Why Indian ancient scripts are disappearing, classical languages ignored and inscriptions abandoned?

Why Indian ancient scripts are disappearing, classical languages ignored and inscriptions abandoned?

Many Indian languages and scripts disappearing: Vaani (dialect) changes every 4 kos – roughly 12 km – and paani (water) after every 8 kos[1]. This is a famous saying in Bihar, which is struggling to keep its many languages and scripts alive, with some now listed as endangered[2]. In September 2022, the Bihar government pledged institutional support to eight languages[3]: Sanskrit, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Magadhi, Angika, Bajjika, Bangla and Surjapuri. However, experts say a language needs care, and political and social patronage, to develop and flourish[4]. “If my language is looked down upon by society, how will I feel proud of it? If there is no job opportunity in linguistics, why should one opt for a language?,” asks Sweta Sinha of IIT-Patna. “In the Hindi belt, most people list Hindi as their mother tongue, not Bhojpuri or Magahi.” The 2011 Census listed 1,369 mother tongues in the country. But many such languages and scripts are either no longer spoken or are slowly going extinct. “The state government created various academies for the development of languages. But the academies’ directorships became political posts,” says Subhash Sharma, former development commissioner of Bihar and author of Bhasha Aur Lipi Ka Itihaas.

Buddha’s language: Pali is the language of Buddha’s sermons. It is taught in Allahabad, Magadh and Patna universities. Till 2013, UPSC aspirants could opt for it as a subject. “The good news for Pali is that the language is not yet dead. At least one lakh people speak Pali across the country. It is now being taught at Fergusson College, Pune, and several other universities in Maharashtra. But there is a need to do more for this language,” says Dinkar Prasad, additional commissioner (admin), Darbhanga Division. He is a PhD in Pali with a gold medal from Delhi University and has taught the language to many UPSC aspirants. “The governments of UP and Bihar should at least introduce this language in Class 12, if not for PG and graduation. Buddha was born, found enlightenment, gave his first sermon and attained Mahaparinirvana in these two states. Most of his sermons are in Pali… It must be reintroduced in UPSC as an option,” Prasad adds.

Importance of language and literature: Ambedkar gave importance to “Pali,” and thus, his compiled work has been aptly titled, “Pali and Other Sources of the Buddha and His Dhamma with an Index – Supplement” Vol.II, thus, Indians must have given more importance to Pali than the politicization of Ambedkar and Buddha. The preservation and conservation of language protects the literature of it and the literature the history. At least, at school and college levels, they should have been included in the syllabi, particularly, where, the subjects like ancient languages, religion, history, archaeology, epigraphy and similar subjects are taught. By going on reading the translations, producing interpreted versions of discourses and printed narratives would not give the true facts containing the original language and literature. No expert, researcher or scholar can be biased in learning and teaching the subjects lke epigraphy, linguistics, archaeology, history etc., and with the expertise of the ancient languages, they cannot read any inscriptions.

Old documents in Kaithi: Bihar government offices used the Kaithi script till the early 1900s. Now, it isn’t easy to find people who understand it. “In Bihar, most court cases are related to land disputes and many old land documents are written in Kaithi,” says Bhairab Lal Das, author of a book on the history of the Kaithi script. Jayant Kumar, a professor at NIFT, Patna, has been working on developing key fonts in the Kaithi script. “The state government recently organised a crash course on Kaithi in Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University with 30-40 participants. This is a very good sign. For the development of any language or script, it must be used in regular writing or reading in society,” he says.

Only official native language: Maithili is the only native language of Bihar in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, which lists India’s official languages. Its script known as Mithilakshar or Tiruhata is one of the oldest scripts in which Sanskrit is written. After a long-drawn agitation in the Mithilanchal region, Maithili was included in the Eighth Schedule in 2003. It was also included as an optional subject in UPSC. However, Bihar Public Service Commission is yet to include it as an optional subject in exams, says Aruna Chaudhary, head of Maithili department at Patna University. “Moreover, teaching this language has been discontinued in most Patna University colleges as there are few takers,” she adds. Madan Mohan Jha, a Maithili-speaking schoolteacher, says: “I am from Mithilanchal. I speak Maithili with my mother and wife. But my kids don’t want to speak it.”

Inferiority complex: Nearly 30km east of Patna, at Pali village, people speak Magahi in a dialect different from Patna’s. And if you travel 50km west from Patna, people in Jehanabad, speak it differently. Similarly, Bhojpuri, prevalent in Bhojpur, Buxar, Kaimur, Rohtas, Saran, Siwan and Gopalganj, is spoken differently in Chhapra, Ara and Sasaram. “Bhojpuri is limited to villages or the downtrodden people. If you speak Bhojpuri or Magahi in Patna, people look down upon you. You will seldom find two Bhojpuri or Magahi-speaking people talking in their mother tongue. Maithili is the only language people can be heard talking in. That’s why Maithili is placed better than other Bihar languages… My kids don’t want to speak Bhojpuri because they have an inferiority complex about the language,” says Vishnu Kant Tiwari, a Bhojpuri speaker.
(With inputs from B K Mishra and Abhay Singh).

The problems in the epigraphy and the job of epigraphists[5]: Just like getting a diploma and becoming “archaka,” anybody with a “diploma in epigraphy” can apply and get the job of “epigraphist.” The following points have to be considered seriously in the context[6]:

• Under the guise of protecting and preserving “classical languages,” much controversies and issues are created than real research useful for the furtherance of the languages.
• Day by day, the learned epigraphists have also been disappearing and the required strength is not filled up. By promotion or by recruitment, new epigraphists may come and occupy the posts, but, most of them are not in a position to decipher and read the inscriptions.
• Just because, funds are received, many govt and non-govt. agencies have started epigraphy cources part time/ full time, one month / one year, on-line / off-line and of different varieties. They may get a certificate and apply for the post of “epigraphist” and get also, but, what they can contribute to the Indian epigraphy is not known.
• As otherwise, none need to worry or lament about the disappearance of script, language and literature. The real faith lies in the practice, propagation and continuance of them, so that such expertise is passed on from one generation to generation.

Government allocates funds for epigraphy: The finance minister in her Budget Speech made an announcement to set up Bharat Shared Repository of Inscriptions (BharatSHRI), a digital epigraphy museum, with digitization of one lakh ancient inscriptions in the first stage[7]. The BharatSHRI will be set up by the Archaeological Survey of India at Hyderabad[8]. The Epigraphy Branch conducts Epigraphical survey, copies the inscriptions, deciphers them and publishes the gist in its Annual Report on Indian Epigraphy and publishes the texts in other epigraphical publications like South Indian Inscriptions, Epigraphica Indica, etc. Whenever, the Epigraphy Branch gets any information on newly discovered inscriptions either from Excavation Branch of ASI or any State Govt. Agency, immediate action is taken to copy and decipher them. Thus, though, many activities have been going on, yet, the persons capable of reading inscriptions have been dwindling down. The seriousness of such conditions is not discussed, but, protests and demonstrations are carried on by the Epigraphy department for fringe issues. Real expertise, wisdom and knowledge are not used for the decipherment, translation and publication of the existing inscriptions. The requirement for such expertise for the future is also not anticipated, persons trained and kept ready to continue the work.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

15-01-2024

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[1] Times of India, Buddha’s language is fighting extinction, and it’s not alone, Rakesh Roshan / TNN / Jan 14, 2024, 08:09 IST.

[2] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/buddhas-language-is-fighting-extinction-and-its-not-alone/articleshow/106826168.cms?from=mdr

[3] News NBS.24, Buddha’s language is fighting extinction, and it’s not alone, Rakesh Roshan / TNN / Jan 14, 2024

[4] https://news.nbs24.org/2024/01/14/972775/

[5]  K. V. Ramakrishna Rao, What is the real problem with Indian Epigraphy department, Epigraphists – Cadre Restructure, Niti Ayog Report or change of Act and Rules!, Posted on July 31, 2021.

[6] https://kvramakrishnarao.wordpress.com/2021/07/31/what-is-the-real-problem-with-indian-epigraphy-department-epigraphists-cadre-restructure-niti-ayog-report-or-change-of-act-and-rules/

[7]  PIB, The annual outlay for Ministry of Culture in FY 2023-24 increased by 12.97% to Rs. 3,399.65 Crore, Posted On: 01 FEB 2023 7:03PM by PIB Delhi

[8] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1895497

The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) – workshop at Chennai from October 31st to November 2nd 2023 (3)

The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities  (NMMA) – workshop at Chennai from October 31^st to November 2^nd 2023 (3)

The third day proceedings of the NMMA Workshop for the Southern Region: The following speakers delved upon their respective topics and specialized areas. Though, the topic has been documentation of the objects, the speakers mostly discussed about their findings with their valuable experience with important points.

