The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) – workshop at Chennai from October 31st to November 2nd 2023 (4)

The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities  (NMMA) – workshop at Chennai from October 31^st to November 2^nd 2023 (4)

The CAG Report and the response of the ASI: On 02-11-2023, after lunch Dr Charuta Kulkarni, IIT, Madras talked about her subject, as detailed above. Then, the certificates were distributed to the participants and mementoes were given to some. Now, I discuss about some issues involved in the documentation of monuments and antiquities. As I worked in the GST (formerly Customs, Central Excise, Narcotics – indirect taxation) department, mostly in the Judicial, adjudication and legal sections for more than 38 years from 1980 to 2018, the CAG Reports on the various departments, institutions and others were periodically read, along with the judgments. Here, before coming to the workshop, I have read the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India Follow-up on the Performance Audit of Preservation and Conservation of Monuments and Antiquities. The issues related to the documentation, workshop conducted etc., were pointed out therein.

The NMMA caught in the web of politics: The National Monuments Authority (NMA) has released draft heritage bye-laws for the supposed site of the Palace of Asoka in Patna, Bihar. The site, located in the Kumrahar area, is being protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. The draft bye-laws aim to conserve and develop the site and have been released based on a field survey conducted by the competent authority. The NMA is responsible for the protection and preservation of monuments and sites, as well as granting permissions for construction-related activities in the prohibited and regulated areas. The Congress party has accused the Modi government of attempting to weaken a law that protects monuments and archaeological sites in India. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh praised the National Monuments Authority (NMA) for releasing draft heritage bylaws for the conservation and development of protected monuments in Bihar. Ramesh stated that the Congress and other parties have successfully resisted the government’s attempts to weaken the law so far. He also emphasized the need to strengthen and maintain the professional character of the NMA.

2015 to 2022 no workshop conducted: The CAG pointed out that, “Since March 2015, no workshop was held to facilitate documentation work, rectify mistakes or to provide clarification to agencies involved in the process. As a result, there was absence of a system for regularly up-grading the technical capability of executing agencies, which affected the work process.”

The documentation process carried on by NMMA: The CAG  pointed out the lacunae in the documentation of the monuments[1].

NMMA has given these figures to the CAG.

Issue of “Non-antiquity” certificates by the ASI: ASI (respective circle) issues a certificate of non-antiquity for the exportof art-objects, arms. Here, who issues such certificate, after analyzing the “non-antiquity” nature of te object. Otherwise, millions of Indian antiquities would not have been illegally exported out 0f India after 1947 or 1976.

2. To facilitate Custom Authorities in allowing non-antiquities to be exported, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has established Expert Advisory Committees to issue non-antiquity certificates.

India’s rich cultural heritage, bureaucratic apathy and poor implementation of antiquities protection law has made India a fertile ground for loot and smuggling of antiquities for sale in the International market. In recent years, there has been growing concerns over antiques being smuggled and sold to fund terrorists’ activists.

According to the Antiquities (Export Control) Act, 1947 [Act No. 31 of 1947]  – “antiquity” includes-

(i) any coin, sculpture, manuscript, epigraph, or other work of art or craftsmanship,

(ii) any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave,

(iii) any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, craft literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages,

(iv) any article, object or thing declared by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette to be an antiquity for the purposes of this Act,

Provenance (origin, attribution, derivation) includes the list of all owners from the time the object left its maker’s possession to the time it was acquired by the current owner. However, here in the workshop, it is taken as “Province”!

Most of the exports of antiquities take place from north India from airports: According to Section 2(1) (a) of the Antiquities and Art Treasurers Act, an antique is defined as an article or object of historical interest that has been in existence for not less than one hundred years.

The import and export of antiques is covered by the prohibition imposed under Section 11 (c) of the Customs Act 1962, specifically referred to as The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972.

Similarly, exports are also under the prohibition category. The export of antiques can only be done by the central government or any authority or agency authorised by the central government.

 The law does not permit any private person to export antiques. If any private person exports antiques, there are penal provisions to confiscate the material and impose monetary penalties or prosecute the person.

Port	Location	Value (INR Million)
Pakwra	Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh	34..567
Kolkotta Air cargo	West Bengal	27.151
Nhava Sheva sea[2]	Raigad district, Maharashtra	20.475
Mundra[3]	Gulf of Kutch near Mundra, Kutch district, Gujarat.	11.141
Chennai sea	Tamilnadu	7.381

The ASI blaming the Customs department: When Arun Raj said that the Customs department was not co-operating, I pointed out that it is not that the Customs department did not cooperate with the ASI officials, but, the ASI officers only many times did not turn up, when they were requested to come and identify the objects of antiquity were seized at the airports. Moreover, they have to go by the certificates issued by the ASI only and in many cases, the Customs officers could get genuine doubt that older antiquities were taken out of India, instead of recent artefacts. Sreelakshmi responded that the ASI officers were asked to verify the import of Indian artefacts. Then, I clarified that it was different, because, the art-smugglers had been adopting a modus operandi, as if such antiquities were imported legally so that they could again export. That is why they sought the help of the ASI for the identification of the objects[4].  There have been several reports urging the ASI to co-ordinate with the RI, Customs etc., but, they are not doing so[5]. As the certificates issued by the ASI are / have to be relied upon and whenever, the Customs officers have any doubt about the object for antiquity, they used to seek the help of the ASI officers, but, they hesitate to come.  The famous VJA Flynn case also pointed out by me[6]. Here, VJA Flynn had contacts with many historians and archaeologists, but, caught red-handed in smuggling artefacts out of India[7].

