Archaeological potsherds from Ganga valley sent for display at National Maritime Heritage Museum

VARANASI: The Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture, and Archaeology at Banaras Hindu University has donated a collection of archaeologically significant potsherds (pottery) from the Ganga Valley to the "National Maritime Heritage Museum, Lothal.

" This world-class museum is being developed by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways of the Govt of India, in collaboration with the Govt of Gujarat.The head of the department officially handed over the pottery obtained from archaeological sites at Alamgirpur, Raipura, Anai, Latifshah, Khapura, and Mahavan to Prof. Vasant Shinde, the Director General of the National Maritime Heritage Museum, for display in the world's largest maritime museum.

The main types of pottery include Painted Grey Ware, Grey Ware, Black Slipped Ware, and Red Ware, dating from 1200 BCE to 800 CE, covering nearly 4,000 years of history of the Ganges plains.On the request of Prof. Shinde, the department of AIHC & Archaeology, BHU marked this collaboration by donating the potsherd recovered from the excavations conducted by the department to him. Prof. Shinde praised this contribution, saying that such efforts not only enrich the museum's collection but also help bring national recognition and global identity to the cultural traditions of the Ganga Valley.

Speaking on the occasion, the department head, Prof. Mahesh Prasad Ahirwar, said, “It is a special honour for our department that at the time when we are celebrating the centenary year of our department and showcasing our academic and research achievements, the antiquities unearthed from our excavations—dating back thousands of years—are now being taken to be displayed in the National Maritime Heritage Museum.

Our Departmental Museum is also very rich in heritage collections. We are planning for their proper conservation and systematic display, and this proposal will soon be presented to our Vice-Chancellor.”Present at the occasion were Prof. Pushp Lata Singh, Prof. Suman Jain, Prabhakar Upadhyay, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Kumar Singh, Vikas Kumar Singh, and Sachin Kumar Tiwari, along with other faculty members of the department. Retired Professor O.N. Singh and Ashok Kumar Singh also engaged in discussions with Prof. Shinde on this occasion.