• Prof. Deivanayagam, Tamil University , Thanjavur
• Shri Nishant Zodape and Shri Yash Gupta, on utilisation of open-source software for creating databases,
• Dr. Muthu Shankar, Head of GIS Applications, French Institute, Pondicherry ,
• Dr Arun Raj.T on strategies for stopping illicit trafficking of antiquities” and ultimately
• Dr Charuta Kulkarni, IIT, Madras talking about INQUA Database on Global South

Prof. Deivanayagam, Tamil University, Thanjavur: speaking on identification of Chola Bronzes. He explained with photographs pointing out the nuances of the bronzes. To understand his speech, one should know other subjects also, as because of his versatile experience, he explained many details about the icons and sculptures.

Cholas’ bronzes: Chola bronzes were typically of deities, royalty and the politically powerful people of the day-all in a distinctive Chola style, classically representative of the human form, and perfectly proportioned. The sculptures are recognizable by the way the bodies are posed. They are always graceful, elegant and sensuous, particularly if a sculpture is that of a couple, such as Siva and Parvati. The bronzes also depict the “mudras” or gestures derived from classical dance. Chola master sculptors created their works with the cire perdue, or lost wax process, which is still in use today.

There are two methods of casting metal images-solid and hollow casting. The required image is fashioned by the stapathi in bees wax. Then the wax model is given several coats of fine clay. The clay mould is then carefully dried under the sun. After a few days the clay mould is ready for casting. When the wax model is prepared and is ready for the preparation of the clay mould, arrangements for the preparation of the alloy are made. The five metals to be used in the alloy and they are -copper, silver, gold, brass and lead popularly known as panchaloha. In actual practice by chemical testing we have found the percentages of the metals as follows:

How manufactured – alloying technique[1]: Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Normally bronze is a composite alloy of metals-copper, tin, lead, silver and gold in varying proportions. However analysis of South Indian bronzes reveals that they invariably consist of copper, tin, lead, zinc and iron. Trace elements such as arsenic, antimony, Bismuth etc., have been detected. Above l% is considered as a major element and below 0.1% is considered a trace element, e.g. Copper: 79%: Tin 5%, Lead: 13% Zinc 1%; Iron 1%; Trace elements arc arsenic, antimony, nickel and silver and no gold is Present. Manipulating the alloying elements, different shades of metal were produced. This shows tin has been used. Therefore, the alloy is predominantly of copper, tin and lead. The presence of gold and silver is rare or trace. The clay mould with the wax model inside it is baked skillfully over all the wax. When the alloy is ready, it is poured through the orifice into the empty mould in a thin, even and continuous stream. The molten metals allowed for cooling. Then the mould is broken open and the solid metal image is obtained. The image is given finishing touches by the sthapati. This part, the opening of the eyes of the image is what imparts the exquisite expressions on the faces. This is done under some sort of spiritual inspiration. Sometimes, Stapathis are known to take even weeks to open the eves. The science of Image making is dealt with in the ancient Indian science of Silpasastra (Sculpture Science).

Hollow casting- In this case, the object is moulded in clay and the core is coated with wax, which in turn is covered with a coating of clay. After draining the wax by heating, the mould is used for casting. This method is usually associated with North India.

Patina and patination: A Patina is a thin layer of corrosion, usually brown or green, that appears on copper or copper alloys as a result of natural or artificial oxidation. Patina is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze and similar metals and metal alloys (tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes).On metal, patina is a coating of various chemical compounds such as oxides, carbonates, sulfides, or sulfates formed on the surface during exposure to atmospheric elements (oxygen, rain, acid rain, carbon dioxide, sulfur-bearing compounds. The green patina that forms naturally on copper and bronze, sometimes called verdigris, usually consists of varying mixtures of copper chlorides, sulfides, sulfates and carbonates, depending upon environmental conditions such as sulfur-containing acid rain.

Nishant Zodape and Yash Gupta: They explained “on utilization of open-source software for creating databases”. With “access” how the excel can be used for filling up data and create a document.

 Muthu Shankar: He explained about the “South Indian Historical Atlas” with many facilities, but, it is not available to the public. The primary data for the project comprise historical and geographical information collected from a large corpus of south Indian inscriptions besides archaeological data collected from a series of field surveys supplemented with the data taken from archaeological reports of ASI and other institutions.   Workshop/review meetings were held every six months are to evaluate the progress of the work. The atlas was developed as web-browser software allowing different basic GIS display and database querying functionalities necessary for a user-friendly usage of the Atlas. It uses W3C (WWW Consortium) compliant Graphics /Open GIS so that the system can be accessed through the internet. The atlas has a conceptual resilience on how to curate data, compile information from it, and disseminate it through new digital tools available then, even when illustrative examples in the application of data science mehods in historical research was scarce. This resulted in the curation and archival of historical data sets that encourage data-driven inquiries into the past, while integrating data, computational science methods into historical research.

T. Arun Raj, director NMMA, Noida: Talked on “strategies for stopping illicit trafficking of antiquities.” Perhaps, next to Pramod Joglekar, he directly discussed the issue with examples. He pointed out how Alexander Cunningham used to travel on a donkey visiting archaeological and ancient places for collecting details. The ASI at present listed 3697 monuments as protected. He pointed out how the Delhi Iron pillar was brought to the present place and Rajendra Cholas brought sculptures as “war trophy” to Thanjavur. Alexander Rae and others carried on excavations even before the formation of ASI and collected many objects. He left some at Egmore Museum and others were taken to London. Even now, the ASI is struggling to deal and store the smuggled artefacts returned back to India. In Trichy, the sculptures have been lying there for more than 20 years, which were recovered. Though HR & CE recorded more than 36,000 temples and quantified 9,000 bronzes many others appear to be not accounted. However, for the export of antiquities, thousands of applications are filed with the ASI, Chennai and they are pending. Nealy more than 20,000 applications have been pending, because, there are no expert persons to identify the objects mentioned in the applications as “less than 100 years” or not. Thus, the crucial problem comes here. Once the certificate is given, the antique object would go out of India legally. He pointed out that unlike Sri Lanka, India does not have “Heritage Police,” and hence, the illegal export / smuggling out of the antiquities have been going on. He also pointed out as how a lesson has been included in the CBSE syllabus to adopt a monument nearby school, so that awareness is created not only among the school children, but also the public living surrounding the monument.

Dr Charuta Kulkarni, IIT, Madras: Talking about INQUA Database on Global South[2], she explained related issues. Stemming from the PAGES-INQUA supported early-career researcher workshop on “Past Socio–Environmental Systems (PASES)” (pastglobalchanges.org/calendar/26972) in 2020, the INQUA-funded project “The whole is not the sum of the parts: building a synthesis database of past human–environmental systems in the Global South (pSESYNTH)” has initiated research collaborations among paleoscientists from, and/or working on, the Global South and other underrepresented regions of the world (e.g. Australia, Southeast Europe). Pursuing the Integrated, Coordinated, Open, and Networked (ICON) approach (Koren et al. 2022), the overarching goal of pSESYNTH is to establish, articulate and strengthen regional, interdisciplinary teams for studying past socio–environmental systems of the Global South, and to build the first multi-disciplinary paleo database representing its regions.

pSESYNTH primarily focuses on the Holocene (the last 11.7 kyr) because: (i) there is greater spatial availability and better chronological controls of the datasets compared to the Pleistocene, and (ii) the Holocene is characterized by a progressive degree of anthropogenic influence over landscapes, offering ways to explore the evolution of diverse socio–environmental systems. Under the pSESYNTH framework, linking proxies of environmental change with climatic signals and societal processes (e.g. subsistence strategies, growth rates, migrations) will provide baselines to pose and test multiple hypotheses for explaining the trajectories of socio–environmental systems. Specifically, pSESYNTH activities are being developed around three main objectives.

To explore drivers of past environmental change combining a diverse set of proxy information, organized into three themes: paleoecology (e.g. pollen, charcoal, diatoms), paleoclimatology (e.g. biomarkers, stable isotopes, varves, numerical simulations), and archaeology (e.g. radiocarbon dates, phytoliths, archaeobotanical remains, material culture).

2) To quantitatively analyze the links among paleoecology, paleoclimatology and archaeology, with an emphasis on research questions that can be generic across the Global South (e.g. are there connections, or commonalities, between colonial legacies and the evolution of socio–environmental systems in the Global South?) or specific to each subregion (e.g. at what spatial and temporal scales were human–environmental systems coupled or uncoupled to climatic fluctuations?).

3) To share the outputs and products of the project in the form of a database that meets the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles (Wilkinson et al. 2016). pSESYNTH participants will capitalize on existing single- and multi-themed databases (e.g. Neotoma, NOAA, PANGAEA, p3k14c, ArchaeoGlobe) in complementing their data contributions in the novel Global South database. Together, the FAIR–ICON principles will underpin the database organization and will ensure geographic coverage, comparability, and accessibility for time-series data synthesis, which is crucial for mainstreaming paleoscience research from the Global South.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

04-11-2023

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[1] T. S. Sridhar (ed.), The Cholas Bronzes – 1000^th anniversary of Thanjavur Big Temple celebrations Sept 25^th to Oct.4^th 2010, The Tamilnadu State Archaeology Department, Chennai, 2011, pp.12-13.