The illegal import and export of Tipu Sultan’s sword: The classic case of Vijay Mallya in 2005, imported Tipu Sultan’s famed sword to India and exported it without any license[8]. Mallya was served a show cause notice by the Customs Department for exporting without informing the government, and not paying the duty for it[9]. However, the tycoon felt that since the sword was a matter of national pride, he should have been exempted. Thus, the provisions of the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972, have been amended to do away with several lacunae in the Act, commonly recognised as the Customs Act. As per the Act, any private buyer that buys an antiquity of Indian origin and brings it to India must first acquire a license. This is granted on the basis of several factors, including the experience of the person in the art trade, the place of exchange of the art object, the name and the number of people involved, etc. Domestic trade of antiquities is currently unregulated, as the Act is silent on it. The statutory authority of the Act is usually the Director General of the ASI, who decides what an antiquity or art treasure is. As per Section 2 of the Act, any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph, artwork, object from a building or cave and object of historical interest that is over one hundred years old, is defined as an antiquity. In circle offices of the ASI around the country, where the DG is usually not present, the Act cannot be implemented by any officer below the position of a director. “Yet, several circle officers have been flouting the rule, declaring several antiquities as invalid leading to the thriving of the smuggling of art objects,” said the official.

All departments of GOI should work together: The CAG has been part of the GOI and all other departments also have been parts of GOI. The CAG has been auditing the accounts of different departments and trying to advise to implement the Act and Rules under which they work. All have been working with the Public Finance and the government is responsible to account for every rupee that collected from the citizens. As our country has been handling more than 100 crores population, now 140 crores, we have more responsibility than other countries with less population. Moreover, our government and democratic polity have been so open that everybody can appreciate and criticize also, unlike other countries. Thus, the ASI has been having the most noble duty, virtuous responsibility and righteous accountability in handling thousands of years of monuments and temples; sculptures and coins; palaces and buildings; ghats, and others. It can invite the officers of the other departments for discussion to sort out the practical problems. After all should work for the progress and development of our country creating awareness about culture, tradition, heritage and civilization.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

05-11-2023

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[1] Report No. 10 of 2022; https://cag.gov.in/uploads/download_audit_report/2022/Chapter 6-062f0de36c49e05.39285992.pdf

[2] Jawaharlal Nehru Port, also known as JNPT and Nhava Sheva Port, is the second largest container port in India after Mundra Port. Operated by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Authority (JNPTA), it is located on the eastern shores of Arabian Sea in Navi Mumbai, Raigad district, Maharashtra.

[3] Mundra Port is India’s first private port (adani) and largest container port, located on the northern shores of the Gulf of Kutch near Mundra, Kutch district, Gujarat.

[4] Press Release dated 24-07-2023, Three Hundred Forty Eighth Report on the subject „Heritage Theft – The Illegal Trade in Indian Antiquities and the Challenges of Retrieving and Safeguarding Our Tangible Cultural Heritage,” Sansad News.

[5]https://sansad.in/getFile/rsnew/Committee_site/Committee_File/Press_ReleaseFile/20/173/656P_2023_7_12.pdf?source=rajyasabha

[6] K. V. Ramakrishna Rao, Historians involved in smuggling also – The historical case of Prof. V.J.A. Flynn, a friend of many Indian historians – arrested for smuggling, jailed and deported to Australia for further proceedings!, February 17, 2022.

[7] https://kvramakrishnarao.wordpress.com/2022/02/17/the-historical-case-of-prof-v-j-a-flynn-a-friend-of-many-indian-historians-arrested-for-smuggling-jailed-and-deported-to-australia-for-further-proceedings/

[8] DNA India, ASI for easier norms for private import of antiquities, Amrita Madhukalya, Updated: Nov 02, 2016, 07:05 PM IST.

[9] https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-asi-for-easier-norms-for-private-import-of-antiquities-2269587

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

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

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

On the second day, Dr K. Amarnath Ramakrishna, Prof. P P Joglekar and Prof. Shanti Pappu discussed about very important issues of documentation of the temples, antiquities of different materials and lithic tools. The practical difficulties in maintaining them, classifying and documenting them also were discussed. The creation of database in each and every category and converting them for public utility has been an important task. India with vast areas and monuments situated at remote places that too, without any safety and security, it has been very difficult to maintain them. Unfortunately, the ASI does not have any protecting system for the remote monuments. In fact, tourists themselves have difficulties in reaching such remote places. These circumstances only help the art-thieves, icon-looters and sculptures lifters to carry on the work continuously.

