<p>Chennai: After sitting on the proposal by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) for eight months, the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology (CABA) has finally given its approval for conducting excavations in seven new locations and in an existing location in the state. </p><p>The new locations where excavations will be held this year are Vellalore (Coimbatore), Thelunganur (Salem), Adichanur (Kallakurichi), Manikkollai (Cuddalore), Nagapattinam, Pattanamarudur (Thoothukudi), and Karivalamvanthanallur (Tenkasi), while digging in Keeladi, a Sangam Era site, will enter the 11<sup>th</sup>season. </p>.Keeladi excavation report submitted for vetting to two subject experts: Government in Rajya Sabha.<p>“We have received the permission. We will launch the excavations very soon,” a source aware of the developments told <em>DH</em>. The launch will be a low-key affair due to the Model of Conduct (MCC) as Tamil Nadu goes to assembly polls on April 23. </p><p>The permission from CABA under the Union Ministry of Culture comes weeks after Chief Minister M K Stalin nudged the Centre to grant the approval at the earliest.</p><p>“After months of delay, the Union Government has cleared archaeological excavations at 8 sites including Keeladi. This is a win earned through DMK’s persistent efforts. But we are not done. The Union BJP Government is still sitting on the Keeladi excavation report. We will not stop until that too is out,” Stalin said on Tuesday. </p><p>In the 2025-2026 budget, the government allotted a record Rs 7 crore for carrying out excavations and scientific research, including dating of artefacts, Metallurgical and DNA analyses, and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating, in the upcoming financial year. </p><p>Excavations in Keeladi, a nondescript village near Madurai which is likely to be 2,600 years old based on AMS dating of artefacts found in 2018, will enter their 11<sup>th</sup> phase this year. Keeladi is a notable archaeological site that has pushed the literature-rich Sangam Era behind by 300 years.</p><p>Thelunganur is an important Iron Age site in Tamil Nadu which has been dated to 1500 BCE and another round of excavation is significant since it comes close on heels of the findings that the usage of iron was widespread in the state and date back to at least 5,300 years ago. </p><p>Vellalore, 15kms from Coimbatore, holds significant archaeological importance as previous excavations have thrown enough evidence of the existence of a gem stone and bead making industry besides having enjoyed Roman trade links. </p><p>Pattanamarudur has been chosen for excavations due to its possible link to Vembakkottai, where digging has been on for the past three years. A shell industry is believed to have existed in Pattanamarudur on the east coast. </p>
<p>Chennai: After sitting on the proposal by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) for eight months, the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology (CABA) has finally given its approval for conducting excavations in seven new locations and in an existing location in the state. </p><p>The new locations where excavations will be held this year are Vellalore (Coimbatore), Thelunganur (Salem), Adichanur (Kallakurichi), Manikkollai (Cuddalore), Nagapattinam, Pattanamarudur (Thoothukudi), and Karivalamvanthanallur (Tenkasi), while digging in Keeladi, a Sangam Era site, will enter the 11<sup>th</sup>season. </p>.Keeladi excavation report submitted for vetting to two subject experts: Government in Rajya Sabha.<p>“We have received the permission. We will launch the excavations very soon,” a source aware of the developments told <em>DH</em>. The launch will be a low-key affair due to the Model of Conduct (MCC) as Tamil Nadu goes to assembly polls on April 23. </p><p>The permission from CABA under the Union Ministry of Culture comes weeks after Chief Minister M K Stalin nudged the Centre to grant the approval at the earliest.</p><p>“After months of delay, the Union Government has cleared archaeological excavations at 8 sites including Keeladi. This is a win earned through DMK’s persistent efforts. But we are not done. The Union BJP Government is still sitting on the Keeladi excavation report. We will not stop until that too is out,” Stalin said on Tuesday. </p><p>In the 2025-2026 budget, the government allotted a record Rs 7 crore for carrying out excavations and scientific research, including dating of artefacts, Metallurgical and DNA analyses, and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating, in the upcoming financial year. </p><p>Excavations in Keeladi, a nondescript village near Madurai which is likely to be 2,600 years old based on AMS dating of artefacts found in 2018, will enter their 11<sup>th</sup> phase this year. Keeladi is a notable archaeological site that has pushed the literature-rich Sangam Era behind by 300 years.</p><p>Thelunganur is an important Iron Age site in Tamil Nadu which has been dated to 1500 BCE and another round of excavation is significant since it comes close on heels of the findings that the usage of iron was widespread in the state and date back to at least 5,300 years ago. </p><p>Vellalore, 15kms from Coimbatore, holds significant archaeological importance as previous excavations have thrown enough evidence of the existence of a gem stone and bead making industry besides having enjoyed Roman trade links. </p><p>Pattanamarudur has been chosen for excavations due to its possible link to Vembakkottai, where digging has been on for the past three years. A shell industry is believed to have existed in Pattanamarudur on the east coast. </p>