KEELADI
1. Context
2. How Keeladi linked to sangam age?
- The Sangam age is a period of history in ancient Tamil Nadu that was believed to be from the third century BCE to the third century CE.
- Excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department (TNSDA) had pushed the Sangam age further back.
- In 2019, a TNSDA report dated the unearthed artifacts from Keeladi to a period between the sixth century BCE and the first century BCE. One of the six samples collected at a depth of 353 cm, sent for carbon dating in the U.S., dated back to 580 BCE.
- The findings in the TNSDA report placed Keeladi artifacts about 300 years earlier than the previously believed third century BCE.
- Keeladi could also provide crucial evidence for understanding the missing links of the Iron Age (12th century BCE to sixth century BCE) to the Early Historic Period (sixth century BCE to fourth century BCE) and subsequent cultural developments.
3. Links to Indus Valley Civilisation
- The unearthed Keeladi artifacts have led academics to describe the site as part of the Vaigai Valley Civilisation.
- The findings have also invited comparisons with the Indus Valley Civilisation while acknowledging the cultural gap of 1,000 years between the two places.
- Till now, the gap is filled with Iron Age material in south India, which serves as residual links. However, some of the symbols found in pot sherds of Keeladi bear a close resemblance to Indus Valley signs.
- A lot of digging and study has to be done to establish the links between these two civilizations.
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4. About Sangam Age
- The word ‘Sangam’ is the Tamil form of the Sanskrit word Sangha which means a group of persons or an association.
- The Tamil Sangam was an academy of poets who flourished in three different periods and in different places under the patronage of the Pandyan kings.
- The Sangam literature, largely consolidated from the third Sangam, throws information on the conditions of life of people around the beginning of the Christian era.
- It deals with the secular matter relating to public and social activities like government, war charity, trade, worship, agriculture, etc.
- Sangam literature consists of the earliest Tamil works (such as the Tolkappiyam), the ten poems (Pattupattu), the eight anthologies (Ettutogai) and the eighteen minor works (Padinenkilkanakku), and the three epics.
5. About Vaigai River
- It is an east-flowing river.
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The Vaigai river basin is an important one among the 12 basins between the Cauvery and Kanyakumari.
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This basin is bounded by the Cardamom Hills and the Palani Hills on the West and by the Palk Strait and Palk Bay on the East.
6. What has been unearthed so far?
- In the eight rounds of excavations, including the first three by the ASI, over 18,000 artifacts have been unearthed from the site and the unique artifacts will be on display at the museum to the opened soon.
- The unearthing of heaps of pottery suggests the existence of a pottery-making industry, mostly made of locally available raw materials. Over 120 potsherds containing Tamil Brahmi inscriptions have been found.
- Keeladi, along with other Tamil Nadu sites which have over a thousand inscribed potsherds, clearly suggest the long survival of the script.
- Gold ornaments, copper articles, semi-precious stones, shell bangles, ivory bangles, and ivory combs reflect the artistic, culturally rich, and prosperous lifestyle of the Keeladi people.
- Agate and carnelian beads suggest import through commercial networks while terracotta and ivory dice, gamesmen, and evidence of hopscotch have been unearthed revealing their pastime hobbies.
Rakhigarhi Excavation and Discoveries:
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While excavation continues at the ancient Harappan site of Rakhigarhi in Haryana’s Hisar district, situated along the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain, the central government has granted protected status to the mounds under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958.
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Rakhigarhi ranks among the two most prominent Harappan sites in India, alongside Dholavira in Gujarat.
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During a three-month excavation in 2022 at three of Rakhigarhi’s seven mounds, archaeologists uncovered remnants of residential structures, streets, a drainage network, and a possible jewelry-making workshop. The dig also yielded artifacts such as copper and gold ornaments, terracotta figurines, seals, and numerous pottery pieces.
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The initial excavation at the site was led by Amarendra Nath of the Archaeological Survey of India. Previously, Mohenjodaro in Pakistan was considered the largest Harappan city, but new excavations by Professor Vasant Shinde and his team at Rakhigarhi challenged that view.
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The discoveries point to both the early and mature phases of Harappan civilization at the site, which is believed to be around 5,000 years old. Notably, a cylindrical seal bearing five Harappan symbols on one side and an alligator motif on the other was found.
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Ritual practices are evidenced by findings such as a sacrificial pit constructed with mud bricks and fire altars in triangular and circular shapes. A DNA analysis of human remains from the Rakhigarhi cemetery indicates the Harappans had an indigenous origin, contradicting earlier theories linking them to steppe or ancient Iranian populations.
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Rakhigarhi also provided the first recorded instance of a double burial, featuring the remains of a male and a female (aged approximately 38 and 25, respectively).
Ratnagiri Buddhist Site Excavations:
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Excavation at the Buddhist complex in Ratnagiri, dating from the 5th to 13th centuries, has revealed significant artifacts including a large Buddha head, a massive hand, an ancient boundary wall, and inscribed relics, believed to date back to the 8th and 9th centuries AD. These discoveries reaffirm Ratnagiri’s importance as a Buddhist heritage site in Odisha’s Jajpur district.
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Debala Mitra, who later became the ASI’s first woman Director General (1981–83), led the site’s initial excavation between 1958 and 1961. Afterward, no further large-scale excavations occurred, even though visible structures and statues hinted at untapped potential. Focus shifted instead to other Buddhist sites in Odisha.
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Ratnagiri, meaning "Hill of Jewels," is located about 100 km northeast of Bhubaneswar, on elevated terrain between the Birupa and Brahmani rivers. It is the most renowned and extensively explored Buddhist site in the state.
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Together with Udaygiri and Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri forms the celebrated ‘Diamond Triangle’ of Odisha, with all three sites clustered in the Jajpur and Cuttack districts.
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Ratnagiri is considered a key early hub of Vajrayana or Tantrayana Buddhism, a tradition that emphasized achieving spiritual power through practices associated with the Vajra (thunderbolt or diamond). This belief is the basis for the ‘Diamond Triangle’ nomenclature.
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Unique among Indian Buddhist monasteries, Ratnagiri's monastery features a curvilinear roof. Historical records suggest that at its height, the site accommodated around 500 monks who practiced the Tantrayana tradition of Buddhism
| For Prelims: Keeladi, Sangam age of Tamil Nadu, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department (TNSDA), Vaigai Valley Civilisation, Indus Valley Civilisation, Iron Age, Tolkappiyam, Pattupattu, Ettutogai, Padinenkilkanakku, Cardamom Hills, Palani Hills, and Vaigai River. |
Previous year question1.Which one of the following statements about Sangam literature in ancient South India is correct? (UPSC 2022)
A. Sangam poems are devoid of any reference to material culture.
B. The social classification of Varna was known to Sangam poets.
C. Sangam poems have no reference to the warrior ethic.
D. Sangam literature refers to magical forces as irrational.
Answer: B
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