Archaeological excavations in India are conducted by either the central or state departments of the Archaeological Survey of India or by a joint University team. Conclusions are never drawn before excavations.Instead systematic reports are prepared and published. Clarifications, approvals and compliments given by scholars are never published as an academic license or as a mask to hide the inexperience and disqualification of the excavator as in the case of P.J.Cherian (Pattanam Excavations -2008 Published by KCHR, Thiruvananthapuram)
P.J.Cherian took his PhD in Modern History on the theme-Communist Agitations in Vayalar Punnapra Area of South Kerala. He was in the teaching faculty in history department of Union Christian College, Aluva in Ernakulam district of Kerala. He took an interest in archaeology due to directions given by United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA) with head quarters in New York as reported by Express News Service on 17-02-2011.
As a discipline, archaeology today is different from what it was at the time of Mortimer Wheeler. It is a highly interdisciplinary research involving geomorphology, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeontology, Palaeohydraulics, Archaeozoology, palaeobotany, Archaeochemistry and Palaeoanthropology. Cherian has neither explored nor excavated an archaeological site or published research articles or books on archaeology. When an individual with neither field experience nor published articles and books on archaeology takes a 200 crore project- Muziris Heritage Project- under the Kerala Council for Historical Research (henceforth KCHR)– it raises serious concern. Further there are no archaeologists in the consultant panel of Pattanam excavations. The consultant panel includes modern historians such asDr. K.N.Panikkar, Dr. K.N.Ganesh, Dr. Rajan Gurukkal, Dr. K.K.N.Kurup, Dr. Michel Tharakan, Dr. Raghava Varrier who are well known left ideologues. Even Well known historians such as Prof. M.G.S.Narayanan who was former Chairman of ICHR was excluded from the panel.The Archaeological Survey of India was not invited to supervise the excavations. Although Dr. Nambirajan of ASI, Kerala circle has been included in the list he kept himself away from the course of excavations for reasons best known to him which he declines to reveal for professional integrity. The professionals and organisations involved with Pattanam excavations are foreign institutions and functionaries
P.J.Cherian himself reveals that he came across Pattanam from documents of a Portuguese missionary Bishop Francisco Ros S. (1603-1604) translated by Jacob Kollapparambil and published in 1986 from Kottayam (P.J.Cherian 2008-Muziris Heritage Project and Archaeological Research at Pattanam-An Overview. Paper Presented at International Seminar on Muziris Heritage Project, Thiruvananthapuram)
The site is located on the west coast of Kerala along the Periyar river system in Ernakulam district. Hydraulic factors play the key role in any research on Pattanam . But the Institute of Marine archaeology, Institute of Oceanography and National institute of hydrology have been kept away by KCHR and P.J.Cherian . It seems to be out of fear and apprehensions that digging and disclosure of antiquities shall not take the path they want if such major institutions are involved.
Now the archaeological site at Pattanam has been made part of Harappan Urbanism in par with Mohenjo Daro, Lothal, Harappa and Dholavira as part of a wider agenda. Malayala Manorama, the largest circulated Malayalam daily has published a book on Lost Civilizations (Tell Me Why-Lost Civilizations August 2011 Page 73). Pattanam has been put in the section on Harappan Civilization and is stated to be 3000 years old. This cannot have been executed without the support and guidance of P.J.Cherian. What does Pattanam provides to be considered in par with Harappan Civilization? Does it show urban remains, fortifications, residential complexes, streets, drains, sewerages, ware houses, or any such structural remains? The answer is NO. The investigation takes us to the biggest sabotage story in archaeological research in India.
Very lucid narrative. this exposes the ugly nexus between academia and the Church. Knowledge is considered to be sacred and to play with it to suit the evangelical purpose is the greatest blasphemy. But the church all over the world have been doing it for centuries. Deception has become the tool of spreading the religion.
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