Archaeologists appeal to govt. to preserve richness of regions like Madurai for future scholars

Appealing to governments to preserve the deep archaeological richness of regions such as Madurai, noted epigraphist V. Vedachalam on Thursday said it would help future scholars to conduct well-meaning research.

He was speaking at the 4th R Venkatraman Memorial Lecture organised by Friends of Heritage Sites (Pandya chapter) in Madurai on ‘Archaeology from multidimensional perspectives: tracing experiences of archaeologists through explorations and excavations.’

“The greatest gift we can offer future generations is to meticulously document our journeys, craft our years of findings into published works,” he said

V. Selvakumar, former faculty, Department of Maritime History and Marine Archaeology, Tamil University, Thanjavur, shared his perspectives on recent archaeological developments and methodologies in historical research.

Art historian K. T. Gandhirajan highlighted art history and significance of field explorations.

Yathees Kumar, Joint Director (incharge), Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department, discussed the regional excavations and archaeological findings in recent months and their impact on academics.

Friends of Heritage Sites president Sharmila Devadoss said the memorial series held in honour of revered historian R. Venkatraman served as a bridge between specialised academic research and public heritage awareness.

“People see the final discovery, but they rarely see the arduous process behind it. Archaeology requires enduring extreme heat and rain, long months of meticulous field mapping, writing proposals and working closely with local communities who live alongside these sites. This seminar is designed to share the lived experiences, the logic behind how sites are chosen, and the thrilling moments of breakthrough.” she added.

Senior member FoHS (Pandya chapter) Rajesh Kanna welcomed the gathering.

Students, art historians and other faculty members from various educational institutions participated in the day-long event. An interaction was also held during the seminar.