The conservation of the 11th c. CE Sri Abathsahayeswarar Temple in Thukkachi, Tamil Nadu was recently selected for the 2024 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction for Heritage Conservation among 52 projects received from the Asia-Pacific Region by UNESCO, Bangkok.
In his Talk, "Challenges in Structural Conservation of Temples: Restoration of Sri Abathsahayeswarar Temple, Thukkachi", Dr Arun Menon of IIT Madras will take us through the experience of the team in the conservation of this temple that was in a dilapidated state for over six decades.
He will also touch upon the ongoing unique conservation project involving the completion of a seven-tiered incomplete historical Rajagopuram at Sri Pundarikaksha Perumal Temple in Thiruvellarai near Samayapuram in Trichy District. These projects highlight the role of engineering and science in preserving the rich and living cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu.
The online Talk in English is at 5.30 pm IST on Saturday, December 6, 2025.
About The Speaker:
Arun Menon, Full Professor of Structural Engineering at IIT Madras, holds a first degree in architecture, and PhD in earthquake engineering from University of Pavia, Italy. His research interests are in structural aspects of historical constructions, earthquake behaviour of historical masonry structures and earthquake-resistant modern structural masonry.
He currently coordinates the activities of National Centre for Safety of Heritage Structures (NCSHS), a Ministry of Education (Govt. of India)-supported research centre at IIT Madras.
He has been an Expert Member on the International Coordinating Committee (BICC) for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bagan, Myanmar, and currently is a Member, Expert Advisory Group to International Conservation Committee (ICC) for Vat Phou UNESCO World Heritage Site in Laos PDR. He has been involved in conservation projects in India (Rashtrapati Bhawan, IIM Ahmedabad, Madurai Meenakshi Temple, Konark Sun Temple), Bhutan (Tango Monastery, Wangdue Phodrong Dzong), Myanmar (UNESCO World Heritage Site: Bagan), The Philippines (San Sebastian Basilica, Manila) and Somalia (The Secondo Lido, Mogadishu).
Arun Menon is also active in national and international technical code committees such as Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures (RILEM), Paris and ISCARSAH of International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS, an advisory body of UNESCO).
Dr Oishi Roy. Understanding Early Iron Age: Zonal Differences in Indian Subcontinent. Nov 1, 2025
The Early Iron Age in the Indian subcontinent has been studied and categorised into six zones: North Western Frontier, Baluchistan, Ganga Valley, Eastern India, Malwa and Berar in Central India and Deccan Peninsular and Southern India. Each zone had its own unique features and developed independently.
In her Talk, "Understanding the Early Iron Age: Zonal Differences Within the Indian Subcontinent" , Dr Oishi Roy of IISER, Mohali will trace the similarities and differences and reasons for this development with the aid of new excavations and dates that have come to light. She will also attempt to infer the socio-cultural construct of the society and draw inferences about the iron technology adopted.
The online Talk in English is at 5.30 pm IST on Saturday, November, 1, 2025.
About The Speaker:
Oishi Roy is a Post – Doctoral Fellow at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali under the Palaeo – Arch Lab. Her current research revolves around indigenous smithy techniques and the smithy communities of Eastern India.
Dr Roy did her masters at the Rashtrasant Tukdaoji Maharaja Nagpur University in Ancient Indian History Culture and Archaeology and her Post-Graduate Diploma at Deccan College Pune. She did her PhD in Ancient Iron Technology of Early Iron Age from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.
Dr Roy worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Archaeological Sciences Centre at IIT Gandhinagar. Later, she served as Assistant Archaeologist at Bihar Heritage Development Society, Patna and was involved in the famous Telhara Excavation. Besides being an archaeo-metallurgist she have excavated multiple sites ranging from Lower Palaeolithic to Early Medieval.
In 2019 she was awarded with the prestigious H.D Sankalia Young Archaeologist Award for her research paper on Evidence for Steel Making at Naikund and its Relationship with Mahurjhari, Borgaon and Khairwada.
She has recently co-authored an excavation report, ‘Sri Prathamasivapura Mahavihara: Excavating an Early Medieval Buddhist Monastery at Telhara in Magadh (Eastern India).
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