The Government of India has granted official approval for the 11th phase of archaeological excavation at the Keezhadi site in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu, marking a significant step forward in uncovering more details about the ancient civilisation that once flourished along the Vaigai River.
The permission for the next phase comes after the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology submitted the report on the recently concluded 10th phase of excavations to the Central Archaeological Department (ASI).
Despite decades of work, only about 4 per cent of the Keezhadi site has been excavated so far, leaving much of the settlement yet to be explored. The 11th phase aims to reveal more secrets of the ancient urban society that existed on the banks of the Vaigai.
Over the course of the first 10 phases, archaeologists have uncovered more than 20,000 artefacts, including pottery, tools, and other material evidence of a highly developed civilisation believed to date back over 2,600 years.
Previous scientific studies at Keezhadi have dated samples from the site to between the 6th and 3rd centuries BCE using carbon dating and other methods, highlighting its importance to early South Indian history.