A proposal for research at Aravalli’s Mangar Bani site is pending approval since 2021. Principal secretary terms it 'ambitious', but asserts govt will assess the proposal. The latest discovery of the pre-historic carvings in Aravalli has rekindled the debate between environmental activists and the Haryana government over the need for protection and deeper research of Mangar Bani forest area, an archaeological site between Faridabad and Gurugram districts, located near the Delhi-Haryana border.

The archaeologists believe that petroglyphs (rock carvings) found Friday in Sohna Tehsil’s Mandawar and Badshahpur Tethar villages by environmental researcher and activist Sunil Harsana likely belong to the Paleolithic era, or the Stone Age, that dates back to 10,000 BC. The present site is 10-15 km away from Mangar Bani, where Harsana discovered cave paintings in May 2021 while carrying out a wildlife survey.

"Though both (cave paintings and rock carvings) appeared to be the same, there were some differences like the paintings were found inside a cave but these carvings were found in an open site on rocks/stones. The earlier paintings were more elaborate,” he told The Print. A proposal for a detailed survey of about 5,000 hectares of Mangar Bani region was sent to the Haryana government by the state archaeological department in 2021, following the discovery of Stone Age tools and cave paintings belonging to the Paleolithic era, said Banani Bhattacharya, Deputy Director, Haryana Department of Archaeology and Museums. While archeologists and environmental activists believe that the latest discoveries are “significant" for Haryana and call for intensive research and conservation of the area, the archeological department’s proposal is yet to receive a nod from Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Meanwhile, M.D. Sinha, principal secretary, tourism department termed the proposal “ambitious" and said that the state government will assess it and take a further decision on specific areas that needed to be studied or protected. “The proposal was including a lot of area without mapping or verifying the authenticity of the findings. The government itself will carry out an investigation of an anthropological and archeological approach to scientifically study these sites as well as map the areas that require further research. Till then, we can can’t take step without doing proper investigation from our side,” Sinha said. Notably, in 2016, the state forest department demarcated 1,943 acres of land in Aravallis as Mangar Bani forests, that the environmentalists considered was a positive move in order to protect the hills. The same year, the state government notified the area as a ‘no construction zone’.

https://theprint.in/india/after-stone-age-rock-carvings-found-in-aravallis-growing-calls-for-protection-deeper-study/1361091/, February 1, 2023

INTACH Mangaluru and Art Kanara Trust organised the programme at the Bejai Government Museum. The Mangaluru chapter of IndIan National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), in association with the Art Kanara Trust, organised a ‘heritage spot sketching programme’ for students of Mahalasa College of Visual Art, along with a ‘visit to museum’ for students of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School, Mannagudda, on Sunday. The events, being the second such editions on ‘exploring Mangaluru heritage’, was conducted at the Shreemanthibai Memorial Government Museum, Bejai, here.

Museum curator Dhanalakshmi Ammal, School headmaster Ganesh Kumar, and artist and senior faculty at Mahalasa Syed Asif Ali were present. Intach Mangaluru convener Subhas Basu, initiated and introduced the programme and the dignitaries. Introducing the museum to students, Ms. Ammal gave a brief history of the heritage building. She invited the students to explore it. Mr. Ganesh Kumar advised the students to observe and learn from the artists and the museum displays. Mr. Syed Asif Ali did a quick spot sketch to mark the inauguration of the event.

He also guided students in their drawings. For nearly three hours, the students of both Mahalasa College and DKZPHP school were engrossed in sketching activities on the museum premises. In between, the children visited the museum galleries and were asked to submit a brief write-up about their visit. The dignitaries were presented with a copy of the booklet “Chennu: A Profile of Mangaluru City,” which was published recently by the INTACH Mangaluru Chapter and Art Kanara Trust.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/students-take-part-in-heritage-sport-sketching-and-visit-to-museum/article66447253.ece, February 2, 2023

A young tribe of historians in India is using social media and visual storytelling, especially Instagram reels, to give history context and change how people perceive the past. A year ago, Sruthin Lal discovered that his alma mater in Kavumthara village in Kerala was a mere 100 yards away from a 932 AD inscription about one of the earliest Chera kings, Kota Kota Perumal. Later, when historian Manu Pillai visited Kozhikode, the 32-year-old journalist and researcher took him to show the prized legacy of his village.

“Had an amazing day yesterday, hopping from one temple to another around Kozhikode with @sruthinlal, tracing their distinct histories (and stories), the transformations of their gods and legends, and simply staring in awe at some of these shrines,” Pillai later tweeted. And just like that, what was village lore or information privy to academia was suddenly in the public domain accessible to millions of netizens. Meanwhile, over 2,500 kilometres away, in Delhi, Sam Dalrymple (@travelsofsamwise) posted: “People are often surprised to learn that over 100 Mughal era mandirs survive in Old Delhi. Over the next few days, we will be sharing a handful of these with you…” Beginning in May 2022, as East Delhi was wracked by bouts of communal violence, he and historian Rana Safvi discovered and detailed dozens of temples that appear to be hidden in plain sight. The photographs were colourful and the stories, backed up by scholarly evidence, were even more so. There was a subliminal message about the syncretic culture of India that remained intact during the Muslim rule in India.

It was saying boo to divisive WhatsApp messages that were stoking the riots. It is this mixing of memories, memes, and reality that is creating tactile engagement with history for a different generation of users. Shifting debate with micro-histories The legacy of the late R.V. Smith in Delhi and S. Muthiah in Chennai or the ongoing work of Rahul Mehrotra in Mumbai and V. Sriram in Chennai has helped frame the history of these cities. Now, the mantle is moving to youngsters who are sharing and unravelling an Indian history that goes beyond binaries and biases. “Youngsters bring high levels of enthusiasm… and I am happy about the dissemination of information that is happening now,” says Sriram, who began conducting heritage walks in 1999 and has been instrumental in exploring little-known tales about Madras that is now Chennai.

“They are phenomenal with technology and a lot of areas lend themselves to be photographed.” Using the sensory rich medium of Instagram, young Indians are combating textual misinformation with tangible evidence. Instead of a single photograph or long, convoluted explanations, they are repositing history as they capture it with their cameras and phones. And their images and messages are drawing more and more young people to heritage sites and sending them to libraries.

In a nation largely in love with myths and stories and not facts, these social media users are shifting the debate on micro-histories. I think Instagram is a great medium for history storytelling. There is so much to learn from the audience as well,” says Sam, whose travel to research his book, Five Partitions: The Making of Modern Asia, set the stage for his account. When he is not going through archives or clicking photographs bringing forgotten stories to life, author-historian William Dalrymple’s son is currently working on his next book.

Correcting the lens Kozhikode-based Lal decided to start ARPO (Archival and Research Project @arpo.in) last year to document the history of Kerala beyond the limited tropes of caste, coconuts and cheena vala (Chinese fishing nets). “People in Kerala know more about South America and Russia than their own state as there is not a lot of academic research on the region. Even the simple fact about a place where Vasco da Gama landed is not correct in government documents,” he says. Recently, when he posted a quiz about the exact place where the Portuguese navigator landed in 1498, it elicited only two correct responses: Panthalayani Kollam. The majority of the respondents thought it was Kappad.

He sees historiography as an exercise of neglect or glorification. But “youngsters are coming to the subject without preconceived notions. They are open to learning factual history. They are consuming the information without judgement,” says Lal, who is currently working on a project with school children in Kasaragod and Malappuram, recording folk and tribal songs on their phones and sharing it with his team to create a digital repository. Called LoreKeepers, it aims to preserve cultural memories.

