The Indian National Trust For Art And Culture Heritage - INTACH Madurai Chapter conducted a quiz at APT Duraisamy School , Anupanadi , Madurai on September 31 (Monday). According to a press release, from 12 schools, 75 students got registered and participated in the quiz programme. With each team consisting of two students 36 teams were formed. The first round had questions based on India’s heritage, history, culture, crafts and art, wildlife and architecture from which the top four teams were selected for the next round, which was an audio quiz, related to Tamil Nadu about the food, land mass, martial arts, archaeological sites, power plants and symbols.

The third round comprised visual quiz, which covered about elephants. INTACH convenor Vani Chenguttuven said that the entire quiz was an effort to create awareness among the participants of the country’s heritage, culture and other spheres. Prizes were given to S. Raghunandan and S. Raghugunan from Mahatma Global Gateway, Krithicvel T and Rithik SM from Mahatma School on the occasion, said INTACH Education committee member Hema Arun, the release added.

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Ambala, has won the Best Chapter Award for the 8th consecutive time. Colonel (retd) RD Singh, Convenor, INTACH-Ambala, said “Among 237 Chapters in the country, INTACH-Ambala was declared the Best Chapter for conducting an outstanding national painting competition, ‘Tree of Life,’ in December last year. As many as 124 children from over 23 schools participated in the competition.

Ambala has been at the forefront of preserving our rich heritage and culture by spreading awareness and cultivating good values in our youth.” The Colonel added that the Chapter conducted heritage walks, quizzes, painting competitions and art and craft workshops regularly. “We also train children to make short films on saving our environment, nature and ethical values,” he said. RD further said, “Ambala has a number of heritage sites. INTACH’s mission to conserve our heritage is based on the belief that living in harmony with heritage enhances the quality of life, and it is the duty of every citizen of India as laid down in the Constitution.

INTACH-Ambala was raised in the year 2000, with Dr Deshbandhu as its first chairman. Today, Ambala is a leading Chapter in the country with over 50 members and a large number of supporters.” RD said he personally visited various schools and colleges to spread the message of INTACH among the youth. “We have created WhatsApp groups with principals and teachers for direct communication and keep them posted on INTACH’s activities. Ambala won its first Best Chapter Award in 2018, and since then it has emerged as the best-performing Chapter for eight consecutive years,” he added.

Host school secures first and second positions; Presentation Convent School bags third place. Jodhamal Public School emerged as the top performer at the INTACH Heritage Quiz 2026, securing both the first and second positions, while Presentation Convent School finished third. The quiz was organised by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Jammu Chapter, and hosted at Jodhamal Public School, bringing together students from leading schools across Jammu to celebrate India’s rich cultural heritage.

A total of 12 schools participated in the competition, including Mount Litera, Army Public School Jammu Cantt, Presentation Convent School, Army Public School Nagrota, Model Academy, Army Public School BD Bari, International Delhi Public School RS Pura, Indian Public School, Kidzee Kathua, MV International School, Jodhamal Public School, Army Public School Akhnoor and Army Public School Damana. The event began with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. Arvind Kotwal, JKAS (Retd.), was the chief guest, while Prof A.K. Raina, K.K. Sharma, Dr Rajesh Sharma and Dr Satwant Singh also attended the programme. The quiz was conducted in two phases.

A written preliminary round tested participants’ knowledge before qualifying teams advanced to the stage round, which featured segments on Your State, Your City and INTACH, along with visual rounds. Jodhamal Public School’s performance reflected strong preparation and knowledge of heritage-related subjects, while the competition also highlighted students’ confidence, presence of mind and awareness of India’s history, culture, monuments and traditions. The event was organised by Deepali Sharma, Bhawna Madaan, Bhavna Rohmetra, Anjali Gupta and Namrata Sharma, CCA Senior Coordinator. The guests appreciated INTACH and Jodhamal Public School for providing a platform that combined learning, competition and heritage awareness, stressing the importance of familiarising young people with India’s cultural inheritance.

INTACH’s South Odisha convenor Sudhansu Pati also stated that the structure can be identified only after a detailed survey and excavation. A temple, locals believe to be dedicated to Goddess Gangadevi, has resurfaced at the sea beach near Podampeta in Ganjam, attracting large numbers of visitors. The upper portion of the structure, including what is reportedly the Dadhinauti, the crowning element of a traditional temple, emerged from beneath the sand on August 29 after seawater receded along the coastline. This has generated widespread interest, with people flocking to the beach to witness the structure.

Some visitors have also joined locals in removing sand from around the structure. Locals believe the structure is the Gangadevi temple, which was built by villagers and is believed to have been swallowed by the sea in the late 1990s. Academician Sabar Tarai, who recalled his grandfather’s account of the temple, said the shrine could not be formally consecrated before the settlement and the temple were engulfed by the sea.

However, the exact identity, age and historical significance of the structure have not yet been officially established. Sources said an archaeological survey, along with verification of government records, would be necessary to establish the structure’s history. Incidentally, around two years ago, archaeological excavations were conducted at Palur, also known as Prayagi, around eight km from Rambha, by the Odisha Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies (OIMSEAS) under the department of Culture.

Sunil Patnaik, senior archaeologist and director (Excavation) of OIMSEAS said nearly 70 archaeological sites have also been documented in and around Palur, including areas near Podampeta. However, he said that the nature of the structure can only be established through extensive scientific excavation. INTACH’s South Odisha convenor Sudhansu Pati also stated that the structure can be identified only after a detailed survey and excavation.

The archaeological discoveries include a ‘Kirtimukh’ motif, which is traditionally carved above temple doorways, and a carved capital of a temple pillar. Ancient relics dating between the 14th and 16th centuries, indicating the existence of an ancient temple complex and a corridor, have been found during restoration work at the old site of Saptakoteshwar temple in Goa’s Divar island, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Thursday. The archaeological discoveries include a ‘Kirtimukh’ motif, which is traditionally carved above temple doorways, and a carved capital of a temple pillar. The CM said these successive era temple relics are an important archaeological discovery that strengthen the historical chronology and sacred legacy of this ancient site in Goa. In a post on X, Sawant said important archaeological discoveries have emerged during the restoration work at the sacred site of Shree Saptakoteshwar Temple in Divar. “Relics and remains dating between the 14th and 16th centuries have been found along the old pathway between Koti Tirth and Madhavachi Talli, indicating the existence of an ancient temple complex and sacred corridor,” he wrote. “Among the significant finds are a Kirtimukh motif traditionally carved above temple doorways, a carved capital of a temple pillar and parts of Dev Khostam used for placing idols. The variety of stone typologies and temple motifs points towards successive reconstruction of the temple during the Vijayanagar period, following the destruction of the earlier Kadamba period temple,” he added. Sawant announced the findings a day ahead of a programme titled “Udakshanti and Ganga Pujan” organised by the Department of Archives under the “Kotiteerth Corridor Development Project”, which is being built as a pilgrimage site for temples destroyed during the Portuguese rule, starting the 16th century. The CM said these successive era temple relics are an important archaeological discovery that strengthen the historical chronology and sacred legacy of this ancient site in Goa, adding that the government remains committed to preserving and restoring the state’s rich civilisational heritage. In September last year, Sawant had announced that the cabinet had granted approval for development of a ‘Koti Tirth corridor’, where a new Saptakoteshwar temple – destroyed during Portuguese rule in the state – would be constructed at the old historic site in Divar. Sawant had said that nearly 1,000 temples in Goa were destroyed by the Portuguese and the project was part of the government’s effort to restore such places of worship. The government formed a high-level committee last year chaired by the secretary of the archaeology department to plan, execute, and oversee the development of the corridor. “It was everyone’s opinion that if so many temples were demolished…this kind of a corridor will be established and a big temple will be built on 10,000 square metres of land by the government so that we have a memorial where people can worship,” Sawant said at the time. According to historical records, the site of Saptakoteshwar temple at Naroa in Divar existed during the Kadamba dynasty (10th to 14th century). The rock cut tank of the temple was called ‘Koti-Tirth’. The temple was destroyed during the Bahmani rule and it was subsequently rebuilt in 1391 by a minister in the Vijayanagar kingdom. The Portuguese destroyed the temple in the 16th century. The deity’s idol was shifted across the river to Bicholim, where Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj established a new temple in 1668. The Goa government had also formed an expert committee in 2023 to scrutinise applications for consideration and selection of suitable sites for reconstruction and restoration of temples destroyed during Portuguese rule in the state. In its report to the archaeology department, the expert committee observed that “more than a thousand temples were destroyed” and recommended a temple memorial (Smarak Devalaya) to be built in the erstwhile Old Conquests areas. “Keeping in mind the large number of temples and deities which existed in Goa during the pre-Portuguese period which were destroyed by the Portuguese… the committee recommends a temple memorial to be built, anywhere in the erstwhile Old Conquests, consisting of the modern Salcete, Bardez and Tiswadi talukas, which bore the brunt of the temple destruction spree of the Goa Inquisition and colonial policies… and re-establishing those deities whose original sites have been usurped by the colonial rule,” the report said.

At Kumhar Tekri in Ujjain, a hillock in western Madhya Pradesh, 42 skeletons discovered nearly nine decades ago continue to pose an archaeological mystery. The human remains, comprising adults and children, males and females were found in strikingly diverse positions: face down, on their backs, seated, twisted, and with legs raised and folded. While some individuals were buried, others were cremated.

Unearthed during a 1938–39 trial excavation by the Gwalior State's archaeological department under British rule, the site features shell jewellery, urns filled with ashes and bones, as well as cups and dishes scattered among the remains. The site is estimated to date back to around the 3rd century BC, though an earlier origin remains possible. The better-preserved skeletons were originally dispatched for anthropological analysis and are currently held by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Kolkata. To uncover missing historical context, ASI’s regional office has requested permission from its headquarters to excavate the neighboring Vaishya Tekri, situated roughly 2 km from Kumhar Tekri (Potters' Hill).

Vaishya Tekri houses a stupa nearly three times the diameter of the Sanchi stupa, which experts believe could yield vital clue about the burials. Veena Mushrif-Tripathy, an associate professor of biological anthropology at Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute in Pune who examined the remains in 2007–08, advocates for applying modern scientific methods—including AMS (advanced radiocarbon) dating, DNA testing, and isotope analysis—to determine the individuals' age, sex, ancestry, and dietary habits. Advanced study of their distinct morphological traits and shell ornaments could also evaluate the original researchers' hypothes that the location belonged to a distinct population group.

"It is difficult to confirm cultural identity just from burial positions, most probably, these were people from different groups or communities,” she noted, pointing out that the simultaneous presence of both burial and cremation practices at a single site reinforces this likelihood. Dr. Shivakant Bajpai, superintending archaeologist at ASI’s Bhopal circle, emphasized that excavating Vaishya Tekri could frame the Kumhar Tekri skeletons within a broader archaeological setting, ultimately helping researchers ascertain the identity of these ancient people.

Stone relics believed to date from the 14th to the 16th century have been discovered near the Koti Tirtha tank on Divar Island during preparatory work for the Koti Tirtha Corridor project. The finds have not yet undergone detailed scientific or archaeological study, but will be placed on public display at a programme at the site on Friday to mark Gokulashtami. The discovery comes as work advances on the Koti Tirtha Corridor project, being executed by the directorate of archaeology through the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) at the Saptakoteshwar temple site. The state cabinet approved the corridor’s development last Sep, with the project intended to commemorate the destruction of temples during the 450-year Portuguese regime. Chief minister Pramod Sawant said the relics point to “the existence of an ancient temple complex and sacred corridor".

He added that the “variety of stone typologies and temple motifs points towards successive reconstruction of the temple during the Vijayanagar period, following the destruction of the earlier Kadamba period temple”. According to Sawant, these relics from multiple eras are “an important archaeological discovery that strengthens the historical chronology and sacred legacy of this ancient site in Goa".

Director of archaeology Nilesh Faldesai told TOI that the artefacts appear to be remnants of older structures, possibly parts of pillars or other architectural elements. He said they were found near the Saptakoteshwar temple and the Koti Tirtha tali (tank) as workers carried out cleaning, pathway reconstruction, and other preparations for Friday’s programme. Among the objects recovered is an anthropomorphic or zoomorphic carved motif resembling a Kirtimukha, a decorative element commonly associated with medieval architecture. Faldesai said the Kirtimukha is believed to have belonged to a temple, though this has not yet been confirmed through archaeological examination.

He noted that the absence of inscriptions currently prevents definitive attribution to a specific dynasty or monument. Additional director of archives Balaji Shenoy described the Koti Tirtha tank as being hewn directly into laterite rock at the north-eastern corner of the temple complex. He said flights of steps were cut into the rock at the northern and southern entrances to provide access to the water. The rock-cut walls, he added, are decorated with two rows of Rekha-Nagara shikhara motifs, separated by small niches known as ‘dev koshtak’, where deities are believed to have been placed. Shenoy said similar motifs appear on Kadamba-period coins and in temple architecture in Karnataka, indicating broader regional architectural connections.