Archaeology
Keezhadi, a new Sangam Age site
T.S. SUBRAMANIAN

Potsherds with inscriptions in Tamil-Brahmi script found in trenches dug by the ASI at Keezhadi near Madurai on the banks of the Vaigai river in Tamil Nadu. The inscriptions were of Tamil names such as Eyyan, Udhiran and Aadhan, but an unusual find was a Prakrit name, "Tissa", which pointed to the existence of trade links between Keezhadi and Sri Lanka.
Photo: R. Ashok

A deep terracotta ring well with 13 rings found in association with a Sangam Age brick structure with the floor paved with bricks. This is a rarity because ring wells excavated elsewhere, such as Arikkamedu near Puducherry and Vasavasamudran in Tamil Nadu, were not found in association with brick structures.
Photo: R. ASHOK

V. Vedachalam, veteran epigraphist, reading the inscription of the Pandya king Amravarman Kulasekara Pandya I (regnal years 1268 to 1311) inscribed on the plinth of the Siva temple at Keezhadi. Standing beside him is the ASI's K. Amarnath Ramakrishna, Director of the Keezhadi excavation.
Photo: R. ASHOK
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