More brick structures, important features unearthed at Keeladi archaeological site in Tamil Nadu
The 11th phase of excavation at the Keeladi archaeological site in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu, which began on 18 March 2026, has uncovered continuous brick structures across all nine excavated quadrants.
The new findings extend and connect architectural features identified during earlier phases of digging at the site.
Excavation work is being carried out by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology under a licence granted by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Keeladi and its surrounding cluster of mounds, on the banks of the river Vaigai, have been under near-continuous excavation since 2014-15, generating evidence that bears on the antiquity of early historic urbanisation in Tamil Nadu.
Keeladi and the Revision of Sangam Age Chronology
The Sangam Age has traditionally been dated to roughly the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE, based on Tamil Sangam literature, Chera-Chola-Pandya dynastic references, and Roman coin finds. Scientific dating of deposits at Keeladi has pushed this chronology significantly earlier: the Archaeological Survey of India's own analysis of the first two excavation seasons placed cultural deposits between the 8th century BCE and the 3rd century CE, while the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology has stated that deposits can be safely dated to between the 6th century BCE and the 1st century CE — roughly 2,600 years old.
Key Details
- Six carbon samples from the fourth excavation season (2018) were sent for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating to Beta Analytic Lab, Miami, USA; a sample recovered from a depth of 353 cm was dated to approximately 580 BCE.
- The findings have been cited to argue that Tamil-Brahmi literacy and urban settlement in the far south are considerably older than previously assumed under the traditional Sangam chronology.
- Comparable early historic/Iron Age Tamil Nadu sites include Adichanallur (Thoothukudi), Kodumanal (Erode), and Alagankulam (a Sangam-era port site in Ramanathapuram).
Fresh stratified brick evidence recovered across all nine quadrants in the 11th phase adds to the body of material used to argue for an earlier and more continuous urban occupation at Keeladi than the traditional Sangam Age timeline suggests.
Institutional Framework for Archaeological Excavation in India
Excavation of any site, whether a centrally protected monument or otherwise, is regulated under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958, and the AMASR Rules, 1959. The Archaeological Survey of India's Exploration and Excavation Branch grants excavation licences — including to State Departments of Archaeology — typically on the recommendation of an expert committee, usually for one excavation season at a time.
Key Details
- The AMASR Act, 1958 empowers the central government to declare sites of national importance as "protected monuments," regulate excavation and construction near them, and penalise unauthorised digging or damage.
- Since the third phase, excavation at Keeladi has been carried out by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) rather than the ASI directly, under such central clearance.
- In March 2026, the ASI granted clearance for excavation at eight sites across Tamil Nadu, including the Keeladi cluster in Sivaganga district, alongside sites in Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Coimbatore, Salem, and Nagapattinam districts.
The ongoing 11th phase is proceeding under this ASI-TNSDA licensing arrangement, illustrating how central legislation determines which agency may excavate a nationally significant site and under what conditions.
Brick Architecture as Evidence of Planned Urban Settlement
Standardised, fired-brick construction across multiple excavation quadrants is treated by archaeologists as an indicator of settled, planned habitation with organised craft and construction practices, distinct from the scattered megalithic burial evidence typical of Iron Age Tamil Nadu. The Keeladi cluster itself includes distinct functional zones — Keeladi (habitation mound), Konthagai (an associated burial ground), and nearby mounds at Agaram and Manalur.
Key Details
- Over 20,000 artefacts have been recovered from Keeladi across all excavation phases since 2014-15, including Tamil-Brahmi inscribed potsherds, beads, terracotta objects, and brick-built structures with associated water-management features such as drains, ring wells, and channels reported in recent phases.
- Keeladi was first identified for excavation in 2014-15 under Archaeological Survey of India archaeologist K. Amarnath Ramakrishna.
The continuity of brick structures across all nine quadrants strengthens the case that Keeladi functioned as a large, planned settlement rather than an isolated habitation, feeding into the broader academic debate on the origins of urbanisation in peninsular India.
- 11th phase of excavation at Keeladi began: 18 March 2026
- Location: Keeladi village, Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the river Vaigai, roughly 12 km from Madurai
- Site first identified for excavation: 2014-15, by ASI archaeologist K. Amarnath Ramakrishna
- Total artefacts recovered across all phases: over 20,000
- ASI scientific dating of early deposits: 8th century BCE to 3rd century CE
- Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology's dating of cultural deposits: 6th century BCE to 1st century CE (approx. 2,600 years old)
- AMS-dated sample from Season 4 (2018), at 353 cm depth: approximately 580 BCE
- Governing legal framework for excavation licensing: Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, and Rules, 1959
- Traditional (literary/numismatic) dating of the Sangam Age: 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE