CHENNAI: Chengalpet will have a museum of its own at the district headquarters, 60km south of Chennai, showcasing discoveries from the region such as a few bronze idols now with the government museum at Egmore.
This is as part of an initiative to have a museum in every district. Chengalpet was carved out of Kancheepuram in 2019 and the archaeology department will set up the museum. Among the exhibits would be artefacts from Alamparai Fort off the East Coast Road, about 100km south of Chennai. British-era porcelain ware now kept at the archaeology department’s headquarters in Chennai would also be put on display.
Archaeology department sources said excavations could not be carried out in Chengalpet on a large scale, unlike in the rest of Tamil Nadu, as the district on Chennai’s periphery has been massively urbanised. So, a site museum is not possible. However, artefacts accidentally discovered while digging the earth for construction or to sink wells could be made part of the museum, officials added.
Meanwhile, archaeological experts stressed that the museum must display antiquities highlighting the evolution of the region. Former archaeology officer C Santhalingam, who has done research on the Thondaimandalam region including Chengalpet, said artefacts dating back to the iron age, besides the Pallavas, Cholas and British can be traced to the region.
“Excavated artefacts can be sourced from the Government Museum at Egmore and displayed in Chengalpet. Moreover, idols and photographs of Uthiramerur inscriptions (belonging to the tenth century) regarding local elections can also be exhibited,” he added.
