Congratulations to Porunai Archaeological Museum located in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India on its recent ribbon cutting! This beautiful new facility, which opened in December 2025, was established to preserve and present archaeological findings from major ancient sites along the Porunai (Tamiraparani) river basin, including Sivakalai, Adichanallur, and Korkai. These sites represent some of the earliest known cultural and metallurgical traditions in South India.
The museum documents a long technological continuum dating back to approximately BCE 3435, including:
- Evidence of advanced Tin-bronze technology
- Early iron metallurgy and tools
- Burial traditions and Material culture
- Maritime trade and cultural interactions with West Asia, the Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia
The Porunai Archaeological Museum serves as a centre for heritage preservation, public education, and academic reference, and contributes to broader global discussions on the origins and development of early civilisation and metallurgy.
To read about the project, please go to https://www.deccanherald.com/india/tamil-nadu/tamil-nadu-artefacts-from-oldest-iron-age-site-sivakalai-to-adorn-porunai-museum-in-tirunelveli-3834532
To follow the efforts to unite the Native people of Tirunelveli , Thootukudi & Tenkasi in Chennai, please visit https://www.facebook.com/CVNMNS4U.
