Heritage Science and Society

Programme About

Despite the many challenges posed by the pandemic, the Heritage, Science and Society programme made critical progress in their research work in 2020-21. Studies were undertaken on the material culture of the Nilgiris and ancient Nilgiri metallurgy, the documentation and dating of a rock-cut temple and verification of a megalithic site in Kumaon Himalayas. Geospatial analysis for cultural heritage studies and on hydrological analysis in Badami to understand how natural resources were used for conserving water in historical times were conducted. A study on understanding pottery traditions through experiments was also undertaken.

Programme Head
Sharada Sharada Srinivasan
Professor and Head
School: School of Humanities
Programme: Heritage Science and Society
Room no: S 13
Tel: 080-22185125 Fax: 080-2218 5028
sharasri@gmail.com, sharadasrini@nias.res.in
Sharada-Resume.pdf
Faculty
Aishwarya
Doctoral Student
Phone:
E-mail:
aishwaryam@nias.res.in
Anna George
Doctoral Student
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E-mail:
DOCTORAL STUDENT
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E-mail:
Post-Doctoral Associate
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E-mail:
Benoy K Behl
ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
Phone:
E-mail:
diya
POST-DOCTORAL ASSOCIATE
Phone:
080-2218-5053
E-mail:
diyamukherjee.nias@gmail.com
Ekta Gupta
Doctoral Student
Phone:
E-mail:
PhD Scholar, Research Associate, Assistant
Phone:
E-mail:
Harikrishnan N
Doctoral Student
Phone:
E-mail:
Kuili Suganya
Doctoral Student
Phone:
E-mail:
MB Rajani
Associate Professor
Phone:
080 22185176
E-mail:
mbrajani@nias.res.in
PhD Scholar, Research Associate, Assistant
Phone:
E-mail:
Prabhakar Sangurmath
Adjunct Faculty
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E-mail:
Preeth Khona
Doctoral Student
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E-mail:
SR
Honorary Visiting Professor
Phone:
080-22185073
E-mail:
sranganathan@nias.res.in
SU
Assistant Professor
Phone:
080-22185163
E-mail:
archaeology1987@gmail.com, udayarch@nias.res.in
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DOCTORAL STUDENT
Phone:
E-mail:
saket.kumar@nias.res.in
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DOCTORAL STUDENT
Phone:
E-mail:
santa.ghosh@nias.res.in
Sharada
Professor
Phone:
Tel: 080-22185125 Fax: 080-2218 5028
E-mail:
sharasri@gmail.com, sharadasrini@nias.res.in
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DOCTORAL STUDENT
Phone:
E-mail:
shivansh.pareek@nias.res.in
Smriti Haricharan
Assistant Professor
Phone:
E-mail:
smriti.haricharan@gmail.com
Srikumar
Associate Professor
Phone:
080-22185134, +919844734781
E-mail:
srikumar.menon@nias.res.in
PhD Scholar, Research Associate, Assistant
Phone:
E-mail:
PhD Scholar, Research Associate, Assistant
Phone:
E-mail:
Viraj Kumar
Adjunct Faculty
Phone:
E-mail:
Archaeometallurgy

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 Landscape Research

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.

Megaliths and Early Monumental Architecture

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.

Early Temple Architecture

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.

Early Fusion Music

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.

