ARCHAEOLOGY, GAZETTEERS & COPYRIGHT
The Archaeological Survey of India, as in the past, continued to give all possible attention to all its major activities including (i) Explorations and Excavations, (ii) Epigraphy, (iii) Museums,(iv) Architectural Survey of Temples, (v) Preservation of Monuments, (vi) Documentation, etc.
Explorations and Excavations As a part of the exploration programme, the microlithic sites as Udren, Jinjhar, etc., on the sand dunes, located on the river Meshwa and other streams south of Ahmedabad, oyster beds and Pleistocene gravel in the Veraval area, core samples for milliolite (Pleistocene) beds in Somnath and microlithic sites near Surkotada in Kutch area, were examined.
The earlier work of exploration in the Liddar Valley, and a comparative study of the glacio-flavial and lake deposits of the western and eastern margins of the Kashmir basin was carried out in greater detail. A few more Early Stone Age tools were found from the sections.
Excavations were continued inside the cave-site at Hathkhambha in District Tatnagiri, Maharashtra, with a view to determining the stratigraphy and habitation-debris of the cave-deposit. From the excavations of the deposit, a large number of finished and unfinished microliths, along with flakes, nodules of chalcedony, chert, etc., were found. The tool-types comprise fine points, borers, crescents, blades and a few small cores. No pottery, however, was found along with this assemblage.
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In District Bhagalpur, Bihar, excavations were taken up at Antichak, identified with the ancient university site of Vikramsila. Earlier excavations at the site had brought to light a massive stupa with two terraces belonging to the Pala period. The present excavations revealed -an impressive boundary wall, approximately three-metre wide, and a number of small shrines, measuring 4x4.50 m. to the north, south and south-west of the stupa. In one of the shrines, eleven limestone images of the Buddha were found. The other objects found from the excavations include, besides a bronze image of Vajrapani, stone beads, ivory dice, terracotta plaques and medallions carved bricks, a copper coin and iron objects. The presence of a regular ashy layer on the floors of the temple indicates the destruction of the establishment due to fire.
The exacavation at Purana QiIa, which was resumed for the fourth season, had two objectives in view: (i) to complete the plan of the hammam-complex, partly exposed during the last season, and (ii) to ascertain the nature of the earlier deposits. more particularly to locate the horizon of the Painted Grey Ware. While the plan of the hammam-complex is complete, deep digging is still in progress for realizing the other objective.
Epigraphy Inscriptions in Tamil on the hero-stones, all dated in the reigns of the Pallava kings, beginning from Simhavishnu to Kampavarman, in Chengum Taluk, District North Arcot, (Tamil Nadu) were examined. The inscription of Simhavishnu is dated in the thirty-third year of his region. The next important hero-stone inscription belongs to the reign of Mahendra dated in his fifty-ninth year. The other inscrip- tions, in order of sequence are: (i) inscription belonging to the eleventh year of Narasimhavarman, who may be identified with the first king of that name among the Pallava kings, on grounds of palaeography, his latest regnal year available so far from the records was 50 (ii) inscription of Paramesvaravarman in the ninth regnal year; (iii) inscriptions of Narasimbavarman It in
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his seventh regnal year; and (iv) inscription of Nandivarman, in his fourth regnal year. Besides, the earliest record on the basis of palaeography belongs to Somasi Ko Tiruma (ra)n dated in his twenty- second regnal year.
The above inscriptions record the death of heroes in the course of the capture or rescue of cattle from the village in this area. The inscriptions are all engraved in the early Vatteluttu, script, throw- ing light on its evolution.
Chandella copper plate inscriptions from District Tikamgarh (Madhya Pradesh), which were in the possession of a private individual at Kundesvar, were also examined. One of the copper-plates belongs to the time of the Chandella king, Vidyadhara, and is dated Vikrama 1060 (A.D. 1004). It records a grant of land, made by the Queen Satyabhama, to a number of brahmans. The other charter belongs to the reign of the King Paramardin and is dated Vikrama 1255 (A.D. 1198). It also records the grant of land by the king to a number of brahmans. Interestingly enough, the shares of lands are termed as padakas in this record.
Of special interest are the inscriptions from Mysore and Tamil Nadu. One of these is a copper-plate inscription in Kannada language and in characters palaeographically assignable to the eighth century A. D. from Belmannu, Taluk Karkala, District South Kanara (Mysore) and is the earliest known copper-plate record of the Alupa dynasty. It records the giving of a certain convention to the sabha of Belmannu during the reign of Aluvarasa and another person. The hero-stone inscription from Tamil Nadu, copies from certain villages in District North Arcot, are in Vatteluttu characters ranging in date between the sixth and the eigth centuries A.D. Among them are records with dates in regnal years of the Pallava King, Mahendravarman I.
