Three-day archaeological conference concludes

PATNA: At least 20 scholars gave presentations on the rich archaeological heritage of the Indian subcontinent on the concluding day of a three-day national conference at Patna Museum on Friday.
The conference, christened ‘Perspectives of 21st Century’, was hosted by the art, culture and youth department’s directorate of archaeology. Experts from The Indian Archaeological Society-Delhi, The Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies-Pune and The Indian History and Culture Society-Delhi participated in the conference.They talked about Indian art and architecture, anthropology, epigraphy and numismatics on Day 3.
Bihar Museum’s curatorial assistant Ravi S Gupta gave a presentation on the Lord Mahavira Temple at Kshatriya Kund Gram in Jamui district. “The temple, which is revered for being the birthplace of Lord Mahavira, has inscriptions and sculptures that date back to the Gupta period,” he said.
Deccan College’s (Pune) research scholar Elora Tribedy talked about creation of on-spot museums at various archaeological sites in Bihar. She said, “During the colonial period, most sculptures from Lal Pahari area of Lakhisarai district were transported to either Patna Museum or Gaya Museum. In the process, the archaeological context of the sculptures was lost. Hence, the authorities concerned should construct on-spot museums at archaeological sites rather than transporting the sculptures to museums.”
The highlight of the conference was, however, the presentation given by 17-year-old archaeologist Arsh Ali. He threw light on the spread of Buddhism in ancient Egypt by Ashoka.
“It is widely believed that Buddhism originated in the east and was propagated by king Ashoka to other parts of the Indian subcontinent. During my research, I found evidence at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh that indicated the spread of Buddhism to Egypt,” the youngest archaeologist said.