"Pattanam: Constructs, Contexts and Interventions” by Dr. B.S.
Harishankar was released on March 17, 2017 at Kozhikkode in Kerala by Professor MGS Narayanan, former ICHR Chairman. The book exposes the excavations conducted by Kerala Council for Historical Research (henceforth KCHR) an NGO organised by CPM, SYRIAN CHRISTIAN LOBBY led
Left government in Kerala in 2004 to excavate Pattanam, a site in Ernakulam district. The book brings to light how the left historians joined hands with Christian church in Kerala to establish that Pattanam was the ancient site of Muziris where Saint Thomas landed in India in 200AD to preach Christianity. The Marxist historians led by Professor K.N. Panikkar from JNU who is now chairman of KCHR, manipulated archaeological evidence, manufactured new evidence and spread huge lies to establish that Pattanam had historical relations with Jerusalem, Israel and other countries in west Asia from 1000BC. The director of Pattanam excavations is Dr.P.J.Cherian, a church historian who is supported by University of Rome and Vatican. This book brings to light the fraud research of Marxist historians who work with Christian church at Pattanam. The KCHR has huge financial and academic support of a Euro–American-Church lobby outside India. The KCHR has kept away ASI (Archeological Survey of India) and Indian Universities from Pattanam excavations. These left historians who now try to establish myth of St’ Thomas as history, simultaneously oppose clinching archaeological evidence at Ayodhya." GP Srinivasan
At the outset, my heartfelt congratulations to Dr. B.S. Harishankar for bringing out an excellent monograph on Pattanam - Constructs, Contexts and Interventions, Bharateeya Vichara Kendram, Thiruvananthapuram, 2017.
Academic justice system grinds as slowly as the other justice system dealing with civil and criminal suits.
It is a travesty of justice, in any case, that the perpetrators of a monumental fraud of Pattanam have been allowed to roam free proffering archaeological judgements in foreign 'academic' fora.
I agree with Prof. DK Chakrabarti that any collaborations with foreign 'experts' should be viewed with caution since their agenda does not include the search for satyam, truth, but only an 'imagined colonial supremacy' -- an euphemism for racism in academia and evangelical church fora.
It is tragic indeed that institutions like the KCHR and Indian Museum have been subverted to posit a colonial, racist agenda.
I am happy to find images of exquisite splendour from Thiruvanchikulam which are the ātmā of our cultural heritage, samskr̥ti. It is this heritage that we should celebrate and not the trash dished out by colonial apologists masquerading as archaeologists or historians.
It is time to remind ourselves of the the ethical principles of our heritage: सत्यं वद धर्मं चर -- speak the truth, live by dharma.
S. Kalyanaraman
Sarasvati Research Centre
May 3, 2017