More than two years after archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna submitted his detailed 982-page report on the Keeladi excavations, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has asked him to revise it, claiming it lacks authentic and scientific backing. Ramakrishna, who led the first two phases of the excavation, has refused. Days later, he was transferred from his role in New Delhi to Greater Noida.
In an interview to The Times of India on July 17, Ramakrishna minced no words: he called the demand to rework the report “criminal and immoral,” arguing that it undermines the very idea of scientific archaeology. His removal and the Union government’s stance have reignited a longstanding ideological clash between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Tamil Nadu government and the BJP-led Union government, one that cuts deep into questions of identity, cultural history, and ultimately who gets to write the latter.
https://thewire.in/history/amarnath-ramakrishna-keeladi-excavation-asi-revision-politics
The Keeladi findings directly challenge long-held narratives that view literacy and civilisation as originating exclusively in North India. And that may be exactly why they are facing resistance.
Veteran archaeologist C. Santhalingam warned that the reluctance to endorse Ramakrishna’s findings reflects a deeper cultural conflict. “For decades we were told that literacy in India began in the north. Keeladi has scientifically disproved that. But the BJP is unwilling to accept it.” He also linked the controversy to efforts to reframe the Indus Valley Civilisation as the “Indus–Saraswati” civilisation and by extension, an effort he sees as part of a broader agenda to erase Dravidian contributions to Indian history.
by Satheesh Lakshmanan
26/07/2025