Sea travel was fraught with peril and danger in early historical and medieval times, and not surprisingly, from an early period, a saviour or saviouress from sea danger was part of the Indic cultural tradition. First, in Buddhism in the form of Avalokite?vara and T?r?, but later in Hinduism, the protective saviour deities emerged in the Indian Subcontinent, including in the eastern seaboard region of Odisha. The coastal shrines in the Indian Ocean World provided the cultural basis for the maritime transactions among the various regions of the Indian Ocean. The paper is an attempt to construct various coastal shrines in Odisha by analysing the historical-cultural context of their origin and growth. The paper uses archaeological, historical evidence, temple legend and local tradition to construct the maritime economic landscape of Odisha in the early historical and early medieval period, which includes accounting for the locations of ports on the riverine mouths. The location of these ports in the estuarine mouths or on the river banks is dependent on their hinterlands, and the paper analyses the role the goods and traders of Odisha played in the Indian Ocean trade. Given the dangers of sea voyages and belief in protective deities, the coastal establishments saw the emergence of coastal shrines in early historical and early medieval Odisha.

Keywords: Coastal shrines, Transnational networks, T?r? as Saviouress, Siddha Y?tr?, Mangal?.

Reconstructing an area's unwritten history and past cultures can be deduced from the systematic study of archaeological sites and material vestiges of the past. There has been limited research work undertaken in this outlook in Karbi Anglong district of Assam because of socio-political issues and the region’s remote, hilly environment. This research aims to unearth the archaeological resources from the western region of Karbi Anglong district and determine their relevance. Baolagog, Lembra and Umswai are the three villages where the fieldwork has been conducted. Field data have been gathered using archaeological explorations, and interview methods. The investigator encountered remnants of pottery and stone artifacts, especially celts. Potsherds were recovered on surface and in exposed sections which produced 195 number of ceramic sherds. Ethnoarchaeological methods including comparative analogy, petrographic examination, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were employed to evaluate ceramic sherds. Mineralogically similar composition is implied by the results of XRD analysis on samples obtained from both surface and exposed sections. Petrography has identified coarse particle mineralogy, added tempering materials and possible ceramic production processes. Typo-technological evaluation of ceramic sherds, along with existence of polished-stone artifacts (celts) and proximity of monolithic stone construction site provide a basis to investigate this situation ethnoarcheologically. Ceramic sherds and stone artifacts of the examined region; ancient monolithic alignments of stones, a historical form of subsistence; shifting agriculture; and continued utilization of clay vessels in ceremonial rituals by the local residents may be connected through time since a long antiquity. Therefore these elements have made it obvious that there is a basis to understand the area's possibility as a place of ancient habitations.

Keywords: Pottery, XRD, Petrography, Celt, Continuity.

This study presents a comprehensive archaeometallurgical analysis of selected metal artefacts excavated from the Early Iron Age levels at the site of Pachkhed, District Yavatmal, Maharashtra, India. Through a multi- nalytical approach employing X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), we investigate the compositional, microstructural and mineralogical characteristics of an iron nail and a bronze bowl. The results confirm deliberate alloying practices, with the bronze object showing a Cu-Sn alloy composition (Sn ~51.77%, Cu ~37.59%) and the iron artefact dominated by ferric compounds, indicative of low-carbon wrought iron with significant surface oxidation. Stratigraphic and contextual data suggest long-term occupation at Pachkhed from the Early Iron Age through the late Medieval period. This study contributes to the growing corpus of metallurgical research in South Asia, situating Pachkhed within broader technological trajectories of protohistoric Deccan metallurgy.

Keywords: Archaeometallurgy, Early Iron Age, SEM-EDS, XRD, XRF, Deccan Metallurgy, Pachkhed.

Dantari Hill in the northeastern Vindhyas is an important site where many forms of archaeological evidence converge within a single landscape. This study documents and analyses megalithic structures, microliths, rock paintings, quarry pits, an inscription, and settlement areas to understand how people lived and used this region over time. A multi-method approach was applied, including megalithic documentation and GIS mapping; random and grid sampling for microliths; micro-documentation of rock art; inscriptional study; and cross-transect surveys for settlement areas. The results reveal 482 megaliths arranged in distinct clusters, microlith production areas, and those used as offerings to funerary rituals, 119 rock paintings depicting diverse scenes, an inscription linked to quarrying activity, and three settlement zones occupied for more than a thousand years. Taken together, this evidence shows that Dantari Hill was not just a burial ground but a connected cultural landscape where people lived, worked, created art, and performed rituals over many generations.

Keywords: Kaimur Range, Megaliths, Microliths, Rock paintings, Inscription, Settlement, Cultural landscape.

In Korea, research on Joseon-period mummies has provided valuable biological insights into people from centuries ago. However, no reports have yet documented the recovery of ancient insect remains from these mummies. This study is significant as the first report on ancient Dermestes in South Korea. During our investigation of a 15th to 17th century Joseon mummy, we discovered beetle remains (genus Dermestes) embedded within the fabric wrapping the mummified body. Our macroscopic and electron microscopic analyses reveal near-perfect preservation of the beetle’s head, thorax, and abdomen. This report highlights the exceptional morphological preservation of insect remains and explores the potential for such specimens to serve as subjects for future biological research.

Keywords: Joseon period; Mummy; Electron Microscope; Genus Dermestes.

This study investigates soil erosion at Buddhist archaeological site on the Jhelum River bank in Baramulla, using Remote Sensing (RS) and GIS. Analysing Landsat and Google Earth imagery (1976–2022), we quantified cumulative spatial changes relative to the 1976 baseline channel area. The reach experienced significant lateral land erosion (32.5%) alongside massive fluvial deposition (71.6%), culminating in a net channel expansion of 39.1% driven by aggressive meander migration. The highest erosion recorded was between 1989-2000 (3,616 m²/year). Predicting future erosion possibilities, this study estimates an additional 10,122m² could be lost by 2050 without undertaking any preventive interventions. The research highlights a methodology for assessing riverbank erosion in archaeological sites using open-source data and emphasizes the importance of GIS and remote sensing in cultural heritage protection.

Keywords: Cultural Heritage, GIS, Remote Sensing, Fluvial Erosion, Site Conservation, Baramulla, Jhelum River.

The representation of human anatomy in Indian sculpture provides important information into the relationship between art, religion, and knowledge systems. While Early Historic sculptural traditions introduced detailed depictions of the human body, Early Medieval Brahmanical and Tantric depictions further developed these conventions through symbolic representations of divine figures. Among such deities, Ch?mu??? has a distinctive position due to her emaciated form and prominent skeletal features. This paper documents and analyses two sculptures of Ch?mu??? from the Kamakhya temple complex, Assam, one of the most important centres of Shakta-Tantric worship in India. The study examines their iconographic features, tantric associations, and representations of the human body, with importance on skeletal anatomy. Through visual and comparative analysis, the sculptures are examined in relation to other Ch?mu??? images from different regions of India to identify regional similarities and variations in artistic expression. The study traces the development of anatomical representation from Early Historic sculptures to the Ch?mu??? iconography of the Early Medieval period. It states that the Kamakhya sculptures reflect a sophisticated interaction between religious symbolism, Tantric ideology, artistic understanding, and anatomical observation. These images not only demonstrate the sculptors’ technical skill but also reveal how the human body was engaged as a powerful visual medium for expressing concepts of death, transformation, and divine power within the Shakta-Tantric tradition.

Keywords: Kamakhya, Sculpture, Tantrism, Human Anatomy, ?akti Pitha.