In 2014-15, archaeologists surveying the Vaigai valley began digging in a coconut grove at Keeladi, about 12 km southeast of Madurai. Under the soil they found brick walls, ring wells, drains and floors of a settled town, with the debris of daily life all around. The Archaeological Survey of India ran the first three seasons; since 2018 the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology has continued the work season after season.
The finds bring the Sangam age, so often known only through poetry, down to earth: black-and-red pottery, potsherds scratched with personal names in Tamil-Brahmi script, spindle whorls, dice and gaming pieces, carnelian and glass beads, and small gold ornaments. The state department has dated the deepest layers to around the 6th century BCE using radiocarbon tests; some scholars question how firmly the inscribed sherds can be tied to those dates, and the research continues. Either way, Keeladi is evidence of an early, literate urban culture in the Vaigai valley.
The Keeladi Museum, opened by the Tamil Nadu government in 2023, displays the finds in buildings designed in the style of a Chettinad house. Beside it, open trenches and an open-air display let you see the excavated structures in place. Weekdays are quieter; it is a short drive from Madurai.
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