Heritage Science and Society

The metal composition of prized Chola bronzes including the Nataraja bronzes was studied, and the legacy of bronze casting in Tanjavur district comprehensively documented. Skilled metallurgical traditions were pointed to – ranging from specialised high-tin beta bronze vessels going back to megalithic periods, wootz steel production, gold mining evidence from the Tamil region and evidence for zinc extraction. A multi-institutional initiative “Digital Hampi” was coordinated, with its aim to document analysis of the heritage of Hampi using state-of-the-art technology. On metal crafts of the Cauvery region, on craft technology and sustainability in making icons, bells, lamps in the cultural heartland of Thanjavur district, in Tamil Nadu and lesser known practices in Kolar district in Karnataka, have been documented.

Cultural landscapes are explored using geospatial data to identify unrecorded and undocumented features of built heritage, and the results of such analysis are used for preserving built heritage in the face of rapid urbanization and development. The research areas include: exploring sea charts and coastal maps made in colonial period to study cultural heritage and geomorphology along the Indian coast; identifying archaeological mounds in large Buddhist sites in Ganga valley like Nalanda, Bodhgaya and Vikramasila using stereoscopic satellite images, photogrammetric techniques, and carbon dating (using AMS techniques) bricks collected from unprotected mounds; historical water systems in the extended landscape of Malaprabha River Valley; characterising and managing built heritage sites; orientation of sacred structures of a few Buddhist sites and their astronomical association; and analysing spatial transformations in the city of Agra in the last 300 years. In addition, using remote sensing, GIS and ground surveys, resulted in the first quantitative assessment of the Nalanda’s site’s extent, but also identified structures of archaeological significance that lie outside protected zones. This could form a model for tackling the thorny issues of identification of the area to be protected.

Various aspects of the Iron Age-Early Historic landscape of south India are being explored. An intensive survey of megalithic or Iron Age-Early Historic (IA-EH) burials at an archaeological site outside Chennai was carried out. The link between prehistoric monuments and later architecture has been studied. Through extensive field-based studies at a number of megalithic sites, the influence of megaliths on later structures like stupas and dolmens have been traced. Four new megalithic sites as well as a prehistoric rock-art site have been discovered and reported. The knowledge systems of megalith-builders constitute another aspect of study within this area.

A study of the earliest temples in stone, in southern India – under the Badami Chalukyas and the Pallavas, has been initiated, wherein early temple forms and their evolution in later periods have been studied. A method to diagnose antiquity of stone-craft based on an analysis of wedge marks on split stone has been developed. Specific areas where temples have been studied are – the Malaprabha Valley, the dominions of Rashtrakuta, Kalyani Chalukya and Hoysala rule, the temples of Kalinga and the Himalaya. A study of the life and work of early artisans is underway.

An investigation on “Cross-cultural musical exchanges in colonial India from the late 18th to the early 20th century” has been undertaken. This project has three distinct components: examining instances of cross-cultural musicological exchanges during the said period in South India; in Bengal; and to examine the phylogeny of tunes through computational analysis of acoustic signals.

A recently begun project focuses on pottery production and its relationship to archaeology and craft specialization.