Chennai, Sep 9 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said that the state government must scientifically prove that the history of the Indian subcontinent commenced from Tamil landscape. He was speaking in the legislative assembly on Thursday.

Stalin was encouraged by the carbon dating analysis of rice with soil found in a burial urn in Sivakalai in Tirunelveli district that has yielded the date of 1155 BC. He said that the findings have established that the Porunai river (Thamirabarani) civilization dates back 3200 years.

The Beta Testing Laboratory in Miami, US, had released the test report on August 27. Stalin said that archaeological surveys must be carried out in other states and in foreign countries in search of Tamil roots there.

He said in the first phase research would be conducted in Kerala at the ancient port of Musiri now known as Pattanam. He said, "The research for this will be done jointly with the archaeologists of Kerala to establish the ancientness and culture of the Chola country." Similar studies would be undertaken at Thalaikadu in Karnataka, Vengi in Andhra Pradesh, and Palur in Odisha.

Stalin informed that the state archaeological department would conduct research in Quseir-al-Qadim and Pernica Aneka in Egypt that was once part of the Roman empire. He said that research would be conducted in Khor Rori in Oman to establish the trade relations that Tamils had with these countries.

The CM said that pottery shards with Tamizhi script have been found in these countries and studies would be conducted along with the archaeologists of those countries regarding the connection between Tamils and the people there.

Studies would also be undertaken in South East Asian countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia where the Chola King Rajendra Chola had established himself.

Stalin announced that a museum would be set up at Tirunelveli at a cost of Rs 15 crore to display the archaeological artifacts found at the excavation sites of Adichanallur, Sivakalai and Korkai.