Dr. Indrajeet Bhattacharya (Ph.D.) | University of Rajasthan, Jaipur (original) (raw)

Papers by Dr. Indrajeet Bhattacharya (Ph.D.)

Himanshu Publications, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India., 2024

Since time immemorial, the Indian subcontinent witnessed a versatile development in all aspects o... more Since time immemorial, the Indian subcontinent witnessed a versatile development in all aspects of life which encompasses science, commerce, and arts, that we know today. Ancient Indian civilization excelled in all of them. One, such discipline of study which once sored very high is – metallurgy (Dhātu Vigyān). The archaeological evidences which have been obtained from the excavations at various places in the Indian subcontinent, references in ancient texts and archival records have thrown light about the knowledge of metallurgy and chemistry in ancient and medieval India. These references and site evidences have in fact demonstrated a purely scientific and methodical approach in metallurgy which includes their mining procedures, obtaining the metal ores, their refinement through physical and chemical procedures and finally their extraction in the purest form through various smelting methods. Mining of metal ores like Tin, Copper, Lead, Gold, Silver, Zinc, and Iron, used to done in ancient India. Besides, alloy making was also prevalent in ancient India. Metal artefacts of both, pure metals as well as alloys like Brass and Bronze have also been found.

The ancient Indian knowledge system was quite rich to sustain and contribute in further developments. Unfortunately, time and again India fell prey to a volley of invasions which gradually destroyed the precious knowledge, that once was developed by the ancient Indian scholars. However, India still houses some of these ancient mining fields and traces of workshops with purification clay apparatuses, furnaces, distillation retorts and other equipment which are part of our invaluable lost heritage. Some of these sites are now destroyed while some are on the verge of destruction. Few of these sites have been preserved for namesake. Preservation of these mining sites and their further development as geo-heritage sites is the prime focus area of this paper. This paper will cover some of the ancient mining sites and their condition along with the proposals of developing them as geo-heritage sites or geo-heritage museums.

Keywords: India, Metallurgy, Ancient Metallurgy, Mines, Geo-Heritage.

Indic Heritage & Culture An International Open Access, Peer Reviewed, Refereed, Yearly Multidisciplinary Journal, Apr 29, 2024

Like other knowledge systems a museum also generates, store and dispense various kind of informat... more Like other knowledge systems a museum also generates, store and dispense various kind of information related to different aspects of a museum. Such information could be voluminous depending upon the size of the museum and so is very difficult to manage for both museum staff as well as the museum visitors. While presenting such information through the showcases, it is a challenge to keep a tap over the dispensing of correct artifact information. Moreover, dissemination of the contextual information to the ‘needy’ person is also a challenge because bombarding a museum visitor with administrative information is useless and moreover risky. Similarly, providing too much artifact information to a casual museum visitor is useless as it will only result in congestion of network. This paper starts with addressing such kind of lacunas in a museum and how it could be resolved by the implementation of RFID and IoT technology. The paper instigates an innovative idea for ‘Technology in Museums’.

Sānskritik Pravāh (सांस्कृतिक प्रवाह), 2023

Abstract: Facing Dhaulâdhâr ranges in the North-East and located on the peak of a hill in river B... more Abstract: Facing Dhaulâdhâr ranges in the North-East and located on the peak of a hill in river Beas valley stands a huge complex of temples commonly known as Masroor (Masrur) rock cut temples. They are also popularly known as Himalayan Pyramids. The uniqueness of these temples in Northern India is they are carved out of single monolithic sandstone rock as most of the rock cut temples are found beyond the Deccan plateau. The temples also have very typical pyramid shaped pinnacle(shikhars) which are now reduced to 15 in number from what had been 19. The entire complex is very symmetrically designed with 9 temples, 4 subsidiary temples, 4 stairways and ornamented stone walls, clear passages and grooves neatly chiseled on floor for probably water passage. Unfortunately, not much is known about this temple complex nor does any detailed record exist. The scanty and ambiguous information from different literature and oral sources have encouraged me to write this paper to bring forward certain unsolved points worth pondering upon. These include the time-period of the temple complex, theories about its creator, theories about the architecture, an un-deciphered stone inscription, an incomplete impression of the artwork and traces of settlement in the nearby areas. Conducting a detailed and dedicated research of the site may certainly bring justice to the place, it’s significance and its position in Indian History.

