Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Bangalore
Presents
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Emergence of a sub discipline
Prof. S. NAGARAJU
Paper presented at
Department of History, School of Social Sciences & International Studies Pondicherry University
National Seminar on Emerging Trends in the Study of Indian History and Archaeology
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Is practically Applied Archaeology
Is utilizing past wisdom for future development Transforms a pure academic discipline into a utilitarian technology Is an approach which opens up new opportunities to the Archaeologists Makes Archaeology more relevant
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
The theoretical premise for Action Archaeology is derived from the Anthropological perspective of cultural evolution Culture itself in all its manifestations of acquired ability of man is a special strategy developed by the human species for its survival and success Its character is determined by the way man negotiates with the environment in which he has to live
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Neither the basic needs and aspirations of the humankind nor the general environmental situation on this planet has changed significantly, at least within the Holocene The progressive stages of cultural evolution as revealed by archaeology demonstrates how varieties of strategies, both material and ideological, were chosen to suit to different environmental situations The efficacy of this pluralistic approach is proved by the very success that man has achieved on this planet so far
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
The logic behind Action Archaeology is that, successful experiments done in the past for efficient use of specific environmental resources for fulfilling human needs could guide future planning too It is here that the field knowledge and insights gained by the archaeologist can become an important input for sustainable development This is especially of great relevance for such of the geographical regions where we find long civilizational continuity, as in India and China
This line of thinking is not just an academic exercise, but a serious attempt to resolve several problems that have cropped up in man-environment relationship in recent years
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
e.g. Ancient knowledge Vs Modern practice 1. Town planning in windy deserts
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
RELEVANCE OF ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY IN EVOLVING LAND USE POLICIES
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Agri Culture V/S Industrial Culture
The difference between the past and the present and also the foreseeable future is not in the basic feature of man-environment interface, but only in terms of quantity, i.e. in terms of the ever expanding population. For an orderly and peaceful continuation of the human species, perhaps it is this part that science and technology have to concentrate upon
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Effects of establishing Industries using modern operating procedures for infrastructural development
Agriculturally productive lands are lost Extensive construction activities involving large scale use of cement & steel causes environmental pollution and global warming Large scale dislocation of population, uprooting them from their traditional ways of livelihood Growth of industrial clusters with high density population resulting in imbalance of demand & supply of esential resources like water, energy, increase of transportation, etc putting further pressure on the environment
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Present situation in India 1. Total agricultural land available 2. Agricultural land converted for 73.5 cr acres
1.97 cr acres
1 crore
Source Dr. Mahadevappa
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Action Archaeology alternative Settlement pattern studies by Archaeologists & Silpa sastra works reveal two basic principles 1. all human settlements (villages & towns) are located close to cultivable lands & perennial water sources 2. all other activities not connected with the day to day living of the larger populace are located away from the above (military establishments, monasteries, large kilns, mines, etc)
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
In this context Indian Hill Forts & Rock Cut Architecture, created in hard bare rocky hills, provide excellent solutions for location of industrial & such other activities (SEZs) Advantages No loss of agricultural land Raw material is local rock only, without involving long distance transportation No wastage, all bye products can be reused Structures permanent & long lasting and are almost maintenance free Self Air Conditioned, maintaining uniform temperature & humidity Aesthetically pleasing Basic needs like water & light can be harnessed locally
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Satara fort
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Mehrangarh, Jodhpur
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Barabar Hills, Bihar
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Bhaja
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Karle
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Ellora
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Ellora
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Kailasa Rock Cut Temple, Ellora
A full scale structure cut in rock Rocky trench ~ 120 ft wide, 120 ft deep, 90 ft high
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Kailasa Rock Cut Temple, Ellora
Another view
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Undavalli cave temple
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Ajanta Chaitya Hall 9
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
Mahabalipuram Rathas
ROCKY ARCITECTURE
IDEAL IN THE MODERN CONTEXT
FOR Special Economic Zones Manufacturing & Service Industries Schools, Colleges & Research Institutions Hospitals & Trauma Recovery Centers Assembly Halls, Prayer & Meditation centers Civilian Storage facilities & Military Warehouses Special Purpose Spaces viz. nuclear & fallout shelters, aircraft hangers, etc and umpteen other uses one may imagine
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
FEASIBILITY All parts of India Except Punjab,
Haryana and
Uttar Pradesh
A Chinese Experiment
A Chinese Experiment
ACTION ARCHAEOLOGY
S. NAGARAJU