70 year old Gopi, a daily wage worker at Pattanam in Ernakulam District of Kerala is proud of himself that he was part of a great process of discovering the past. When Pattanam excavations started, he was called for the manual labour for excavation process with many others. Initially he was also a bit suspicious about the whole process which has been widely shared by the villagers. “It was a bit difficult to understand why they have been digging the ground, what is there so important about broken pieces of pots, coins and things like that. Later I understood that it was such an important process of discovering our own past” says Gopi. Gopi has learned that excavation was a process to get to know the life and systems of the ancestors who lived here centuries ago.
However, he is completely unaware of the controversies around the Pattanam excavation project. He does not agree with any attempt to communalise any excavation. “If somebody is claiming that this is against the interest of the Hindu community, I totally disagree. This is for everyone. Finding about people who lived here centuries ago is important to everyone” says Gopi who has only elementary education and has been working under the Rural Employment Guaranty Scheme.
The excavations at Pattanam carried out by Kerala Council for Historic Research(KCHR) came to a halt in 2015 after Archaeological Survey of India suspended its license. This decision was followed by a series of allegations from Hindutva organizations, which questioned the motives behind the project. They claimed that the excavation, led by Dr. P.J. Cheriyan, the then Director of KCHR, aimed to fabricate evidence supporting the story of St. Thomas, one of Jesus Christ’s twelve apostles, arriving in the region. Right-wing groups and their media outlets also targeted Dr. Cheriyan, raising doubts about his Christian identity.
The Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) conducted nine seasons of archaeological explorations and excavations at the Pattanam site between 2007 and 2015. Located approximately 4 kilometers east of the Arabian Sea coast, the site has revealed a vast and diverse collection of artifacts originating from various regions, including the Indian subcontinent, the Indo-Mediterranean region, and Southeast Asia. Dating back to around 500 BCE, the findings span multiple periods, including the Iron Age, early historic, medieval, and modern eras. The early historic period (circa 3rd century BCE to 5th century CE) appears to have been the site’s most active phase. Currently, KCHR archaeologists are focused on post-excavation studies of the Pattanam artefacts. One visiting Pattanam now cannot see the trenches which have been covered as the process of excavation had been stopped. The office of the Pattanam excavation project is a renovated house where posters and photgraphs of the journey of excavation are displayed. The upcoming museum for displaying the material obtained in excavation is under progress. Located 4 km east of the Arabian Sea coast, 25 km from the city of Kochi, Pattanam, appears to be a typical Kerala landscape-an ordinary, lush green semi-urban settlement filled with modern houses and dwellings. Surrounded by water bodies, it gives no indication of the countless hidden treasures and mysteries of its past buried beneath the surface. The Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) acquired 8 acres of land by purchasing it from individual owners, and this site has been the focus of excavations for approximately ten years.
Glass beeds, parts of broken pottery, pieces of copper and iron material and ceramic fragments might not appear very appealing to an ordinary spectator, but the colourless, pale things that have been discovered through the excavation embodies the life and times of an ancient port that dates back to 2000 years ago.
The site yielded a large number of Roman amphorae, indicating extensive trade relations. These storage jars were primarily used for transporting goods like wine and oil .Evidence of planned urban settlement was found, including brick flooring, drainage systems, and toilet structures . This suggests that Pattanam was not just a trading post but a well-organized urban center. The artefacts reflect a blend of Indian and non-Indian cultures, highlighting Pattanam’s role as a multicultural hub during its peak.
According to Dr P J Cheriyan, the former Director of KCHR who was the head of the Pattanam excavations, It is entirely possible that Pattanam was, or was part of, the legendary port site known as Muziris. Numerous written records reference this port city, called Muciri Pattinam in the Indian subcontinent and Port Muziris by those in the western regions. ‘If Pattanam was Muziris, or Muciri Pattinam, it was part of a broader network of relationships, as no port functioned in isolation. In his findings published in multiple platoforms, Cheriyan observes that Pattanam had direct or indirect ties to around 40 other port sites, spanning from South China to Gibraltar, representing an immense level of connectivity. Possibly for the first time in history, individuals from diverse cultures across Asia, Africa, and Europe travelled between these ports. Within this network, Pattanam appears to have been a key link.’ Says Dr Cheriyan.
However, the explorations and excavations of KCHR could not go for long.