Dr. S. N. Tailor Foundation, Beawar, Dec 30, 2022

Ever since mankind came to existence, they have made significant inventions which led to the over... more Ever since mankind came to existence, they have made significant inventions which led to the overall development of their civilizations all across the world. One of them is the mode of communication. In the initial stages of development, the communication occurred with the help of expressions and sound made by various kind of postures and voices respectively. Gradually, over a period of time as human being learned the art of drawing, the mode of communication shifted to expression through various figures and pictures. Further pictures led to the emergence of symbols and let to the development of phonetic scripts. The development of phonetic script was an important milestone. Most of these scripts were scientifically derived from the symbols. The development of script laid the foundation of language and grammar lately, and for the first-time mankind realized the true power of expression through language which could be written as well as spoken.

However, the evolution of spoken and written language continued with time and space which resulted in many kinds of developments, such as: emergence of new scripts, emergence of new languages, emergence of dialects and lastly but not least, the introduction of art in writing that resulted in the development of Calligraphy. This paper starts with a brief account about the development of language(s) across the world followed by development of popular scripts and languages in India. The paper then focuses on a study about the development of calligraphy in Rajasthan from epigraphical point of view across the different periods. The topic shall certainly draw the attention of epigraphist and calligraphers with respect to the development of calligraphy in Rajasthan area and shall open the doors of further studies and research.

Himanshu Publications, Udaipur, Rajasthan., Mar 2, 2023

The invention of handwriting by mankind also sparked the invention of script, speaking language, ... more The invention of handwriting by mankind also sparked the invention of script, speaking language, writing tool, writing ink and writing medium. The writing medium refers to the material on which people write. It has undergone a gradual development and evolution with time and space all across the world. Writing medium has undergone a journey through various kinds of materials which includes: stone, brick, wood, bark, leaves, textiles, metals, handmade paper and finally to processed paper. Certainly, it is not a one day or one month journey, but it took a long time to reach the current time. Out of these aforesaid writing mediums, the textile as a writing medium has a very interesting past. Unleashing the interesting account of textiles as a writing medium for ancient manuscripts along with its analytical study, is the prime focus of this paper. This paper covers the inception of textiles as writing medium, various kinds of textiles used as a writing medium, process of writing along with an analytical study. In addition, it shall also touch certain important compositions that have been written in textiles. This paper will be useful for all academic scholars and researchers, especially epigraphists and historians to get an insight about the ancient manuscript writing on textile and the various compositions available through them.

Sānskritik Pravāh (सांस्कृतिक प्रवाह), 2022

Museum plays a significant role in representing the culture and heritage of a geographical region... more Museum plays a significant role in representing the culture and heritage of a geographical region or country through various kind of displays for tangible objects and audiovisual effects for intangible subjects. The tangible form includes various kind of artefacts, monumental structures and their architecture etc. whereas the intangible form includes folklore, folksongs, folk-music, poems, rhymes, proverbs etc. Preserving and exhibiting all of them is one of the prime roles of a museum. While exhibiting the tangible and intangible subjects in galleries a museum also plays the role of an educatoreducating the general public about their glorious past, heritage they possess and the evolutionary development the society have made. A good fraction of this 'general public' visiting a museum is of students, who are the future of a country. Therefore, it becomes all the more important for a museum to play a responsible role in educating students especially in context of delivering updated genuine information about culture, heritage and history.

