Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed the setting up of an Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation with the status of a deemed university under the Ministry of Culture. Presenting the Union Budget 2020-21 in Parliament, she also proposed the setting up of eight museums across the country.

Sitharaman said Rs 3,150 crore has been allocated for the Ministry of Culture and Rs 2,500 crore for the Ministry of Tourism.

“Five archaeological sites in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu would be developed as iconic sites with on-site museums,” the finance minister said.

The five sites are as follows…

Rakhigarhi (Haryana)

Rakhigarhi is one of the five known biggest townships of the Indus Valley Civilisation or Harappan culture on the Indian subcontinent. Five interconnected mounds spread in a huge area form Rakhigarhi’s unique site. Two mounds out of five were thickly populated.

Archaeological excavations revealed mature Harappan phase represented by planned township having mud-brick as well as burnt-brick houses with proper drainage system. The ceramic industry represented by red ware, which included dish-on-stand, vase, jar, bowl, beaker, perforated jar, goblet and handis. Animal sacrificial pit lined with mud brick and triangular and circular fire altars on the mud floor have also been excavated that signified the ritual system of Harappans. A cylindrical seal with five Harappan characters on one side and a symbol of an alligator on the other is an important find from this site.

The excavations have yielded a few extended burials, which certainly belong to a very late stage, may be the medieval times.

Dholavira (Gujarat)

Dholavira is the larger of the two most remarkable excavations of the Indus Valley Civilisation or Harappan culture, dating back to 4,500 years ago (the other one is Lothal).

Dholavira, known locally as Kotada (which means large fort), sprawls over 100 hectares of semi-arid land at the north-west corner of the island of Khadir, one of the islands in the Great Rann of Kutch.

Dholavira has one of the world’s earliest water conservation systems ever excavated. Satellite pictures show a reservoir underground, an expertly constructed rainwater harvesting system extending from the walls of the city, without which the settlement would not have thrived in the sparse rainfall of the desert.

Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh)

Hastinapur is situated in Meerut and is associated with the Mahabharata. Located on the right bank of an old bed of the Ganga, known in literature and tradition as the capital of the Kauravas of the Mahabharata. On the bank of the Budhi Ganga, two places are known as Draupadi Ghat and Kama Ghat. In the archaeological excavations around Hastinapur, iron objects which included arrows and spearheads, shafts, tongs, hooks, axes and knives were found.

Adichchanallur (Tamil Nadu)

Adichchanallur is located on the right bank of the Thamirabarani river in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu. It is an urn burial site and more than 160 urns within the area of 600 sq m have been discovered. Researchers excavated a good number of urns during the 1910s and discovered gold diadems with parallels from Mycenae, bronze objects notably lids with exquisite finials depicting many animal forms, iron objects besides thousands of potsherds. Pottery types include black-and-red ware, red ware and black ware. The dominant shapes include bowls, dishes, vases etc. Iron implements like arrowheads, spearheads and axes were also found.

Sivasagar (Assam)

Sivasagar, previously spelled Sibsagar (‘the ocean of Lord Shiva’), is a town in Upper Assam. It is well known for its Ahom palaces and monuments. Sivasagar, formerly known as Rangpur, was the capital of the Ahom Kingdom from 1699 to 1788.

Karenghar Palace, which is located in Joysagar region of Sivasagar district, is the largest among the Ahom monuments situated on the bank of the Dikhow river. Recent archaeological excavation has exposed the remains of burnt wooden logs, post holes, burnt brick structures and pathways on the northern and western sides respectively. The remains of wooden logs and post holes suggest that a structure of impermanent material existed at the site.

IIHC

In order to have well-trained resources in the disciplines of museology and archeology, the finance minister has proposed to establish the Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation.

“Acquisition of knowledge in disciplines such as museology and archeology are essential for collecting and analysing scientific evidence of such findings and for dissemination through high-quality museums,” Sitharaman said.

Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel said, “The much awaited Indian Institute of Archaeological and Conservation was announced in the Budget. This will enable trained, qualified persons to conserve manuscripts, including monuments, museums. All partner institutions will benefit.”

Other major announcements

The finance minister has proposed the re-curation of the Indian Museum in Kolkata, which is the oldest in the country.

She also announced the renovation and re-curation of four more museums.

A Numismatics and Trade Museum will be located in the historic Old Mint Building in Kolkata.

She also proposed the setting up of a tribal museum in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

For the tourism sector, the government has also allocated Rs 1,200 crore for Swadesh Darshan scheme and a corpus of Rs 208 crore for the Prasad scheme, which seeks to build infrastructure for pilgrimage sites.

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