Keezhadi / Keeladi Civilisation

A new scientific study suggests that parts of the ancient settlement at Keezhadi were buried by a high-energy flood event about 1,155 years before present, possibly leading to abandonment or relocation.

Located on the floodplain of the Vaigai River in southern Tamil Nadu.

Excavations have revealed:

• Planned brick structures

• Channels resembling drains/canals

• Fine clay floors

• Pottery and roof-tile fragments

Supports Sangam-period literary descriptions of urban life and trade.

Dates the last exposure of sediment grains (quartz) to sunlight.

Useful for determining when sediments buried archaeological remains, not when structures were built.

Excavations at Keezhadi have provided strong material evidence of an early urban civilisation in South India, aligning closely with descriptions found in ancient Tamil texts.

Archaeologists found no religious symbols, idols, or ritual structures.

This suggests:

• A secular, civic-oriented society

• Public life not dominated by organised religion

This challenges assumptions that early Indian urban centres were primarily temple-centric.

Findings point to a vibrant and sophisticated urban society, comparable to early historic urban centres elsewhere in India.

Features include:

• Well-built brick structures

• Planned habitation areas

• Drain-like channels and water management systems

Structural remains are oriented along cardinal directions.

Indicates:

• Knowledge of geometry and spatial planning

• Systematic town planning rather than organic growth

Potsherds with Tamil Brahmi inscriptions were discovered.

Significance:

• Confirms widespread literacy, not limited to elites or priests

• Pushes back the antiquity of written Tamil usage

Graffiti depicting the sun and moon found on artefacts.

Indicates:

• Astronomical observation

• Symbolic or calendrical understanding of celestial bodies

Discovery of an ivory dice suggests:

• Presence of leisure activities

• Existence of an elite or affluent section of society

Use of ivory points to access to luxury materials and trade networks.

The civilisation uncovered at Keezhadi closely matches descriptions in Sangam Literature.

Sangam texts were composed during the Tamil Sangam period (c. 4th century BCE – 2nd century BCE), with Madurai as a major centre.

Keezhadi provides archaeological validation to what was earlier known mainly through literary sources.