[2] Charuta Kulkarni and others, pSESYNTH project: Community mobilization for a multi-disciplinary paleo database of the Global South, https://pastglobalchanges.org/publications/pages-magazines/pages-magazine/137240

A National Seminar held on “Understanding the Cultural Focus on Thiruvarur Region Heritage of Tamil Nadu – Focus on Thiruvarur region” on March 17th and 18th 2022 at the Central University of Tamil Nadu – CUTN, Thiruvarur (2)

A National Seminar held on “Understanding the Cultural Focus on Thiruvarur Region Heritage of Tamil Nadu – Focus on Thiruvarur region” on March 17^th and 18^th 2022 at the Central University of Tamil Nadu – CUTN, Thiruvarur (2)

The seminar hall

17-03-2022 (Thursday): As usual I got up by 3.45 am, but, I could not do anything here. I could listen to peacocks screaming, as they have been plenty here in and around. Mayiladurai – the place where peacocks dance is also nearby[1]. There was no internet connection also, though it was a Central University. Of course, nowadays all have a wireless internet connection that has become the order of the day. Thus, I was going through the papers and materials that are there in my laptop. Till 8.00 am nobody was there to tell anything about the seminar, inaugural function etc. No arrangement was made for coffee. We came down to the ground floor and saw people going here and there. One person was carrying a steel-flask with tumblers going to VIPs rooms, evidently serving them at their rooms. I saw Dr Rajendran coming after walking. We were talking for some time. I learned that has father Sri M. K. Narayanan aged 91 enjoying life with grandchildren and great-grandchildren also. I am happy to know about him, as he was the principal of our Pachaiyappas’ College.

The banner and backdrop

2020 circular/ brochure

The seminar is held after two years: It was to be held in March 2020 and then perhaps getting on postponed due to pandemic reasons[2].  Thus, as pointed out from January 2022, it was postponed to March 2022. Meanwhile, the faculty, persons involved with the seminar and others were also changed. Thus, with God’s grace, now the delegates have gathered here and the seminar is conducted. I am also happy to see, meet and talk with many old friends and others after two or three years.

Registration of delegates………………….A paper presenter from Tirupati, AP

Lighting the lamp

10.30 am – Seminar hall: All were sitting, perhaps expecting the arrival of the VC of the CUTN, Prof. M. Krishnan. As usual, the lighting of the lamp also started with the VIPs sharing each wick and with shoes and without shoes. The Tamil-Mother praising song was sung with the clear instruction that all should stand. During the facilitation of the VIPs, I could notice that the VC had been generous enough to offer his shawl to a student! And of course, he did it last also, i.e, first the guests, a good gesture noticed.

Tamil Mother Hail song sung…….

Tamil Mother Hail song sung…….all stood up

10.43  to 10.7 am: Then, the VC started describing the importance of Thiruvarur and pointed out that had the delegates come a day before i.e, on 15-03-2022, they could have witnessed the “Great Chariot Festival”. Tiruvarur Chariot festival, known in Tamil as Tiruvarur Therottam, is a historical event that still follows the same rituals and traditions associated with the Thyagaraja Swamy temple, Tiruvarur, in Tamil Nadu. The Lord Veethividangar (வீதிவிடங்கர்) now called as Thiyagarajaswami (Shiva) comes out of the massive ancient temple, with his consort Kondi (கொண்டி) (Parvathi) to bless the devotees who always comes to visit him in his abode, one of the world’s biggest chariots. And this chariot was constructed by Kothanars and it is Asia’s biggest chariot of 95” high,  weighing about 350 MT. After mentioning many temples, he pointed out that Kodikkarai is very near to Sri Lanka.

Importance of Vedaranyam, Kodokkarai etc: Kodiakkarai, also called Point Calimere or Cape Calimere, is a low headland of the Coromandel Coast, in the Nagapattinam district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Cape is located about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) south of Vedaranyam in the delta region of the Cauvery River, and marks a nearly right-angle turn in the coastline. Vearanyam is also associated with the Salt Satyagraha conducted by Rajaji. The antiquity of the area is evidenced by the Kodi Kuzhagar temple built during the Chola period, and a Chola lighthouse, which was destroyed in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Kodiakkarai has been designated as a Ramsar site since August 2002. Point Calimere is also associated with the mythological Hindu epic, the Ramayana. The highest point of the cape, at an elevation of 4 metres (13 ft), is Ramarpatham, meaning “Rama’s feet” in Tamil. A stone slab on the Cape bears the impressions of two feet and is said to be the place where Rama stood and reconnoitred / watched over Ravana’s kingdom in Sri Lanka, which is 48 kilometres (30 miles) to the south of the Point. It is also mentioned by Kalki in his historical novel Ponniyin Selvan.

10.58 to 11.11 am  Prof Bhagabana Sahu[3], HOD History Department, CUTN:  he pointed out that Tamil Nadu has retained her distinctive cultural heritage from the rest of India and Tamil is the oldest classical language. It had an impact on the South East Asian region through maritime activities. R. Balakrishnan in his book, “Journey of a Civilization from Indus to Vaigai” stated the continuity of the culture and it can be traced back to c.500 BCE, Sangam Age.

11.12 to 11.17 am Louis Mushary: He introduced the dignitaries mentioning their qualifications, papers and books published, positions occupied, their management skills etc. The VC of CUTN left, as he was having the UGC meeting.

11.18 to 11.44 am Prof N. Rajendran, Former VC, Alagappa University: He distinguished the IVC, Mauryan and Asokan script, stone at etc with that of the Sangam literature and period. Tamilagam was not secluded from India and the Sangam literature has a pan-Indian identity. P. T. Srinivasa Iyengar points out in one chapter in his book giving many examples from the Sangam literature (the gold of Nandas hidden under the Ganges)  and also from Ramayana and Mahabharata….The inscriptions of Asoka and Kharavela mention about the Tamil kings. In fact, the Kharavela Hatigumpa inscription gives the date of the Tamil kings matching with the Sangam Literature. While the Asokan Brahmi had been already a well-developed script, the Keeladi script had been in the developing stage.

11.44 to 11.8 am Prof Byomakesh Tripathy, VC, Utkal University[4]: he emphasized about the importance of the transfer of archaeological findings to the textbooks, so that it could spread to the academician. Writing history sitting at the tables without visiting the sites cannot bring out the full details and the facts. The intangible culture and cultural heritage have been very important and they should be recorded, as otherwise, many of such evidences may disappear. The elements of change and continuity have also should be noted, taken into account and writing history and historiography.  

11.58 to 12.02 Prof Sulochana Sekhar, Registrar In-charge: Taking a clue from the Tamil words and expressions (திருவாரூரில் பிறந்தாலும், திருவாரூர் என்ற பெயரை சொன்னாலும் முக்தி கிடைக்கும், Jallikkattu, kal thondri man thondra kalattu ‘கல் தோன்றி மண் தோன்றாக் காலத்தே வாளொடு முன்தோன்றி மூத்தகுடி’ என்று புறப்பொருள் வெண்பா … etc..), she explained the cultural heritage of the Tamils.

12.03 to 12.2 pm Dr Dayalan, ex-Director, ASI: He read his paper with the PPT showing the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, microlithic, Neolithic, megalithic evidences and conjectural dwelling of the ancient people. All were expecting his findings of Keeladi, as other dignitaries were referring to him, but he told that he would be restricted to the earlier findings. He also asked the organizers to take copies of his paper and circulated them among the delegates, as he had given his full paper.

After a vote of thanks, the delegates disbursed for a lunch. By 2.30 pm, all assembled for the technical session to begin.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

19-03-2022

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[1] The famous Mayuranatha Svami (Siva) temple in Mayiladuthurai is one among the 275 Padal Petra Sthalams or temples which have been praised in the Tamil verses of the Nayanmars (important devotees of Siva).  It is the thirty-ninth temple on the south bank of River Kaveri to be extolled in the hymns of the Nayanmars. Thirunavukkarasar (Appar) and Thirugnanasambandar of the 7th century C.E. have sung in praise of the main deity here. Mayuranatha Svami is believed to have stopped the floods of River Kaveri to make way for Thirugnanasambandar to visit this temple. The Siva Linga worshipped as Mayuranatha Svami is said to be Swayambhu (self-manifested).

[2] https://cutn.ac.in/events/understanding-the-cultural-heritage-of-tamilnadu-focus-on-thiruvarur-region/

[3] Former President ,Odisha History Congress, Former Professor & Head, Department of History Berhampur University, Professor & Head , Department of History , Central University of Tamil Nadu.

