The archaeological excavations were carried out by the State Archaeology Department in about 8 sites in Tamil Nadu since 2021. It was found out, that smelted iron was used in 3345 BCE, from the Sivagalai excavations. The artefacts collected in the excavations were sent for scientific analysis. The result of the analysis has been authenticated by Professor Emeritus Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti in South Asian Archaeology in Cambridge University. This discovery, for the first time in the world proved that the usage of smelted iron could go back to the middle of the third millennium BCE. The findings bring pride not only to the ancient industrious civilization of Tamil Nadu but also to the whole of Indian sub-continent.
In 2017, Keeladi excavations in Sivaganga district at the bank of the Vaigai river were initiated by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The initial findings of Keeladi excavation showed the urban civilization dating back to third century BCE as a result of Beta Analytic at Miami. When further excavations were proposed, the ASI did not come forward. Consequently the Tamil Nadu State Government had to continue with the excavations work in Keeladi with the State Archaeological Department. A lot of artefacts were found out which were displayed in an exclusive Museum established at Keeladi. They are the real treasures of our land comparable with the Sumerian and Egyptian Civilizations in the mid Europe and Africa. The pitiable affair in Keeladi excavations, is that the findings report submitted to Archaeological Survey of India has not been released so far.
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Till the declaration was made by Sir. John Marshall in 1920s, about the archaeological excavation done in Mohanjedaro and Harappa in the erstwhile Sindhu district in British India, Vedic civilization was considered the ancient in this land. This Indus Valley Civilization has to be accepted as the civilization prior to the Vedic. The recently conducted Raghigarhi excavations in Haryana have also confirmed the antiquity of Indus Valley Civilization.
Though 100 years have passed by after the declaration of Sir John Marshall who was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, there is a meticulous move by the saffron rulers at the Centre to name the Indus Valley Civilization linking it with the mythological Saraswathi river. Besides, a Committee has been formed by the Union Government unilaterally with Saffron minded people and Brahminical organisations to write the history of India for 15000 years. Actually the cold war is prolonging between the mythical belief and results confirmed with the Carbon dating of the findings from the archaeological excavations.
In Tamil Nadu archaeological excavations are being carried out so far in nearly 40 sites and 36 reports have been finalised. As per the ‘One Nation One Election’ theory proposed by the saffron rulers, they have to include the State of Tamil Nadu in their ‘One Nation’ agenda. The real meaning of ‘One Nation’ itself is defeated by the discriminatory approach adopted by the Union Government alienating the historical pride found out by the archaeological work carried out by the State of Tamil Nadu. Anything found out scientifically in any archaeological work at any part of the country has to be owned as a pride by the rulers at the Union government.
The stony silence and adamancy in not responding to the prideful antiquity of our land in the dating of smelted iron to 3500 BCE is not appreciable. Such alienating approach consistently adopted must be given up by the saffron outfits for the cause of integrity of the country and for inculcating the sense of belonging in every citizen of the country of multi-cultures, languages, religions and other aspects of plurality. The hidden pride must be retrieved by encouraging the archaeological work invariably in all the States at significant sites without discrimination. The minimum courtesy that is expected from the Union Government is to respect the analytical study of the recent archaeological artefacts in Tamil Nadu, a State in the Union of India!
