Soon, easier access to state government's art and history treasures

Want to see the paintings of Raja Ravi Verma and former royal Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi, British sculptor Henri Moore's 'Mother and Child' sculpture or Satavahan-era excavations from Ter in Osmanabad which are in different state government museums?

The state's Directorate of Archaeology and Museums will soon document the around 40,000 antiquities in its possession including paintings, sculptures, coins, terracotta figures and finds from excavation sites and taxidermy objects. These treasures of art and history which are housed in the government's museums across Maharashtra will now be available for a larger audience through catalogues and the internet.

The state has 13 museums at Nagpur, Sindkhedraja, Mahur, Ter, Aurangabad, Kolhapur (2), Sangli, Aundh (Satara district), Nashik, Thiba Palace (Ratnagiri), Paithan and Satara.

"We are documenting the objects in our museums. Just photographing them and creating a register will not be enough and hence we will be recording them on 20 parameters. We have circulated a format to all museums seeking details of the objects in its possession on these parameters," said Tejas Garge, Director, Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. He added it would take this legacy to the masses.

These parameters will cover data like the type of the object (like coin, sculpture, jewellery), its name, material, period, length and width, weight, spot where it was found, style/ dynasty, detailed description, condition and photographs from four angles.

"This will cover all paintings, sculptures, coins, terracotta figures and taxidermy objects and other objects excavated from sites like Nagardhan in Nagpur, Ter in Osmanabad and Bramhapuri in Kolhapur," said Garge, adding that they would publish catalogues in the coffee table format and also put this information in the public domain through their directorate's soon to be developed website.

The project is expected to be completed in around 24 months from the launch.

Garge added that they would also hire people with Masters degrees in Archaeology or Museology for this documentation to tide over a manpower crunch.

"We plan to come out with two publications every year. A 170-page archaeology guide book for Aurangabad and a report on the Nagardhan excavations is also under preparation," said Garge.

While the Aurangabad museum has a collection of sculptures, the Shri Bhawani museum at Aundh built by Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi has a huge collection of paintings including miniatures from various schools like Kangra and Jaipur.

The Ramlingappa Lamture Museum at Ter in Osmanabad has finds from the Ter excavation site, which dates back to the Satavahan-era and saw trade being conducted with the Romans and the museum at the Thiba palace in Ratnagiri will get replicas of ships used by Navies like those of the Marathas, Dutch, British, Portuguese and Siddhis. The Nagpur museum has paintings by Sawlaram Haldankar