TN conducts reconnaissance survey for offshore excavations in Korkai

Korkai, now a small village in Thoothukudi district, was a celebrated port of pearly fishery of the famed Pandya Kingdom of the present-day Tamil Nadu. The rich Sangam Literature mentions Korkai as the harbour of the Pandyas during the 5th Century CE.

In search of archaeological evidence of the mentions in several Tamil epics of the Sangam Era, which has now been established as older to the Mauryan Empire, the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) has been planning offshore explorations in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Korkai to identify and assess the archaeological potentiality of the then port city.

As part of the exercise, the TNSDA in association with the Indian Maritime University (IMU) and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) recently conducted a week-long reconnaissance survey to identify the exact location of the port city, which is believed to be submerged under the sea.

A ship undertook the survey for a 20-km distance from Thoothukudi to Tiruchendur between September 2 and 9.

“The ship undertook the survey from 5 metres to 20 metres from the seashore for nearly 20 km. In the second phase, we will use a boat to survey the 5 metre-area from the seashore. The survey is very crucial as data collected during the exercise will be used to find out whether any wreckage of ships or any structure is submerged underneath,” R Sivananthan, Commissioner, TNSDA, told DH.

Processing the data collected during the week-long survey will take time as several equipment like side scanner, multi-beam solar scanner, and sub-bottom profile were used to survey the sea.

“Once the data gives us an idea of the remains of the port, we will begin the archaeological excavation. Divers will jump into the sea looking for artefacts. Undersea exploration is very difficult as we expect a lot of sediments to have developed over centuries,” he said.

Offshore exploration in Korkai is very crucial for the TNSDA as the village is close to Sivagalai and Adichanallur where the excavation is on both by the agency and ASI. Rice husks found from a burial urn in Sivakalai are found to be at least 3,200 year old, giving a sneak peak of an urban civilisation having existed on the banks of Thamirabarani.

The government’s efforts come amidst the archaeological excavations in Tamil Nadu have created a buzz with carbon dating of artefacts from Keeladi, near Madurai, showing that they are at least 2,600 years old.