K. Amarnath Ramakrishna: Architectural Survey Projects include the Temple Survey Projects (North and South) and Building Survey Project. The main functions are:

• Survey and documentation of temples of various periods and in different parts of the country, research based on the field survey, preparation of reports on the survey;
• Survey and documentation of all secular architecture and colonial buildings, research on the survey and preparation of reports;
• Interaction with various universities and research institutions.

He explained about the temples coming under the control of ASI and explained how they have documented them. However, they do not work with the HR & CE to quantify all temples in Tamilnadu.

The quantification of the temples in Tamilnadu: This is a list of temples in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu which is famed for Tamil architecture styled Hindu temples, culture and tradition and is commonly known as the Land of Temples. Tamil Nadu has more temples than any other states of India. Tamil Nadu is home to more than 46,000 Hindu temples and is aptly called “the land of temples” by the media. Many are at least 800 years old and are found scattered all over the state. The rulers of various dynasties constructed these temples over centuries. Vimanas (storeys) and Gopuram (towering gateways to the temple complex) best characterize the temples of Tamil Nadu. As per Tamil Nadu Hindu Endowments Board, there are 39,615 / 38,615 temples[1]. Most of the largest Hindu temples reside here. Studded with complex architecture, variety of sculptures, and rich inscriptions, the temples remain the very essence of the culture and heritage of Tamil land, with historical records dating back to at least 3,000 years.

Temple maintenance, conservation and preservation: Many regular and committed pilgrims, bloggers and writers have been pointing out as to how even the Chola period temples with inscriptions have been crumbling down, but, ASI or even TN State Department archaeology does not bother. However, some local serious devotees, Uzhavarappani[2] groups (Voluntary Temple Cleaning groups) and others have been doing wonderful work for the last more than 50 years.

P Pramod Joglekar: Explaining “New Archaeology,” he went on to point out how statistical methods are used in archaeology to understand facts. E explained the three stages in such development before 1960, 1960 to 1974 and 1974 thereafter. The quantitative approach could be specifically deal with the issues by subjecting the data in different forms. The qualitative method has been subjective and thus individual, biased, one-sided, skewed and differs much from the interpretations. The qualitative method, on the other hand, has been objective – specific, unbiased and independent. Quantitative information is measurable or countable data that can provide insight into research questions. Quantitative information is one of the most direct ways to understand limited, specific questions, such as how often people in a culture perform a certain action or how many times an art form or motif appears in a cultural artifact. Statistics created from quantitative data help researchers understand trends and changes over time. In cultural research, qualitative data allows anthropologists to understand culture based on more subjective analyses of language, behaviour, ritual, symbolism, and the interrelationships of people. Qualitative data has the potential for more in-depth responses via open-ended questions, which can be coded and categorized in order to better identify common themes.

Quantitative analysis with few examples: Qualitative analysis is less about frequency and the number of things and more about a researcher’s subjective insights and understandings. Anthropology and other fields in the social sciences frequently integrate both types of data by using mixed methods. Through the triangulation of data, anthropologists can use both objective and frequency data (for example, survey results) and subjective data (such as observations) to provide a more holistic understanding. Thus, with graphs, he explained the usage of bangles by women. Showing two different occasions, the usage of shell bangles rises and falls. Different interpretations are given as the wrist size of the women changes and thus the size of the shell bangles also change; instead of shell, some other material was used and thus the rise and fall; thus the interpretations also increase. But, at a particular place, the usage had to be definite and also the explanation. Similarly, in another graph with three peaks, the usage of animals was interpreted with the bones found. Thus, it is interpreted that the hunter-gatherers were using meat at here different periods and such usage rose and fell, obviously resorted to other type of food; thus, they might have resorted to agriculture; or they might have domesticated them for some other use and killed; and so on. Any way all such interpretations have been amazing, interesting and intriguing also.

Shanti Pappu: Different types of lithic tools were distributed to the participants and asked to study them carefully and opine the type and nature of them. Thus, each participant came out with his opinion exhibiting the practical difficulty in identifying, classifying and documenting the lithic tools. In fact, whether they can be called as “artefacts” to be classified under the Acts and Rules and antiquities. Yet, she has been discussing with the ASI officials and trying to classify. Luminescence dating at the stratified prehistoric site of Attirampakkam, India, has shown that processes signifying the end of the Acheulian culture and the emergence of a Middle Palaeolithic culture occurred at 385 ± 64 thousand years ago (ka), much earlier than conventionally presumed for South Asia. The Middle Palaeolithic continued at Attirampakkam until 172 ± 41 ka. Chronologies of Middle Palaeolithic technologies in regions distant from Africa and Europe are crucial for testing theories about the origins and early evolution of these cultures, and for understanding their association with modern humans or archaic hominins, their links with preceding Acheulian cultures and the spread of Levallois lithic technologies.