Experimental Archeology

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

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Preliminary investigation of the methods of making bone tools: an experimental archaeology perspective
Wootz Damascus Steel and Evidence from South Indian Antiquity
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Assaying the eight metals of antiquity: Archaeometallurgical perspectives on Indian heritage
Keynote Lecture on Indian Metals Heritage: Some Archaeometallurgical Insights
Investigating early iron finds from Mayiladumparai Tamil Nadu
Tusks of wisdom: The elephant in the Buddhist art of Kanaganahalli
Ancient Iron Smelting in Nathara-Ki-Pal, Southeast Rajasthan
Pakistan Heritage
A Study of Art and Architecture of Avudayar Kovil Temple of Pudukkottai District, Tamil Nadu
The Traditional Craft of Leather Bellows-making: techno-ethnoarchaeological Perspectives from Sholapur, India
Initial exploration of the woodcraft techniques of Tamil Nadu
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Experimenting with bones: Preliminary research on bone tool making techniques
 Studies in South Asian Archaeology.
Metal Mirror Marvel From Aranmula, Kerala:A Rare Specular Delta Bronze Craft.
The Megaliths of Peninsular India and Their Possible Connection with Astronomy
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Improved Geospatial Analysis of Shoreline Modification Using a Weighted-Average based Novel Formulation
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Minerals and Metals in India
Casting Nataraja: Techniques of South Indian bronze casting
Metal Craft Heritage of Cauvery and Riverine Regions
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World Archeology
Megalithic high-tin bronzes: ethnoarchaeological and archaeometallurgical insights on manufacture and possible artistic and musical significance.
Orientations
Skilled mirror craft of intermetallic delta high-tin bronze (Cu31Sn8, 32.6% tin) from Aranmula, Kerala
Indian Journal of History of Science
Jain bronzes in Karnataka: some art historical and technical aspects
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Megalithic and surviving binary high-tin bronze traditions in southern India: Tracing binary bronze usage to Harappan times
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Indian Journal of History of Science
Indian Journal of History of Science
Copper Smelting Slags at Ingaldhal Mines, Karnataka: Early Historic Satavahana Links
Tamil Chola bronzes and Swamimalai Legacy: Metal Sources and Archaeotechnology
Ultra-high “wootz”from crucible carburisation of molten iron Hypereutectoid steel from Tamil Nadu Process at Mel-siruvalur
Iron Age beta (23% tin) bronze: Peninsular Indian bowls of Adichanallur, Nilgiris and Boregaon
Early gold mining and jewellery: Some Insights from the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
 Lietuvos Archaeologija
Archaeology as History: South Asia
Traditions of Science: Cross-cultural perspectives
Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia
Encyclopedia of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures
Metallurgy and Civilisation: Eurasia and Beyond
 A Social History of Early India
50 years of Southeast Asian Archaeology: Essays in Honour of Ian Glover
Asian Art and Culture
The World of Iron
Science and Metal Technology of Harappans
Pioneering Metallurgy: The Origins of Iron and Steel Making in the Southern Indian Subcontinent
Pioneering Metallurgy: The Origins of Iron and Steel Making in the Southern Indian Subcontinent
Pioneering Metallurgy: The Origins of Iron and Steel Making in the Southern Indian Subcontinent
Nature and Culture
Ramayana in Literature, Society and the Arts
Materializing Southeast Asia’s Past
Foundation of Sciences, Vol XIII, Part 5, History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian civilization
Metals and Civilisations
Metals and Civilisations
Elements of Siva’s dance: Finger-printing of Chola bronzes and the Reitberg Nataraja.
Ecstacy of Classical Art: Indian Bronzes, National Museum Collection
From Temple to Mantelpiece: Changing Paradigms in the Art and Crafts of South Indian Metal Icons
Key Metals and Alloys from Indian and South Indian Antiquity: An Archaeometallurgical Review
Iconography of the Hindus, Buddhists and Jains: Proceedings of the National Conference
Re-envisioning Siva Nataraja
The Multivalence of an Epic: Retelling the Ramayana in South India and Southeast Asia
Shiva: Lord of the Cosmic Dance
Performance at the urban periphery
Performance at the urban periphery
Pioneering Metallurgy: The Origins of Iron and Steel Making in the Southern Indian Subcontinent
Metals and Civilisations
India’s legendary wootz steel
Ecstasy of Classical Art: Indian Bronze
 Cosmology and Nataraja
Chola and Vijayanagara Bronzes: Archaeometallurgical Mapping of Shifting Iconographies
Digital Hampi: Preserving Indian Cultural Heritage
Performance at the urban periphery
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Possible Infuences of India on Southeast Asian Astronomy: A Brief Review of the Archaeoastronomical Record
From Megaliths to Temples: Astronomy in the Lithic Record of South India
Burial Markers or Ancient Observatories? Indian Megaliths and the Archaeoastronomy Debate
