Speaking Archaeologically™

Nikita Singh is a Former Photographer and Citizen Archaeology Member of Speaking Archaeologically City Palace, Jaipur : Located northeast of the city center, you’ll find a beautiful complex built between 1729 and 1732, by Sawai Jai Singh II, which is the City. Being enthusiastic about architecture himself, Sawai Jai Singh II also had aid from the two architects Vidyadhar Bhattacharya (who was the chief architect in the royal court) and Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob during the designing of the premises. Over the years, due to the wear and tear of time, there have been gradual restorations of the palace building within the walls, as well as the additional buildings, such as the Mubarak Mahal, which was built in 1890 along with the Chandra Mahal that is still used by the royal family of Jaipur today. However, the outer wall still remaining is from the original design. The first floor of Chandra Mahal is the only open area available to be toured by visitors, as it is sti...

What comes to your mind when I talk of an Archaeological recording workshop? A formal site visit led by a regimented Task In-charge?   If yes, then let me help you get rid of this preconception. Because the Speaking Archaeologically site visits are nothing like that. On the fine Sunday morning of 15th October,  I embarked on the bus journey from Chandigarh to Pinjore. Though I had visited the place before, but never knew there was a temple too. Anyway, it was a 45 minute long journey and I spent the whole time trying to wrap up the essay we had to submit the same day. I reached there by noon as we all were supposed to, where Shriya greeted us all warmly (See, what did I say? No formalities). We walked further, got onto the site, had a session on Hindu temples and conferred about them in detail. Studied Hinduism in its primary form, discussed Tantra, Mantra and Yantra, familiarized ourselves with different Gods, including the one pictured below. That's Ishana (Moon)...

“The study of the past is the main portal through which culture is acquired.”  ―  Joseph Epstein Harman Singh is a CArch+Workshop Member at Speaking Archaeologically Tourism is one of the most important and effective components of the economy of any country. The employment and marketing opportunities are innumerable and the inflow of money is copious. There are umpteen tourist attractions in India and one of the best examples of this is the State of Rajasthan. Rajasthan is considered an important tourist destination in India because of its rich cultural heritage and diverse scenic beauty. An amalgamation of the desert of Thar and the hills of the Aravalli Range, Rajasthan is notable for its floral and faunal variety. To add to this, the variety in handicrafts, music, dance and sheer vividity of attire is a true treat for a traveller. Last year, I got a chance to visit the Rajasthani cities of Jaipur, Ajmer and Udaipur. The whole state is of extreme significance to t...

                                                     Quite admittedly , my meeting with Adham Khan was long overdue and any self respecting lover of Delhi’s ruins would look at me with great distaste at this point. But even then, the sheer excess of history just oozing out of this particular section of the city is almost nauseating. Even those that knowingly choose to ignore it can do so for only so long. I, as luck would have it, lived just 10 minutes away.  So after a short detour to the Mughal general  Azim Khan’s much neglected tomb , I headed for the  ancient suburbs of Mehrauli. Qutub Minar all this while, was towering over everything around it and watchfully guiding lost tourists and curious travelers like me.  Behind the Qutub complex, on a road towards the Mehruali bus Depot , it's quite easy to beli...

Collage Courtesy Nimrat   Imagine being told in the scorching month of June that you are the recruitment head of your organisation for that year. I know, sounds morbid and exhausting. Now imagine the organisation to be 'Beyoncé', yes! Thank merciful heavens abode because that's what working for 'Speaking Archaeologically' felt like. If by any chance you don't hold Beyoncé in the same regard as I do, I am sorry, your opinion is invalid. Anyway. Flyer for Workshop Volunteering Little did the day of 3rd June know what it was holding in store for Nimrat and I, two gossip mongers were put together and asked to find people who shared passion for learning and all things archaeology. We are also briefed that with responsibility comes power, hence we were free to screen the recruits before we gave them a thumbs up. We worked tirelessly, from dancing for three hours at a stretch to laughing for another two, we caught up with work whenever divine realization s...

Gauri Singh is a Speaking Archaeologically Workshop and CArch Member Before visiting the Kangra Valley in July, I made a list of places I wanted to visit. When the name of Masroor came up, it sounded like some distant place in South India. To my surprise, it was located 3 hills away from Mcleodganj on a secluded hilltop. The entire complex was huge and carved out from a single block of sandstone. The entry, now, to the temple is from the rear. There was a small booth along the entrance stairs where we bought the tickets from. As I walked in, I noticed the temple first and then a huge tank of water right in front of the sandstone structure. Knowing it will take me a very long time to explore the temple I chose to go around the water tank first. I could see from the opposite side a complete reflection of the beautiful temple in green waters of the tank which was almost 50 meters wide. From distance a noticed my mother throwing bits of something in water. As I went closer...