About the Paleolithic tools: The geographic location of India and its rich Middle Palaeolithic record are ideally suited to addressing these issues, but progress has been limited by the paucity of excavated sites and hominin fossils as well as by geochronological constraints. At Attirampakkam, the gradual disuse of bifaces, the predominance of small tools, the appearance of distinctive and diverse Levallois flake and point strategies, and the blade component all highlight a notable shift away from the preceding Acheulian large-flake technologies. These findings document a process of substantial behavioural change that occurred in India at 385 ± 64 ka and establish its contemporaneity with similar processes recorded in Africa and Europe. This suggests complex interactions between local developments and ongoing global transformations. Together, these observations call for a re-evaluation of models that restrict the origins of Indian Middle Palaeolithic culture to the incidence of modern human dispersals after approximately 125 ka.

Opinion of other scholars: Considerable numbers of artefacts can be documented with high accuracy and resolution when the methods described are used[3]. Virtual artefact collections can be documented completely, even if the artefacts are stored at different places, including objects that were considered as being unretouched pieces[4]. The virtual collection thus achieved can be distributed easily on storage media such as CD ROMs or even through the Internet. It can be examined by anybody and compared to any real or virtual artefacts of similar origin. All visualization products are results of automatic and objective procedures, thus avoiding the individual subjective interpretation which is inevitably part of hand-drawn figures.

The points observed: The NMMA form was given with antique objects to all and asked to fill up with their observations in their format.  Digital weighing machine, Vernier calipers, scale, magnifying glass etc., were also provided to analyze the object given. The session went on till lunch and thereafter. Then, “how to take photographs of the artefacts,” was also demonstrated and explained.

• No consensus about the form used for documentation of the artefacts, monuments and others to be recorded.
• How to classify the palaeolithic tools as “antique” under the Act or to be classified so!
• What are lithic tools and cores, difference, how are they identified, classified and documented?
• The Paleolithic site – not exactly the lithic tools collected as they were “taken since 1950 and none determine exactly,, from where they had taken.”
• Whether excavated, at wht level or simply they came there, rummaged the excavated sites and taken such lithic tools?
• The Paleolithic chronology does not tally with the sedimentary formation at the same place or nearby place.
• To get such lithic tools at one foot, 3 feet etc., from the present ground level and decide them accordingly…
• All lithic tools are not “artefacts” unless, some human work could be seen / noted / or at least identified on the surface of the object.

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

04-11-2023

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[1] The HR & CE of the TN government figure – available from their website. The temples not coming under the HR & CE are also to be added with this figure.

[2] One of the Nayanmar, Thirunavukkarasar / Appar used to visit all temples and clean with his “Uzhavarappadai” (small spade) and thus,the expression symbolically denotes such tool and the voluntary service rendered by devotee in temples periodically.

[3] Boehler, W., Boehm, K., Heinz, G., Justus, A., Schwarz, C., & Siebold, M. (2003, September). Documentation of stone age artifacts. In Proceedings of the XIX th CIPA Symposium. ISPRS/CIPA (pp. 506-510).

[4] https://www.cipaheritagedocumentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Boehler-e.a.-Documentation-of-Stone-Age-artifacts.pdf

Recent Advances in South Indian Archaeology – The 2nd International Symposium in memory of Iravatham Mahadevan – 12-03-2023 – Maritime contacts between south India and SEA, temple structure, – etc (8)

Recent Advances in South Indian Archaeology – The 2^nd International Symposium in memory of Iravatham Mahadevan – 12-03-2023 – Maritime contacts between south India and SEA, temple structure, –  etc (8)

12-03-2023 – Sunday- Third-day session: First, the archaeology officers of the department presented papers about the excavation works carried on at different places for the year 2021-2022 with photographs, as announced by the organizer, Rajan.. These details have been reported in the media regularly and much publicity has already been given by the CM, Ministers, MPs etc.  Now, the following presented their papers:

1. Asaithambi – Excavation at Mayiladuparai, Krishnagiri dist, 2021-2022.
2. S. Paranthaman – Perumbalai excavation, Dharmapuri dist, 2021-2022.
3. Nandagopal, Gangaikonda Chalapuram,, Udaiyarpalayam, Ariyalur, 2021-2022.
4. Vasanthakumar – Tulukkarpatti, Radhapuram Taluk, Tirunelveli, 2021-2022.

After the presentation, Rajan also briefed about the excavations and informed that the officers were presenting their papers for the first time. About “Tulukkarpatti,” there was some discussion – how the place got the name, were thee any Islamic activities there and so on. Actually, V. Selvakumar started asking such questions.