[4] Prof. Byomakesh Tripathy, the professor of the Department of History in Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the Utkal University of Culture in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Governor and Chancellor Prof Ganeshi Lal issued a notification in this regard. Prof Tripathy, a Ph.D. from Sambalpur University in 1994 has 27 years of teaching experience and out of that he has worked as Professor for 17 years. He is a resource person in ‘Formulation of Courses of Studies in History and Archaeology’.  Prof Tripathy has authored at least five books and edited 13 books. He has attended 24 national conferences and nine International Conferences. He was the topper in History Honours of Sambalpur University in 1984. Besides, he has guided eleven research scholars for Ph. D. Earlier Prof. Tripathy has worked as the HOD of Dept of History, Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Chairman, Board of Studies, Director (Academics), Indira Gandhi National Tribal University.

The Fifth Telangana History Congress held at Nadigudem, Suryapet, Telangana on January 19th and 20th 2020 concluded! [4]

The Fifth Telangana History Congress held at Nadigudem, Suryapet, Telangana on January 19^th and 20^th 2020 concluded! [4]

When I presented my paper, Prof T. Manohar, HOD, History Depot, Kakatiya University, Warangal, was chairing the session

I started with the dolmen found at Nadigudem in Nalgonda District, as discovered and reported by M.L.K. Murthy,

Neolithic axes found at Nadigudem in Nalgonda District, as discovered and reported by M.L.K. Murthy,

Stone Art and Architecture: Manufacture of stone temples, houses, utensils, jars, tubs and others: The technology behind and the tools used: I presented my paper on this topic. I started with archaeological evidence found at Nadigudem and proceeded to cover other aspects. Nadigudem has been situated in a hilly area with Paleolithic cultural evidences. M.L.K. Murthy[1] has pointed out the presence of prehistoric men with the discovery of dolmen and Paleolithic axes at Nadigudem, Nalgonda district. The megalithic sites, burials and related details of the Telangana state have been tabulated in the Appendix-II. As Telangana has been naturally formed hilly area with mineral deposits, men had been exploiting stone and stone implements made thereof. It is not that usage of stone utensils, implements and gadgets that could be considered as megalithic, Neolithic or any lithic culture, but, even in modern culture, it is used for durable and preservative nature. About the availability of ironworking in Telangana, reports have already been published[2]. Therefore, naturally, Telangana people must have worked with stones to manufacture marvellous specimens with high tensile Ferroalloy tools. Thus, stone Art and Architecture, manufacture of stone temples, houses, utensils, jars, tubs and others,  the science and technology behind and the tools used, are studied in this paper with the available evidences of Telangana, Andhra and neighbouring states of Tamilnadu, and Karnataka. Telangana archaeologists have discovered many megalithic, neolithic sites [Pullur banda, Gondimalla, Peddamarur etc] with specimens that prove the stone working capabilities of men going back to c.2000 BCE[3]. After giving many examples, I concluded as follows.

I showed many examples stone utensils etc., to prove how the stone was worked with tools according to the requirements of men’s usage.

A huge capstone was used to cover a menhir-type prehistoric burial site in Neremetta. The crane from Hyderabad took four hours to lift the 40 ton capstone

The preference, uniqueness and usage of stone for all purposes (In lieu of conclusion): From the above discussion, the points are summarized as conclusion:

1. The Indian selection of stone for many purposes in the art and architecture has been unique. Researchers note that not only the historians, archaeologists and art experts differ in dating IVC, IVC artefacts, Vedic civilization and literature, but also in dating available stone art specimens of all forms.
2. Stone has been formed with the creation of earth as a part of Panchabhutas. As a human body with life has been made of Panchabhutas, the stone has been unique, pure and lasts forever. Thus, anything made of stone, preserved in stone, lived with stone would have a long life without degradation.
3. Sila was considered divine and ‘Salagrama’ is treated and worshipped as ‘stone-god,’ nature carved Idol of God manifested.
4. Thus, the Vedic people referred to live in forests and hilly areas, so that they could get all their requirements.
5. The Jains and the Buddhists differed, thus, they located their paces at remote places at the hilly places and viharas. They had to come to villages and cities for their requirements.
6. Thus, stone art developed and progressed in one way or the other, giving employment to thousands of people.
7. During their periods, the quarrying and deforestation were undertaken in a balanced way, so that there were no ecological imbalances. As the population increased, cities multiplied, imbalances had crept into.
8. Modern methods of exploitations, including quarrying and infrastructure development activities, make many monuments disturbed, displaced and disappeared.
9. The uniqueness of /Indian stone art expertise, skill in the carving, particularly rock-art architecture and other features has bee unparalleled. Whether the material evidences came first and the architectural manuals composed later or vice versa, both had been in existence definitely 2000 to 5000 YBP depending upon various experts, different theories and varied chronologies.
10. In any case, the Indians have been so fascinated with stones and rocks of all forms, used and benefited by their use, and lived with them, that they have not disturbed the ecological imbalances, as modern men do.

I showed many examples stone utensils etc., to prove how the stone was worked with tools according to the requirements of men’s usage.

Bell made of stone hanging in a stone chain – the technology and the tools used behind the manufacture should be considered, appreciated and understood

Stone trough, tub, tank could be found in many places. They were used for storing water, food etc., catering to the need of the travellers etc.

This tub with inlet, outlet etc., is found in the Big Temple, Tanjore, reportedly used by Rajaraja Chola.

This tub with inlet, outlet etc., is found in the Big Temple, Tanjore, reportedly used by Rajaraja Chola. Again the point is the ferroalloy tools used to cut, shape, polish and bring out such item made of stone.

A 15th century stone trough spotted on the right bank of the river Krishna at Tangeda village in Dachepalli mandal of Guntur district. The trough chiselled out in Palnadu lime stone measuring 15ft x 3ft x 3ft with a depth of one foot from the River Krishna to facilitate drinking water for elephants during 15th century

Christian Missionaries: John David resented a paper on the role of Christian missionaries for promoting education, health etc. His way of presentation and the concepts of the [paper show that it was of nature of propaganda. He was quoting biblical verses exhaustively to prove that Jesus Christ was a good healer and so on. Of course, Rekha Pande questioned him, after the presentation.

Importance of Nelakondapalli Buddhist site from Khammam district in Telangana state[4]: G.Chandra Reddy presented this paper. He gave the findings of Maga-stupa, Viharas, Votive stupa, throne, Buddha figures and concluded that Nelakondapalli Buddhist site could be developed into a Buddhist hub to attract international tourists. Therefore, the Telangana government should take steps for tourism development.

Return to Chennai: The paper-reading session was over and the General Secretary opined that paper presenter should be available to listen to other paper presenters also. One should not just read paper and go away. Such trend should not be encouraged. But, the day before, they themselves announced that those who wanted to go immediately, they could read their papers, as pointed out above.  After lunch, I decided to proceed to Suryapet, as /I had to vacate the room and proceed to Khammam to catch my train to Chennai. So I came out of the venue and stood on the road near the entrance to request any car that might go to the main road / NH.  After some time, I saw one car coming out and I requested them, the person inside was kind enough to agree to drop me on the NH. Thus, I reached the main road at Barkataguda. Then, I got a share-cab to reach Suryapet junction by 3.30pm. I went to the hotel to know that my room-mate and other friends had already checked out and gone. Therefore, I took rest, packed up my luggage and checked out by 4.45 pm. I proceeded to the main road, where I could get a bus to Khammam. By 7.00 pm, I reached khammam BS and then RS by 7.30 pm. As my train G. T. Express would come by 9.00 pm, I was sitting there watching the passengers and trains going to and fro. The train came by one hour late i,e, 10.00 pm. I got into the train to settle down. After few stations, I had the same problem of many passengers just getting inside and filling up space. Of course, this time, there was an objection from co-passengers also, therefore, we could control them. Definitely, I had the most tedious, wearisome and difficult journey to attend one conference with inherent and other difficulties, as explained and pointed out above, in my life time. As the organizers have been well experienced, highly knowledgeable and veterans in the field, they should see that their logistics would satisfy the minimum requirements of the delegates coming to attend the seminar / conference.  It is not that satisfying 10 and ignoring 90 out of 100, as all pay the delegates fees. Therefore, they may have a feeling,  why should spend thousands of rupees to undergo such treatment. Therefore, if these basics are not taken care of, days are near for the history  congress to wind up their activities.

How to strengthen History Congresses?: Having attended more than 700 national and international conferences, seminars, workshops, and other academic meetings, gatherings etc., presented 700 papers, published 300 papers, and personally interacted with thousands of students, faculties, historians, archaeologists etc., I would like to submit the following to the organizers, conductors of the history congresses:

1. Plan systematically about the delegates reception, transport accommodation, food, kit with list of papers, academic sessions etc., in advance.
2. There is no meaning in forming so many committees with all A to Z names, but, with “do not care” towards delegates.
3. Take enough money, but, provide reasonable accommodation, food, transport etc.
4. With experience, I can tell with delegate fees, sponsorship, donation etc., the organizers get enough money and therefore, there is no problem in proving such facilities.
5. Satisfying coterie type people and harassing others is not the way of conduct of any congress, seminar or conference.
6. By sharing, cooking for 100s / 1000s, a lot of money can be saved, therefore, they should provide to the delegates back.
7. If they cannot or not able to do so, do not conduct, keep quite.
8. By getting delegates or crowd only, you can conduct and therefore, the organizers cannot ignore or harass delegates.
9. The delegates incur thousands of rupees by coming from distant places. The serious delegates would definitely feel and understand the mishandling of the proceedings.
10. Therefore, plan, take care of the delegates and conduct, otherwise forget the tamasha, jathra or get-together like gatherings.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

21-01-2020

[1] Murty, M. L. K., ed. Pre-and Protohistoric Andhra Pradesh up to 500 bc. Vol. 1. Orient Blackswan, 2003, p.89, 104.

