Speaking Archaeologically™

THE BHULI BHATYARI KA MAHAL An oddly disproportional and red Hanuman stands sternly, ripping his chest open as Delhi wizzes by his feet. Many seem almost oblivious to this grand and grotesque gesture. There is a meeting to get to, a date, an assignment to submit a week after it was due, or in most cases just an air conditioner to find and set up base   in front of. Behind the statue, a thin, unassuming road slithers past all the chaos, ending at a place strikingly different from where it began. It ends in the 14 th century, at a now decrepit Tughlaq era hunting lodge. The bhuli bhatyari ka mahal is conveniently tucked away behind the hanuman statue in busy Karol Bagh. It is a spot like so many others in the capital, where the ancient and the modern live cheek and jowl, and hopefully will continue to do so for a long time to come. It faces a large DMNC water tank, where on most occasions, the water turns a rancid green. Every few minutes, the silence around gets in...

In our last post, you read how an idiosyncratic Panel of five archaeologists started posting their findings on the Facebook page Speaking Archaeologically,  drawing interested people and parties from all over the world. Today's post is about what happened next! Within two months of its inception,  the Panelists began to receive  invites and emails from several amateurs and professionals to visit new towns and cities, with lost archaeological stories and historical anecdotes, so that, they could include them on the Global Archaeological Map.  Travelling to all these sites was, however,  impossible for the Panel. Long journeys, international flights and brain wracking archaeological work is not easily done, especially when one has to rely on personal finances for the work, after all! This gave birth to Phase II of Speaking Archaeologically: something the Panelists christened   Citizen  Archaeology .  Drawing inspiration from th...