Veena Mushrif Tripathy and Mhachami Ovung presented a paper on “Human skeletal studies on partial collection from Kondagai site, Tamilnadu: its future scope.”

Berenice Bellina presented her paper on “Early maritime exchange between South India and South East Asia – Mid 1^st Millennium BCE – 1^st Millennium CE”: During the period under study, India witnessed the emergence of several mature states: the Mauryas, Kushanas and the Guptas in North India, and the Satavahanas in the Deccan. South India also contained some powerful chiefdoms such as the Cheras, Cholasand the Pandyas, some of which emerged as urbanized kingdoms such as that of thePallavas, who ruled modern-day Tamil Nadu during the third/fourth to the ninth centuries CE. Despite the political plurality, what mattered for trade was the codification of crafts under guilds, which acted as banks and places for investment and the monetarization of parts of the economy, as shown by the wide range of coins issued by cities in different areas. Trade based on profit is well described in the Arthasastra, and an elaborate bureaucracy developed, especially in the Mauryan state. There was a considerable development of both overland and maritime trade routes, although with many regional variations in the organization of trade. The period also saw the rise of specialized trading communities (vanijas and setthis) in the middle Ganga Valley, dealing in salt, textiles, metals and pottery.

She was comparing the artefacts…

The newly spreading cults of Buddhism and Jainism accepted the accumulation and reinvestment of wealth; a concept quite alien to the culture of the earlier Vedic period in which reciprocal exchange of the “prestige goods” type had been the normal method of distributing exotic and luxury items. Long-distance trade between the agricultural hinterland of the middle Ganga Valley, ports such as Gange and Tamralipti in the Delta,and those at the mouth of the Narmada Valley on the west coast such as Broach (Barygazain the Periplus), developed rapidly at this time. The gem fields and gold-rich deposits of South India were quickly integrated into these trading systems.

analysis of industries, products….

With a lack of written records, we cannot analyse in the same detail as India, the structure of exchange within Southeast Asia for the thousand years from the fifth century BCE onwards. Good archaeological documentation is still scarce and we depend over-much on models based on analogies from more recent historical and ethnographic situations. For instance, Bronson, Wheatley, Wolters, Miksic and Wisseman Christie have all proposed evolutionary or structural models for Southeast Asian exchange systems.6 Although useful, these are generalized and abstract and, for the most part, lack firm support from empirical data from the past. However, we know that late prehistoric settlements of the second and early first millennia BCE in Mainland Southeast Asia regularly occur in small stream valleys which feed the major river systems.

locally produced goods with Indian technology……………………….

These, perhaps quite isolated, villages were linked by far-reaching exchange networks which saw marine shell ornaments being taken over 1,000 km from the coast, and copper and tin ingots and artefacts entering communities far removed from the ore sources. Marble, marine shell, serpentine and other rare stone material, ceramics and doubtless many perishable items exchanged hands along the river systems. As Higham makes clear, the middle of the first millennium BCE in southeast Asia was a period of profound economic, social and political change. The Iron Age in Southeast Asia was marked by increases in wealth and social complexity leading to powerful territorial polities. Large or valuable objects, such as Dong Son bronze drums and nephrite ornaments from Vietnam, arrived by sea to enter long-established exchange routes along the rivers. Thus, it is evident that intra and inter-regional exchange routes were well-developed before they were linked to the more developed South Asian trading systems. Wisseman Christie has argued for the emergence of three clusters of producer-trading states in Peninsular Malaysia during late centuries BCBC.7 But throughout most of Southeast Asia at this time, the highest level of political organization was what might be called chiefly society, or at best some nascent states in which and barter and gift-giving were likely to have been the principal modes of exchange, since there is no evidence for coinage. In central Vietnam, the Sa-Huynh Culture probably represented a culturally-related series of chiefdoms which were closely involved in overseas trade, as shown by the theSa-Huynh, or Sa-Huynh influenced, artefacts and urn burials widely distributed in the Philippines, northern Indonesia and parts of Thailand.

imports, exports common…

The technological study presented here concludes that the adaptation of what was perceived in foreign cultures as a carrier of modernity and sophistication resulted in the creation of a ‘trans-regional ’élite whose identity was based on common reinterpreted foreign cultural values and practices. This study has also identified some of the social groups involved as well as characterising the exchanges. In particular, it identified the circulation of Indian productions made to order, as well as the direct involvement of some Indian craft castes (the Brahmans). Both raise the question of the Indian response to South-east Asian demands. They imply that the South-east Asian agencies were far from passive in the process since they werein position to orientate the exchange by their specific orders.

trade guilds worked together……

The transfer of Indian politico-religious features as well as of manufacturing techniques imply periods of close and lasting interaction between India and South-east Asia. It is likely that the South-east Asian élite not only wanted to possess the status markers but also the means to produce them, such as the craftsmen who could transfer their knowledge or the Brahmans who could provide legitimising rituals. The identification of the possible presence of Indian craftsmen in South-east Asia, as I propose for the early port site of Khao Sam Kaeo, could provide clues on the modes of transfers and on the nature of interactions. Now it remains to define the stages of these interactions, a goal to which the study of the site of Khao Sam Kaeo could provide answers. This study of the earliest evidence for exchange between India and South-east Asia also anticipates an affect on the economy, urbanisation and state formation – matters which remain to be investigated.

