ASI urged to explore Pattanam

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KOCHI, October 22, 2011

ASI urged to explore Pattanam

K.P.M. Basheer

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Outcome “not conclusive”

Suspecting a hidden agenda in the archaeological exploration at Pattanam by the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), a group of historians, writers and cultural activists has urged the Chief Minister to ask the Archaeological Survey of India to take over the digs.

A memorandum, signed by M.G. Sasibhooshan, N.M. Namboodiri, P.K. Gopi, Velayudhan Panikkassery and 18 others, also wanted the current KCHR reconstituted and the Muziris Heritage Project renamed as Kodungalloor Heritage Project and it be entrusted to qualified and committed scholars.

The memorandum signers contended that it had not yet been conclusively established that Pattanam was the ancient port of Muziris. But, the KCHR had gone around claiming that Pattanam was the ancient Muziris, the Roman trading centre on the Malabar Coast. KCHR's motive behind “imposing this on the public” was suspicious.

The signers noted that some of the recently published books had blindly referred to Pattanam as Muziris on the authority of the KCHR. This, according to the memorandum, questioned the credibility of the KCHR. It also alleged that “under the cover of discovering and preserving the heritage of Kodungalloor,' the Muziris Heritage Project was trying to prove that Kodungalloor was the colony of ancient maritime powers such as Rome.

‘Not conclusive'

P.K. Gopi, former registrar of the Centre for Heritage Studies, who headed the trial digging in Pattanam in 2004, told The Hindu that even after four years of excavation, the KCHR team could not conclusively prove that Pattanam was Muziris. With the limited material surfaced from the digging, the KCHR had jumped into a conclusion. A series of scientific studies, followed by peer reviews, should have been carried out before announcing the location of Muziris (a 2000-year-old port which is believed to have been located near Kodungalloor and which is said to have gone under sea following a huge flood in the Periyar in the 14th century), Mr. Gopi said. Claiming that an underground structure and a canoe found at Pattanam constituted the remains of the wharf at Muziris was inappropriate. Evidence that could stand rigorous scientific tests was necessary to make a conclusion about such an important ancient port as Muziris, he said. Satheesh Chandran, coordinator, Centre for Socio Cultural and Development Studies, one of the signers, told The Hindu that the KCHR team had approached the Pattanam digging with a pre-conditioned idea. He suspected the expertise of the digging team as the KCHR had no previous experience of archaeological excavation. It also not made use of the expertise of Kerala ancient history experts and also had not made marine archaeological research.

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· Group of historians want revamp of KCHR

· ‘Rename project as Kodungalloor Heritage Project'

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Pattanam is identified as Muziris by KCHR: Team reports 2011 to ASI

The latest official report is seen in the Research papers presented in a an International conference convened at COLOMBO to discuss the findings of Pattanam excavations in 2011-This is a report of

the multi-disciplinary excavation conducted as part of the Muziris Heritage Project by the

Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), in collaboration with the Archaeological

Survey of India (ASI) and various institutes and universities inside and outside the nation

Abstracts - Colombo conference papers on Pattanam

Publications related to Pattanam Research

ABSTRACT OF RESEARCH PAPERS

Conference of the International Association for Asian Heritage, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Pattanam research team attended the first conference of the International

Association for Asian Heritage during the second week of April 2011 at

Colombo, Sri Lanka and presented sixteen papers in a session on Pattanam

excavations and Indian Ocean exchanges. The team also undertook study tours

to some important archaeological sites of Sri Lanka.

1

The maritime spice route that linked peninsular India with

West Asia, Red Sea and Mediterranean rims; new

archaeological evidence from Pattanam (Muziris)

P.J. Cherian# , K.P. Shajan# , V. Selvakumar+ , M. Nambirajan^ , K. Rajan* , Preeta Nayar#

# Kerala Council for Historical Research + Tamil University, ^ Archaeological Survey of India,

Thrissur Circle , * Pondicherry Universitya)

To discuss the evidence on the Early Historic exchanges between India and the

Mediterranean world, with Muziris and Berenike ports as reference points

2

The Industrial Context of Pattanam and Trench PT XVI, 2010

Season

Dineesh Krishnan P J Cherian

Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR)

Pattanam site today is widely recognized as one of the major archaeological sites in South

Asia. The site poses number of challenges in understanding the complexities of life in an

ancient port site, generally agreed to be the legendary port of Muziris.

