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Nature has been an integral part of anthropological developments, and women have been closely related to the same as they gave birth to and nurture humans. Since prehistoric times, women have been depicted in rock art, depicting their importance in society. With the further expansion of society and settlement patterns, the idea of women was brought into terracotta art forms reported from various sites of Indus Valley Civilisation, depicting life closely with nature. Women and trees came closer in a number of interesting rituals and socio-religious customs, and this is reflected in their depiction together in extremely alluring forms and motifs. Historically, Indian sculptors fully identified the woman with nature and represented her in art. This idea was further concretized in the form of voluptuous sculptures during the early historical period, representing them in various forms such as Asoka-Dohada, Vrikshadevata, ??labhañjik?, etc. Yak?? is believed to be nature spirits who are extensively described in the Brahminical, Buddhist, and Jain literary sources as attendant deities and sometimes individual divinities (in the later periods). They have been depicted in many postures and characters. One of the natures associated with ancient fertility rituals was sporting with trees and flowers in forest groves and gardens on the outskirts of the city. The artistic representation illustrates the environmental setting, types of vegetation, etc. The present paper tries to highlight the sculptural themes and portrayal of Yak?? in relation to the environment and their social and philosophical implications. For the present study, the plaques from Chandraketugarh (West Bengal) and the sculptures of Mathura are being taken into consideration.

Keywords: Archaeology, Art, Sculpture, Trees, Women, Yak??

The Sant Ravidas Nagar (Bhadohi) district of Uttar Pradesh, situated in the Middle Ganga Valley between Prayagraj and Varanasi, represents a significant locus of cultural development and transformation across ancient times. Archaeological surveys and excavations in this region have consistently demonstrated a deep antiquity of human settlement, extending back several millennia. This paper presents recent investigations at Shivsevakpatti (25°17’13”N, 82°19’47”E) and Tikri (25°17’42” N, 82°21’50”), where systematic explorations have yielded a diverse assemblage of material culture, including architectural remains, ceramic sherds, terracotta artefacts, iron slag, bangle fragments, and other antiquities. These findings provide substantive evidence of continuous habitation from prehistoric phases through the historical period, thereby underscoring the archaeological richness of the district. The study aims to contextualize these discoveries within the framework of preceding research and to offer a systematic description of the recovered antiquities. By integrating new data with earlier investigations, the paper seeks to illuminate the long trajectory of cultural development in Bhadohi and reaffirm its enduring significance within the archaeological heritage of the Middle Ganga Valley.

Keywords: Middle Ganga Valley, Tikri, Shivsevakpatti, Archaeological Exploration, Pottery, Ceramics, Iron Slag, Antiquities, Cultural Sequence.

Not many rock cut caves have been discovered from the District of Ratnagiri compared to those found in Deccan uplands. This may be due to the unavailability of suitable material, despite that fact, substantial number of rock-cut caves have been identified by various scholars. These rock-cut architecture is either in the form of Monolithic shrines or caves. One such rock-cut cave has been discovered in the Ratnagiri taluka of the Ratnagiri district. Not only that few memorial stones and fascinatingly terracotta figurines have been reported. The paper will discuss about the presence of these rock-cut cave along with other archaeological remains and their scope for further research.

Keywords: Konkan, Memorial Stones, Ratnagiri, Rock-Cut Caves, Terracotta Figurines,

This article examines the semiotics of Goddess Lakshmi within the Hindu traditions of India, focusing specifically on the iconographical representation of her sacred idols, symbols, and mudras (hand gestures). By critically evaluating the genesis, history, and structural evolution of her iconographic motifs alongside relevant textual evidence, this study traces her ideological transition from an abstract, localized agrarian force to a centralized, multi-armed sovereign deity. Relevant semantic and iconographical frameworks are integrated throughout to provide a cohesive, structured analysis of her changing visual grammar. While acknowledging that Lakshmi is deeply embedded within Buddhist and Jain cosmologies, the scope of this paper is confined strictly to her manifestations within mainstream Hindu traditions. Methodologically, the study utilizes traditional temple sculptures and historic icons in tandem with contemporary digital visual resources, including AI-enhanced archival imagery and digital restoration projects, as reliable primary specimens for semiotic analysis.

Keywords: Lakshmi, Semiotics, Iconography, Vedic Literature, Puranas, Mudras, ?r? S?kta, Gaja-Lakshmi, Hindu Iconology, Comparative Religion, Numismatics, Epigraphy, Sanatana Tradition, Digital Art History.

The Nagas has a long tradition of imparting their history from generation to generation through mnemonical means and modes. Folklores provide an enormous source to understand and reconstruct the Naga past society. They are richly found in all the Naga tribes though varied among the tribes. Fascinatingly, they have forged for all the age-set system from children to old ages where gerontocracy was upheld. It is the survival within a people's later stages of culture of the beliefs, origin, moral ethics and etiquette, stories, games, song, dance, magical practices, utensils, tools, proverbs, poetry of the folks, rhymes, riddles, customs, festivals, arts, crafts, rites, houses, and other techniques or adjustment to the world and the supernatural, which were used in previous stages. The development of all this folklore has a deep meaning into it. They portray all the social values, economic activities, political conditions, and environmental awareness of their surroundings. Trade relations with their neighbouring tribes and different communities far and wide were preserved in the form of personal and community experiences which substantially framed into a story that later served as a verbal mode of fossils. With the advent of Western anthropologists in the late 19th to early 20th century invested their research in the regions which laid the first stage in written forms. However, the majority of the present generation is not aware of its significance and is losing interest in it due to the absence of inclusion in the academic syllabus and less prospects for job orientation. Thus, the objective of the paper attempts to analyse the oral living fossils of Nagas from the historical perspective and the challenges encountered using this information to reconstruct the past identity in the contemporary.

Keywords: Culture, Folklore, History, Identity, Naga, Tradition, and Tribes,