With ceramic, glass, metallic artefacts found, she was pointing out that there were contacts between the trading people of the Coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal and that of the SEA countries. The artefacts were locally manufactured perhaps with the expertise received from the Indians, as they exhibited clear Indian influence. Even required raw materials could have been imported from India that included Ceylon / Sri Lanka in those days. An alliance among / between the ports of Bay of Bengal could have also been existing, as the traders were moving periodically from the Indian coasts and travelling across the ocean to reach SEA countries and China also. The trade guilds that existed clearly point to such fact.

Ramakrishna Pisipathy – Recent Archaeological investigations in Lower Palar river: Palar is a river of southern India. It rises in the Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapuradistrict of Karnataka state and flows 222 km southeastward through Tamil Nadu before reaching its confluence into the Bay of Bengal at Vayalur about 100 km south of Chennai. Of the seven tributaries, the chief tributary is the CheyyarRiver and the Vegavati. Kanchipuram, one of the ancient cities is located on thebanks of the Palar and Vegavti river.Kanchipuram (13.40’N & 76.25’E 12.98°N 79.71°E,) is one of the important centers and hub for many satellite centers with urban features in the south by the time of early centuries of the present era. Like all ancient cities in India,Kanchipuram is also situated on the banks of river, Vegavati, a split channel ofthe Palar river which is connected to the Bay of Bengal (east coast). It has anelevation of 83.2 m (273 ft) above sea level and the flat land with slopes towards the south and east. All suitable geographical setup of the region has been utilized by the human beings from the very beginning. Recent studies are further strengthening the potentiality of the region in not only as an early lithic centre but also a hub of continues human activities in the region, even till now.

V. Selvakumar – Architecture of Southern India and roof-tiles of Historical period: he described various roof-tiles used in different periods starting with prehistoric period. Of course for such period, there was no evidence. Fr Neolithic and other periods were also, roof might have been there, but not tiles. With the existing medieval structures, he was trying to interpret that older structures too had such tiled-roof. Here also his interpretation that “Katrali” to have a roof was a privilege and so on.

Santhalingam (on-line), Madurai. Recent epigraphical evidences in Pandyanadu: He was interpreting with different inscriptions.

Shanti Pappu – Excavations at Sendrayanpalayam (SEN), Tamilnadu: New perspective on the Lower Paleolithic: They have been doing the work for the last 25 years with facilities of laboratory and studies. They have been carrying out prehistoric excavations, research, teaching and educating with training also. They have been excavating at different pprehistoric sites by locating using scientific methodology. The “Site” itself becomes crucial in archaeology, to definite and realize specifically.  Sendrayanplayam is about a two-hour-drive from Chennai in southern India. The Sendrayanpalayam site is fairly well-preserved and represents a slightly different environment relative to Attirampakkam. Studying more such places could help show when and how humans came to live and adapt in south India.

Kumar Akhilesh, Mohamed Sahrumi, Prchi Joshi and Shanti Pappu – Excavations at Senarayanpalayam (SEN), Tamilnadu: New perspective on the Lower Paleolithic:..The group presented the above details in different perspective…and most of these details are available in the internet.

Ansumali Mukhopadhyay – Indus script signs for gold, gold measuring unit, and treasury: Taxed commodities and tax collecting entities encoded in Indus inscriptions: Taking some symbols, she tried to interpret .Ansumali Mukhopadhyay  has alredy published the same and similar papers and they are available in the internet for downloading. S. Kalyanaraman and others have also been working on the same lies for more than 40-50 years and their published papers and books are also available.

Satyamurthy taking the example of Veppattur temple, he explained how an old temple existed…..

The depilated super structure on an elevated place….

T. Satyamurthy: Architectural tradition of Tamilnadu: Distinctions and recent trends: Temple structures could not have come into existence suddenly. There must have been many processes of evolution for such structure to come into existence. Based on the inscription of Mahendr varman (610-630 CE), “This brickless, timberless, metalless and mortarless mansion of Laksita was caused to be made by king Vicitracitta for Brahma, Isvara and Visnu”, it is believed that temple architecture came into existence in Tamilagam only during 7^th cent.CE. So here, except metal, other materials are perishable and hence during the course of times, they were disappearing and temples rebuilt. There are many references in Sangam literature about the existence of structures. With the Veppattur depilated temple taking scnned pictures, three-layered paintings, size of the bricks used etc., he proved that the Sanpam period temple was in existence and it was abandoned due to some reason and now, it has been renovated and restored.

he compared the super structure, bricks etc.,

how it existed through, Pallava, Chola and Vijayanagara………..is shown with evidences…..