3

Local pottery from Pattanam, Kerala: A report of the 2007

excavations

V. Selvakumar+ , P.J. Cherian# , K.P. Shajan#

+ Tamil University, # Kerala Council of Historical Research

Pattanam is an archaeological site located in the Periyar delta of Kerala. This site has

evidence for occupation from the Iron Age to the Late Medieval period spanning several

hundreds of years. The most important cultural period represented at the site is the Early

Historic, when the Indian Ocean trade and exchange were very active in the southern part

of India. Until the discovery of this site, the port of ancient Muziris was considered to be

at Kodungallur. The identification of the site through the initial surveys of K.P.Shajan

and later joint work by the authors (Shajan et al 2004, Selvakumar et al. 2005)

Papers presented in the Colombo Conference

1P K Vijimol P J Cherian

2K. Vasudevan*, P. J. Cherian*, V Selvakumar+ , K. Ramia*

3V. Selvakumar+ , P.J. Cherian# , K.P. Shajan

4Sarathchandrababu*, P J Cherian* and V Selvakumar

5KP Rajesh PJ Cherian

6KK.Rajan*, P.J.Cherian K.P. Shajan*, P. J. Cherian* , V. Selvakumar

7Preeta Nayar P J Cherian

8Prasanth M.S* P J Cherian+

9Dr.M.Nambirajan* , Dr.P.J.Cherian#

10Madhavi Kunneriath PJ Cherian

11Jaseera Majeed*, PJ Cherian*, V. Selvakumar+ , K. Remia*

12Dineesh Krishnan P J Cherian

13Deepak P_ Salil GK† PJ Cherian‡

14PJ Cherian*, V Selvakumar,+ K P Shajan*

15.J. Cherian# , K.P. Shajan# , V. Selvakumar+ , M. Nambirajan^ , K. Rajan* , Preeta Nayar#.J. 16Cherian# , K.P. Shajan# , V. Selvakumar+ , M. Nambirajan^ , K. Rajan* , Preeta Nayar#

Publications / Essays related to Pattanam Archeological Research

Out of 33 papers only 4 of themare written by others-28 are written by PJ Cheriyan KCHR Team Members

1. Cherian P. J., "Archaeology of Death: The Urn Burials of the Periyar Belt", Discourse(s),

Journal for Multi-Disciplinary Studies Vol 1, U C College Publication, Alwaye, 1998, pp 101-

113

2. Shajan K. P., Tomber R., Selvakumar V., and Cherian P. J., "Locating the ancient port of

Muziris: Fresh findings from Pattanam", Journal of Roman Archaeology, Vol. 17, New Delhi,

2004, pp 312-320.

3. Selvakumar V., Gopi P. K. & Shajan K.P., "Trial Excavation at Pattanam: a Preliminary

Report", Journal of the Centre for Heritage Studies Vol 2, Thripunithura, 2005, pp 57-66

4. Shajan K. P., Cherian P. J., Selvakumar V., "Pattanam Muziris Thanneyo?’’(Mal), AdhAram, A

Journal for Kerala Archaeology and History Vol. I, Keraleeya Purathatva Samiti, M G

University, Kottayam, 2006, pp 50-59

5. Cherian P. J., Selvakumar V., Shajan K. P., "Evidence for the ancient port of Muziri at

Pattanam, Kerala" in Chemmozhi, a Quarterly Newsletter from Center of Excellence for

Classical Tamil, Vol.2, Number 1, Chennai, October- December, 2007, pp 26-27

6. Shajan K. P., Selvakumar V., "Pattanam: the first Iron Age early historic settlement of

Kerala", "Recent Archaeological Excavations at Pattanam, Kerala", in Manmathan, M R, (ed),

Archaeology in Kerala: Past and Present, Kozhikkode, 2007, Pp 30-45

7. Cherian P. J., Selvakumar V. and Shajan K. P., ’Pattanam in the maritime History of South

West India’ Proceedings of the International Seminar on Marine Archaeology, Indian Navy and

ASI, New Delhi 2007

8. Cherian P. J., ""Puravasthupadanam Oru Pichaveppinde Ormakuruppu’’(Mal.), Suvarna

Keralam Souvenir, Kerala University Publication, Thiruvananthapuram, 2006, pp 170 - 174

9. Cherian P. J., Shajan K. P., Selvakumar V., "Charithraranbhakaalathe Samskarika

Vinimayangalude Jeevithamudragal’’ (Mal.), Janapadam, (Govt. of Kerala Publication),

