CAS Fall Lecture on "Gold Technology in Ancient India with Special Reference to Upper Mahanadi Valley: an Ethnoarchaeological Perspective"

The Center for Archaeological Studies (CAS), University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) organized a joint seminar in collaboration with General Education Department, ULAB on "Gold Technology in Ancient India with Special Reference to Upper Mahanadi Valley: an Ethnoarchaeological Perspective" on October 20, 2025. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Banti Mahapatra, Assistant Professor, Maa Manikeshwari University, Odisha

In her talk, Dr. Mahapatra expresses detailed ethnographic, ethnoarchaeological and Ethnohistorical study related to the ancient gold technology covering the making and working processes recorded in the past cultural phases of India. Her work narrate comprehensive information of the on-going long-established gold making process of the Jhara and Bhuinhara communities and the traditional gold working process of the Kharra community are inhabitated in the Upper Mahanadi Valley. It highlights the various applied traditional techniques and methods, tools and implement and involved processes follow among the selected folk communities to obtain the final product. The comparative study of gold findings of the study area with the present day involved traditional gold technologies indicates the local demand and it's fulfilling methods as well as the claim of indigenous origin with the absence of foreign influence.

After her speech a spontaneous Q & A session was open. At the end, Prof. Shahnaj Husne Jahan, Director, CAS delivers the Vote of Thanks and ends the program. The program was initiated by Kabya Krittika, RA & Lecturer, CAS. ULAB faculties and students actively participated in the seminar.