The book delivers a profound analysis of the 60 monumental slabs which covered the dome of the as yet relatively unknown stupa at Kanaganahalli (Karnataka), one of the greatest discoveries of the Archaeological Survey of India in the 20th century. The study presents a stylistic examination of the reliefs and tentatively determines their original sequence. Using the Prakrit inscriptions on the slabs, as well as textual sources in Sanskrit, Pali, and Chinese, the ...
The Science of Antiquity: Essays in Archaeology and History
The question of the Homeland of the Indo-European (IE) or “Aryan” language family is, as riddles in the otherwise prosaic field of historical linguistics go, of unusual importance. It pits essentially two theories against one another. Either ancestral Proto-Indo-European (PIE), mother of most Indian and European languages, was spoken in Northwestern India, some 6000 years ago. This was the dominant view for some forty years after the close kinship ...
Research work on coastal Bengal has mostly focused on maritime trading networks. In a clear departure from the existing scholarship, this volume questions the linearity of considering trade as the sole determinant of creation of settlement in the coastal regions. Focusing on settlement strategies, Chattopadhyay unravels how human societies, through successive generations, have adapted to the coastal environment and bioregime. First-hand data, procured through ...
Archaeological Myths in Early Evolutionary History of Indian Civilization: A Study from Mesolithic to Early Historical Times in a Fresh Chronological Perspective
Focusing on one of the largest megacities in the world—Delhi—this volume is a rare peek into the ineluctable process of hybridization between Indian and ‘other’ cultures within its local architecture and urban planning. The book explores a segment of the history of Delhi from 1912 through 1962, when the contemporary megacity was born, making a comparison between pre- and post-Independence, which is relatively neglected in academia. The ...
Variations in Ceramic Variability: An Ethnographic Perspective
Variations in ceramics are culturally significant. These are an expression of the functions that they are meant to perform, the identity of a community and a reflection of time. It is therefore of great interest to archaeologists and anthropologists. Ceramic Variability is based on a survey of villages in different parts of West Bengal to see ceramic variability that is noticed these days within a linguistically similar community occupying different regions. The ...
Walking With Siva: Cognitive Roots of Indian Art, Archaeology and Religion (In 2 Volumes)
This volume speaks about the quest for the idea and image of a Universal Being which can be all things to all beings. It moves afar, looking for parallels, precedents and progenies, in Asia and the world, of the unique, hydra-limbed, massive 5th century ad Rudra Siva image found at Tala in Chattisgarh in India in 1987. It explores the immense vitality of its presence, simultaneity, ambiguity and profundity of its denotative and connotative meaning. Based on ...
Unraveling The Past: Archaeology of Keralam and the Adjacent Regions in South India
Unique physiographical region on the south-West coast of India forms Keralam which is bounded on the west by the Arabian Sea and the east in fortified by the Western Ghats. Keralam, somehow, was never in the vision of north Indian Archaeologists and above all Historians in Keralam felt more comfort to go along with certain unfounded legends or hypothesis. Thus the human history of the region remained shrouded in mystery. The Prehistoric studies in Keralam have ...
Stone Beads of South and Southeast Asia: Archaeology, Ethnography and Global Connections
The present book consists of nineteen Chapters on Ancient Indian History Culture and Archaeology. Keeping in mind the requirement of graduate and research students, I have tried my level best to gather facts from all sources including the published and unpublished works. The opening Chapter is on Sources of history without which it is impossible to say anything about the past. The second chapter is based on Indus Valley civilization and the beginning of the metal ...
A personal journey of a Konyak woman who retraces the steps of her grandfather and great-grandfather by documenting the tattooing practice of the Konyaks – a once fearsome headhunting tribe of Nagaland in India, well known for their iconic facial and body tattoos. For the first time this book compiles the most intensive research and documentation that has ever been done on tattoo art. It explores the Konyaks’ concept of beautification of the body ...
Mauryan Art (c. 321-185 B.C.) is the formative stage of early Indian Art and its roots are present in Harappan Art (c. 2700-2000 B.C.) of north-western part of South Asia. A few motifs of the Mauryan art, like the back-to-back Lions, Bull, Linga & Arghya, Trisula, Nandipada, Lotus, Srivatsa, Kalash, Chiti (Ratha chiti), monolithic polished pillar and rock-cut architecture are found in the lower tradition of Harappan art which were developed into higher ...
The present Nalasopara which in the ancient times was the core part of Soparaka is rich in the antiquarian remains in the form of stupa, votive stupa, inscription, relic casket, pottery, sculptures and other antiquities and remains of temples whereas its surroundings regions, also the integral part of Soparaka, are found with numbers of caves. These caves are tracered with chaityagrihas, cells, sculptures, water cistern and inscriptions assigning the date from ...
Indraprastha Revisited is a book of the papers presented at the first ever International conference held on this most ancient and first planned city that now lies within the confines of the present Delhi, India’s National Capital. This conference was organised by Draupadi Dream Trust on 22nd and 23rd November 2016, as part of the 1st Indraprastha Festival (18th -25th Nov 2016) and was supported by Ministry of Culture, ICCR and National Museum. Renowned ...
It was in Megalithic times that the whole country of India was united by one culture i.e. Megalithic. Attempt has been made to give a vivid description of excavations conducted in different parts., About the development of Megalithic culture in Chhattisgarh all the surveyed and excavated sites have been described. The culture is still alive in Bastar amongst the Adivasis who along with executing mini-menhirs, now erect wooden menhirs with beautiful folk-art ...
This book is a report on excavation conducted at Rajim in 2012-14. The site revealed cultural periods from Pre-Mauryan to Kalchuri. Structural remains and antiquities belonging to Pre-Mauryan, Mauryan, Satvahana, Sarabhapuriya, Paduvamsi and Kalchuri periods were recovered.The dig proved that Rajim was apart from being an important religious centre, a well developed trade centre as a rock-cut port has been located at Sirkatli, on river Pairi. The site was ...
The book deals about the excavations conducted in mound MNS-I at Mansar. The mound is located at the east of the protected area and is generally known as the Mahavihara Tekdi. The excavations have yield the palace complex built by Pravarasena II as he shifted his capital to this area.It is from here that Prabhavati Gupta used to go to Rametek to worship her god Nrsimha, whose templ was also built at this place when she became too old. The palace was surrounded by ...
From the preface: The excavation at Jagivanpur has led this non-descript village at the eastern fringe of Malda District in West Bengal, adjacent to Indo-Bangladesh border, to find an important place on the archaeological map of both Bengal and India. The archaeological activities at Jagivanpur began under the aegis of the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Govt. of West Bengal followed by the chance discovery of an extremely important copper plate charter ...
The stone age in south Asia is 48th book of Dr. D.P. Sharma. This activity book includes origin of Man, Lower Palaeolithic (4.4. Mya to .125 Mya), beginning of Chalcolithic (5500-4000 B.C.). In last there are questionnaire, suggested reading list of publications of authors and also chronology of South Asian region. This pictorial book is for Archaeologists, Anthropologist and Indian Civil Service Student. First Homonoid Sahelenthropus appeared in chad (Africa) ...
