Museum exhibition on India’s ancient connections

Kolkata: An exhibition marking Indian Museum's 212th Foundation Day, titled ‘Beyond the Land: Markers of India's Riverine and Maritime Heritage', explores India's civilisational journey through the water network. The exhibition, inaugurated on Feb 2, will remain open to visitors till end of Feb.Mounted at the museum's Exhibition Space, the show traces India's relationship with rivers and seas—from the earliest river-based settlements of the subcontinent to far-reaching maritime networks that connected South Asia with Africa, West Asia, the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia. A distinctive feature of the exhibition is that many of the objects on display were drawn from the museum's reserve collection and shown to the public for the first time.
Through artefacts, maps, visuals and symbolic displays, it explores how India's riverine systems sustained agriculture and urban life. "This exhibition highlights India's civilisational journey through its water networks, foregrounding rivers and seas as vital forces of movement, exchange, and cultural continuity," said Sayan Bhattacharya, director of the Indian Museum. Drawing on select antiquities from the museum's holdings, he said the exhibition traces India's connections "from the Harappan civilisation and early interactions with Assyria, Egypt and Southeast Asia to later oceanic networks that sustained India's global connectivity".A central section of the exhibition focuses on the Harappan civilisation, showing how one of the world's earliest societies mastered both inland waterways and the sea. Lothal is highlighted, where Harappan engineers constructed the earliest known artificial tidal dock, complete with a sluice-gate system designed to regulate sea tides and protect vessels. Seals, standardised weights, storage jars and pottery illustrate how Harappan trade was regulated, while displays of carnelian beads, shell ornaments and cotton textiles point to the high-value commodities that travelled across the Persian Gulf. Archaeological finds of Harappan seals from Mesopotamia and Bahrain show the reach of these networks.The exhibition also shows how Ganga, Godavari and Krishna linked agrarian hinterlands to ports, enabling the circulation of goods and people. It also maps India's role in exchanges with Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia and Roman world. Lapis lazuli, beads, textiles went westwards, and silver, wool, other materials flowed into the subcontinent.