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Now, Madapatana-Yallappana Palya, is a key South Karnataka Site allowing discussion of Microliths and rock art discovered for the first time in the Arkavathi basin. In 2019-2023, as part of the doctoral research, a fresh investigation was carried out to see the prehistoric potential, cultural gap and chronology of the earliest occupation in the Arkavathi Basin, which is a microlithic site whose appearance closely relates to the Mesolithic phase. The present research documents the appearance of the Mesolithic assemblages at Madapatana-Yallappana Palya, which shows hunting type and raw materials used for making tools, as compared to the neighbouring site Jalahalli, based on available literature data. In this paper, we further identify the non-locally available raw material that chert was used to manufacture tools. Madapatana-Yallappana Palya currently produces lithic assemblages like bladed core, side-scraper, retouched blade, pointed blade and two-sided blades, with occupants dominating selected local crystal and quartz for making tools. Finally, we hope this discovery in the Arkavathi Basin fills a significant geographic gap in studying Mesolithic cultures. It also challenges the prevailing research to re-examine regional prehistoric behaviour and settlement patterns in southern Karnataka. This paper further assumes the originality of the Madapatana-Yallappana Palya assemblages within the context of the other late Pleistocene cultures in South Karnataka.

Keywords: Mesolithic, Arkavathi, Chert, Open-Air, Rock Art, Hunting-type.

Due to the unavailability of suitable material, rock-cut architecture in the region of southern Konkan is limited. Despite that fact, substantial number of caves have been identified by various scholars over the last century. These rock-cut architecture is either in the form of Monolithic shrines or caves. Two such rock-cut caves were discovered in the Sangameshwar taluka and one from the Ratnagiri taluka of the Ratnagiri district. The paper will discuss about the presence of these rock-cut caves and their scope for further research. This could be an opportunity for further research on the rock cut caves in the South Konkan region.

Keywords: Architecture, Konkan, Maharashtra, Ratnagiri, Rock-Cut Caves.

The Sanchi Stupa, built by Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, initially served as a simple brick reliquary. Throughout the centuries, this was transformed into a massive stone structure that embodies the Indian aesthetic ideal and the timeless truths of spirituality in Buddhist philosophy and practice. It is based on the evolution of the Sanchi Stupa from the Mauryan era to the present, including the Sunga, Kushan, Satavahana, Gupta, and post- upta periods. It involves the architectural adjustment, which includes enlargement of domes, stone railings, and added toranas in the art, the substitution of the aniconic images in artwork with anthropomorphic images, and the alteration in technology, which includes masonry, stone carving, and restoration. The epigraphical data are also analysed to notice the trend in patronage, language, and the pattern of religiosity shift. When viewing the Sanchi Stupa in the light of architecture, technology, and epigraphy, it is a building, a place is not simply a locality that can be attributed with sacredness, but is also a depository of culture that traces its way back to the times of antiquity till our current age of heritage preservation.

Keywords: Sanchi Stupa, Buddhist Architecture, Toranas, Heritage Conservation, UNESCO World Heritage.

The site of Bhārhut represents one of the earliest stages in the development of donative architecture in India. Dating roughly to the 2nd century BCE, the donative inscriptions of Bhārhut represent one of the most pivotal corpora for tracing the palaeographic continuum of the Brāhmī script, from the earliest variant to the later ones. These records occupy a transitional position between the Early Brāhmī, as seen in the Aśokan edicts, and the Middle Brāhmī script of later periods, marked by more regional variations. This article aims to undertake a detailed palaeographic analysis of the Bhārhut inscriptional corpus in the Indian Museum, Kolkata - with particular emphasis on the morphological and orthographic transitions as observable in the forms of the key consonants, vowel markers, conjunct formations, and ligatures. Through this approach, this article tries to trace both the features, of transition as well as of continuity, as reflected from these inscriptions, in comparison to their early predecessors. By situating the Bhārhut inscriptions within the wider trajectory of Brāhmī’s evolution, this study highlights their significance as a bridge between Mauryan imperial epigraphs and the epigraphs of the subsequent centuries, with more pronounced regional alterations and modifications.

Keywords: Bhārhut, Continuity, Corpus, Donative Inscriptions, Early Brāhmī, Epigraphy, Middle Brāhmī, Palaeographic Transitions.

The Yogini holds significant importance in the Tantra, Shaiva, and Shakta traditions. They embody various manifestations of divine feminine energy and are worshipped through spiritual practices to attain supernatural powers. In the Baghelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, numerous Yogini sculptures have been discovered in the districts of Rewa, Shahdol, Satna, and Umaria etc. These sculptures are currently housed in temple premises and museums, including those in Dhubela, Kolkata, Rewa etc. Apart from Shahdol and Gurgi Yogini in Baghelkhand, the primary focus of this research is the study of the known sculptures from Mau (Shahdol), as well as other sites such as Harra, Amartala (Shahdol), Pathrahata (Umariya) etc. The sculptures of Yogini are beautifully carved and have human and animal faces. Each Yogini has a different symbol, as does Vahana. These sculptures are inscribed, which helps in identifying the name of the Yogini. The notable thing is that Sculptures start with a Sri inscription. The present paper intends to discuss the prominence of Yogini worship in Baghelkhand. An analytical study with a detailed description of the iconographic and artistic features of the Yogini has been done. The majority of sculptures found in Baghelkhand belong to the period from the 10th to the 12th century CE and are mainly carved in Red and Brown Sandstone. The authors have relied on inscribed labels found on the pedestals of the sculptures to identify the names of the Yoginis. In cases where clear inscriptions are absent, identification has been based on iconographic features, including attributes or associated mounts (vahanas). This study also includes discussion of their religious significance.

Keywords: Baghelkhand, Iconographic, Inscribed, Sculptures, Shaktism, Yogini.

Terracotta is a very significant archaeological evidence in the context of Bangladesh. The geographical and geological formation of Bengal, clay etc., the main raw material of terracotta which are widely available in this region, for that a long tradition of using terracotta has been developed here. Apart from this, the scarcity of stone also played an important role in the popularity of terracotta art. Being a humid climate region, salt can easily form in the brick structures here and the durability of the structure fades over time. To overcome this challenge, the past people used terracotta plaques on the structure which on the one hand made the structure durable as well as increased the aesthetic beauty or excellence. Due to these various reasons, the use of terracotta art became popular in the Bengal region. Recently, the law enforcement forces, especially RAB-3, seized a large number of terracotta artifacts during smuggling from various places in Bangladesh and handed these over to the Department of Archeology (henceforth DoA), Government of Bangladesh after completing the legal procedure. The Department of Archeology organized an exhibition of 40 selected terracotta objects including recovered 25 artifacts and 15 artifacts from their own collection, later publishing a reference catalog on these 40 terracotta objects. The catalog presents very short and brief information about the objects and often that information is not very clear. Out of 40 exhibits of the exhibition, there are eight terracotta objects which are related to ornamented bricks.

Keywords: Terracotta artifact, Art, Bricks, Ornamentation, Archaeology.