[2] Juleff, G., Sharada Srinivasan, and S. Ranganathan. Pioneering Metallurgy: The origins of iron and steel making in the Southern Indian subcontinent Telangana Field Survey Interim Report 2011, National Institute of Advanced Studies, 2011.

[3] K.P. Rao, Iron Age Culture in South India: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in Akinori Uesugi (ed.), Iron Age in South Asia, Archaeological Research Institute, Kansai University, 2018, pp.129-144.

[4] His  paper – summary – has been printed in the Souvenir of the Telangana History Congress, the Annual Conference 2020, p.34.

The Fifth Telangana History Congress held at Nadigudem, Suryapet, Telangana on January 19th and 20th 2020 – after DACRI, THC started! [3]

The Fifth Telangana History Congress held at Nadigudem, Suryapet, Telangana on January 19^th and 20^th 2020 – after DACRI, THC started! [3]

Telangana Proceedings started by afternoon of 18-01-2020: The actual THC  proceedings started about 1.00 pm with the president’s speech about it and introducing the sectional presidents of different sections. After lunch, the sectional presidents started reading their papers as usual from the printed booklet, printed and distributed to the delegates. Of course, now, because of time, they briefed for 10-15 minutes.

Sl. No	Name Dr / Prof	Section	Topic / title of the paper read
1	K. P. Rao	Ancient	Telangana, the past and present duty
2	Rekha Pande	Medieval	Making history inclusive – rethinking women’s history and new categories = A case study of the temple girls in medieval Deccan.
3	Deepak Kumar	Modern	Why Histem?
4	Kurra Jitendra Babu	Local	The importance of local history

Though, these had been nominated / chosen by the EC for conducting the respective sessions, they could not perform their duties. The paper-presenters were allowed to read papers according to their convenience in the same place. The sectional presidents did not have any role in the proceedings. Then, those who wanted to leave might come and present papers, as announced by the organizers. That meant they could come, just read paper, get a certificate and went away without any active participation in the conference.

The concept of India: Thus, a person from Hyderabad presented the paper, “Concept of India”. He was trying to interpret that only Mohammedans through their language and literature mentioned about “India.” Hindavi language was spoken in and around Delhi. Amir Khusrow, who lived in the thirteenth century during the Delhi Sultanate period in North India, used these forms (which was the lingua franca of the period) in his writings and referred to it as Hindavi (Persian: ھندوی‎ literally “of Hindus or Indians”). The Delhi Sultanate, which comprised several Turkic and Afghan dynasties that ruled much of the subcontinent from Delhi, was succeeded by the Mughal Empire in 1526. He also quoted from Irfan Habib[1], “The first patriotic poem in which India is praised, India is loved, Indians are acclaimed is Amir Khusrau’s long poem in his Nuh Sipihir written in 1318”. Actually, Amir Khusrow’s poems were collected later, as his originals were not available. The Sufi literature influenced by the Bakti literature incorporated Krishna and Rama and even compared with Allah. Allah is compared with Ram, the Zam Zam water with the Ganges waters, Mecca with Kasi and so on. Really, I could not understand the purpose and purport of this paper read in this conference, because, without knowing India, none could have wanted to come to India. I did not know Nadigudem, but, somehow reached here from Chennai, then, I could not say how Nadigudem became a samasthanam, village, pargana and so on!

Kakatiya rulers and Mohammedans[2]: Then, Amarnath, a research student from Kakatiya university presented a paper in Telugu about the Kakatiya rulers and the Mohammedans and the encounters between them, particularly, how Musurnuru Kappayya Nayaka faced them. Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka (r. 1333–1368) led a larger rebellion against the Tughluq rule, driving it out of Warangal in 1336. According to the Kaluvacheru grant of Anithalli, a female member of the Panta Reddi clan in 1423, Kapaya Nayaka was assisted by 75 Nayakas. The grant also states that Prolaya Vema Reddi was one among these 75 Nayakas, but this is doubtful. Muhammad bin Tughluq, who became the Sultan of Delhi in 1324, witnessed numerous rebellions starting in 1330, first in the immediate vicinity in the Ganga-Yamuna doab, which caused a famine in Delhi, and rebellions within ranks in Ma’bar (Madurai) and Bengal. It is possible that Kapaya Nayaka advanced in the direction of Warangal in this period, acquiring some of its territories. Consequently, Telangana was also counted among the rebellious territories.

In 1334–35, the Sultan marched on Deccan in an attempt to quell the rebellions, but his army was struck by some kind of epidemic and the Sultan himself fell gravely ill. In the meantime, Ferishta narrates that Kapaya Nayaka approached the Hoysala ruler Veera Ballala III for assistance in evicting the Sultanate from Warangal. After consideration, assistance was offered. Bilal Dew [Ballala], convened a meeting of his kinsmen and resolved, first, to secure the forts of his own country. and then to remove his seat of government among the mountains. Krishn Naig [Kapaya Nayak] promised, on his part also, that when their plans were ripe for execution, to raise all the Hindoos of Wurungole and Telingana and put himself at their head…. He (Bilal Dew) then raised an army and put part of it under the command of Krishn Naig, who reduced Wurungole and compelled Imad-ool-Moolk, the governor, to retreat to Dowlatabad [Daulatabad] — Ferishta, Tarikh-i-farishti (c. 1600). Historian R. C. Majumdar characterises it as a ‘national revolt’ backed up by a regular army. Malik Maqbul found himself unable to withstand the rebellion and fled to Delhi.

Ferishta states that Kapaya Nayaka and Ballala III then jointly marched on the newly declared Madurai Sultanate and divested it of its outlying territories in particular Tondaimandalam. Kapaya Nayaka ruled over Telangana until 1368. Upon his death, the allied Nayakas are said to have returned to their own towns. Despite his opposition to the Turks, Kapaya Nayaka continued using the Kush Mahal built by the Turks in Warangal and adopted the Persianised title “Sultan of the Andhra country”. In 1361, he gifted to the Bahmani Sultan Mohammed Shah I the Turquoise Throne as part of a treaty agreement. He took control of Warangal from Malik Maqbul in 1336 and thus also of a wider swathe of eastern Telangana that was governed from there. He also tried to support other rebels in the surrounding areas, although in the case of aid given to Alauddin Bahman Shah, the outcome was that his fellow rebel turned on him. Several military engagements with Bahaman Shah followed over a period of years, during which Kapaya Nayaka had to cede various forts and territories. His weakened position was exploited by the Reddis and the Recherla Nayaks, the latter of whom caused his death in battle at Bhimavaram and ended the period of the Musunuri family.

The second day 20-01-2020 proceedings of the THC: Unlike yesterday, the huge crowd gathered, today, I could see only about 60 delegates sitting there. They were trying to arrange PPT provision also. It was giving some problem. The projected images were also not clear and therefore, they were covering the side portions of the stage with a cloth. Here, also, no paper list was provided. The organizers accepted that they received only about 20 papers, that too, titles, summaries and a few full papers. Coming to my case, though, I sent my paper through e-mail and acknowledged, it was not listed. Incidentally, I could find in the “Souvenir” though, 16 papers were listed and printed, I could note only five papers were presented and other paper-papers did not turn up. Then, it was added to be presented in the second session after tea break.  Thus, it is evident that the person-in-charge of “papers” had failed in his duty by not including my paper, though I have sent full paper by e-mail. Really, I do not know why it has been happening in my case then and there. As e-mail system cannot make any mistake, definitely, the persons involved in handling such system have been manipulating.

Ellamma, Renuka Devi cult: A retd. Prof from Kuppam university tried to argue that the Ellamma / Renuka Devi cult started from the Telangana state. He even tried to attribute the sculptures at Alampur to such a cult. The headless body fell at a place called as “Mundavalli,” where, Mundavelli temple is there near Alampur. It is clear that he was exaggerating and interpreting with a stretched explanation to locate the story in the Telangana area. Really, I do not know why certain paper readers, researchers and others have been trying to narrow down and locate everything in the Telangana geography.  Actually, the Yogamba / Jogalamba Devi temple is regarded as one of the Sakti-peetha, where, Sati Devi’s upper teeth fell. The original temples were destroyed by the Muslims in 1390 and it was rebuilt after  615 years i.e, in 2005.