The creation of first museum in India, dates back to 1814 A.D. when Indian Museum (formerly called Imperial Museum at Calcutta) came to existence in Kolkata. Since then, the journey of museums in India have witnessed a gradual development. Museums on various subjects and themes have emerged in every state of the country. Some of these museums are generalized, containing a variety of collection from various periods of the timeline while some are specific, specializing on a particular subject such as botanical or zoological museum of a region or place. In the context of history, the Indian museums are predominantly rich with a massive collection, from its medieval and modern times. As far as the collection from ancient times are concerned, they are mainly contributed by the archaeological excavations that have been conducted all across the country. Though these excavations and findings have provided ample evidences about India’s ancient times and glorious past, yet they have not been presented in the context of ‘Ancient India’. In addition, an effective representation of rich intangible resources of ancient India still needs recognition and respectable place in museum. Revisiting Ancient India through Museum is the focus area of this paper. This paper shall not only highlight the requirement for revisiting ancient India through museum, but shall also underline the untapped aspects of ancient Indian civilization which are worth mentioning to the museum visitors. The paper ends with a conclusive discussion about the advantages of such museum to the country.

B.R. Publishing Corporation, 2022

Museology studies, since its emergence has undergone various changes in thought as well as approa... more Museology studies, since its emergence has undergone various changes in thought as well as approach. It has witnessed lot of innovative developments. Some of these developments have even led to the paradigm shift which has resulted in the introduction of new concepts, methodologies and even separate disciplines within Museology. One such development that started in late 1990s when Internet became readily accessible to the general public is the fusion of museum and digital media. In other words, a new field that connects museum with computer and internet applications – came to be known as ‘Cybermuseology’. Since then, many seminars and conferences have been conducted; many papers published. Many museums have also implemented the concept of Cybermuseology to narrow the gap between museum and its visitors which has considerably shown better results.

In the context of Indian museums and their visitors, Cybermuseology comes with lot of options, opportunities and promises. Exploring these options, opportunities and promises along with the probable limitations is the focus area of this paper. Through various realistic but classified examples this paper will highlight the importance and requirement of Cybermuseology in Indian museums. Simultaneously, the paper will also underline some key-factors of limitations which are to be given a due consideration while implementing the concept of Cybermuseology. A balanced use of this concept shall bring delight to the museum visitors as well to the museum staff.

Sānskritik Pravāh (सांस्कृतिक प्रवाह), Jan 12, 2020

The term Heritage covers a broad area of both tangible as well as intangible resources that inclu... more The term Heritage covers a broad area of both tangible as well as intangible resources that includes monuments and artefacts, folk dance, folk song, folk lore, religious practices and customs. So indirectly, the term heritage involves history, civics, trade & commerce, culture, language, lifestyle, food habits, religion, philosophy, behaviour and geography etc of a region for a period of time. All combined – they provide an identity to a person, society, community and finally a nation. Preserving our culture and heritage is therefore one of the most important aspect. Unfortunately, over the ages India has witnessed a careless attitude towards its culture and heritage that have already resulted and still resulting in the degeneration and complete destruction of its unique culture and heritage.

This paper will not only throw light on our current problems and approach towards “National Heritage & Culture” but will also underline the importance of Museology (Museum studies) & Conservation in resolving these problems. Thereafter it will briefly explain some terminologies related to heritage. Further this paper will also cover the new initiatives, perspectives and practises that can bring remarkably positive attitude towards heritage and culture among the peoples along with its good impact over the society.

Department of History and Indian Culture, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Nov 5, 2019

Ever since their inception, museums were haunted by two major problems: sufficient manpower and b... more Ever since their inception, museums were haunted by two major problems: sufficient manpower and budget. Both the factors are related in a way that manpower always put pressure over the museum’s budget in terms of payroll. Information & Communication Technology (ICT) is one such field that provides many alternative solutions to counter and handle such aforesaid situation. Further, with the emergence of ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’ and ‘Smart Objects and Devices’, many uncontrolled and unmonitored aspects of various areas are getting a better and reliable solution. With growing years these Smart Objects and Devices are finding their way to more and more application areas and the field of museum is no exception. This paper will discuss the concept of ‘Smart Showcase’ in context of museum that is based on Smart Object and IoT; unleashing its working, benefits and constraints.

