New Delhi, November 28: A
path-breaking exhibition on one of India’s most significant archaeological
excavations to understand the country’s early historical links with the rest of
the world was opened at the National Museum today by Union Minister of State of
Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) & Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh
Sharma.
"The excavations in
Pattanam show that it was inhabited by people from different parts of the
world, who were engaged in the spice trade," Dr Sharma, adding the
excavation was a major development in understanding India's early history.
"We have to inform our
younger generation about our rich heritage and the excavation findings
displayed at the exhibition offers a good opportunity to increase the awareness
of our youth," said Dr Sharma, who inaugurated the exhibition with the
traditional lighting of the lamp near a replica of a trench in Pattanam,
mounted as part of the exhibition.
"We have probably a share
in half of the world's heritage and history. The exhibition is reflection of
the rich culture and heritage of India," said the Minister, who was given
a tour of the exhibition by National Museum Director General Dr Venu Vasudevan.
The exhibition, ‘Unearthing
Pattanam: Histories, Cultures, Crossing’, provides a first-time glimpse into
the evidences extracted from a village near Kochi, giving hints to the
existence of Muziris, a flourishing port city on the Kerala coast that was the
centre of global spice trade more than 2,000 years ago before it mysteriously
disappeared in the 14th century.
Shri Ravindra Singh, Secretary,
Culture, of Government of India, was also present at the inaugural ceremony
“This is a significant exhibition,
which is interesting at many levels,” said Dr Venu, who has conceptualized the
exhibition. "On the one hand, it gives an opportunity to the academic
community to critically examine what is a very important archaeological project
undertaken in India in recent times. At the same time, it is also a lively way
of showcasing the signs of archaeology before a young audience,” he added.
According to the National
Museum Director General, the exhibition will be a catalyst in analyzing the
implication of the findings at Pattanam and kick-start a critical discussion on
a range of topics such as the maritime history of the Indian Subcontinent, the
question of the mysterious Muziris, the trade connections India had with the
rest of the world
“These vital topics could be
examined, debated and discussed by the academics. But at the same time, this is
our humble attempt to showcase archaeology, its possibilities and interesting
connections with other disciplines before an audience who will not normally get
an opportunity to understand this,” said Dr Venu, who is also Vice-Chancellor
of the National Museum Institute.
“Museums are an important
academic and cultural space where important thoughts and ideas can be presented
and be part of the public discourse,” he explained, adding the exhibition was
an attempt to take archaeology to the public by establishing visual connections
to a digging happening somewhere in the country.
“A museum has to go beyond
putting some object on display,” said Dr Venu, who as a former Tourism and
Culture secretary of Kerala was instrumental in layong the foundation for
reinventing the Spice Route as a cultural and commercial instrument for the
modern times. “A museum has the mandate and duty to provide a platform for
interchange of ideas and perform the role of an important place for exchange of
thoughts.
The exhibition, put together by
the Kerala Council of Historical Research (KCHR) at the initiative of the
National Museum in collaboration with Sahapedia, provides a first-time glimpse
into the seminal research on the existence of Muziris, a flourishing port on
the Kerala coast that was the centre of global spice trade more than 2000 years
ago before it mysteiously disappeared in the 14th century.
The multimedia exhibition
features a select collection of original artefacts from Pattanam - a village
about 20km from Kochi- along with a replica trench, excavation tools and a
10-minute film on the process of excavation.
“The evidences from Pattanam
excavations indicate the intercontinental connections India had 2000 years
back,” said Prof. P J Cherian, the Director of KCHR and head of Pattanam
Excavations. “This is 15 centuries before Vasco da Gama arrived in India, which
many consider as the beginning of our contact with Europe,” said Dr Cherian,
who has curated the exhibition.
"We have over 129,000
artefacts from the excavations,” he said. “ But we are bringing only a
representative selection enough to show our intercontinental maritime
connection with the East and West.”
The exhibition will run up to January
10, 2015.