Manuscript Heritage on the borders of Telangana[3]: Bujangarao Bode presented his paper on the topic mentioned. He was narrating in general, where manuscripts are there, how they are preserved, kept and neglected also. He was al accusing that some mss are missing from National archives, New Delhi. He also listed out the institutions and places where mss are available.

Telangs – The Mons of Burma and Thailand[4]: S. Uday Bhanu based on the secondary sources, the books are written by the European researchers on the SEA, quoting verbatim of their paragraphs, tried to interpret that the “Telengs” were Telangana people and the Muns / Mons were south Indians settled there in Burma.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

21-01-2020

[1] Irfan Habib, Building the idea of India, Lecture delivered October 07, 2015 Kennedy Auditorium

Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh.

 http://ia801207.us.archive.org/11/items/IdeaofIndiabyIrfanHabib/Building the Idea of India.pdf

[2] His paper – summary – has been printed in the Souvenir of the Telangana History Congress, the Annual Conference 2020, p.32.

[3] His full paper has been printed in the Souvenir of the Telangana History Congress, the Annual Conference 2020, pp.24-30.

[4] His paper – summary – has been printed in the Souvenir of the Telangana History Congress, the Annual Conference 2020, pp.35-36.

The “National Seminar on Cataloguing, editing and Publication of Ancient Indian Manuscripts on Science and Technology” held on March 25th 28th 2019 at Bangalore [4]

The “National Seminar on Cataloguing, editing and Publication of Ancient   Indian Manuscripts on Science and Technology” held on March  25^th  28^th 2019 at Bangalore [4]

The fourth session -4.15 to 5.45 pm:   Prof. Lakshmithathachar chaired this session with the following paper presentation:

Sl. No	Name of the Presenter	Topic
1	Sri Anand Visvanathan, Research Associate, Centre for Ancient History, Jain University, Bangalore.	A Critical study of Parasara Tantra based on Manuscripts
2	Dr Y. S. Gayathri, Prof Sanskrit, Ramaiah College of Arts and Science, Bangalore.	Number System in Ancient India based on Ancient manuscripts.
3	Dr. Bama Srinivasan Post Doc Researcher Chennai	Applications of Meemamsa Theories to Information Technology – Based on Meemamsa Manuscripts

Anand evidently made his presentation on an already published book by R. N. Iyengar. He was telling that no manuscript is available, but to fill up the gap between   te Vedanga Jyotisha and Siddhantic works, he wanted this “work attributed to Parasara!” When I asked why he did not mention about “Surya Siddhanta,” he replied that it belonged to later period i.e, after 500 CE of Siddhantic period.  I pointed out that just because, the gap should be filled up, one cannot bring any work in between and date it accordingly. Because of manipulaton f one or few verses, one cannot disparage the work and its antiquity. As a Sanskrit scholar, he cannot take two stands on the Sanskrit manuscripts and dating of them, claiming one belonged to Vedic period and one to medieval period. Later Prof Thathachariyar also cautioned the paper presenter.

Parasara Tantra and the controversy around it: I also pointed out about the “Parasara manuscripts” and the business going on around in 2006-2007 period and the discussion recorded could be noted in the internet[1]. Many persons tried to buy the manuscripts available in the name of “Parasara,” as pointed out by Vedaprakash[2] on 06-09-2007, “Suddenly a lot of interest has been generated in ” Prasara Samhita / Smruti / tantra ” and there have been enquiries in the Oriental manuscripts libraries, archives and other libraries. During July-August alone, the enquiries about this particular manuscript have been tremendous. My friend at one of such Manuscript libraries informs particularly the enquiries from foreign and through Indian contacts has been specifically about it, because it reportedly contains details about  astronomy, Silpa-sastra and medicine (three-in-one). A sculptor has been hectic about acquiring it at any cost,” incidentally, he mentioned the name of R. N. Iyengar, “So in the name of Parasara, we have all sorts of Siddhantas, Samhitas and Smritis and ” Nadi sastra ” works also. There is a work ” Gnana upadesham 22 ” attributed to Parasara available (Fourth part of Gnana sasthirat-tirattu) [R. N. Iyengar can go to Tamarai Nulagam who have published some works and Vriddhacalam for Nasdi-works and see such manuscripts of Parasara]. Even westerners have started conducting courses in ” Nadi sastra ” !”.

Vedic numbers in Vedas by S. S. N. Murthy – given for illustrative purposes

Y. S. Gayathri pointed out how the numbers were mentioned in different Sanskrit manuscripts. However, she relied upon the printed book, but, did not refer to any manuscript. Anyway, as the books have been published based on the manuscripts, they can be accepted. One asked whether “zero” was mentioned in Vedas. She replied negative. I pointed out that it was mentioned in the Chanda Sutra of Pingala.

Bama Srinivasan has already published several papers on the same topic and connected issues[3]. Mimamsa, one of the school of Indian hermeneutics, deals with the interpretation of Vedic sentences, which are in the form of injunctions[4]. It categorizes Vedic statements into five groups[5]. These are:

1. Injunctive statements (Vidhi), which urge one to perform action.
2. Hymns, which are recited at the sacrifice (mantra).
3. Titles of the sacrifice (Nam adheya), which give an account of names of various sacrifices and ritual activities, categorizing paraphernalia etc.
4. Prohibitions ( edha), which prohibit a person from performing an action.
5. Corroborative statements (Arthavada), which encourage the performance of injunctive statements (Vidhi) or discourages the performance of prohibited actions (Nisedha).

She described an automatic approach for generating a sequence of tasks in the task analysis process of special instruction, offering a viable methodology to make the lives of individuals with behavioral difficulties easier by splicing and sequencing activities into simpler and complete set of tasks.

28-03-2019 – the second day technical session – 9.30 to 11.00 AM: The first session was chaired by M. D. Srinivas and the following presented their papers:

Sl. No	Name of the Presenter	Topic
1	Dr. Neeraj Sharma Prof. of Sanskrit, MLS University, Udaipur	Manuscripts on Agriculture in Sanskrit – A critical survey
2	Dr. R. Shankar Post Doctoral fellow NIAS, Bangalore	Applying the principles of Steganography and Pattern Poetry in editing faulty manuscript readings: A case study
3	Dr. Shyamsundar Sr. Professor of Anatomy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru	New, low-cost, high-effect technique of “Plastination” for preservation of palm-leaf manuscripts.

Neeraj Sharma presented his paper, “Manuscripts on Agriculture in Sanskrit – A critical survey” in Hindi. He delved upon Sanskrit Krshi Shastra [संस्कृत कृषि शास्त्र] and explained. He has also written a book in Hindi on the subject. After presentation, he was asked as to whether the methods mentioned in the Sanskrit works were used in agriculture and any results were applied, he responded with few examples.

R. Shankar presented his paper, “Applying the principles of Steganography and Pattern Poetry in editing faulty manuscript readings: A case study” as to how the hidden verse in another verse can be found out with the method. Taking certain letters from one verse, another verse can be written and read. He also pointed out how verses can be written in the form of “Chakrabhanda.” I pointed out that such methods are also available in the Tamil literature, specifically, in Tamil Siddha works. If the chairman could permit, I could show some pictures, but, he declined.

Dr. Shyamsundar / Shama Sundar, in his presentation on “New, low-cost, high-effect technique of “Plastination” for preservation of palm-leaf manuscripts,” showed that how manuscripts could be plasticized i.e, covered with resin with a combination of hardener and accelerator. Such plasticizer can either be prepared by ourselves or purchased directly. For example, shoe polish can be used directly as plasticizer to impregnate manuscripts for safely and longevity.  It can last for 30 years and again, it has to plasticized. This would be cost effective, as it comes to Re.1 for one palm leaf. For valuable documents, lamination can be done.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

30-03-2019

[1] https://www.indiadivine.org/content/topic/1418402-fwd-parasara-samhita-parasara-tantra-parasara-smriti/

[2] https://vedaprakash.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/25-siddhantic-works/

[3] Srinivasan, B., Parthasarathi, R., Prasad, B., Lingras, P., & Nevatia, R. (2011). Mimamsa Inspired Representation of Actions (MIRA). In IICAI (pp. 498-517).

[4] Srinivasan, Bama, and Ranjani Parthasarathi. “A Formalism for Action Representation Inspired by Mīmāṁsā.” Journal of Intelligent Systems 21.1 (2012): 45-77.

[5] Srinivasan, B., & Parthasarathi, R. (2013). An intelligent task analysis approach for special education based on MIRA. Journal of Applied Logic, 11(1), 137-145.

The “National Seminar on Cataloguing, editing and Publication of Ancient Indian Manuscripts on Science and Technology” held on March 25th 28th 2019 at Bangalore [2]

The “National Seminar on Cataloguing, editing and Publication of Ancient   Indian Manuscripts on Science and Technology” held on March  25^th  28^th 2019 at Bangalore [2]

5.15 to 5.40 pm prof. Khincha, Ex-Chairman at Manipal University Jaipur : keynote address given by Kincha. “Though Thatachariar invited me to present keynote address, I do not know how I am fit to be here to do so,” thus, he started and went to point out that Jaina manuscripts of 1400 years old are available. Preservation of manuscripts started long back. There a manuscripts available in the libraries of Vatican London etc. ow many manuscripts have been digitized and useful for further benefit is not known. More digitization means more funding. Digitization should give information for carrying out research s that it is useful. Advanced image techniques can be used for digitization. Charred mss, where indentations were not visible, such techniques could be used. Archimedes project[1] is used to decipher manuscripts…When characters are recognized, then, they can be subjected to machine translation. Manuscript is one time documentation, whereas, digitization can be done again and again with new techniques.

Subject of digital humanities. Digital archives of India[2] is carried on at IIT, Kharagpur. Whether these manuscripts are preserved in the manuscript form or digitized form, their usage is important. Society has to adjust with technology. Nearly 30 years were taken to adjust with the introduction of sewing machine.

5.45 to 6.05 pm – Sri Manjunatha:  Sri Manjunatha has been working with Patanjali group of Industries. He has been visiting many places and collecting manuscripts. He saw 9000 manuscripts gathering dust in the Oriental Manuscript Library, Mysuru, 6000 in Mysore palace shed, 60,000 in Banaras Hindu University, he also purchased manuscripts for research at Patanjajil Research Institute, where, 45,000 manuscripts were there. He asked the British library for taking copies, but, they refused. He got manuscript for curing cancer, but, he would not tell the source. They have developed medicine for Dengu fever. And HIV aso, they have medicine, but, the patient has to come to Haridwar and they give medicine free. They have manufactured medicine with the combination of Arjuna rishta [pathimara] with other Ayurvedic formulations, that would clear all blocks to heart. Baba Ramdev wants all research should be done in Sanskrit only, so that the westerners could not steal our knowledge, even, if they want to do that, they have to learn Sanskrit to copy. In that way Sanskrit lives. Baba is ready to buy manuscripts.

6.10 to 6.39 pm Lakhsmi Thatacharya: In his presidential speech, Lakshmi Thatacharya pointed out that it is very important to extract information from the manuscripts. To some extent in shastra University, the IIT students are made to take interest in manuscripts, as they have one paper on manuscriptology. In Kanchi University, Computer science students are reciting Sanskrit mantras, but, to what extent, they are interested in Sanskrit is not known. When he was in MIT, he asked the experts to give importance to linguistics, while researching in the recognition of characters etc. For digitization of one manuscript man years are required, if that is the case, for digitization of millions of manuscripts, the Kaliyuga is not enough to complete the job. Dating of manuscripts is done paleographical method. C 14 can also be used for dating. M.S.Dwarakadass is interested in manufacturing new alloys with the combinations given in the manuscripts. Manufacture of several alloys have been tried.  Trinetra…….is mentioned. For alloying, it is mentioned ruruka has to be added. It is nothing but bone of ass / deer. So it was also added and tried, but, e cud get only 40% success.  There have been manuscripts on stones. In one manuscript, it is given that when juice of two herbs were applied on the surface of stones, the surface becomes soft and one may write / inscribe easily and the next morning, it becomes hard. Definitely, it is good method.  There are manuscripts to control different types of fevers, however, they have not been deciphered and encoded completely to distinguish the fevers and medicines mentioned for cure.

6.40 to 6.55 pm – Sanjay Singhal:  Sanjay Singhal from Jodhpur, It and software business told his experience at the World Sanskrit Conference held at Vancouver, where 500 participated 300 from India and 200 from other countries. When parallel paper reading sessions were going on, Indian delegates were attending to Indian paper presentation session and foreigners to their session. In other words, there was a divide between these two expert groups. Western scholarship does not respect Indian scholarship. Yet, there was none to question, when foreigners were presenting papers, even, belittling Sanskrit. Thus, there has been a great divide between the Indian and non Indian Sanskrit scholarship. Thus, the inauguration function was over.

Why many people, organizations and institutions engage in the same job?: As a researcher and attending hundreds of seminars, conferences and workshops for the last 40 years, I could find that many people, organizations and institutions engage in the same job of collecting, Cataloguing, editing and Publication of Ancient   Indian Manuscripts on many subjects and evidently including that of Science and Technology, as many deal with such subjects. In Bangalore itself, dozens of organizations have been engaged in doing the same work[3]. Thus, one news go like this[4], “Thousands of ancient medical manuscripts, including several written on palm leaves centuries ago, are now available at the click of a button thanks to a decade long effort by researchers at Bengaluru’s TransDisciplinary University (TDU). Thousands of ancient medical manuscripts, including several written on palm leaves centuries ago, are now available at the click of a button thanks to a decade long effort by researchers at Bengaluru’s TransDisciplinary University (TDU).”In spite of the fact that the invading hoards looted, burned, destroyed and carried away crores of manuscript, that still, 50,000,000 mss are available proves the fact that Indians have been recording their past in the mass for many years, as these are only copies or reprinted books of the old ones.

27-03-2019- Mss seminar -N. V. Prasada Rao, M. J. Nagarajan, H. S. Sudharshan

27-03-2019- Mss seminar -N. V. Prasada Rao, T. N. Sudharshan. M. J. Nagarajan, H. S. Sudharshan

27-03-2019- Mss seminar -audience – centre from the stage

27-03-2019- Mss seminar -my bag.audience. LHS

View of the audience RHS from the stage

Academic Sessions Session 1 – 27-03-2019: 9.30 to 11.00 AM: The technical session actually started on 27^th with the paper presentation of the following: with the Chairperson: Prof. Ch. N V Prasada Rao,  Retd. Prof. AP chaired the session and theme was “Manuscripts on Medical Sciences”.

Sl. No. Name of the Presenter Topic 1 T. N. Sudharshan, Infinity Foundation, Bangalore AIyush – AI enabling the Āyurveda Ecosystem 2 Mr. M. J. Nagarajan, Independent researcher, Chennai The Manuscripts attributed to Siddhas and their Critical Study 3 H. S. Sudhsrshan, Research Associate, Centre for Ancient Histor, Jain University, Bangalore. A Critical study Vridda-gargiya-jyotisha based on manuscripts Sudharsan stressed upon the AI enabling the Āyurveda Ecosystem. The 7th World Ayurveda Congress to be held in Kolkata during December 1–4, 2016 has very apt focal theme ‘Strengthening the Ayurveda Ecosystem’. It is very heartening to note that eminent biomedical scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research has accepted to be Chairperson of the Organizing Committee. Already, she and AYUSH Secretary Shri Ajit Sharan have initiated AYUSH-ICMR Mission for collaborative scientific research. This is very promising example of integrative approach where confluence of traditional and modern systems of knowledge can strengthen the Ayurveda ecosystem to shape the future global health. The establishment of AYUSH independent ministry has a commitment towards strengthening the AYUSH ecosystem. Health problems involving chronic diseases, non communicable diseases etc, there is a scope for complementary as well as preferential choice of any system including Ayurveda. There are a large number of clinical setups in national/state Ayurveda institutions, but the quality publication outcome is low. In the present article, being a scientist and science manager, I have just summarized my opinion to strengthen and growth of Ayurveda. Development of special validation methods for Ayurveda research based on Ayurveda principle is an hour of need. Randomized controlled trials on the use of new innovations are needed in Ayurveda. To strengthen Ayurveda, interdisciplinary approach may prove beneficial. Value addition based synergy and partnerships with ICMR/DBT/DST/ICAR would be beneficial for the growth of Ayurveda[5].   © K. V. Ramakrishna Rao 30-03-2019

[1] The Archimedes Project aims to develop model interactive environments for scholarly research on the history of mechanics and engineering from antiquity to the Renaissance. It is designed to integrate research and knowledge dissemination in new ways and to serve as a proof-of-concept project for open digital libraries on topics in the history of science.  http://archimedes.fas.harvard.edu/

[2] http://nationalarchives.nic.in/ and http://www.ndpp.in/digitalarchive/

[3] Economic Times, From Palm leaves to Computers – ancient medical scripts turn digital, By Bharat Joshi, ET Bureau, Updated: Jun 30, 2016, 10.34 AM IST.

[4] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/from-palm-leaves-to-computers-ancient-medical-scripts-turn-digital/articleshow/52984142.cms

[5] Katoch, V. M. “Planning action for strengthening the ecosystem for Ayurvedic research.” Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine 9.4 (2018): 248-249.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0975947618310210

[6]  Susarla, Sai, Parag Deshmukh, and K. Gopinath. Architectural Considerations for Scalable Indic Document Analytics.,

[7] http://cse.iitkgp.ac.in/resgrp/cnerg/sclws/papers/susarla.pdf.

[8] Sarvadevabhatla, Ravi Kiran, and R. Venkatesh Babu. Category-Epitomes: Discriminatively Minimalist Representations for Object Categories. arXiv preprint arXiv:1502.00082, 2015.

