False propaganda on St. Thomas nailed – Myth cannot be called history, Says former ASI Director

Expert nails false propaganda on Muziris
Prabhat Nair – Express News Service

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/Expert-nails-false-propaganda-on-Muziris/301692.html

Thiruvananthapuram: The effort made by some interested quarters  to link the Muziris excavations with the visit of St Thomas Apostle has been criticised by eminent archaeologist and former director of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Survey of India, R Nagaswamy.

“When looking at the literature on the life of St Thomas, it is not mentioned anywhere that he came to India. It is only a myth, which has now been connected with the excavations at Pattanam, near Kodungalloor,” the former visiting professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University told Express.

In fact, the ancient Muzirs port must have  been  located in Kodungalloor and not in Pattanam because all major ports in ancient times were situated at river mouths. And so it is safe  to assume that Muziris was at Kodungalloor, where the river joins the sea.

He felt there was a hidden agenda by certain sections to propagate the idea that Muziris was connected to Pattanam, where St Thomas is believed to have landed, and not with Kodungalloor.

Myth cannot be called history. Connecting myth with history could only create confusion and distort history, he said. “There is no substantial  evidence to say that Pattanam is connected with Muziris. How was this conclusion reached? Those who claim to have found materials to connect Pattanam with Muziris have forgotten that these materials were also found in the eastern and the western costs of the country,” said Nagaswamy.

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