The excavation at Pattanam came to a halt in September 2015 after the ASI suspended KCHR’s license. This decision was prompted by a complaint from Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram, an affiliate of the RSS, which alleged that the project was part of a ‘collective conspiracy and propaganda to assert that Pattanam was the ancient Muziris’.
‘The pieces of evidence indicating the connection with the ancient Roman empire and that of an extensive trade network across the Mediterranean region caused displeasure to the Samghparivar. The roots of Islam and Christianity that came to Ancient India through trade relations have been a public knowledge, but the right wing groups were worried about the popular perception of St Thomas, Apostle of Jesus getting established through excavation and research. In fact, it was too early to make any conclusion about St Thomas’ presence in Kerala. We speak history based on facts and evidence, not on beleifs and emotions, but they started building a narrative against the excavations in Pattanam” says Dr Thomas Issac, the former Finance Minister of Kerala.
However,ASI cited different reasons for cancelling the licence for excavation ranging from wrong methodology being applied to financial irregularities. The excavation resumed after Dr Cheriyan obtained a stay on the order issued by ASI cancelling the licence and continued for a while. The FCRA licence of KCHR was cancelled by the Union Government in 2016 citing the reason that the organisation has not been involved in charity activities. Soon Dr Cheriyan left KCHR and started an organisation of his own- PAMA (Paternal and Maternal Ancestry) Institute for the Advancement of Trans-disciplinary Archaeological Sciences. He managed to get licence for excavation and resumed the same at Pattanam. He could not take up the project ahead more than a year as his licence was cancelled again by ASI in 2021.
The campaign against the excavations at Pattanam headed by Cheriyan under PAMA was intensified with a flood of conspiracy theories frequently carried in the right wing media like that of Janma Bhumi in Malayalam which is a mouth piece of the Hindutwa politics. On 21st September 2021, Janmabhumi has written that ‘the demand to investigate the mysterious connections behind the Pattanam excavation led by Dr. P.J. Cherian was growing stronger. According to Janmabhumi, ‘there was a demand to investigate the connections of some people leading the excavations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu with the banned organisation LTTE’. The right wing news paper has also alleged that Dr Cheriyan’s connection with a priest in Tamil Nadu was also dubious. According to Janmabhumi, the catholic priest had connection with LTTE. The news paper has also raised the allegation that the Pattanam excavation is an attempt ‘to create fake history to promote the Tamil separatist argument in South India’.
However, Dr Cheriyan while talking to Outlook told that he does not want to respond to any of these allegations and to open a closed a chapter again. Though Dr Cheriyan bought a piece of land at Pattanam under PAMA and tried to continue the excavation, but he could not as his licence was revoked followed by constant resistance from the part of Parivar organisations.
The excavation at Pattanam was taken over by ASI reportedly since the licence for KCHR had been revoked. ASI reportedly continues the project, but the officials are not willing to share the information with the media. “We have been submitting reports to the Government. We cannot share information with the media” says Vijayakumar, the officer in charge of excavations at Pattanam. He also refused to give access to the Outlook team to the site and to take photographs.
The eight seasons of excavations by the KCHR have unearthed a large volume and an array of Indian and non-Indian artefacts belonging to different cultures and cultural periods. The chronology of the Pattanam site spans three millennia from circa 1000 BCE with evidence of habitation across the Iron Age, the Early Historic, the Medieval and the Modern cultural periods. The Early Historic period (3rd century BCE to 5th century CE) seems to be the most active phase of the site. Though the research based on the material discovered, the archaeologists assume that Pattanam was the centre of the ancient Muziris port that existed 2000 years ago. However, the historians do not make a categorical conclusion that Pattanam was the central location of Muziris.
According to Dr. Rajan Gurukkal Pattanam has uncovered a diverse range of organic and inorganic archaeological artifacts, including wood, plant fibers, spices, vegetables, nuts, beads, bead materials, uncut gemstones, and objects made of copper, bronze, and iron. Other finds include baked bricks, roof tiles, and ceramic fragments, including early Roman pottery. If Pattanam was indeed Muziris, or Muciri Pattinam, it was part of a vast network of interconnected relationships, as no port functioned in isolation. Pattanam maintained either direct or indirect links with 40 other ports stretching from South China to Gibraltar, illustrating an extensive web of connectivity. This may represent one of the earliest instances in human history of people from diverse cultures across Asia, Africa, and Europe traveling from port to port. Within this network, Pattanam appears to have been a crucial link. To highlight this, the aim was to showcase artifacts that made their way to Pattanam from distant ports and cultures.
Originally published here