PORUNAI MUSEUM

NEWS

• The Porunai (Thamirabarani River Civilisation) Museum was inaugurated in Tirunelveli
• The museum showcases path-breaking archaeological discoveries from southern Tamil Nadu, including evidence of the world’s oldest Iron Age.

HIGHLIGHTS

About the Porunai Museum

• Built at a cost of ₹33 crore by the Tamil Nadu government.
• Spread across 54,296 sq. ft. with six blocks, including:
  • Administrative block
  • Conference hall
  • Audio-Visual (AV) hall
• Second major museum under the DMK government after the Keeladi Museum (2023).

Key Archaeological Highlights

• Sivakalai:
  • Carbon dating by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) places iron usage at ~5300 years BP.
  • Pushes back the introduction of smelted iron in India by over a millennium.
  • Currently the earliest known Iron Age site in the world.
• Adichanallur:
  • Famous for burial urns, human skulls, and offering potteries.
  • Provides insights into Iron Age burial practices and social organisation.
• Korkai:
  • Renowned port of the Pandya Kingdom, highlighting maritime trade networks.

Broader Cultural Representation

• Artefacts from multiple periods:
  • Lower, Middle & Upper Palaeolithic
  • Microlithic and Neolithic
  • Early Historic period
• Displays include:
  • Stone and iron tools
  • Rock shelter paintings
  • Urns, ceramics, and agricultural remains
• Exhibits from other Iron Age sites such as Mayiladumparai and Kilnamandi.