T.N. Archaeology Department begins survey for excavation in Nagapattinam

The Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department is carrying out an exploration in the port town of Nagapattinam, ahead of launching an excavation to look for remains of the famed Buddhist monastery, Chudamani Vihara, believed to have been built during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I (985-1014 CE).

The Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department is carrying out an exploration in the port town of Nagapattinam, ahead of launching an excavation to look for remains of the famed Buddhist monastery, Chudamani Vihara, believed to have been built during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I (985-1014 CE).

Over the past few days, the Department has been conducting a survey using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), a remote sensing method, at the District Court Complex in Nagapattinam, where the monastery is believed to have existed. A drone was deployed to carry out the survey to assess and identify the location for taking up systematic archaeological excavation.

The exploration was conducted by a team of officials of the Department of Archaeology led by R. Sivanantham, Joint Director of Archaeology, and K. Vasanthakumar, Archaeological Officer, along with G. Muthusankar, Head of GIS Projects, Department of Geospatial Monitoring and Information Technology, French Institute of Pondicherry.

“A proposal would be drawn up based on the survey, and the actual excavation will commence after obtaining the licence from the Central Advisory Board on Archaeology,” sources in the Department told The Hindu.

The Tamil Nadu government, in its Budget 2025-26, had announced that archaeological excavations would be undertaken at eight locations, including Keezhadi, Telunganur in Salem, Vellalur in Coimbatore, Adichanur in Kallakurichi, Manikollai in Cuddalore, Karivalamvanthanallur in Tenkasi, Pattanamarudur in Thoothukudi, and Nagapattinam.

Nagapattinam is believed to have been a citadel of Buddhism in South India. The nearby ancient port city of Poompuhar, also known as Kaveripoompattinam, was the capital of the early Cholas. The State government has also announced plans to take up deep-sea excavations between Poompuhar and Nagapattinam this year.

The District Court complex in Nagapattinam now houses the District Munsif Court and the District Combined Court buildings, believed to be more than a century old. The buildings were recently renovated by the Building Centre and Conservation Division of the Public Works Department.