Atishay Kalit, Jun 2, 2015

Known as the Golden City of Rajasthan-Nawalgarh lies in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. It i... more Known as the Golden City of Rajasthan-Nawalgarh lies in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. It is about thirty kilometers from Sikar with an elevation of 379 meters. As a part of the Shekhāwati belt of Rajasthan, Nawalgarh is thickly populated with grand and beautiful manisions called "havelis", bearing mesmerizing fresco work on the walls and ceilings. These mansions were the outcome of immense revenue earned by the Mārwari businessmen called "Seths" who moved to and prospered in India"s new commercial centres-Mumbai (Bombay formerly) and Kolkata (Calcutta formerly) between 18 th and 19 th centuries. As more and more merchants prospered, it soon became a competition to build even more grand edifices-homes, temples, step-wells-which were richly decorated, both inside and out, with painted murals. Dr. Rāmnath A. Poddār Haveli was also one of them which was preserved and well maintained; opened for general public as a museum. However, with the passing of years, these grand and beautiful mansions (haveli) were hit by nature and different situations which brought catastrophic deterioration in them. Most of them were man-made. This paper will provide a brief account of the Dr. Rāmnath A. Poddār Haveli Museum featuring how well a mansion (haveli) could be maintained as a heritage asset for the coming generations. The paper also throws light on the deteriorating conditions of most of the mansions of Nawalgarh due to human negligence that has endangered their existence.

Museum Association of India, Mar 10, 2019

We all are well versed with the use and importance of Internet which has eased our life in many w... more We all are well versed with the use and importance of Internet which has eased our life in many ways as it covers a wide spectrum of applications and services. Conceptually, in a layman’s language we understand Internet as a network of networks where each computer, laptops, tablets and mobile devices are connected globally.
On the same grounds we have a new emerging technology called “Internet of Things” (IoT), which will sooner or later capture the global workability. The term “Things”, in the phrase “Internet of Things”, can be a person with a heart monitor implant, a farm animal with a biochip transponder, an automobile that has built-in sensors to alert the driver when tire pressure is low -- or any other natural or man-made object that can be assigned an IP address and provided with the ability to transfer data over a network.
Looking on to the current scenario of the Museums, especially in India where there is always a shortage of specifically educated museum professionals, IoT shall be a boon. It can be the security system of Museum which can detect even a minor discrepancy or a system which can maintain and regulate the temperature, humidity and illumination within a museum or even controlling conservation alerts & procedures within a showcase itself depending upon the condition of the artefacts. It can even tell us the changing locations of an artefact within a museum at the same time the data about its location could be automatically upgraded in the museum database management system. There are many more suggested areas of usage for IoT in Museums depending upon the feasibility factors. It will largely bring perfection in the task and will no longer be dependent on the human intervention and errors. It will also cut down the running cost of a museum thereby contributing in revenue.
IoT has evolved from the convergence of wireless technologies, micro - electromechanical systems (MEMS), micro-services and the Internet. The convergence has helped tear down the walls between Operational Technologies (OT) and Information Technology (IT) thus making it most suitable to be used even with our day-to-day appliances.

The author is currently doing research on this topic from Centre for Museology & Conservation, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur.

Link:
https://www.uniraj.ac.in/phd-data/Ph.D-Data/MUSEOLOGY%20&%20%20CONSERVATION.pdf

Literary Circle, Jul 2018

Having faced the rage of various invasions and thereafter the nature, the Kangra fort stands pro... more Having faced the rage of various invasions and thereafter the nature, the Kangra fort stands proudly on a cliff in the lap of Dhauladhar mountain range (Figure 1 & 2). This fort has been the seat of Katoch Rajput dynasty which is claimed to be the oldest dynasty in India. The fort also has an ancient origin which has been verified by the ASI. It is also believed that this fort came to existence during the post Mahabharat period. From time immemorial this fort had been the target of attacks and invasions by many clans and races like Greeks, Kashmiris, Afghans, Tughlaques, Timurid, Mughal, Gorkha, Sikh and British, primarily due to its immense accumulated wealth and its strategic secure location. “He, who holds the Kangra fort, holds the hills” was the common belief among the locals.

The fort of Kangra is also famous for its unique art and architecture. In historical records this fort has been termed by different names as per their relevant context such as: Trigarth, Kaangarh, Kotochgarh, Bhimkot, Nagarkot and Susarmapura. The ancient history of Kangra fort, its ruler lineage, the fort’s unique strategic position, art and architecture along with some very curious unopened chapters which needs an attention encouraged me to write this paper. This paper will throw light on the interesting background of the ruling dynasty, the fort, conflicting theories about the name of the fort and its location, art and architecture and some spheres of information, over which new work and research is needed.

