ASI allows Sriraman to prepare report on Keeladi excavations-OxBig News Network

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has given permission to archaeologist P.S. Sriraman, who led the third phase of excavations at Keeladi in Sivaganga district, to prepare a detailed report on the work carried out under his supervision.

According to official sources in the ASI, the agency has permitted Mr. Sriraman, who retired in 2019, to prepare reports on the third phase of excavations at Keeladi and one season of excavations at Kodumanal in Erode district, which he led.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Sriraman confirmed that he had sought permission from the ASI to write the reports on excavations at Keeladi and Kodumanal.

“As I had retired, both reports were pending. I sought the approval of the ASI to access the material and prepare the reports. Since all the related materials are in Chennai, I will begin preparing the reports soon,” he said.

This comes a couple of months after the ASI asked archaeologist K. Amarnath Ramakrishna, who unearthed an ancient civilisation during the first two phases of excavations at Keeladi, to revise and resubmit his report with necessary corrections.

However, he refused to do so, and defended his conclusions as well-reasoned.

Mr. Ramakrishna unearthed brick structures and artefacts suggesting the presence of an urban civilisation in Tamil Nadu since the Sangam Age. However, he was transferred to Assam in 2017. Mr. Sriraman, who succeeded him, reported that there was no continuity in the previously discovered brick structures.

Since 2017, the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) has been conducting excavations at Keeladi, beginning with the fourth phase. By 2024-25, the excavations had entered its tenth phase and yielded hundreds of antiquities.