Speaking Archaeologically™

Hyderabad surely is a city of many charms and not many people outside know about the rich heritage of this city has to offer. Beyond the scrumptious Dum Biryanis and kebabs , the historic Char Minar or the Golconda Fort , Hyderabad has a lot more to offer. For a person coming here for the first time, its streets and alleys present a unique medley of a past which is never too distant and a present which makes one feel nostalgic. Such is the heritage of this city where one can enjoy a plate of Biryani while sitting in a shop and wondering about its history and to some extent, even experiencing it.  In one such locality of the old town, amidst a maze of buildings and collapsing structures of a bygone time- but very much alive with the sounds of kids playing, goats bleating, chickens clucking, loud horns of bicycles and cars and people going about their businesses- rest the tombs of the Paigah nobles. Paigahs were one of the most powerful and influential families of the princely stat...

“Defaced ruins of architecture and statuary, like the wrinkles of decrepitude of a once beautiful woman, only make one regret that one did not see them when they were enchanting.”                                                                                            - Horace Walpole Rattan Kaur Rainu is a Research Wing member at Speaking Archaeologically since August 2018 This blog doesn’t begin on an adventurous note. Neither does it involve a spontaneous road trip. Rather it is the product of an intrigue that drove me to explore a place  I had never even heard of until a few days ago. Goethe said architecture is music. Well, architecture and music are the two things that have always been my favourite. Be it an an ol...

Mayank Singh is an Intern at Speaking Archaeologically "At a numaish (exhibition) hosted by the King of Chamba", she begins, "When all the artists were boasting about their skills,one of my family's ancestors painted 100 elephants on a single thread of Dhake ke malmal (fine cotton muslin from Dhaka)." Mrs Nisha Raina tells me this and many tales in the hour-long conversation I had with her. In this article, I have tried to include and summarise all that I could learn about Kangra paintings from the interview. Mrs Raina was born into the family of Raina Brahmins, who migrated from Kashmir and settled in Mangloti village of Kangra around the same time the Mughal Empire collapsed. This spree of migration induced a new blend of the M ughlai miniature paintings and the theme of lustrous green landscapes of the hill states, whose Rajput rulers offered patronage to these migrants. Thus was born-what is now known in history as- the Kangra paintings. Mrs Nis...

Anubhav Preet Kaur Nirankari is a student of Archaeology at Deccan College, Pune Tee Off on a trail of history: The entire city of Delhi is engulfed with the relics of mighty empires and ruins which bear testimony to an age of glory. It houses nearly 84 known monuments and 24 localities of historical importance, out of which the medieval era heritage sites have always been of great interest to me. It is not rare to come across some lesser known monuments in Delhi while on a shopping spree or a casual visit to any locality. But who knew a casual breakfast session would become such a mesmerising experience!  One of the most exquisite places in Delhi, The Delhi Golf Club, is frequented by a number of visitors daily. But little do they know that amidst the famous “Lodhi Golf Course” lie a large number of Mughal archaeological remains, one of which is the famous Lal Bangla. While sipping coffee in the cafeteria of the golf course, this domed structure caught my eye. The usual cur...

India has a vital place in world because of diverse reasons. India is the only country got freedom from British by Non-Violence. Mahatama Gandhi and our big freedom fighters fought for us and got freedom from British Government around 60+ years back. People from many cities and states of India participated in freedom fight. Patiala is the one city which got involved completely for liberty. This city is situated in Punjab’s south-eastern part. Patiala City is positioned near the fort Qila Mubarak. Patiala was a Sikh princely state that lasted from 1714 to 1948. Not many know that Patiala state was established in 1763 by Baba Ala Singh, a Jat Sikh chieftain, who laid the foundation of the Patiala fort known as Qila Mubarak, around 'which the present city of Patiala is built. (Qila Mubarak) Quila Mubarak was first built as a mud fortress and later, it was reconstructed in baked bricks. 13 royal chambers with scenes from Hindu mythology painted in the Patiala art styl...