Another popular account is Karwaan Heritage (@karwaanheritage), a student-led history collective founded by Eshan Sharma, 22, a history student at Dyal Singh College, in 2019. What began as a “rebellion against confining history to classrooms” soon grew into heritage walks around Delhi and a strong community on Instagram. “There is a big gap between academic history and WhatsApp history — fake narratives that often divide communities,” he says, explaining how the page picked up over the lockdowns when they hosted Instagram Live sessions with historians. “Instagram is a visual platform and gives us the avenue to present what could be considered dry academic history in an attractive way through photos and reels.” The collective (16 students from across India and a few from Pakistan) extensively researches each post, and provides all their sources.

“When we started, we mostly had older people following us. But now it’s changing with Manu Pillai and other young historians being more active on social media, and more history platforms coming up on Instagram.”
COVID and shrinking attention
The two years of COVID-19 lockdown that had people cooped up at home riveted to their palm-sized screens has had a transformative effect on perspective. While health conspiracy theories hogged attention, another battlefront was the old bugbear of misinformation about the past.

Walk with them
Heritage walks across India first began as an effort by the Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to connect citizens with history. The first one in Hyderabad, inside the Chowmahalla Palace, had just 12 guests in the late ’80s. But today, all you have to do is search for “heritage walk + place name” and you will get dozens — from Goa, Mumbai, and Chennai, to Delhi, Kolkata, and Aurangabad.

These walks are changing the discourse between cities and history. In Chennai, Madras Inherited has been seeing a lot of engagement across demographics — both online and off. “Presenting history in a more engaging and digestible format has definitely reflected in how people engage with us; especially the younger generation,” says Ashmita Athreya, who heads the outfit’s Instagram (@madrasinherited), adding that they also keep in mind that the present needs to be highlighted “because one day that will be history”. This month, they’ve debuted a social media project on beverages in the city.

“The intention is to talk to different communities in Chennai and understand the city through this lens.” In Delhi, Karwaan Heritage is bringing together Swapna Liddle, Amar Farooqui and Sohail Hashmi in February to explore the Northern Ridge and Red Fort. “Rather than exhausting ourselves by trying to debunk misinformation, I think showing people that history is more complex and giving them the tools to understand this is a more powerful approach. It gives them a sense of the scale and nature of historical change and equips them to sense when history is being manipulated for political purposes," says Aniruddh Kanisetti, 28, author of Lords of the Deccan who frequently holds forth on debates about medieval kings, queens and their battles on @anirbuddha.

“I’ve received a lot of trolling and hate, but the messages of appreciation have been much more. There is a genuine curiosity and desire for factual and well-told histories, and I do that not only through my book but also through Instagram posts, columns, and memes,” he says. This model is something that Itihāsology (@itihasology), a blend of walks and talks with a distinct slant to hyper-rich portraiture, also follows.

Started by Eric Chopra and Kudrat Singh in 2019, when they were students of St Stephen’s in Delhi, it has been unearthing and sharing information about Indian art, culture, and history. “Itihāsology uses Instagram reels to make fun yet informative content. While these videos may be short and lively, the captions include the major chunk of the information along with a section on the sources referred to,” says Chopra. What would be a footnote in a big tome becomes a nugget of fun information here. Is there a Yemeni connection to the haleem in Hyderabad? How did the life of Guru Nanak transition from the oral tradition of Janamsakhis to paintings and finally to text. “Our focus is on debates, discussions, and uncovering interesting connections and interpretations, rather than merely presenting a collection of ‘facts’.

Our sources are academic monographs, edited volumes, and journal articles and citations are available for all the information that we present,” he says. Lucknow-based Maroof Umar grew @maroofculmen to 113k followers in under two years by showcasing lesser-known monuments and their history through reels and Instagram carousels. “The history of most cities is populated by its famous monuments.

In Lucknow, for instance, people know the Imambara and Rumi Darwaza. But what about the others that are neglected, such as Maqbara Begum Alia [tomb of the Hindu wife of the Nawab of Awadh Shuja-ud-Daula] and Makka Darzi Imambara? Once, I read a book about how, before the mutiny of 1857, the city had over 500 monuments.

These were destroyed by the British, and later by city expansions. So, I wanted to document what’s remaining,” says the 29-year-old, who runs a design agency by day. “Unless locals become sensitive about these places, we can’t do much to conserve them,” says Umar, who believes that with visual storytelling he is helping change how people perceive their own history. There’s more interest among the youth now, with many writing to him about the places they would like to see featured. “I am delving into cultural history now, looking at food, traditions, art, and the like,” he says.

Tap, type and swipe
According to Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at University of California, the average attention span is shrinking. In her new book, Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity, she reckons that in 2004 the average attention span on a screen was 2 1/2 minutes. Later, it shrank to 75 seconds and is now estimated to average 47 seconds. It is this short-attention span that is at the heart of the struggle to build a stimulating narrative. But these youngsters are successfully redrawing the intersection between history, society and social media.

“Instagram has reduced the attention span of people; nobody wants to read long captions. If I am sharing something on my stories, I do it for an audience that only watches stories and doesn’t check the feed,” says Sameera Kazmi (@theexploregenie), who has been creating a buzz with her reels about Hyderabad and its historical places. She adds that making content has also changed her perspective of the city. “It was through Instagram that I discovered heritage walks. Be it the Ashoorkhanas [the house of mourning where Shia Muslims mark the martyrdom of Husain] that I visited for years but knew nothing of its history, to now discovering many historical places in Hyderabad,” she concludes.
Instagram and collectibles
As interest in history booms, decorative arts, which have been neglected for long, are also finding a place in the sun. At Phillips, a popular haunt with collectors in Mumbai, their social media is helping them get wider reach. “Instagram has led to us being discovered by people across the country. There is a lot of information available on the platform and it is a good way to learn and discover more about your area of interest,” says owner Farooq Issa. His son Faisal, who took over the handle a few years ago, is making sure the storytelling is on point, too.

“We focus a lot on folk art, featuring photos of masks, puppets and the like,” he says, adding that the narratives that accompany each post are bringing in a diverse clientele. “More youngsters are interested in history and antiques now. And even if they don’t buy from us, they use this as a database to explore more on their own — heading to small towns and antique shops.” Faisal follows Arts of Hindostan and India Lost and Found platforms, both for their stories and the artefacts featured. With inputs from Surya Praphulla Kumar.

https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/instagram-india-history-sam-dalrymple-sruthin-lal-aniruddh-kanisetti-sameera-kazmi-eshan-sharma-eric-chopra-young-historians-reels-visual-storytelling/article66431103.ece, February 2, 2023

To uplift the existence of the Thathera community, which possessed traditional skill of making utensils, the Indian National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage (INTACH) has proposed the state government to release an economic package for them and make efforts to market their produce at national and international levels. On January 3, Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO had announced the government’s plans to develop the “Thathera Bazaar” located at Jandiala Guru in Amritsar as a heritage street. Under the project, the passages leading to the street would have traditional architecture worth Rs 7.15 crore.

In addition to it, a matching heritage gate worth Rs 5.10 crore would also be set up. Identified during the Maharaja Ranjit Singh era, the community had migrated from Gujranwala in Pakistan and established themselves at Bazaar Thatherian (market of the Thatheras), Gali Kashmirian, in Jandiala Guru.

While appreciating the move, Professor Dr Sukhdev Singh, Member, INTACH Governing Council, has written a note to the minister giving some practical suggestions that could help in survival of this dying heritage art.

Despite being recognised in the National List of Intangible Culture Heritage, 2020, and tagged by UNESCO as intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014, the community has been struggling for survival. Dr Sukhdev, who has also authored the book, “Thatheras of Jandiala Guru: An Insight into the Culture, Craft and Community", said it was a significant step to develop Thathera Bazaar keeping in view its heritage significance, yet until unless an exclusive financial package and trade incentives were provided, it would be hard to uplift the members of the community. “The first and foremost step could be a GST (Goods and Services Tax) waiver on handmade copper, bronze and brass utensils made by Thathera craftsmen. Second, the old quota system of brass scrap that they procure from the Indian Army should be revived so that they should not have to compete in open auctions.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/package-sought-for-utensil-makers-in-amritsar-474745, February 5, 2023

Students of the school participated in the INTACH Filmit workshop to commemorate their 15th anniversary in filmmaking and bringing awareness among schoolchildren regarding India's rich and varied cultural heritage at Bhavan Vidyalaya, Chandigarh. Among those who presided over the function were Rajiv Deswal, IPS officer and writer, Seerat Dhillon, producer and script writer, and Anjana Chopra, photographer and filmmaker.

The culmination of the event took place at St. Kabir Public School, Chandigarh, wherein documentaries and short films made by students were showcased. Teachers Anjali Anand and Sonal Sharma guided students during the making of the short films. School students Shrishti Dogra, Anish Katoch, Tanvi Chopra and Gatik Aggarwal made short films based on history and moral values. Shrishti Dogra, Class VIII student, won 'The Best Story Award'. The students were felicitated with a trophy, certificates and historical books as souvenirs. School MD Parveen Setya and Principal Nina Pandey applauded students' efforts.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/schools/gurukul-global-school-chandigarh-477164, February 6, 2023

Children always find a new perspective for things, and INTACH*s Greater Mumbai chapter in association with its Heritage Education and Communication Services Division is tapping into that talent. The organisation is holding Filmit - the annual curation of films made by students, for students - at the Sir JJ School of Applied Art today. Katyayani Agarwal (inset), convenor, said that children from across 15 Indian cities had spent the last year documenting projects that offered a new overview on communities around them.

"The communities that these children document through the films are part of our ongoing heritage," she said. Agarwal noted that the films are an insight into the new generation. "We want them to experience their perspective and the outlook of other kids who have been invited to participate in the festival."

https://www.mid-day.com/amp/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-diary-friday-dossier-23269699, February 7, 2023

In April last year, Rama Rao along with Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had formally launched the works to conserve, restore and strengthen Sardar Mahal. Work has commenced for the revival and restoration plan of Sardar Mahal, a landmark near the iconic Charminar in Hyderabad. Arvind Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, Urban Development, stated on Wednesday that an art studio, a vibrant cultural centre and a small cafe will come up as part of the restoration work. The official said the work has commenced in a tri-partite agreement with Kalakriti Art Gallery and Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA).

Arvind Kumar had recently revealed that Sardar Mahal will have an art gallery, cafe and heritage accommodation on lines of Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan. The state government already announced that Sardar Mahal will be developed as the cultural hub of the city, adding an attraction for thousands of tourists who visit Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Chowmahalla Palace and other monuments every day.

According to officials, Sardar Mahal, a palace built in European style by Nizam VI Mir Mahboob Ali Khan in 1900, will be conserved and restored to its original structure with additional architectural designs. Though Mahboob Ali Khan, the then ruler of Hyderabad State, built the palace for one of his beloved consorts, Sardar Begum, she refused to inhabit this token of love as it did not live up to her expectations. No one stayed there but the building took her name. It was declared a heritage building by the Heritage Conservation Committee and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) took over Sardar Mahal in 1965 due to outstanding property taxes. Minister for municipal administration and urban development, K. T. Rama Rao had asked the department and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to restore the famous Sardar Mahal. As per the plans announced earlier, the heritage structure will be developed as a cultural hub with a museum, 10-12 room hotel and various activities including exhibitions and performances. However, the authorities have apparently dropped the plans for the hotel. The proposed activities include cultural events, workshops, art exhibitions, heritage walks and hospitality.

The project has been taken up in Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Built, Operate and Transfer concept. According to QQSUDA, this will create and strengthen the identity of Hyderabad as synonym for heritage, creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation at local and regional levels and maximise the historical, cultural, social and tourist potential of Charminar area. In April last year, Rama Rao along with Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had formally launched the works to conserve, restore and strengthen Sardar Mahal. Rama Rao had announced that the project taken up at a cost of Rs 30 crore will not only protect the heritage structure but add attraction to tourists visiting Hyderabad.

https://www.siasat.com/hyderabad-work-begins-to-restore-sardar-mahal-in-charminar-2521944/, February 8, 2023

What makes Jamia food special compared to other areas of Delhi is the pocket-friendly cuisine with no compromise in quality and quantity. The Muslim-dominated Jamia Nagar has regularly made headlines— be it 2008, when terrorists and police engaged in a gunfight at Batla House, or a decade later when Shaheen Bagh became the centre of the CAA-NRC protests in 2019. But more recently, the residential locality has emerged as a hub for food lovers. From traditional Mughlai to Lebanese and Nepali to Turkish, the cuisines on offer are a reflection of the people who call Jamia Nagar home.

Today, the congested lanes of Jamia Nagar can give traditional food haunts such as Old Delhi, Matia Mahal and Nizamuddin a run for their money. Zakir Nagar, Batla House, Shaheen Bagh, Tikona Park and Okhla Head neighbourhoods in Jamia Nagar have become popular haunts among foodies. Recently, the Delhi chapter of INTACH Heritage organised a food walk at Batla House and Zakir Nagar. It was the first such walk to cover the ‘food of Jamia Nagar’.

The ubiquitous butter chicken was on the menu, but dishes like nahari, Lucknowi galawati kebabs and keema, Hyderabadi dum biryani, tangdi kabab and anjeer halwa were some of the other highlights. The butter chicken, tikka-grilled perfectly with a blend of spices on an open flame was buttery and creamy. The galawati kebabs with their crisp coating and tender meat melted in the mouth. All the better with a steaming hot cup of milky but heavily spiced Nagori chai—which is sweeter than other Indian teas—to wash it down.

“The development of Zakir Nagar and the surrounding area has been shaped by several waves of Muslim migration from in and around Delhi over the last four decades. These migrants brought with them their own unique cultures, traditions, and, most notably, their culinary traditions, which reflects its rich food culture today,” conservation architect Yash Gupta of Intach Heritage said, sipping Nagori tea in Zakir Nagar. A melting pot on your plate. Since 1990, the area developed rapidly into an industrial, commercial, educational and residential hub. But despite the massive expansion, successive governments have failed to make comprehensive plans for its development. Uncontrolled urban migration later resulted in the formation of unauthorised colonies here.

Jamia Nagar is a congested and cramped area, but it is also a unique mix of cultures. “This area has not been explored much. If a study is done here and basic facilities are provided in the narrow streets, then Jamia Nagar can be explored more,” Gupta added. University students from countries such as Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Turkey also call Jamia Nagar home, and they’ve brought their food and spirit of entrepreneurship with them.

“Here you get to eat a variety of authentic food because there has been migration from many countries due to crises or other reasons. You will also find Afghani dishes here because there is a good population of Afghans in this area. You will see the effect of the migration that has taken place within the country through the food,” said Farooq Miya, owner of a restaurant in Zakir Nagar. Authentic and affordable What makes Jamia food special as compared to other areas of Delhi is the pocket-friendly cuisine with no compromise in quality and quantity.

“Areas like Old Delhi have become so hyped. To keep up, food is cooked and served. And this has affected quality,” Saleha Siddiqui, a chef by profession, told ThePrint. Siddiqui, 26, grew up in Abul Fazal, Jamia Nagar where she runs a bakery of her own—Salzbakes.

Residents attribute the cheap food in this area to the students of Jamia.
“The great taste here at affordable prices is due to Jamia University and its students. Because the number of students studying in this area coming from other states and countries is very high, it is necessary to make food affordable for them,” said Mohammad Ashraf who has become famous for his anjeer halwa, shahi tukda, moong dal and aloe vera halwas. He’s been perfecting these recipes over the last 40 years.

Ashraf’s shop is located near the mosque in Zakir Nagar. Aloe vera halwa is an unusual dessert, but it’s also a reflection of the willingness to push the boundaries of traditional cuisine. “I was working in a five-star hotel, but I wanted to start experimenting with food. I quit my job and opened my own small shop in Zakir Nagar. Here, we started making different types of kebabs. We made a Lahori dish which we cook for 36 hours. Our experiment has been successful,” said chef Abdul Kalam, owner of Chelo Kebabry. If food is an expression and reflection of a region or neighbourhood’s history, geography, and socio-political and economic conditions, then Jamia Nagar’s food is its heritage. “Food is an expression of who we are, and who we are is defined by so many diverse aspects. This is what makes the food culture of Zakir Nagar/Jamia Nagar so nuanced. It’s a junction of many cultures and people,” Saleha said.

https://theprint.in/features/move-over-old-delhi-nizamuddin-jamia-nagar-is-capitals-new-food-adda-mughlai-to-lebanese/1355132, February 9, 2023

The historic naula (naturally occurring water aquifer) of Syunrakot, the birthplace of Hindi Chhayavadi poet Sumitranandan Pant in Hawalbagh block of Almora, has been declared an ancient monument of national importance. "The Union government issued a gazette notification recently declaring the Syunrakot naula a protected monument of national importance. Now, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will do the conservation work of this aquifer, " said Manoj Kumar Saxena, ASI Dehradun circle head. With this, the number of protected monuments in the state has reached 44. The Syunrakot ka naula was built by Chand rulers -- a Hindu Rajput ruling clan of the Kumaon kingdom -- in the 14th and 15th centuries.

As the naula was "turning into ruins due to a lack of maintenance" , the ASI started action over a year ago to take the monument under its protection. For this, relevant documents were sent to the Union government for approval after completing the formalities. On January 23, the Union ministry of culture declared the Syunrakot naula an ancient heritage of national importance. In the next step, ASI will seek permission for the construction and reconstruction work within 300 m of the naula. According to ASI, the east-facing naula structure is square in shape. It has a 'baoli' (well) preceded by a verandah and two pillars. It also has three rectangular chambers, each on the west, north and south sides. On the ceiling, beautiful sculptures of gods and goddesses are engraved.

https://theprint.in/features/move-over-old-delhi-nizamuddin-jamia-nagar-is-capitals-new-food-adda-mughlai-to-lebanese/1355132, February 9, 2023

The site is at the foothills of Murli Pahar, a hillock on the banks of river Ganga in Sultanganj block of the district. Researchers at the Bhagalpur museum in Bihar have claimed they have stumbled upon ancient stone carvings at the foothills of Murli Pahar, a hillock on the banks of river Ganga in Sultanganj block of the district, and have demanded to declare the hill as protected monument. The site is located adjacent to the Ajgaibi Mahadev temple, around 25 kilometres west of Bhagalpur town.

A team of researchers, led by curator of Bhagalpur government museum, Shiv Kumar Mishra, carried out a survey of the Murli Pahar foothills last month when came across the carvings, which, they say, came out after Ganga returned to its course after several years. Mishra, in a letter to the state archaeology directorate, has said that the Archaeological survey of India (ASI) or Intach (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) be roped in for conservation and restoration of around 50-60 stone carvings of Hindu deities and other religious symbols, which could date back to Gupta period (6th century) but have suffered damages due to recurring floods and exposure of extreme weather conditions over the years.

“The stone carvings might have been under the streams of Ganga, which used to flow between Bhagalpur town and Ajgaibinath temple about 20 years ago. The carvings surfaced after Ganga changed its course slightly and moved away from Murli Pahar. Carvings of Lord Vishnu, Surya, Shiva, Ardhanarishwar, Ganesh, Durga, besides Lord Buddha, Navagrah, Rudra Pad and other spiritual symbols have come out in the open on stones at the foothills. There are some scripts written in Brahmi, which suggest the age of the carvings,” say the report prepared by the researchers.

Eminent archaeologist and former director of KP Jaiswal Research Institute, Chitranjan Prasad Sinha, said there were a series of stone carvings in the hills of Bhagalpur, which mostly date back to Gupta period.

“If explored properly, there are chances that some older carvings even from pre-historic age could be found, as the civilisation thrived mainly on the banks of rivers,” Sinha said, while backing the demand for urgent conservation of the antiquarian remains spotted recently. Deepak Anand, archaeology director, on whose instructions the survey was carried, said he could not recollect what was discovered.

“Let me check on Monday,” he said. However, some officials at the directorate, who did not wish to be identified, said the government was reluctant to let the archaeological remains pertaining to Hindu religion come into spotlight as it might risk the peace of this communally sensitive region, as there was an old mosque atop Murli Pahar. Archaeologists believe the mosque could also be around three to four centuries old and followers of Islamic faiths do occasionally visit it.

https://theprint.in/features/move-over-old-delhi-nizamuddin-jamia-nagar-is-capitals-new-food-adda-mughlai-to-lebanese/1355132, February 13, 2023

A two-foot high statue of Lord Krishna was discovered in a village in Bramhapuri in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district, a historian said on Sunday. Ashok Singh Thakur, who is a member of the executive committee of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), said the idol found in Khed village belongs to the Chalukya dynasty of the 12th century AD.

The idol, which depicts Krishna playing a flute, has been carved in single stone and was found during digging work for some construction in the village, he said. “The idol has been made in the southern style with black stone. It is possible someone brought it here from the south of the country. However, during this digging, we did not find remains of any temple,” Thakur said. Meanwhile, villager Gajanan Mankar, on whose plot the idol was found, said he felt blessed and wanted to build a temple at the site. PTI COR BNM BNM

https://theprint.in/india/maha-12th-century-chalukya-dynasty-krishna-idol-during-digging-in-chandrapur-village/1368048/, February 14, 2023

Stating that India has inherited healthy food habits to the world centuries ago, Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH) state convenor SVS Lakshminarayana has observed that there is strong need to transfer the rich heritage proprieties to the future generations. He said that an aggressive campaign should be taken up in the schools and colleges to make the children aware of the healthy food habits that were practiced centuries ago. Intach organized a painting competition for the school children with ‘Khana-Khazana’ topic at KLP school in Guntur on Tuesday.

The children were given advance information about the topic and as to how to get prepare themselves to the contest. Surprisingly, a good number of students from several schools turned up at the contest and exhibited their skills to showcase the rich food varieties of India culture. Speaking at the prize distribution ceremony, Lakshminarayana said that each and every festival in India is linked with some interesting culinary which were exclusively designed keeping in view of the season of the festival. He said that all the festivals were celebrated with making of mouthwatering food items but they were all healthy and natural foods.

“The arrival of western food-joints has spoiled the health of several young generations as the junk food is poisonous to the health. It is high-time that we switch to our own traditional foods which are healthy, ” advised Lakshminarayana. He said that Intach is working on spreading awareness among the younger generations about the issue by way of organizing different contests, competitions and field visits. Red cross vice-chairman P Ramachandra Raju said that the students should know that all the Indian foods have very high demand across the globe. He said that health could be protected with healthy foods inherited by the previous generations. “The outbreak of covid-19 has once again reminded us of keeping fit which is possible only with healthy food, ” said Raju.

KLP school correspondent Dr Kondabolu Krishna Prasad observed that children should always keep away from the junk foods to keep them healthy. He lauded the services of Intach in creating awareness about the rich food habits of Indian culture. Ravi Srinivas, Abbaraju Rajasekhar, Sita Ramash, principal Rajani were also present.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/we-need-to-transfer-healthy-foods-of-india-to-future-generations-intach-convenor-lakshminarayana/articleshow/97923526.cms?from=mdr, February 14, 2023

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will soon start the gradation of 350 heritage buildings in the city. The civic body will also install plaques in these houses describing the reason behind the particular building getting a heritage tag. “There are many buildings in the city that have received heritage tags but are yet to be graded. The residents of the heritage buildings that are not graded cannot take up repair and maintenance work.

So, we have taken up gradation of the buildings on a priority basis," Swapan Samaddar, Member Mayor in Council of KMC’s Environment department who also heads the Heritage department said. Samaddar said that 1000-odd buildings have already been graded by the KMC’s heritage wing. Further gradation of 350 buildings has recently been approved in the recent Member Mayor in Council (MMiC) meeting in the KMC.

The 350-odd buildings that have been identified are mostly located in Central, North as well as in East Kolkata. Grade I, Grade IIA, Grade IIB, Grade III are the various grades that are assigned by the KMC. While assigning the grade, the Heritage Committee of the KMC weighs the structure or precinct’s, architectural value, age, national and local importance, its physical condition among other such crucial parameters. Sources in the KMC said that there are some legal hurdles regarding the gradation of some of the buildings. So, there will be a clear-cut explanation behind the gradation of every building.

The KMC has also initiated the process of installing blue plaques in front of heritage buildings that fall under a grade I in the city. The house of Rani Rashmoni in Janbazar in Central Kolkata has already witnessed the putting up of such a plaque to make people aware of the history of the structures and give birth to a sense of pride in the city among the residents. Houses in London where famous people lived or epoch-making events took place have blue plaques installed outside. In Kolkata, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) has installed blue plaques for nearly 50 buildings but most of them are popular heritage structures, including eateries and social clubs.

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/bengal-among-top-10-states-with-most-comprehensive-ev-policies-508982?infinitescroll=1, February 15, 2023

The institution is being touted as the first of its kind, with a repository of records that spans 600 years. Deep incisions dance along a single palm leaf in a cursive, curly script that is inked and behind glass — this may look like any other palm leaf manuscript, although it is anything but. This particular piece chronicles a battle that changed the fate of would-be Dutch colonisers in India. It was the storied Battle of Colachel, where the Travancore king Marthanda Varma defeated the Dutch East India Company, 20km from Kanyakumari, the land’s end of India, ending Dutch ambitions of expansion in the subcontinent. This slice of history is being exhibited at the newly opened Palm Leaf Manuscript Museum, housed in a series of tiled roof cottages set around a quadrangle, at the renovated Central Archives Fort, in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala.

Touted as the world’s first palm leaf manuscript museum, it is a repository of records of various facets — from sociocultural to administrative — of the erstwhile Travancore state, straddling 600 years from 1249 to 1896.

A brief history of palm leaf manuscripts
India’s rich knowledge has been passed down generations, through various oral and written traditions, using materials including stone, copperplates, bark, palm leaves, parchments and paper. Palm leaf manuscripts were the earliest writing materials in India and South-East Asia, dating back to the fifth century BC. Today, there are millions of palm leaf manuscripts in India in various languages and dialects from Malayalam and Sanskrit to Devanagari and Tamil. Many manuscripts are stored in temples, religious institutions and libraries across the country, and contain information on everything from land records to grammar, poetry and even philosophy. Many have been exposed to the vagaries of nature and deteriorated. Usually dried and smoke-treated palm leaves of the palmyra palm or talipot palm were used.

Two species of special palm leaves were selected, then boiled in hot water, dried in the shade and cut to one metre in length, and smeared with lemon grass oil to prevent them from deterioration and termites. Palm leaf manuscripts were inscribed with a metal stylus and then inked. Each sheet had a hole through which a string could pass, and then they were tied together like a book, between two wooden planks. A palm leaf book could last for even as long as 600 to 800 years, unless it decayed due to moisture, insects and mould, for example.

Inside the Palm Leaf Manuscript Museum
The museum is curated by Keralam, the Museum of History and Heritage, and housed in a 300-year-old heritage building which once used to be a jail. The manuscripts stored here are in the ancient Malayalam script and some of them are displayed as a bundle, whereas others are just a single leaf. The team in charge of the project had to sort through as many as 15 million palm leaf manuscripts, from record rooms throughout the state, and restore those that were in poor condition. The museum has eight galleries, separated by theme, and 187 rare and ancient manuscripts are stored here, in special aerated glass cases with controlled humidity and protection from pests, with a plaque explaining its contents.

The exhibitions are divided into themes such as the history of writing, land and people, administration, war and peace, education and health, economy, art and culture, and Mathilakom Records, which includes details of the famous Shree Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple and its vast wealth. Each display has a magnifying glass, making it easy for visitors to see the writing and script up close and come with QR codes that can be scanned for more information and videos. Each room also has a kiosk where you can download or print the entire transliteration of a palm-leaf manuscript.

One manuscript is from 1864, when the king wanted to empower the local women and gave them rupees 300, a princely sum in those days, to start an enterprise. Another points to how the kings tried to prevent sati, an old Hindu practice in which a widow sacrifices herself by sitting on top of her deceased husband's funeral pyre. One manuscript restricts travel between the regions that are now Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, during the outbreak of smallpox, while another mentions officers fined for late attendance. “The museum traces the history of the state and also the progress of the local Malayalam script which evolved from earlier versions,” explains archivist KS Nandakumar. The History of Writing section traces the evolution of the Malayalam script, as well as talks about how history was recorded down the ages. There are styluses that were used to write on palm leaf and bamboo carriers that transported the bundles of palm leaf manuscripts to the palace for the king’s signature.

'Indians have woken up to these treasures'
For many decades, interest in these valuable manuscripts had faded, until on February 14, 2007, the National Mission for Manuscripts launched the National Database of Manuscripts, which contains information on more than a million Indian manuscripts. Now it aims to document, as far as possible, each document, whether in a museum, library, temple, madrassa or private collection. They work through 57 manuscript resource centres and trained conservators.

In Bangalore, the NGO Tara Prakashana was started in 2006 by PR Mukund, a renowned professor with a doctorate in electrical engineering, who divides his time between the US and India, and has a palm leaf digitisation project where they have patented a technology called Waferfiche to archive images. The team also uses cotton acid-free archival paper that can last for 200 to 300 years, to copy and print the old manuscripts. They have also used silicon wafers to save the manuscript in digital formand the trust has so far preserved more than 3,000 palm leaf manuscripts.

“It's impossible to estimate the number of palm leaf manuscripts across South India that are in existence, as many families and scholars have ancient palm leaf manuscripts in their private collections, and many religious institutions and libraries have extensive collections not known publicly," says Mukund. “The main problem in these manuscripts is the lipi, or script, as many of them are no longer used or are understood by very few people. It’s a challenge to find a scholar who can transcribe them into a script that can be understood now. “For hundreds of years we have ignored this rich legacy, but suddenly Indians have woken up to these treasures and decided to preserve them and digitalise them for posterity. In these manuscripts, one can find an amazing amount of practical knowledge with great depth, that is applicable to all aspects of life from medicine to astrology. Rediscovering all this ancient knowledge and applying it to our lives today is going to be exciting."

https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art-design/2023/02/17/kerala-museum-gives-indias-historic-palm-leaf-manuscripts-a-new-home/, February 16, 2023

Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s heritage conservation committee had granted permission to Delhi Art Gallery for purchase of the house. The house that painter Jamini Roy built is changing hands: from members of his family to a private gallery. The heritage conservation committee of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) had granted permission to Delhi Art Gallery (DAG) for the purchase of Roy’s house at 18/39 Jamini Roy Sarani in south Kolkata, on condition that the “building will be preserved and maintained properly".

Sources both in the Jamini Roy family and DAG confirmed the sale. Both sides declined to comment. It is a three-storey house, tucked away in a quiet lane in Ballygunge Place with art deco features, green slatted windows with a staircase running from the entrance to the top floor. The house, which features on a long list of heritage structures drawn up in 1998, had not been assigned any grade subsequently. It remained a “grade-pending” building among about 1,300 others.

Sources in the heritage conservation committee of the KMC said that the KMC has recently decided that all “grade-pending” buildings will be assigned a grade. The decision was approved by the mayoral council of the KMC last week.

Assigning a grade will make it clear how much protection the building will enjoy and what are the relaxations available. There are four grades — I, IIA, IIB and III — and grade I structures enjoy the highest protection. The resolution that allowed the purchase of the property by DAG was passed by the heritage conservation committee in 2019. “It mentioned that the building must be preserved and maintained properly,” said a member of the committee.

Sources in the know said the deal between the family and the art gallery is not new. It was finalised a few years ago. “But the execution has been completed only recently,” one of them said.

A large number of Jamini Roy paintings form a part of the collection of Rajya Charu Kala Parshad.

In 1984, 272 paintings were acquired from Roy’s private collection at his Ballygunge Place (Jamini Roy Sarani) house. Such a large collection of his paintings, in all probability, cannot be found anywhere else except, maybe, the National Gallery of Modern Art, writes Jogen Chowdhury in March 2014 in a prologue to a book on Roy by Sanjoy Kumar Mallick.

Jamini Roy’s paintings are also a part of the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, London, and Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata.

Art historian Tapati Guha Thakurata said: “Roy moved to this house at Dihi Serampore Lane (as it was known in 1950) when he was 60. It was here that he begins his family-style production and also involved his son. But his older rented house in Ananda Chatterjee Lane in Bagbazar was an iconic studio. The house might have articles used by him.” The artist was born in 1887 at Beliatore in Bankura to a “petty landowning family”. His father, Ramtaran Roy, was supportive of his career, says Mallik in his book.

He joined the Government School of Art and Craft in 1903 at the age of 16. In his studio in Ballygunge, he produced a range of stock motifs which his apprentices copied and all of which were signed with his name. This increased the production and dissemination of his work. “Jamini Roy’s paintings were available for as little as Rs 20 to Rs 50 and they were being gifted by everybody,” said Tapati. A Padma Bhushan awardee in 1955, he gained international fame in the 40s when his exhibitions were held in London in 1946 and in New York (1953). He died on April 24, 1972. The Archaeological Survey of India along with the ministry of culture declared that his works along with eight other artists would be considered a “national treasure”.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/news/jamini-roy-home-at-ballygunge-place-to-be-gallery/cid/1917028, February 17, 2023

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India are cultural, natural, or mixed sites that have been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as being of outstanding universal value to humanity. UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India are cultural, natural, or mixed sites that have been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as being of outstanding universal value to humanity. As of now there are 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India, including iconic landmarks such as the Taj Mahal, cultural monuments like the Khajuraho Group of Monuments and the Elephanta Caves, and natural sites like the Western Ghats and the Sundarbans National Park. These sites are protected and preserved for future generations, and their recognition as World Heritage Sites brings international attention and support for their conservation and management.

Cultural Sites:
Agra Fort
Ajanta Caves
Ellora Caves
Taj Mahal
Group of Monuments at Hampi
Group of Monuments at Pattadakal
Khajuraho Group of Monuments
Elephanta Caves
Konark Sun Temple
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
Churches and Convents of Goa
Fatehpur Sikri
Group of Monuments at Mandu
Group of Monuments at Orchha
Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi
Red Fort Complex, Delhi
Hill Forts of Rajasthan
Rani-ki-Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat
The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
Natural Sites:
Kaziranga National Park
Keoladeo National Park
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
Sundarbans National Park
Western Ghats
Mixed Sites:
Khangchendzonga National Park
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks
Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area
Kalka-Shimla Railway
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)
Mountain Railways of India
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)
Rani-ki-Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat
Historic City of Ahmedabad
Please note that this list may be subject to change and there may be additional sites added since my knowledge cutoff date.

https://thenationalbulletin.in/list-of-38-unesco-world-heritage-sites-in-india, February 17, 2023

A room has been dedicated at the Police Museum to the bomb squad to showcase various explosives, protective and detection equipment; Steve Borgia conducts a heritage tour of the museum. The Tamil Nadu Police Museum in Egmore is testament to the achievements of the police department but also the history of the developments in policing and technology over the years. Acquired by the first police commissioner J.C. Boulderson in 1856 from C. Arunagiri Mudaliar, it was used by commissioners till 2014.

The museum contains nearly ₹10 crores worth objects from across the State and was established during the transition between two political parties. On Wednesday, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) conducted a heritage tour of the museum by Steve Borgia who provided a historical context to the building and museum.

The police constables had been trained to take visitors through the guided tour which looked at achievements of the Tamil Nadu police and historical events that shaped policing. Visitors remembered reading or hearing about events included in the display such as the Coimbatore bomb blast. Bharath Raj, museum’s curator, says the museum offers the younger generation an opportunity to understand the police as a force different from popular cinematic depictions. “We were particular to preserve the old look of the building and many police officers gave their suggestions and inputs regarding its curation,” he says.

The museum houses examples of modes of transport used by police officers from the spring cycle to the bulletproof car. Also on display is a confidential document copier and shredder that a constable explained was used by top officials when handling sensitive information. Pictures of Madras Central Prison a few hours before its demolition and Puzhal prison are enlarged on display as well as a restored cell unit from Tondamuthur Police Station in Coimbatore for visitors to understand a prison setting.

The Commissioner’s office is open in its glory and visitors are invited to sit on this seat of power surrounded by instruments no longer in use today. A room has been dedicated to the bomb squad to showcase various explosives, protective and detection equipment. Through the museum, one can form a history of policing methods as the Madras Police were the first to employ fingerprinting and the first to go wireless in 1923. Medals and achievements by officers and the force are on display as well. “Over the years, this building underwent many changes; toilets and partitions were added and eventually it caved in on itself”, said Mr. Borgia. Sujatha Sankar, convenor, INTACH- Chennai, said a building must breathe as humans do and when in use, it will be looked after.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/heritage-enthusiasts-learn-history-of-tamil-nadu-police-at-intach-event/article66541660.ece, February 20, 2023

Govt Degree College Basohli hosted essay writing and poster making competitions, organized under the aegis of Indian National trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Jammu Chapter, here today. The competition was organized on the topic ‘Khana Khazana: My Food Heritage’. The event was organized under the patronage of Dr. Nidhi Kotwal, Principal of the College, which was convened by Dr. Shiv Kumar in coordination with SM Sahani, convener INTACH, Jammu Chapter.

The competition was organised for the students of class 7th, 8th and 9th belonging to the different schools of Basohli which aimed to promote and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of local cuisines of the Basohli region. Dr. Kotwal welcomed the students and staff from the different schools and talked about the vision and mission of INTACH in the preservation of the art and cultural heritage of India.

She said that this event will provide a platform for students to showcase their creativity and highlight the cultural importance of local food. Dr. Shiv Kumar said that Khana Khazana: My Food Heritage is a unique opportunity for participants to showcase their creativity and their passion for food. A total of 42 students from different schools participated in the event. A formal vote of thanks was presented by Dr. Mohd Aftab and refreshment was distributed to the participants.

https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/gdc-basohli-hosts-essay-writing-poster-making-competitions/, February 21, 2023

A 700-year-old paper factory in Kagjipura near Daulatabad, famous for its handmade paper, has been revived with the help of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). The factory had shut down in 1995 due to rising production costs and lack of demand. However, with financial support from INTACH, the factory has been reopened and is now producing paper that is in high demand from abroad. The factory, which was established in 1954, used to employ 50 to 100 artisans, but had to close down due to financial difficulties.

With INTACH's support, more than 10 workers are currently employed at the factory, and paper production is being exported to countries such as Germany and Australia. Orders have also been received from two more countries, according to the president of the Kagjipura Handmade Paper Manufacturers Cooperative Society, Minaj Zain.

INTACH provided the necessary financial assistance and market for handmade paper, and also helped with machine repair and worker training. The project is being managed by coordinator Maya Vaidya, with co-coordinator Adv Swapnil Joshi and assistants Saurabh Jamkar and Amit Deshpande. Kagjipura's handmade paper has a rich history, having been used for drawing orders of kings during the reign of Muhammad Sultan bin Tughlaq, who shifted the country's capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in 1327. The revival of this factory has provided much-needed employment to the local community and is helping to preserve a valuable cultural tradition.

https://www.lokmattimes.com/aurangabad/700-year-old-tradition-kept-alive/, February 22, 2023

Close to 1,000 kalyanis (traditional water tanks) — which play a vital role in water conservation and hold religious significance for many — are set to get a makeover across the state as part of a government initiative. The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department is driving the restoration work at these tanks that had fallen into disrepair, with some turning into garbage dumping sites, due to poor maintenance. That is set to change. According to officials from the RDPR department, 517 kalyanis were identified for renovation in 2021-22, out of which works at 221 have been completed, while another 296 kalyanis would join the list soon as works are in the final stages. In 2022-23, 433 kalyanis were identified for renovation and 51 have got a makeover. “Like other water bodies, kalyanis cannot be seen only from the water conservation perspective," said Shilpa Nag, Commissioner, Rural Development (MGNREGS). "They have a religious connection and, in many places, even to this day people consume water from them. Hence, we have been cautious in their rejuvenation and have worked alongside locals, village panchayats, and all the stakeholders." Pankaj Modi, conservation architect with the INTACH, echoed Shilpa. “While they are a great source of water, many of them also have a cultural connection with communities in the surrounding areas,” Modi said. Another architect who has worked closely in the rejuvenation of kalyanis brought up their historical significance, pointing out that water tanks provide insights into planning in earlier times and past settlement patterns. “In many kalyanis, we can see inscriptions and sculptures on the steps. They give us insights into the history and it is important that we preserve historical heritage at these places,” said P L Udaya Kumar, a heritage conservationist. Modi pointed out that it is important to retain a few characteristic features of the kalyanis while taking up rejuvenation works. “The inlets and outlets should not be disturbed and the traditional methods used during their construction should become part of the methodology during conservation,” he said. Senior officials from the RDPR department said they are up to the task and aware of the challenges. “From civil works to clearing the accumulated waste, every kalyanis needs specific interventions and we make sure the architecture and the heritage are preserved during conservation,” a senior official said. Encroachment clearance Amid rejuvenation works, officials have also successfully removed the encroachments and have reclaimed the tanks. “The first step when we take up rejuvenation works is to get the land records and mark the boundaries. Our officials work closely with the revenue department, conduct surveys and ensure the entire area is reclaimed before the rejuvenation works begin,” said Shilpa.

https://www.deccanherald.com/state/top-karnataka-stories/nearly-1000-kalyanis-set-to-get-makeover-in-karnataka-1195392.html, February 24, 2023

According to the official, the Vishnu temple at Gorahandi dates back to the 6th-8th century, the period when the region of the undivided Koraput district was under the sway of the Nala Dynasty and just three km from Gorahandi had an ancient Jain temple of the early Kalinga dynasty. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has alleged that two heritage temples including a 6th-century Vishnu temple in Odisha’s Koraput district have been destroyed. INTACH state project coordinator Anil Dhir, who, along with other members, visited the Vishnu temple at Gorahandi and the Jain temple at Phupugam of Koraput district on Sunday, said the old temples were completely dismantled and their stone blocks scattered all over the agricultural field.

According to the official, the Vishnu temple at Gorahandi dates back to the 6th-8th century, when the region of the undivided Koraput district was under the sway of the Nala Dynasty and just three km from Gorahandi which had an ancient Jain temple. Dhir and his team of heritage enthusiasts, who learnt about these temples a year ago, said they alerted the state archaeology department. However, during Sunday’s visit to the sites, they found both temples dismantled.

“We found at both places the entire ancient structures had been dismantled, and the old stone blocks being chiselled and polished to make a new structure,” said Dhir, who visited the site with former IAS officer and INTACH member, Sanjib Hota, Ajit Patro, Deepak Nayak and Bikram Kumar Nayak. He said that all the carvings and embellishments of the earlier temples were totally destroyed and the ancient images of Chaturbhuja Vishnu and Jain Tirthankara were also removed. “Except for the carved door jambs, the entire decorative motifs have been destroyed,” Dhir added. Koraput district culture officer Preeti Sudha Juna, however, insisted that the department wasn’t to be blamed. “I am hearing about it for the first time,” she said. District collector Abdal m Akhtar said he was not aware of such temples in the area.

“Had I been informed about it, I could have done something…. Many times local people also do it as they worship idols kept in such monuments,” he said. INTACH said it had flagged the need to preserve the temples to the administration and wondered if it led to their destruction. “We feel guilty about highlighting their neglect. They had stood the test of time for nearly 16-17 centuries and our activism resulted in them being totally destroyed,” INTACH member Deepak Nayak said. Nayak said the conservation work was done in an unscientific manner by semi-skilled persons. “It seems that no archaeological expert visited the place. The dismantling of two of the earliest stone temples is a cultural genocide. The job of state archaeology was to conserve, preserve and restore the ancient temple, not to reconstruct it,” he said. Dhir lamented that no professional archaeologist or heritage expert would demolish the old structures and make a new one in its place, adding that both the old temples were in a restorable state and could have been conserved in their original form without causing any damage.

“Little can be done now. The ancient images of both temples are now kept in the open, vulnerable to theft. There is no clue when the half-finished work will be completed. The best would have been to keep the old temples intact and make new ones where the images could have been secured,” he said.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/others/destroyed-6th-century-heritage-site-says-intach-on-2-koraput-temples-in-odisha-101677767838150.html, February 27, 2023

Steve Borgia takes a group of history enthusiasts on a two-hour tour at the Tamil Nadu Police Museum, sharing snippets from the past. To the curious crowd, eagerly waiting for the snippets of history and language that the monument speaks, Steve Borgia, honorary executive curator of the Tamil Nadu Police museum, shared the quote of an unknown policeman’s wife - “I slept alone most nights so that the rest of the women could sleep.” It is the valour and dedication of the policemen and their families that are on proud display in the museum. He said, “The Tamil Nadu police are not ordinary. They have a great track record. We had such great stalwarts to govern this country. They have been policing and performing their duties since the Rajaraja Chola time.” The recent heritage walk organised by INTACH showcased the tales behind the setting up of a one-of-a-kind police museum.

A model museum
The edifice stands as an example of how to revamp and preserve an old building. The adaptive reuse of the Indo-Saracenic structure, which was initially the office of the city police commissioner, was taken up by the Reach Foundation and Conservation Mainstream, along with Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation. “The museum was one of the easiest things in my life. When the officials called me and shared the idea of revamping the place, I immediately fell for it.

Over the years, there were a lot of structural modifications that were brought to the place by different commissioners. We had to move out almost 14 tonnes of debris. Through the process, we learned what to do and what not to do to a building,” Steve shared. From seemai vandis to the recent bulletproof vehicles, we were greeted by history in the corridors of the museum. “The building which was once the bungalow of C Arunagiri Mudaliar was bought for `21,000 by the first commissioner of Madras Police, JC Boulderson,” he informed us. The milestones of the Tamil Nadu police over the years — from the Sangam Era to the pandemic period — framed on the wall, showed the remarkable service of the policemen.

The museum also has on exhibit the evolution of technology used in the force including printing machines, shredders, communicating devices, explosives, and devices of protection. Amid the artefacts lay a few belongings of criminals. Pointing to the corner where Veerappan’s pot stared at us, Steve shared, “This is a popular selfie centre of the museum.” For a few of us, recovering from the hangover of the latest Amazon Prime Video Series, Farzi, next came an exciting story of Kallanote’u Krishnan from Coimbatore who made fake currencies. “In 1957, G Krishnan, the owner of CS & W Textile Mills Limited, purchased some other textile mills in rapid succession, paying an advance in each case. Unable to raise the remaining amount, he was tempted to get over the financial difficulty by printing counterfeit currency notes.

He, along with another counterfeiter KR Antony, set up a German Heidelberg printing machine and an Indian cutting machine in a rented house in Coimbatore. After lots of trial and error, he made counterfeit notes with a nominal value of almost `15 lakh. RN Krishnaswamy, deputy superintendent of police, crime branch, CID, commenced an investigation in April 1960 and in July of that year, Krishnan was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment. The investigation process was considered a great piece of education. The museum restored some presses and blocks used by Krishnan and is now exhibited here,” Steve narrated. Astounded by the bravado of Krishnan, we move on to the library which houses books written by police officers.

The walls of the library adorn photos of former DGPs — from the first DGP W Robinson MCS to the current DGP C Sylendra Babu IPS. Among these is the photo of Letika Saran IPS, the only woman DGP of the state. A policewoman who was in charge of telling the tales of the artefacts and clearing the doubts of the visitors in this section came forward and explained, “This room serves as an inspiration for everyone who wishes to join the service. There are a variety of books including the rare incidents in police officers’ careers, autobiographies and stories of cases being solved.” Moving forward, the stories from Madras Central Prison were reported to this select audience during the walk.

“One of the oldest prisons in India, Madras Central Prison has housed great leaders like CN Annadurai, M Karunanidhi, J Jayalalithaa and even Subhas Chandra Bose. The photos of the prison displayed at the museum were taken by Desigan Krishnan, an hour before the demolition of the prison,” Steve said. The first floor with its spiral stairways introduced the crowd to an array of weapons. A bomb suit weighing 36 kg along with a five-kilo helmet gathered everyone’s attention. The commissioner’s office and chair of swords, which reminded everyone of the Game of Thrones chair, became photo-op corners. “Today when heritage is getting quashed, this museum is an example that there is always a possibility of preservation. When the agricultural department, sports council and so on have been trying to establish a museum for years, we made it a reality within two years. The government is also providing a lot of support for museums.

The cultural ministry of India allocates `5 crores for individuals and `10 crore for government organisations for the conservation of museums. This can help in the growth of the state itself. It will be an opportunity for people, especially architectural students, to learn about our history,” he pointed out. After two hours, as we reached the end of the trail, the tales of courage soaked us in deep reverance for the selfless service of Tamil Nadu police. The musuem is not merely a structure, it’s a breathing and living piece of history that needs to be preserved for posterity.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2023/mar/01/on-a-museum-patrol-2551802.html, February 28, 2023

There’s an exciting way to experience the uniqueness of Odisha, and it is called Raghurajpur. This heritage crafts village in Puri district is everything you need to see if you are a fan of all things heritage and craft. Located just 14 km away from the town of Puri, and about 50 km away from the capital city of Bhubaneswar, Raghurajpur is a gem of a place. Have you heard of the famous Pattachitra art form? Yes, it comes from this village. Raghurajpur is famous for its rich cultural heritage, especially for the Pattachitra art form, the traditional style of painting on cloth.

Is it the only art form from this region? No. The village is also home to many other traditional art forms, such as palm leaf engraving, wooden toys, and stone carving. One interesting thing about the Pattachitra is that the art form has been passed down through generations. For thousands of years, people from this village have managed beautifully to preserve this art form.

Did you know that the Government of India recognises Raghurajpur as a heritage crafts village? No wonder Pattachitra is so well-known and so well-preserved. Many families in the village are involved in traditional crafts and as soon as you enter the village, you will notice this. Here in Raghurajpur, many of the homes have detailed motifs on their walls and doors. This is to let the visitors know that these families practise Pattachitra. Isn’t that amazing? Raghurajpur has become a popular tourist destination in recent years, attracting visitors from all over the world.

Tourists can visit the village and witness traditional art forms being practised, interact with the artists, and purchase traditional handicrafts. These homes serve as both their residence and studio. The motifs used in Pattachitra paintings are typically inspired from the Hindu mythology and folklore of the region. These motifs are painted using natural pigments and dyes. In times of synthetic colours, the natural ones are just so special and so unique. It is the uniqueness of this artwork and this village that wins over every single visitor.

How to reach Raghurajpur?
By air: The nearest airport to Raghurajpur is the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar which is about 60 km away.

By train: The nearest railway station to Raghurajpur is the Puri Railway Station, which is about 14 km away.

By bus: Raghurajpur is well-connected to major cities and towns in Odisha by bus.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/unique-and-beautiful-world-of-pattachitra-in-raghurajpur-odisha/articleshow/98379117.cms, February 30, 2023