'There is no doubt about the antiquity of Tamil Nadu.'
In southern Tamil Nadu, along the quiet curve of the Vaigai river, lies Keeladi, which until 2013, rarely featured in conversation beyond its proximity to the temple city of Madurai. But over the past decade, this unassuming patch of earth has become the unlikely site of one of India's most charged archaeological and political debates.
What began as a scientific excavation into ancient settlement patterns has turned into a flashpoint in a larger struggle over how Indian civilisation is remembered, narrated, and contested.
Today, Keeladi finds itself at the heart of a growing row between the Bharatiya Janata Party -led central government and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led state government, with competing claims over the antiquity and identity of Tamil civilisation.
The Union government has sought additional scientific validation for findings from the Sangam-era site, led by archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has denounced these demands as an 'onslaught on Tamil culture'.
With elections approaching, the issue has galvanised widespread protests across the state, with all major Dravidian parties -- including actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam -- lending support.
The DMK's chief rival All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, too, has entered the fray, reminding people that when the Centre withdrew from the excavation, it was the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa who ensured its continuation by the state government.
Ramakrishna had submitted a detailed 982-page report to the ASI in 2023. Based on carbon dating, the report pointed to the existence of a well-established urban civilisation at Keeladi dating back to 585 BCE, over 2,600 years ago. But in May, the ASI asked Ramakrishna to provide further evidence for Keeladi's continuity between the 5th century BCE and the 8th century CE. He refused.
On June 17, Ramakrishna was transferred from the ASI headquarters in New Delhi to the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities in Greater Noida.
'The BJP-led Union government, keen on suppressing Tamil cultural pride, has demanded additional evidence more than two years after a detailed report was submitted,' Stalin said.
'This is a blatant attack on Tamil culture.' In response, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the report was 'not technically well supported' and called for more proof.
The DMK, reading the demand as a direct challenge to Tamil identity, hit back by demanding evidence for the 'imaginary' Saraswati civilisation.
Dravidian parties rallying around Ramakrishna argue that his report rests on extensive scientific testing conducted in laboratories across Pune, Bengaluru, Florida, and Italy.
Archaeologists working in Tamil Nadu say that nearly 60 per cent of the symbols and 90 per cent of the graffiti marks uncovered from local sites resemble those found at Indus Valley Civilisation settlements.
The Indus Valley Civilisation, or Harappan Civilisation, is thought to have flourished between 2600 BCE and 1900 BCE and is primarily located in present-day Pakistan and north-western India.
"There has been a lot of discussion regarding the migration of Harappan people to various parts of India," K N Ganesh, historian and chairperson of the Kerala Council for Historical Research, told Business Standard. "We don't exactly know how the migration took place and where they settled."
Ganesh noted that in this context, excavations like Keeladi take on added significance, as they attempt to explore links between Tamil culture and the Harappan legacy.
Still, he cautions against drawing hasty parallels. "These are somehow related to Harappa, though there seem to be differences in the time span."
The peak of the Harappan civilisation, he said, was around 1800 BCE, while Keeladi appears to date to the fifth century BCE -- close to the Sangam age in Tamil Nadu, typically placed between 300 BCE and 300 CE.
The Government of India has long sought to associate the Harappan civilisation with the Vedic period, Ganesh added.
"Therefore, the migration of Harappans means migration of the Vedic period. This is being contested by several archaeologists. It needs more study."
Another group of scholars, however, pushes further, suggesting that Tamil culture may predate even the Indus Valley Civilisation.
"The report is not yet public. But there are many indications at various sites," said T Satyamurthy, a former ASI archaeologist.
"There is no doubt about the antiquity of Tamil Nadu. Why should we compare it with the Indus Valley at all? It could be even earlier, and there's much evidence to support that. It calls for in-depth study."
This is not the first time Keeladi has been at the centre of political controversy.
In 2017, Ramakrishna was similarly transferred after two phases of excavation.
His successor then claimed there were no 'significant findings' in the third phase.
The matter eventually reached the Madurai bench of the Madras high court, which directed the Tamil Nadu state department of archaeology to take over the excavation.
Now in its 11th phase, the dig has uncovered more than 20,000 artefacts since 2014.
Last year, the Tamil Nadu government even announced a $1 million reward for experts or organisations that succeed in deciphering the Indus script.
While there is broad consensus that the tools, inscriptions, and ceramics discovered at Keeladi offer compelling evidence of an advanced Tamil urban culture, the precise chronology -- and its larger cultural implications -- remain bitterly contested.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff