National Seminar on Salvage Archaeology and Heritage Management in India held at Meenakshi College, Chennai on November 29th and 30th 2016 [First day proceedings]

National Seminar on Salvage Archaeology and Heritage Management in India held at Meenakshi College, Chennai on November 29^th and 30^th 2016 [First day proceedings]

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Two day National Seminar on Salvage Archaeology and Heritage Management in India: [NSSAHMI-16] was held at Meenakshi College for Women (Autonomous), Kodambakkam, Chennai, on November 29^th and 30^th 2016, at their college premises building at Homi J Bhaba Hall [First floor]. As per the brochure, they wanted to conduct the seminar with focus on the following objectives[1]:

1. To provide with an in-depth and sophisticated understanding of the major contemporary trends in Salvage Archaeology.
2. To highlight the heritage attractions.
3. To provide a platform for Historians and Archaeologists to present their findings.

They wanted to cover, Historic properties (as listed or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places), Older properties that may have cultural value, but may or may not be eligible for the National Register, Historic properties that have cultural value beyond their historicity, Archaeological graves and cultural items, Shipwrecks, Museum collections, Historical documents, Religious sites, Religious practices, Cultural use of natural resources, Folklife, tradition, and other social institutions, Theater groups, orchestras, and other community cultural amenities. Listing out “Thrust areas” as below, they suggested “who can participate” in the seminar[2]:

1.       Cultural resources management, 2.      Heritage interpretation 3.      Heritage railways 4.      Heritage tourism 5.      Historic preservation 6.      Listed buildings 7.      Monument historique

8.     Museology 9.      Rescue archaeology, 10.  Scheduled Ancient Monument 11.   Space archaeology 12.  World Heritage Sites 13.  Initiative for Heritage Conservancy

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Though American archaeology was explained, the history and archaeology of Indians have not been salvaged and informed: On 29^th November 2016, the seminar was inaugurated by Dr Jagannathan IAS, Director of Museums, Government Museum, Chennai. He explained the importance of history and archaeology and emphasized that students should take up such subjects for research. His tone and tenor exhibited the anxiety of the subjects ignored due to the advancement of Science and technology, new subjects generated related to them, job market available in such fields etc. In facat, he was pointing out such facts by interacting with the students.  Then, S. Suresh[3], Convener for INTACH gave a “key-note” address through his US experience of “Fullbright” visiting scholar program about “salvage archaeology” there in USA. Referring to the “sons of soil” of America as “natives, tribals etc”, he was explaining “Industrial archaeology”, “Commercial archaeology”, “landscape archaeology” etc., obviously forgetting the archaeology of “Pre-Columbian” period! In other words, the history and archaeology of USA, before colonization has not been salvaged, rescued and brought out to the students. To dub indigenous “Native Americans, American Indians or Indians” as “natives, tribals” etc., cannot be justified when the colonial forces destroyed their culture, tradition, heritage and civilization and then starting archaeology to discover the same destroyed factors! The “Christian immigration” through their “Pilgrim fathers” and the horrors of “Pilgrim Progress” need not be explained, but the present generation of India may not be knowing the facts. In fact, the fact why Columbus claimed that he discovered “India” in the West instead of East, exposes many historical facts. Columbus discovered “India” in “America”, because, those West “Indians” looked like East Indians. They looked alike in the sense, most of their factors of tangible and intangible culture, tradition, heritage and civilization had been the same and similar. In fact the so called “East India Company” implies the existence of “West India” and that is nothing but America with the civilizations of Aztec, Maya and Inca. And their history and archaeology salvaged was not pointed by the “key-note” addressor!

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Concept of Salvage Archaeology in Marine Archaeology – N. Athiyaman, Tamil University, Thanjavur: As I have been listening to him and reading his papers for the last 25 years, I could remember his joint paper on anchors discovered and published[4]. So, here he gave the following details about the anchors discovered by them [after explaining salvage archaeology]:

1. In 1986, a stock type iron anchor was salvaged off Thondi at a depth of 10 m,
2. A stock type stone anchor, similar to anchor 1, in heavily rusted condition was salvaged off Mullai Thivu Island near Rameswaram coast at a depth of 8 m,
3. The third anchor, made of black granite (Figure 9) found on shore, about 100 m from the sea, was used as a fencing stone near a mosque at Vedalai, 5 km west of Mandapam village.
4. The fourth anchor, made of sandstone, trapezoidal in shape having only one circular apical hole 15 cm from the top is found lying in situ near the backwater area called in Tamil as kappalaru (kappal > ship, aru > river) at the coastal village of Periapattinam.
5. A mooring stone, looking like an anchor, made of greywacke sandstone found at Threspuram, a suburb of Tuticorin, planted vertically in the beach about 15 m from the shore line, is even now used for mooring the fishing boats.