Thiruvananthapuram, October 2008, pp. 24 - 27

10. Cherian P. J., Selvakumar V., Shajan K. P., "The Muziris Heritage Project: Excavations at

Pattanam-2007" in Sunil Gupta (Ed), Journal of Indian Ocean Archaeology, November, 2007,

New Delhi, 2008, pp 1-10

11. Cherian P. J., "The Muziris Heritage Project and the Archaeological Research at Pattanam:

An Overview", The Living Dead and the Lost Knowledge, Department of Archaeology,

Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, 2008 , pp 5 - 20

12. Selvakumar V., "Indo Roman Trade and Internal Exchange Systems of Ancient Tamil

Country", The Living Dead and the Lost Knowledge, Department of Archaeology, Government

of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, 2008 , pp 21 - 28

13. Shajan K. P., "Evolution of Central Coast and the formation of Pattanam : A Geoarchaeological

study", The Living Dead and the Lost Knowledge, Department of Archaeology,

Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, 2008 , pp 29 - 34

14. Raghava Varier M. R., "Graffiti and Brahmi letters from Pattanam: A note on continuity and

change in the art of writing", The Living Dead and the Lost Knowledge, Department of

Archaeology, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, 2008 , pp 35 - 36

15. Tomber R., "The imported pottery at Pattanam: External contacts and trading partners", The

Living Dead and the Lost Knowledge, Department of Archaeology, Government of Kerala,

Thiruvananthapuram, 2008 , pp 37 - 38

16. Steve Sidebotham E., "The Red Sea port of Berenike : Stopover emporium between the

Mediterranean and Malabar coasts", The Living Dead and the Lost Knowledge, Department of

Archaeology, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, 2008 , pp 39 -40

17. Federico De Romanis, "Muziris Trade in the Roman Economy", The Living Dead and the Lost

Knowledge, Department of Archaeology, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, 2008 , pp 41

- 43

18. Sunil Gupta, "Beyond Roman Trade: The Periplus as an Indian Ocean Document", The Living

Dead and the Lost Knowledge, Department of Archaeology, Government of Kerala,

Thiruvananthapuram, 2008 , pp 44 - 46

19. Cherian P. J., Tilok Thakuria, Mohanty R. K., Selvakumar V., Shajan K. P., "Manufacturing of

Stone Ornaments at Pattanam, Kerala : a Preliminary Study from 2007 Excavations", National

Seminar on Buddhism in Orissa & Joint Annual Conference, Dept. of Culture, Govt. of Orissa

20. Cherian P. J., Raviprasad, G. V., Koushik Datta, Dinesh Kr Ray, Selvakumar, V, and Shajan,KP,

"Chronology of Pattanam: a multi-cultural port site on the Malabar coast", in Current Science,

Vol.97, No 2, Bangalore, July 2009, pp 236-240

21. Cherian P. J., "Pattanam in Cochin as a potential world heritage site" in Sankaran Kutty Nair, T P

(ed), India Yesterday and Today (A festschrift for Padmabhooshan Prof. Alappat Sreedhara Menon),

Thiruvananthapuram, 2009, pp 349-365

22. Cherian P. J., "Pattanaparryaveshanam" (Mal.), Thaliru, Balasahitya Institute,

Thiruvananthapuram, July 2009, pp. 28 - 34.

23. Cherian P. J., "The Exchanges between the Early Historic Ports on the Malabar Coast and the

Red Sea Port of Berenike", Proceedings of the Thirtieth Annual Seminar-Maritime History Society,

Mumbai, 2009, pp 65 -79

24. Cherian P. J., Selvakumar V., Shajan K. P., "Maritime traditions of the Malabar coast and the

findings of Pattanam excavations- 2007", Paddayya K et al (Ed.), Recent Research Trends in South

Asian Archaeology, (Prof. H D Sankalia birth centenary, 2007 seminar proceedings), Pune, 2009, pp