The History and Culture Society, New Delhi - 110016, Jun 2017

A good example of “Jal-Durg” (Fort amidst water), Murud Janjira is quiet unfamiliar to peoples. L... more A good example of “Jal-Durg” (Fort amidst water), Murud Janjira is quiet unfamiliar to peoples. Located 50 k.m. from Alibaugh near the Maharastra coastline is the fort of Siddis – the once most powerful ruling dynasty of this region. The fort has its reputation of being invincible till the end of British reign though it has witnessed the rage of Marathas, Nizamshahis, Adilshahis, Portuguese and British. The fort itself is a miracle as it houses two fresh water lakes and many wonders of architecture and metallurgy.

The Siddis were originally slave turned trader turned rulers from Abyssinia (Africa). They established this fort in the 15th century. However there are different opinions about the time period of its establishment. The fort was inhabited till the year 1975, after which it was abandoned as the last descendent chose to stay at Mumbai.

Note: Originally this article was detailed up to 28 pages and 50+ plates but as advised by the Editorial Board, the paper was reduced to 8 pages with 14 plates. However, the detailed content shall be uploaded to my upcoming website - echosofindia.com

Centre for Museology & Conservation, Buddhist Studies Centre, Univ. of Rajasthan and Literary Circle, Oct 31, 2017

A unique combination of a very popular Monastery with a well established museum encouraged me to ... more A unique combination of a very popular Monastery with a well established museum encouraged me to write this paper. This paper will throw light on the interesting historic origin of the monastery and the religiously important artefacts it houses, along with the Tibetan Museum. In addition the facts associated with, have made it as one of the most popular and significant Monastery in India and abroad.

Conference Presentations by Dr. Indrajeet Bhattacharya (Ph.D.)

Govt. M.S. Golvalkar College, Rewa (M.P.) India, May 20, 2024

Museum is a place where ancient objects are kept for the amusement and entertainment of the peopl... more Museum is a place where ancient objects are kept for the amusement and entertainment of the people visiting – is the general perspective of the population. However, it is an incomplete truth because museums are also education and research centers. Moreover, it performs the most significant task of preserving the invaluable artifacts of historical importance, thereby contributing much more to the society, country and the world. Now that said, a museum thus needs to be properly organized with all necessary amenities and must have an excellent infrastructure to support the need and expectations of tourists, education seekers, researchers, and management staff like gallery in-charge, artifact conservators etc. as per their role. At the same time, it must also be realized that a museum must keep pace with the technological development. Technological upgradation improves various aspects of a museum by improving the facilities for the both the visitors and the staff, such as making the display more impressive and at the same time equipping the staff with the means to manage the museum more efficiently. One such upcoming technology for museums is – ‘Internet of Things’ or IoT, that has already made an impressive entry in the certain segments of museum such display, exhibition, and security etc.
The development and acceptability of IoT in museum is more rapid in some of the countries in American continent, Europe, and Asia as compared to India. Not many people are aware about this technology, its working and application areas. Until the population understands the concept, working and application areas of IoT, they will never be in position to appreciate, IoT as a future technology in museums. Being a multi-disciplinary topic, discussing – IoT in the futuristic implementation in museums is a challenging task as the scope of the topic encompasses many subject disciplines. Discussing all of these disciplines is beyond the scope of this paper as it shall certainly lead to deviation from the focus of this paper. Therefore, considering the aforesaid aspects, the focus of this paper has been narrowed down into three sub-topics:

1. About ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’
2. Relevance of IoT in Museums
3. IoT as future technology in Museums

So, this paper will primarily focus on the concept, relevance, usefulness of IoT, and its implementation in different application areas like Medicine, Manufacturing, City-Management, Retail and Household etc. of Internet of Things (IoT), including the field of museum. This paper presents an elementary part of my Ph.D. research work in Museology and Conservation discipline and has been discussed for the awareness about IoT as futuristic technology in museum.