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

16-03-2023.

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 (1)

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 (1)

This is the entrance of the CUTN, but, the National seminar was not held here.

This the Guest House situated exactly in the opposite direction, where the National seminar was held.

The Google map shows the situation of the CUTN main building and the Guest House in the opposite direction.

The Central University of Tamil Nadu (CUTN): It is one of the twelve Central Universities established in India by an Act of Parliament in the year 2009. Central universities or union universities in India are established by an Act of Parliament and are under the purview of the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education. In general, universities in India are recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which draws its power from the University Grants Commission Act, 1956. It is located at Thiruvarur, 290 kilometres away from Chennai, positioned between Thanjavur and Nagapattinam[1]. It is located at Thiruvarur spreading over a sprawling campus of 516 acres with an excellent atmosphere for academic pursuit. The university aims at the fashioning of an enlightened society founded on a relentless pursuit of excellence through innovations in the teaching-learning process, interdisciplinary studies and research. The University currently has 27 Departments under the 12 different Schools.

The Guest House is situated after crossing the Kendriya Vidhyalaya situated in the same campus – Courtesy Google map.

Closer view of the Gust House – Courtesy Google Map

Guest House another view – the seminar hall and canteen can be seen on the LHS.

The Guest House was inaugurated on 21-04-2017 by the then VC, Prof A.P. Dash in front of the Registrar Dr S. Bhuvaneswari.

Entrance to the Guest House

The room – for illustrative purpose

The Department of History of the CUTN:  IT is one of the six Departments in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities. It was started in the academic year 2017-2018. Although the Department is in its infancy, it has made rapid strides both in teaching and research. The Department offers courses of Master of Arts in History and Ph. D in History. The focus areas of teaching and research are Archaeology, Ancient History, Medieval History, Modern History, Regional History and Intellectual History. The course structure is designed meticulously to cater to the need of both traditional and applied aspects of historical study and diversified career objectives. Besides, a career in academics like teaching and research, our courses will help prepare for government services including civil services. The Department is presently headed by Professor Bhagabana Sahu.

Thiruvarur was one of the five capitals of the Chola empire[2]: It was the capital of Kulotung Chola-I. It is famous for the majestic temple of Thiyagarajeswar which was constructed by Aditya Chola (871-907 CE) in 9th C.E and rebuilt with stone by Rajendra Chola-I (985-1014 CE). Further, the Thyagaraja Temple Chariot festival, by continuing with its age-old ritual and tradition, has added an element of uniqueness to the religious life of the people in Tamil Nadu. Despite her long and chequered history, Tamil Nadu has retained her distinct cultural identity through the ages. This is seen in several aspects of her cultural life such as the Bharata Natyam, the Pann and the Chariot festival. The Bharatanatyam, unlike other dance forms, is imbued with rich religious values. The Pann is another important. The melodic mode in Tamil music[3]. While it is sung to invoke the mercy of God, to eulogies king and to speak profusely about their land, it has elevated the Tamil music to an exalted height by giving birth to rhythms and scales. The town is regarded as the place of origin of Carnatic music as it was the birth and workplace of three great music gurus of Carnatic music i.e. Thiyagarajar, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syamasastri known as the Trinity of Carnatic music.

The National Seminar focused on Thiruvarur: Although many are familiar with the rich cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu, it is not yet been properly studied. There are some areas that are relatively unknown to us. The Tamil Nadu History, which is one element of Tamil Nadu’s cultural heritage, is not yet known in its completeness. This is owing to the fact that there are some areas in it that require fresh light to be thrown on. Similarly, there is a need to shed light on art and architecture, education, literature, religion and society to better comprehend the cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu. The recent excavation in keelady near Madurai proved that Keezahadi is the second urbanized civilization (the first being Indus) of the world situated on the banks of river Vaigai. Therefore, it is significant to analyze the multi-dimensional aspects of the cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu. With this backdrop, this seminar is an attempt to provide a platform for historians and scholars from multidisciplinary studies, working on some unexplored aspects of Tamil Nadu’s cultural heritage, particularly Thiruvarur, to bring their ideas to the table.

Seminar Theme and Sub-themes: The seminar aims at –

To facilitate deliberations and interactions among historians and scholars from multidisciplinary studies on the cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu.

To point out continuity and change in the culture of Tamil Nadu, and to offer suggestions about how best to preserve and enrich them.

The sub-themes are –

1. Social life of the Tamil people as gleaned in the inscriptions.

2. Societyandcultureof the people as depicted in the literature of the Sangam Age.

3. Historiographical account of the Shilpashastras for the construction style of the temples.

4. Temple art and architecture of Thiruvarur.

5. Education and learning in medieval Tamil Nadu.

6. Description of figures and figurines in the Chola temples.

7. Icon and iconography of Shaivism in Thiruvarur.

8. Puranas as a source of history of Tamil Nadu.

9. Socio-cultural life of Tamils as depicted in Folk literature/Tamil literature.

10.Agasterwara temple– Tiruchirapalli.

