Dr B S Harishankar at Kozhikkode in Kerala on March 17
“Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) is basically a Marxist research Council which has been following the CPM agenda instead of doing research objectively”, said Prof MGS Narayanan, eminent historian and former Chairman of ICHR while releasing the book titled ‘Pattanam: Constructs, Contexts and Interventions’ authored by Dr B S Harishankar and published by Bharatheeya Vichara Kendra (BVK) at Kozhikkode in Kerala on March 17.
Prof Narayanan charged that the KCHR was founded by the CPM with historians who followed the dictates and agenda of the CPM. They deliberately kept away the Archaeological Survey of India while
initiating the Pattanam excavations under the Muziris heritage project. The KCHR very erroneously aimed to establish with manufactured and deceptive
archaeological evidences that Pattanam was an ancient Muziris of the Cheras. The project was also aimed at protecting the personal gains of CPM leaders like Dr Thomas Issac, Finance Minister in LDF Government in Kerala and MA Baby.
There was no transparent archaeological research at Pattanam under the KCHR. Earlier, when stone beads were identified at Pattanam following heavy rains, before launching the excavations, the KCRD widely propagated that the site was a port city and ancient township of the Cheras. When questions were raised at the KCHR’s fallacious claims on the township and port city, it’s researchers immediately took a retreat from their early contentions and claims and made an incredible excuse with statements like that the structural remains unearthed were carried away by local residents.
Prof Narayanan said that KCHR also intends to propagate that St Thomas landed in Kerala coast to propagate Christianity. But there are no archaeological evidence or historical records to substantiate that St Thomas arrived in India. The Pattanam excavations under the KCHR are the biggest archaeological duplicity and treachery in the history of Indian historical research in this century. He said the book has comprehensively documented and discussed Pattanam excavations using all researched and published material available which the KCHR cannot push aside or ignore. Dr B S Harishankar, author of the book charged that an Euro-American lobby is involved behind Pattanam excavations keeping aside Indian research institutions. At Pattanam, existing archaeological evidence around the region has been suppressed, new evidence
manufactured and manipulated by KCHR.
The KCHR provides an incredible presentation of a wharf to vindicate their claims of a port city at Pattanam,
according to MGS Narayanan. Ambiguous and distorted evidence of pottery has been put forward by KCHR. Pattanam was highlighted by KCHR in its National Museum exhibition in 2014 as the third site to unearth Terra Sigillata pottery in India after Arikamedu and Alagankulam. KCHR has suppressed the fact that Terra Sigillata has been recovered from various parts of Tamil Nadu and other numerous sites in western India, especially Gujarat.
Recently, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has cancelled the license of over twenty NGOs in Kerala under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 2010 which included KCHR. It is also alleged that the KCHR director Dr PJ Cherian was allegdly involved in creation of fake government documents, illegal appointments and financial irregularities worth crores. ICHR Member Prof P T Haridas received the first copy of the book from Prof Narayanan. Along with other dignitaries, the BVK joint director R Sanjayan also spoke on the occasion.
—Organiser Bureau
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