Veteran Archaeologist Vedachalam Wins Tamil Wikki Suran Award
This award is special to Mr. Vedachalam because he has recently entered the 51-year benchmark of his career as an archaeologist and Tamil epigraphist. He received the Tamil Wikki Suran Award in Madurai, Tamil Nadu recently for his continuous and passionate work in history and archaeology. At 75 years of age, Mr. Vedachalam will continue to motivate many more through his dedication.
A Life Dedicated to Exploring History
Mr. Vedachalam started his career in Tamil history and archaeology after finishing an MA in Tamil Literature and receiving a PG diploma in archaeology and epigraphy. His first big project at the capital of the ancient Chera Kingdom, Karur, led to discovering part of the old fort wall. This inspired his passion for exploring the past.
His knowledge of Tamil literature made him a very effective epigraphist because he can read and interpret old name inscriptions and paintings on rocks and walls. For example, while exploring Vikramangalam one day, he lay on a ledge and saw a 2,000-year-old inscription on the ceiling that had been hidden for 2,000 years, that moment filled him with true pleasure, he told me.
Keeladi and Continual Passion
Mr Vedachalam is one of the first people who lectured about the significance of the Keeladi excavation site, which became famous when links with the Sangam Age were discovered. Even after regional retirement, he has consistently visited the site, sometimes remaining there from dawn to dusk to support the research. His passion for exposing and exploring the truth freed from the earth is still constant.
Teaching and Creating Awareness
He has Written 25 books. He has travelled to historic sites in India and abroad to study and compare what he found. Since 2009, he and his team, with Dhan Foundation help, have visited around 300 villages, every second Sunday educating villagers about the history of their land and what they should do to preserve their own culture and monuments. Whenever Mr. Vedachalam needs a break from researching historic monuments, he visites the colleges to share what he has learned with young students. For him, history is not about caste or religion but about understanding a shared past that connects us all. He believes preserving