A number of inscriptions of Arabic and Persian from Maharashtra were copied. Outstanding among these is a record from Manavagan District Ahmadnagar (Maharashtra) one of which mentions Malik Ambar with the title of Madabbir Khan.
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Archaeological Museums Documentation work in Archaeological Museums at Sanchi, Sarnath, Nalanda and Vaishali were taken up. Preparation work was started in the museums at Amravati, Nagarjunakonda, Fort. St. George, Madras, Bodhgaya and Sanchi. Plans are afoot to obtain excavated antiquities for the Archaeological Museum at Vaishali. In the Archaeological Museums at Velha Goa and Bijapur, descriptive labels were provided in all the sections. At the latter place, objects discovered from the excavations near the compound of the Gol Gumbad were also obtained. The Archaeological Museum, Red Fort, Delhi, is being re-organised with an emphasis on a gallery displaying objects relating to the period of Bahadur Shah Zafar. Besides, the documentation work, accessioning, card-indexing and photography was continued.
Architectural Survey of Temples The Temple Survey Project (South) undertook the survey of the Sangmesvar Group of Temples, which are to be submerged under water due to the construction of the Srisailam Dam, District Kurnool. Of the temples at Sangamesvara, the most outstanding example is the Bupala Sangamesvara, a beautiful temple of the eighth century, built in the southern traditions. An inscription, recently uncovered. may, however, be dated palaeographically to the quarter of the ninth century or the beginning of the tenth.
A survey of mosque-architecture in Malabar was also undertaken. It appears that the mosques of Malabar were more influenced by the Arabic tradition of simplicity of structural form than by the Turkic or Persian traditions. Significantly, most of the inscriptions, the earliest of which goes back to the twelfth-thirteenth century, are in Arabic. Generally, the prayer-hall is a closed structure with verandah on all the sides. Like the Brahmanic temples, some of the mosques have pinnacled sloping roofs. Furthermore, they have walls built on an
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ornamental basement comparable in every respect to that of the Brahmanic temples of the region. The puplits in mosques are examples of exquisitely carved wood-work.
Preservation of Monuments Special repairs to the monuments at Raigad, District Kolaba. and caves at Kanheri, District Bombay, Ajanta and Ellera' District Aurangabad and Karla, District Pune and Patnadevi temple at Patna, District Jalgaon, in Maharashtra, and Ambigerugudi at Aihole and Papanatha temple at Pattadakal, District Bijapur, Madhukeshwar temple at Banavasi and Chaturmukh Basti at Gersappa, District North Kanara and Mahadeva temple at Ittagi, District Raichur in Mysore were undertaken.
In the course of clearance-work at the ancient site of Patna, District Jalgaon, Maharashtra, some sculptures assignable to the tenth century were discovered.'
The work of clearance in the Virupaksha temple-complex at Pattadakal, District Bijapur, Mysore, undertaken for the purpose of exposing varied architectural members of some shrines, also brought to light beautiful images of Siva of which one represents his Tripurantaka aspect. The images belong to the eighth century A.D.
In the Qutab Minar, Delhi, the foundations of the minar were grouted with liquid cement mortar. In the Jama Masjid, Delhi, the decayed section of the roof soffits of the doors etc., towards the eastern gateway were dressed and the crevices and joints in the walls and the ceilings of the moques were pointed with lime cement mortar simulating the original.
In the City Wall of Delhi the cracks were repaired and the cells at Kashmiri Gate were cleaned. The northern and the sourthern exterior walls of the Mumtaj Mahal in the Red
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Fort were repaired by removing the decayed plaster and providing a fresh coat of plaster. Joints of the chhajjas were pointed. At Purana Quila, New Delhi, special repairs of the fortwalls were taken up.
The old decayed-plaster of the main gate of the Bhatinda Fort was removed and fresh plaster, in matching colours, was applied.
In Rajasthan, large-scale conservation works were undertaken at the Bhatner Fort, Hanumangarh and the Siva Temple at Gadh (Nilkanth) in Alwar, and the structure around the Hatshanath Temple at Sikar was exposed. During the operation an image of Vishnu was found.
In Tamil Nadu at the Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur, the flooring of the Amman shrine in the cloister mandapa, which were undulating and raised in parts, was repaired. The inner walls of the late medeivel kitchen of the temple in the cloister were repaired after removing the decayed plaster.
Archaeological Gardens Arrangements for augmenting water-supply in the Church Garden at Velha Goa, laying of lines for water-supply in the Darya Daulat Bagh, Srirangapatna, Mysore, were completed. The work of laying out a Mughal-style garden in the Darya Daulat Bagh and at Bijapur was in progress. The gardens in the monuments in Delhi/New Delhi, Dig, Ajmer, Khajuraho and other important sites in the country were kept in a presentable condition.
Expedition outside India The preservation work of the Buddhist remains at Bamiyan, Afghanistan, was continued. The brick facing in the west and the east faces of the large buttress was chiselled and finished to match with the parent-rock. A strong masonry and concrete base with embedded steel rods was built up at the base
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of the buttress to support its base resting on weak foundation. The dome over Cave 9 was completed in R.C.C. A major part of the right half of the stucco robe of the Buddha was repaired. To protect the main niche against the vagaries of weather and snow melt, R.C.C. projection merged with the facade. was also made at a height of about 40 m. A number of damaged steps were repaired on the eastern flight. The ancient entrance to the western flight of steps, which was blocked, was revealed. The paintings on the ceiling of the niche have been cleaned and preserved.
Documentation The work or documentation of the centrally-protected monuments was initiated and about four thousand photographs of sculptures in the temples at Ambarnath, District Thana, Sinnar, District Nasik, Ellora, District Aurangabad and Balsana, District Dhulia in Maharashtra and at Lakkandi in District Dharwar in Mysore were taken.
Publications Besides the printing of Indian Archaeology 1969-70-A Review and guide-books to Fatehpur Sikri by S.A.A. Rizvi (deluxe edition) and a brochure on Fatehpur Sikri by W.H. Siddiqi and Amravati by H. Sarkar, guide-books to Khajuraho by K. Deva (third edition), Dig. by M. C. Joshi (second edition) Nagarjunakonda by H. Sarkar (second edition), Mahabalipuram by C. Sivaramurti (third edition), and Nalanda by A. Ghosh (sixth edition) were reprinted. Reprinting of the guidebooks to Chola temples by C. Sivaramurti, Delhi and its Neighbourhood by Y. D. Sharma, Raigir by A. Ghosh (in Hindi), Sanchi by Debala Mitra and Sanchi (in Hindi) was in an advanced stage of printing. The guide- books to Khajuraho Museum by K. Deva and B. S. Nayal and Monuments of Kerala by H. Sarkar are also in advanced stage of printing. The picture postcards of Ajmer and Pushkar, Hampi, Khajuraho, Lucknow, Sanchi, Fatehpur Sikri, Sarnath, Agra (Sets A & B), Hyderabad and
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Golconda, Chitorgarh and Nagarjunakonda were reprinted. New sets of picture post-cards of Dig, Amaravati, Vidisha and Bagh Caves and colour picture post-cards of Fatehpur Sikri, Mahabalipuram and Cochin are in an advanced stage of printing.
Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XXXVI, Part VIII, Vol. XXXVII, Part VII and Vol. XXXVIII, Parts I and III, Annual Reports on Indian Epigraphy for 1965-66 were printed and the Annual Report on Indian Epigraphy for 1968-69, South Indian Inscriptions. Vols. XVIII and XVI were in different stage-, of printing.
COPYRIGHT India is a member of Universal Copyright Convention and Berne Convention. Both the Conventions were revised at the Diplomatic Conference held at Paris in July 1971. India participated in the Second Meeting of the Governmental Experts on Problems in the Field of Copyright and of the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organisations raised by Transmission via space Satellites held at Paris in May 1972.
During 1972, 1204 Artistic works and 876 Literary Works were registered by the Copyright Office. The term of the Copyright Board which expired on 23rd September, 1972, has been reconstituted for a period of four years with the following members:
1. Justice Hardayal Hardv Chairman
2. Shri Desh Deepak Member
3. Shri C. B. Rao Member
4. Shri S. V. H. Pagare Member
5. Justice S. B. Sen Member
6. Shri D. P. Sinha Member
7. Shri T. C. Balasubramaniam Member
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GAZETTEERS As part of the general educational development under the Second Five Year Plan, the Government of India took up the work of revising the Gazeteers of India in 1958. State Governments were also given financial assistance for the revision of District Gazetteers. The first volume of the Gazetteers of India, 'Country and People', which was printed in 1965, is being reprinted. Action has also been taken to bring out a Hindi edition of the volume.
Volume II of the Gazetteers of India, History and Culture' is expected to be published soon. Volume III, 'Economic Structare and Activities', is expected to be sent to the press shortly. The revision of District Gazetteers have been completed. of which 111 have been published and the rest are in various stages of publication.
The first and second volumes of 'Who's Who of Indian Martyrs' have been published. A paper book edition of the first volume has also been published. The third volume in the series is in the final stage of preparation.
Compilation of an authoritative history of the Penal Settlement in the Andaman Islands has been taken up by the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The work is expected to be published in 1973.
Financial Allocations The financial provision for the Survey is as follows:-
(Rs. 000's)
Sl. Item Provision for Budget
No. 1972-73 Estimates
1973-74
Original Revised
1 2 3 4 5
1. Archaeolo-
gical Survey
of 29,75 25,00 32,00
India, New
Delhi Plan
Non-Plan 2,14,47 2,06,44 2,44,70