Speaking Archaeologically™

Exploring Delhi's history is like peeling an onion. Peeling off each layer is accompanied by a growing anticipation of recovering the lost heritage. It involves a little bit of crying (read: encountering closed historical sites after painstakingly finding them!), followed by an immense sense of happiness on finding what is beneath.  It was a fine day in October, a month that is blessed with just the right amount of sun and cold. My father and I, taking advantage of the weather, decided to embark on a tomb-hopping adventure in the bustling neighbourhood of East Kidwai Nagar in South Delhi. Our mission, akin to catching Pokémons, was to spot as many tombs as we could in the Kotla Mubarakpur complex. Armed with appropriate footwear (good luck to anyone attempting to navigate the narrow lanes of Kotla Mubarakpur with a car) and a trusty phone camera, we set out on a day full of site covers! Our journey began with Darya Khan's tomb. Newly built residential complexes and a manicured ...

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...

You know what is the good part about being an anthropology student? You can indulge yourself in a surprising array of fields without actually deviating from the main discipline. So while I was out there in the little town of Junga, doing an internship in forensics I did not let my archaeological outlook subside and went to this chief attraction of the town- The Old Junga Palace, what the locals addressed as “Purana Mahal”.  Frontage of the Old Junga Palace What I expected to be a significant monument with huge stone walls actually turned out to be an ancient half-wooden palace falling into gentle ruins. Before getting into the very details of  how the palace looks like? Who ruled the place? etc.., it is first important for the readers to understand that this blog only intends to blow the dust off of the history of the locale and introduce this badly conserved site to the inquisitive minds of explorers and researche rs.   Running through the daily routin...

Divyansh Thakur is a Research Wing Member at Speaking Archaeologically since October 2017 This post is an account of the author's one day trip to Garli, and, is not, by any means the result of a scientific expedition. It is, thus, rid of the jargon, profundity and, as Mark Twain would say, the 'impressive incomprehensibility' of scientific works and, in turn, gives an anecdote of what should be realistically called a picnic. For months, the thought of heading out and exploring the cobbled streets of this small hamlet in Kangra had been pestering me—for a place, so close to home seemed elusively distant. The remedy to it came in form of three battered up scooters, and in companions who did not yet understand the intricacies of Archaeology or the meaning of it. They were all lured in by the irresistible charm of a DSLR camera. I guess we were all a bunch of yokels back home, the object of our desires being fancy little devices, which were, prior to contemporary age, ...

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...

“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...