[9] Sarvadevabhatla, Ravi Kiran, Sudharshan Suresh, and R. Venkatesh Babu. “Object category understanding via eye fixations on freehand sketches.” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing 26.5 (2017): 2508-2518.

[10] https://arxiv.org/pdf/1703.06554.pdf

The “National Seminar on Cataloguing, editing and Publication of Ancient Indian Manuscripts on Science and Technology” held on March 26th 28th 2019 at Bangalore [1]

The “National Seminar on Cataloguing, editing and Publication of Ancient   Indian Manuscripts on Science and Technology” held on March  26^th  28^th 2019 at Bangalore [1]

From Chronology seminar to manuscript seminar in Bangalore: After attending the two day National seminar held at Bangalore on February 18^th and 19^th 2019, we received a brochure through e-mail. Not only the brochure, even the contents had been also attractive. As the theme and approach were very attractive for researchers, immediately, we decided to attend. Above all, it is to be held in the ISKCON temple complex. I thought, it is the suitable place for the conduct of the seminar, as, Sri Krishna has been the historical personality of Indian history with the start of Kali Era that is the “sheet anchor of Indian history.” In spite of short notice, we could prepare papers, as we have had details ready. As I have been researching for the last 40 years, with data and information available with me, I could prepare papers, immediately and send to the organizers.  I booked tickets also informing them.

First experience at ISKCON, Bangalore (26-03-2019): This is the second time, I am visiting ISKCON, Bangalore. Twenty years back, I came to the temple for darshan. This time, I came as a delegate to present paper. We reached ISKCON temple complex and accommodated at room no.211 by 2.00 pm. The reception asked us to take food coupon and have food, as it closes by 2.30 pm. We had food there and had some rest after discussing the papers to be presented. I was really happy to be there at the place of Sri Krishna, whom I consider as the Lord of Chronology, HOD of Indian history and the greatest historiographer of India, that is Bharath, and perhaps, of the whole world during the 3100 BCE period. I was enquiring about the venue and the program, but, the persons at the reception were telling that some volunteers would come to inform! As none came and it was already 5,00 pm, I contacted and she [Samskriti Foundation representative] responded that she was not feeling well, …………………………….the program had already started, tried to contact, but, could get line and so on. Anyway, we proceeded to the hall and it was nearby only. The “National Seminar on Cataloguing, editing and Publication of Ancient   Indian Manuscripts on Science and Technology” was inaugurated at the auditorium, ISKCON, Bangalore on March 26^th evening and it was funded by the National Mission f0r Manuscript. Dr Alwar was compeering the proceedings. The following few paras tell the information about the theme of the seminar[1].

Indian manuscripts distributed and available countries: The Indian Scientific heritage has been extremely productive. India has one of the largest collections of Scientific manuscripts of any civilization in the world. While there is no precise enumeration of the number of manuscripts, estimates vary widely, putting it in the region of 20000 to 100,000 manuscripts. Several of these manuscripts are now in institutions such as – Oriental Manuscripts Libraries, Indological Research Institutions, Universities, Mutts and Archives and many are still in private collections. Manuscripts are also available in foreign libraries in U.K., France, Germany & USA and in Asian countries like, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma, Bhutan, China (Tibet), Thailand. Unfortunately there is no detailed and accurate data about the number, extent and distribution of the Scientific manuscripts of India. The presently available published Scientific texts, which are in contemporary use, represent less than 2% of the Scientific literature that is available in the form of manuscripts. However, as of today, there is no proper methodology to know or verify the names, authors or any other details of manuscripts that exist on the topic of Science and Technology in ancient India.

The Samskriti Foundation: The Samskriti Foundation, Mysore, is organizing this national seminar. It has, at present, embarked on a project to collect, collate and present information about a bibliography of manuscripts exclusively dealing with Science and technology. So far it has collected and listed information about 7,000 numbers of such manuscripts, which turned out to be a very meticulous, pain-staking task.  Thus, the Foundation has a unique database of ancient manuscripts dealing with Science and Technology (S & T) of Ancient India.

The Problem dealing with the manuscripts available: Though the Foundation has collected and prepared an electronic database of ancient manuscripts dealing with Science and Technology of Ancient India, there is still a long way to go, as these Manuscripts have to be procured from various institutions, University libraries and personal collections. Further the following steps have to be undertaken:

1. Cleaning etc of the Manuscripts and making them ready for digitization
2. Digitization of the concerned Manuscripts
3. Deciphering the Manuscripts
4. Transcribing the Manuscripts
5. Editing the Manuscripts
6. Preparing English Translation / regional languages translation etc. in collaboration with scientists / technocrats connected with the concerned field.
7. Making other value editions
8. Publishing the Manuscripts

To undertake the above tasks, the active collaboration of scholars and scientists / technologists alike is very much necessary. This is because, unlike while dealing with Manuscripts on literature, philosophy etc., Manuscripts on S & T contain many technical terms that even scholars who are familiar with the particular language would not be able to interpret properly. Apart from this, these exist several other problems in deciphering / interpreting / editing Manuscripts belonging to many new areas like ancient geography, alchemy, earth sciences and such other subjects.  Therefore, there is a dire need to unearth and train a new breed of persons who are ‘scientist-manuscriptologists’. As of today, there are not many scientist-manuscriptologists who can undertake such tasks and bring to light the ancient Manuscripts on S & T of yore which can bring to light the expertise of our forefathers in various fields of S & T.

The solution envisaged: To overcome the above problem, it is proposed to bring together expert scientists and technologists on one side and expert manuscriptologists on the other on a common platform and make them interact with each other so that there can be a healthy exchange of ideas and concepts that can help in taking the task of deciphering / interpreting / editing Manuscripts belonging to many new areas like ancient geography, alchemy, earth sciences and such other subjects dealing with S & T. The proposed seminar specifically wishes to address and make considerable headway in solving the problems mentioned above.

The purpose of the seminar: The seminar will be organized in such a way that an exclusive session will be devoted for a particular con temporarily relevant field of science and technology and experts in that particular field will speak on particular unpublished, valuable Manuscripts that is concerned with that particular field. For example, there will be an exclusive session for unpublished Manuscripts on the subject of ‘Mathematics’ and in that session, experts on Mathematics will speak on deciphering, publication  etc. of unpublished, useful Manuscripts on Mathematics and their utility. Similarly separate sessions will be schedules for other important subjects. Of course, it will be impossible to deal with all such subjects in a very short span of three days. However, the topics will be prioritized based on contemporary relevance and the sessions will be held in a highly sophisticated manner. The seminar will be a pioneering one, since, as far as information available at present, such a seminar for deciphering / interpreting / editing Manuscripts belonging to many new areas like ancient geography, alchemy, earth sciences and such other subjects dealing with S & T has not been organized so far by any agency.

 

ISKCON guest house

Samskriti Foundation had already organized a National Seminar on “Application of Information Technology for conservation, editing and publication of Manuscripts” on the 20^th, 21^st and 22^nd of January 2013, at Multivision Theatre, ISKCON, Harekrishna Hill, Rajajinagar, Bangalore, with support from the National Mission for Manuscripts, IGNCA, Govt. of India[2]. Thus, it is evidet that, this is also a similar seminar conducted after six years. Coming to the current seminar, as mentioned above, we reached the hall “Multi-vision theatre”, the program already started. As usual, I started taking photographs and sat down.

When I was just entering, I took this photograph……………..

Pranava Khular, Manjunatha, Khinchi, M. S. Lakshmi Thathachariyar

26-03-2019- Mss seminar -inauguration-audience

6-03-2019- Mss seminar -inauguration-audience.2

26-03-2019- Mss seminar -inauguration-audience.3

5.00 to 5.14 pm – Sri Pranav Khular, Joint Secreary, Ministry of Culture: Vajpayee commented that if all the manuscripts were many IVCs and Dwarakas might be discovered. Launching the Mission, the Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee said[3], “…the NMM is different from the other missions undertaken till now.  In this the benefits are neither direct nor visible….I believe that the NMM will bring to light many more Mohenjodaros and Dwarakas.”

Referring to the technological aspect of the Mission, the Prime Minister noted that modern science asks proof for claims and this very science (modern technology) is providing tools for resurrecting these proofs of our glorious past.  Shri Vajpayee highlighted three aspects of the mission: since 70 per cent of the manuscripts are in Sanskrit, the teaching and learning of the language will have to be further promoted, several institution that are already working in the field will have to be associated with the Mission and finally, a huge awareness campaign has to be undertaken to encourage individual custodians of manuscripts to come forward and give them to the Mission. The National Mission for Manuscript has been given several extensions and now it has been extended up to 31^st  March 2020. Work has to be done, as there was no pace in it.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

30-03-2019

[1] Taken from their brochure and their website: http://www.samskrti.org/; http://samskrti.org/seminar/ ;

Email: samskrti@hotmail.com

[2] https://samskrti.org/seminars-and-conferences/

[3] https://namami.gov.in/about-us-0