Tamil Nadu, suggesting widespread literacy among artisans and traders. In addition, the museum will present the region’s megalithic burial culture, including menhirs and cist burials furnished with rich grave goods such as carnelian beads and iron swords.

Heritage Museum of Tamils at Mamallapuram

Known in ancient literature as Thirukadalmallai, Mamallapuram — the ancient port city of the Tamil country — has, for centuries, stood as a powerful symbol of maritime strength, architectural innovation, including rock-cut temples, and Tamil cultural diplomacy. The museum seeks to cater to global tourists.

Flourishing from the Sangam age and reaching its architectural zenith under the Pallavas between the 6th and 9th centuries CE, it functioned not merely as a centre of trade and travel but as a vital bridge linking the Tamil region with distant civilisations in Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and beyond.

The museum will be established on 4.5 acres of land at the Beach Resort Complex on the East Coast Road (ECR), owned by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. Conceived as both a museum and a dynamic cultural research hub, it seeks to reaffirm Mamallapuram’s historic role as the gateway of Tamil civilisation to the ancient world.

Other museums

The State government has proposed the establishment of the Dharmapuri Museum at Adhiyaman Kottai in Dharmapuri district, with the theme of hero stones, at a cost of ₹4.25 crore. The hero stone serves as an important archaeological artefact, providing insight into the social, historical, and artistic practices of ancient Tamil communities.

The ongoing construction of the Courtallam Museum at Courtallam in Tenkasi district, at a cost of ₹2.51 crore, will feature excavated materials from Tirumalapuram and Rajakalmangalam.

Other proposed museums include the Tamil Cultural Museum at Tiruvannamalai and the Indus Gallery Museum in Egmore, Chennai, to be established at a cost of ₹60 crore and ₹34.03 crore, respectively.