JOIN USIn medieval times when the ship’s engine whistled to announce its arrival at the port, the priests and the doctors used to run and hide lest the sailors caught hold of them.
Back after spending several days at the sea, they needed peace which was possible only through these spiritual and medical practitioners,” says Dr PJ Cherian laughing as he takes Metrolife to the Kerala of centuries back.
Known for his expertise in excavations, the expert is in the Capital to showcase objects that have been excavated at a site in Pattanam, Kerala. The exhibition ‘Unearthing Pattanam: Histories, Culture, Crossings’, organised by the Kerala Council of Historical Research (KCHR), which exhibits the excavated articles, provides a glimpse of the research on 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 disappeared mysteriously in the 14th century.
A visitor at the exhibition might not be too impressed with the exhibits, since most of them are quite tiny. Be it the gems, stone inlays, glass intaglios, metal pieces or architectural relics, most require a magnifying glass to be appreciated.
But these small wonders have helped the researchers delve into the “maritime history of the Indian subcontinent,” says Dr Cherian, the curator of the show. “We had some 1.29 lakh objects but brought only 700 here. Bringing them to the national Capital was important,” he said.
For a city dweller, it is difficult to appreciate the significance of a recreated trench, but the same would be of immense attraction to those from the coastal regions.
“One important aspect of organising this exhibition is to explain to common people how scientific activities or excavations are capable of telling our past,” says the curator.
A proof of this are the huge terracotta pots – ‘Amphorae’ (ancient jars with two handles and a narrow neck).
“Made in nine locations of the Mediterranean, the clay for these amphorae could have been from Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Spain and Italy. Even the shape of these artefacts brings light to the long lost maritime contacts of India with the other civilisations. Infact, these objects prove that foreigners had come to India 15 centuries before Vasco da Gama landed here!”
Once these historical possibilities are cross checked, these researches from the
excavations done at Pattanam are capable of changing the present facts. No wonder the Pattanam excavations have attracted international attention with the Oxford University sending two of its teachers from the School of Archaeology this year to participate in the fieldwork in Kerala.
As a step from the past to the future, the exhibition integrates art themed on these excavated artefacts in the exhibition. Video installations and contemporary art on the excavation is therefore an important aspect to explore when visiting the gallery. The installation ‘Black Gold’ is one of these. Created by artist Vivan Sundaram, the artwork makes use of body sherds (discarded fragments of pottery).
“We got 4.5 million body sherds during our excavations and gave 80,000 small sherds to Vivan. The video here shows the installation that he made out of them,” says Dr Cherian.
‘Unearthing Pattanam’ is ongoing at the National Museum till January 10.