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In search of a mythical artisan: Tracking the Jakanachari legend of Karnataka
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Megaliths and Later Monuments
Megaliths: New Perspectives for Future Studies
Roots of Indian Astronomy
Megalithic Astronomy in India
Megalithic Astronomy in the Indian Subcontinent
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perspectives
nomads on the solar system
ancient stones riddles
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Ek Hathiya Dewal: A Rock-Cut Nagara Temple at Thal, Uttarakhand
The Ephemeral Cataract of Badami: An Early Chalukyan Artificial Waterfall?
Remote Sensing Investigation of the Buddhist Archaeological Landscape around Sannati, India
Prehistoric Painted Rock Shelter or Chalukyan Workshop? New Discovery of a Rock Art Site near Aihole and its Examination in Context
Stories from Silent Stones: On the Shape of Wedge Marks as Diagnostic of Stone-craft of Different Periods
Finishing the Unfinished: Conjectural restoration of the Open Mantapas at Badami
Temples of Memory: the Bhutnath Temple Environs at Badami as a Commemorative Landscape,
The “Round Mound” and its Structural Requirements: A Possible Scenario for the Evolution of the Form of the Stupa
The Curious Case of the Galaganatha Dolmen: Possible Links Between Protohistoric Monuments and Early Temples at Aihole
The Astronomical Significance of the Megalithic Sites at Nilaskal and Byse
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MB Rajani
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Blue-Green Infrastructure Across Asian Countries
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Casting Nataraja: Techniques of South Indian bronzes.
Indian Journal of History of Science 
A landscape analysis of fortification in Tamil Nadu using satellite images.
Art & technology: Indian digital heritage.
Decoding the Nataraja bronzes: A cosmic dance through the centuries.
Traditional techniques of gold jewellery: A case study of Devakottai, Tamil Nadu.
Traditional grains storage practices of Chettiar community in Tamil Nadu with special reference to Sivaganga district.
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Protohistoric megaliths or graves of chalukyan artisans: New discovery of a megalithic site near Pattadakal.
ReStandards, Spatial Framework and Technologies for National GIS
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Variants on a theme: A comparison of five dolmens of the hire Benakal type
In search of a mythical artisan: Tracking the Jakanachari legend of Karnataka
Replicating the mountain: The case of temple shikharas In: New Facets of Indian Art, Architecture and Epigraphy (Essays in honour of Prof. S. L. Shantakumari) edited by C. B. Patil, Shrinivas V. Padigar, and V. Shivanand.
Paterns in Settlements
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Saga of the Tambura
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Flux and Continuity in Monument-Building Traditions in South India
Of Dwarves and Dolmens: Tracking the Little People Legends of Megalithic South India
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Smriti Haricharan
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Past Events
NIAS WorkShop
Experimental Approaches in Material Culture: Stone Tool Knapping Workshop
Heritage Science and Society Programme
NIAS
02 - 03 November 2023
NIAS Workshop
'Manne', Pottery workshop (Hand-made & Wheel-made Pottery workshop)
NIAS
24-25 Aug 2023
NIAS NIAS Public Lecture
Raja Ravi Varma: An Everlasting Imprint
Ganesh V Shivaswamy , Advocate and Author
JRD Tata Auditorium, NIAS, Bengaluru
19 July 2023, 15:30 hrs
NIAS NIAS Public Lecture
LINGAYATA
Prof Shivanand Kanavi, Adjunct Faculty, NIAS
JRD Tata Auditorium, NIAS, Bengaluru
07 July 2023, 15:30 hrs
NIAS Lecture Hall Workshop on remote sensing and GIS for archaeology, landscape morphology...
Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Research using Remote Sensing and GIS technologies
Inaugural Lecture by Dr. A.S.Kiran Kumar, Former Chairman, Department of Space
Heritage Science and Society Programme
NIAS Lecture Hall
18-22 July 2022
Event Poster NIAS Memorial Lecture
Sixth C V Sundaram Memorial Lecture
Annette Schmeidchen
Heritage Science and Society Programme
JRD Tata Auditorium, NIAS
12 May 2022

Prof. Sharada Srinivasan delivered twenty lectures/webinars on topics ranging from the archaeology of metals to sculpture in India and Goddess-worship and dance in prehistory.

Dr. Srikumar M. Menon participated in a conference on human-elephant relationships with Prof. Anindya Sinha and also delivered six other talks on topics like megaliths, Buddhist art etc. He published sic popular articles on Heritage in Deccan Herald Spectrum.

Dr. S. Udayakumar presented four online talks on craft heritage etc. and also conducted a pottery workshop.

Dr. Rajani M B. delivered five talks at various forums on topics like GIS in Heritage, and the Buddhist site at Nalanda etc. Dr. Smriti Haricharan delivered a lecture at a webinar on Iron Age in South Asia. She also organized several online lecture series with the help of Dr. S. Udayakumar, on different aspects of archaeology and heritage.