321 - 331

25. Cherian P. J., Selvakumar V., Shajan K. P., Interim Report of Pattanam Excavations 2007 KCHR

Publication, Thiruvananthapuram, 2007

26. Cherian P. J., Rajan K., Selvakumar V., Shajan K. P., Interim Report of Pattanam Excavations

2008, KCHR Publication, Thiruvananthapuram, 2008

27. Cherian P. J., Rajan K., Selvakumar V., Shajan K. P., Interim Report of Pattanam Excavations

2009, KCHR Publication, Thiruvananthapuram, 2009

28. Cherian P. J., Nambirajan M., Rajan K., Selvakumar V., Shajan K. P., Interim Report of Pattanam

Excavations 2010, KCHR Publication, Thiruvananthapuram, 2010

29. Cherian P. J., "Pattanam Puravastushasthra Gaveshanathinde Shasthragathiyum Pradhaanyavum’’

(Mal.), Sasthragadhi, Calicut, February 2010, pp. 11- 19

30. Cherian P. J., ""Realising the Real’’, Kerala Calling, (Kerala Govt. Publication),

Thiruvananthapuram, July 2010, pp. 26 - 29

31. Cherian P. J., Meenakshi C. S., "Charithrathilekkulla Pattanapravesham’’ (Mal.), Mathrubhumi

Weekly, Calicut, September 2010, pp 26 -33

32. Pattanam Excavation Manual, KCHR Publication, Thiruvananthapuram, 2007 & 2008 CheriyanPJ

33. Cherian P. J., "Pattanam: Pilgrimage Cultural’’, Kerala Calling, (Kerala Govt. Publication),

Thiruvananthapuram, January 2011, pp. 14 - 17

(PDF versions of the documents are available on request)

__________________________________________________________________________

“Interestingly, the dig did not unearth any structural remnants that match the magnitude of antiquities The absence of major structures is an intriguing aspect” Dr PJ Cheriyan,Report 2011

_______________________________

"Entire Kerala coast is Muziriz"-Say'sMuziris project DirectorP J Cheriyan

Cherian, however, still shies from admitting that the site is indeed Muziris or Muchiripattanam:

This very interesting interpretation is to escape from the controversy related to the present identification Pattanam as the early port Muziris by Cheriyan and Team . Now we have to investigate Entire coast of kerala for locating Muziris.
Please wait for the next annoucements!!!!!

“Muziris could be one port or several. It could be the entire Kerala coast. It would require much deeper research and evidence to establish it.”22 -6-2011

ഡൊ:ചെറിയാനും സംഘവും വളരെ കാലമായി പട്ടണമാണു മുസിരിസ് എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു ഉറപ്പിക്കാന്‍ നോ‍ക്കുന്നു.ഇതിനു തക്കതെളിവുകള്‍ ഇതുവരെ കിട്ടിയിട്ടുമില്ല.500 കോടി രൂപവരെ ടൂറിസം അടിസ്ത്ഥാനമാക്കിയുള്ള പുരാഖനനത്തിനു അവിടെ വേണ്ടി വരും എന്നാണു കണക്ക്.ഈ പശ്ചാത്തലത്തിലാണു വേണ്ടത്ത്ര തെളിവില്ലാതെ ലോകം മുഴുവനുള്ള മാദ്ധ്യമങ്ങളില്‍ മുസിരിസ് കണ്ടെത്തി എന്നു പ്രചരിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്.കണ്ടെത്തുന്നതു നല്ലതാണു.കേരളത്തിനു അഭിമാനിക്കാം.
ഈ വിധത്തിലുള്ള അടിസ്ത്ഥാനരഹിതമായ പ്രചരണമാണു എതിറ്ക്കപ്പെടുന്നതു. ഈ പശ്ച്ചാത്തലത്തിലാണു പി ജെ ചെറിയാന്റെ ഇപ്പോഴത്തെ പ്രസ്ത്താവനശ്രദ്ധിക്കേണ്ടതു.ഒരു കേരളതീരം മുഴുവനുമായിരിക്കാം മുസിരിസ് എന്നു ഒരു മുഴം നീട്ടി ഒരേറു.!!!പക്ഷേ ഇതൊരു പുരാവസ്ത്തുഗവേഷകന്‍ പറയുമോ?

Dr. PJ Cherian, Director, Kerala Council of Historical Research Presented the paper titled

"The Impact of Recent Archeological Discoveries in the ancient Muziris on the

Historiography of the Establishment of Christianity in Kerala"

12.30 pm Discussion
01.15 pm Lunch
Dr CHERIYAN
presented a paper on "MUZIRIS" in a SEMINAR conducted in BOMBAY on 28-July 2011
39TH LRC SEMINAR – DIOCESE OF KALYAN 29-31 JULY 2011
AT HOPE CENTER, AMBOLI, ANDHERI (WEST), MUMBAI
PROGRAMME
28 July 2011 Thursday
Dr Cheriyan and Dr Shajan say even now that they never Identified PaTTanam as ancient port city MUZIRIS!