11.Tribhivanaswamy temple–Thanjavur.

12. Nageshwara temple of Kumbhakonam.

13. Devdasi system in the temples and monasteries of Tamil Nadu.

14. Mutt Culture in Tamil Nadu.

15. Church Culture in Tamil Nadu.

16. Impact of  Islam on the Society of the culture of the Hindu people of Tamilnadu.

17. Maritime Heritage of Ancient and Medieval Tamilnadu.

18. Music and dance tradition of Tamilnadu.

19. The role of temples a s centres of administration and activities.

20. The Temple and land grants.

21. The Bakthi Movement in Tamilnadu.

Research papers for presentation, etc: Research papers were invited from researchers, academic institutions, research organizations, and civil societies from all over India. The papers were reportedly reviewed by the selection committee and the selected papers called for presentation. However, nearly 40% of the papers were not relevant to the theme of the seminar and 50% repeating the details that have already been available in the printed books. Ironically, the paper presenters could not bring gout anything new that was hitherto known or a new interpretation given. Research papers on the above sub-themes neither published nor under review of publication elsewhere will be considered for presentations. The paper contributors were requested to send their abstract to the email: cutnseminarichr@gmail.com on or before 15.12.2021[4]. The abstract may be prepared within 250 words in Ms-word, Times New Roman (font), font size 12-pts and 1.5 line spacing. It should contain details of the author/authors with full address. The full paper should be prepared within 4000 words in the above-mentioned format and sent on or before 30.12.2021. No delegation or registration fees will be collected from the participants. The seminar was to be held on January 27^th and 2th 2022, but postponed due to pandemic conditions and now held on March 17^th and 18^th 2022.

16-03-2022 (Wednesday):  By 9.30 pm reached the gate of CUTN, but, the security directed to go to the Guest House that is situated in opposite direction, after going round and crossing a bridge to reach another premises. The Seminar co-ordinator has never informed me about the location of the Gust house etc., had I come by auto, I would have faced a lot of problems and inconveniences. Though, I made a request twice to get accommodated at the ground floor, they gave room in the first-floor no.119 away from the lift[5]. When I asked about the request, I was informed that “All rooms at the ground floor are full,” the usual answer to be expected………………………Anyway, accommodated in the Room.No.119 and the other room-mate was Dr Madhusudhana Rao from Tirupati. About the CUTN Guest House, the details can be downloaded from here (Just for information purposes):

• Guidelines for Guest House Accommodation[6]
• Guidelines for Transit Accommodation[7]
• Requisition Form for Guest House Accommodation[8]
• Food Menu/ Timing and Tariff[9]

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

19-03-2022

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[1] Address: Central University of Tamil Nadu, Neelakudi, Thiruvarur – 610 005, INDIA Tiruvarur

psvc@cutn.ac.in, pavc@cutn.ac.in, admissions@cutn.ac.in, https://cutn.ac.in/vc/;  04366-220311, 04366 225312

 Prof. Muthukalingan Krishnan,  vc@cutn.ac.in,  04366-277303, 04366-277222;

Prof.Sulochana Shekhar,  registrar@cutn.ac.in,  04366-277230,  04366-220023

[2] There is no authentic list as such, as writers list out as follows – the capitals of the early  Cholas as – Pumpuhar / Kaveripumpattinam, Uraiyur, Tiruvarur, Pazaiyarai, Thanjavur, GangaikondCholapuram.

[3]  The naturally exhibited talented art forms – Iyal (இயல்), music and music-related Isai (இசை), and drama, stage-related nadakam (நாடகம்), thus, the intangible cultural heritage or softskills odf the ancient Tamils have been broadly grouped.

[4]  These dates must have been changed, but I came to know only when I contacted the Seminar co-coordinator then and there.

[5] Presently, the guest house accommodation is provided to the guests in two independent blocks containing 3 bedrooms, each. The Facilities in each guest house block include a common hall, kitchen, dining hall and independent vehicle parking shed. However, Breakfast, Lunch and dinner are being served only in the main block. Each bedroom is furnished with two beds, one LCD TV, AC and other basic furniture. The Guesthouse provides safe and clean surroundings and is managed by professional and helpful staff who attend to our guests at all hours. Provisions of roof garden and Wi-Fi are being made.

[6] https://cutn.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/GUEST_HOUSE_GUIDELINES_MARCH2016.pdf

[7] https://cutn.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/Guidelines-CUTN_GH.pdf

[8] https://cutn.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Guset_House_requisition_Form_18102021.pdf

[9] https://cutn.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/EC_FOOD_MENU_160916.pdf