The weight of the anchors is calculated based on the computation of the volume of the anchor, deducting the hole portions and multiplying it with the density of the anchor. Kolunski has given the following equation for computing tonnage of vessel from the anchors recovered (assuming they served as the main anchor of the respective vessel) G = 9 D ^2/3, where G is the anchor weight in kilograms and D is displacement in tons[5]. Interestingly, all these anchors have been of later medieval period. Though, the Tamils were reportedly having the rich maritime tradition, none of the material evidences have been found. In fact, for the much acclaimed maritime activities of the Cholas, no such evidences have been found. No interaction / discussion were allowed after his presentation.

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Keeladi Excavation – K. Amarnath Ramakrishna, Superintendent Archaeology, ASI: I was listening to him for third time. He and his team have discovered a habitat civilzation on the banks of Vaigai through “river based excavation”, after identifying 293 sites, and discovered about 170 sites for one year excavation conducted within five kilometres from the river on both the banks, starting from the place of Vaigai’s origin in Theni district to the very end of the river in Ramanathapuram district. The places were classified as granaries, trading points, ports, habitation sites and living or dilapidated temples. Excavations were carried out at Varushanad in Theni and Azhagankulam in Ramnad. Beads of agate, Carnelian and quartz indicate that they had trade link with countries like Rome. The Tamil Brahmi letters found on pottery is all names of individuals such as, Thisan, Aadhan and Udhiran. They are typical Sangam Age Tamil names. By discovering “habitat sites”, he proved the existence of city formation during the first centuries of current era in the ancient Tamizhagam.  “Through comparative dating, we place this site to be belonging to the 3rd Century B.C., which is over 2,500 years ago. However, the exact age can be arrived at only after carbon dating,” says Amarnath, who has worked on excavations in research of Indus Valley Civilization in parts of Gujarat. He answered the querries raised and points clarified.  He confirmed that the bricks used here did not follow decimal system and cannot be comapared with IVC, however, it was also a “rice based civilization.”

Salvage Archaeology and epigraphical studies – S. Rajavelu, Tamil University, Thanjavur: Interestingly, he game many details about Indian history, the way it was written by the Britishers. He refuted that “real history work” is Rajatarangani, as the British did not use the data available in that work, but, partially.  He pointed out that the date of Asoka as per the work is datable to 700 BCE. As an expert epigraphist, he pointed out that “kovil” was known as “devakulam” and explained how the old inscriptions were preserved by the Chola rulers. One Pallava inscription mentions about Mahendra Varman’s personal doctor was preserved by the Cholas by incrporating in their temple and recording as “pazhangarpadi” [old inscription copy]. Inscriptions were also amended like “Constitution” according to times, pointing out as to how the Uttirameruur inscription dated 917 CE was amended in 921 CE. Sembian Madevi renovated many temples by converting them bricks to granite to withstand more time. She relocated Nandivarman-III inscription salvged from underwater. While Rajarajan renovated Kutralam temple, he changed the script of inscription from vattezhuthu to then current usage-script. The Allahabad pillar contains Asoka, Chandra Gupta and Shahjahan inscriptions proving the importance of the pillar. Really, he proved that salvage archaeology was followed in India by the Indian rulers.

Heritage management – Problems and perspectives – P. D. Balaji, HOD, Dept.of Ancient History and archaeology, University of Madras: After explaining Salvage archaeology, he started narrating how the renovating, preservation works were carried on to resurrect the monuments from Egypt to India. E listed put many factors for the slow decaying, crumbling and falling down of monuments –  Saline Action on Walls and stones, Sculptures, Roots and Vegetation, Trouble caused by Animals and Bats, fungus, Negligence, Humidity, vandalism etc. He gave the interesting example of Sambal where crumbled temples have been resurrected. He also pointed out the renovation work carried on by ASI and others through sand blasting, painting, white-washing,  plumbing, electrical wiring, covering walls and floor with mosaic, granite etc., virtually destroys the traditional aesthetics, mutilates inscriptions and rapes the sculptures.

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Technical-paper presentation: Afternoon, research scholars presented their papers. The “salvage archaeology” has confused some of them in general, as connotes, save, recover, rescue, retrieve, reclaim, etc. right inside Chennai, how many monuments are disfigured, misused and destroyed has been pointed out with some examples. Many times, the paper presenters either tried to bring varied issues together in the context or interpreting travel and tourism aspects giving data about tourism. However, how hundreds of temples in and around Chennai have been in ruins and they are neglected, while lakhs and crores are spent on the “European / colonial” monuments under the same bogey of “monuments”!

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

01-12-2016

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[1] Four page brochure circulated at the “Rajendra Chola” seminar held at the Madras University on October 21^st and 22^nd 2016.

[2] http://www.tamilnaducollegeevents.in/2016/11/nssahmi-16-national-seminar-on-salvage.html

[3] 30-35 years back, he was my friend and we aere corresponding through letters in those days abut his articles appeared in newspapers. I have his letters in my files.

[4] N. Athiyaman and P. Jayakumar, Ancient anchors off Tamil Nadu coast and ship tonnage analysis ship tonnage analysis, CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 86, NO. 9, 10 MAY 2004.

[5]  The full paper can be downloaded from here: http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/may102004/1261.pdf