DMK Youth Wing Protests Against Centre For Not Recognising Keeladi Excavation Report

The story so far: On June 17, 2025, archaeologist K. Amarnath Ramakrishna, twhose excavation at Keeladi (also spelt Keezhadi) in Tamil Nadu drew the nation’s attention, was transferred yet again, this time from New Delhi to Greater Noida. Mr. Ramakrishna, who was serving as the Director (Antiquity) and as Director of the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA), will now be the director of only the NMMA. The NMMA unit set up in 2007, according to sources, almost remains defunct. This move drew criticism from political circles in the State.

Over two years after Mr. Ramakrishna submitted his 982-page report on the first two phases of excavations carried out at Keeladi under his leadership between 2014 and 2016, a fresh controversy erupted last month. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) mandated him to revise his report but Mr. Ramakrishna refused to do it. This disagreement sparked a political clash between the Centre and Tamil Nadu. The State’s Minister for Archaeology Thangam Thennarasu even accused the BJP-led Union government of treating Tamils as second class citizens.

Keeladi, located about 12 km southeast of Madurai in Sivaganga district has become a symbol of pride for many in Tamil Nadu. Over a decade ago, Amarnath Ramakrishna who was then the ASI’s Superintending Archaeologist had initiated excavations at a site known as the Pallichanthai Tidal in Keeladi, a place that was originally a coconut grove spanning 100 acres. He had identified over 100 sites for excavation along the Vaigai River but Keeladi stood out.