Conference Presentations by Mayank Singh
The modern healthcare in India post-Independence has seen large scale growth, with influences of ... more The modern healthcare in India post-Independence has seen large scale growth, with influences of western health systems in the country prevalent, the influence of religious, social and traditional habits affect the healthcare seeking behaviours of the Indian population, especially in the rural populations. The influences can be seen on the treatment of mental problems, contagious diseases such as measles, smallpox and chickenpox, snake bites, etc. The treatment of the diseases are usually associated with a deity. The paper discusses one such deity, Sheetla mata (referred to be the goddess of smallpox in prevalent literature), and her influence in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. The paper also discusses the rituals associated with the Goddess and how it influences the health seeking behaviour of the local population.
The following section deals with the cult of Sheetla mata in the Indian sub-continent and the iconography of her depiction. The second section deals with the ancient literature available on Sheetla mata and the rituals associated with her. The third section talks about the myths and oral history regarding the goddess in the Kangra district and the procedure followed in the temples for the treatment of diseases. Lastly, the paper concludes with a discussion on the influence of the goddess on the healthcare systems and the future research that can be undertaken in this regard.
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A number of archaeological sites today, face the threat of damage from various anthropogenic acti... more A number of archaeological sites today, face the threat of damage from various anthropogenic actions. The lack of documentation of these archaeological sites, especially in developing countries such as India, has led to the destruction of an irreplaceable chapter of history. The paper aims at studying one such site -- the fortress of Rehlu, in district Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, with respect to its significance in the political scenario of the hill states of Western Himalayas as well as the possible risks the site faces today.
The study of the site had many constraints, as there was not sufficient archaeological mapping and documentation available. Much of the information that has been collected is on the basis of personal observation and interviewing the local people of Rehlu village. The paper initially begins with an introduction to the general geography and the history of the site in focus. The subsequent sections then discuss the current scenario of the site’s conservation and its architecture. The paper also suggests ways which may be applied in protecting the site through adaptive reuse, and which may also be applied to similar sites in the Kangra district.
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Papers by Mayank Singh
Speaking Archaeologically, 2019
The evidence for palaeolithic cultures in North India, have been sporadic and have occurred
majo... more The evidence for palaeolithic cultures in North India, have been sporadic and have occurred
majorly as open-air sites associated with Acheulian (bifaces) and Soanian (non-bifacial) lithic
traditions (De Terra and Paterson, 1939; Sankalia, 1974; Chauhan, 2003). These sites have been
predominantly restricted to the Siwaliks. The distribution of the sites in the Siwaliks can be
divided on the basis of the accumulation of sites in a close area, such as the Soan valley in
Pakistan, Markanda river basin in the South-east Himachal Pradesh, the Sutlej catchment area in
the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab and the Banganga-Beas river valley in the North-Western
Himachal Pradesh.
The Banganga-Beas region among these, has been devoid of any significant archaeological
research in recent times. Hence, a primary survey and exploration were carried out in the region
by the researcher, to identify localities with potential palaeolithic assemblages and to re-explore
the localities that have been described by previous researchers. The paper deals with the findings
of the exploration and the description of artefacts collected from a previously unexplored locality
of Nandrool, near the Kangra town.
Due to lack of time and resources, the investigations were limited to just the previously reported
sites. For the same reason, the artefacts that were collected for the study, were retrieved as
surface finds, primarily because the data collection was done individually and independently by
the researcher. This paper is a report of the findings during the survey and attempts to study the
future of these sites in the field of paleolithic archaeology. It begins with a review of previous
investigations in the Siwaliks and the Banganga-Beas valley and then talks about the findings
from the Nandrool site. Finally, it proceeds to elaborate the importance of the finds in relation to
the study of lithic assemblages from Banganga-Beas valley and the Siwaliks as a whole.
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Thesis Chapters by Mayank Singh
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Conference Presentations by Mayank Singh
The following section deals with the cult of Sheetla mata in the Indian sub-continent and the iconography of her depiction. The second section deals with the ancient literature available on Sheetla mata and the rituals associated with her. The third section talks about the myths and oral history regarding the goddess in the Kangra district and the procedure followed in the temples for the treatment of diseases. Lastly, the paper concludes with a discussion on the influence of the goddess on the healthcare systems and the future research that can be undertaken in this regard.
The study of the site had many constraints, as there was not sufficient archaeological mapping and documentation available. Much of the information that has been collected is on the basis of personal observation and interviewing the local people of Rehlu village. The paper initially begins with an introduction to the general geography and the history of the site in focus. The subsequent sections then discuss the current scenario of the site’s conservation and its architecture. The paper also suggests ways which may be applied in protecting the site through adaptive reuse, and which may also be applied to similar sites in the Kangra district.
Papers by Mayank Singh
majorly as open-air sites associated with Acheulian (bifaces) and Soanian (non-bifacial) lithic
traditions (De Terra and Paterson, 1939; Sankalia, 1974; Chauhan, 2003). These sites have been
predominantly restricted to the Siwaliks. The distribution of the sites in the Siwaliks can be
divided on the basis of the accumulation of sites in a close area, such as the Soan valley in
Pakistan, Markanda river basin in the South-east Himachal Pradesh, the Sutlej catchment area in
the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab and the Banganga-Beas river valley in the North-Western
Himachal Pradesh.
The Banganga-Beas region among these, has been devoid of any significant archaeological
research in recent times. Hence, a primary survey and exploration were carried out in the region
by the researcher, to identify localities with potential palaeolithic assemblages and to re-explore
the localities that have been described by previous researchers. The paper deals with the findings
of the exploration and the description of artefacts collected from a previously unexplored locality
of Nandrool, near the Kangra town.
Due to lack of time and resources, the investigations were limited to just the previously reported
sites. For the same reason, the artefacts that were collected for the study, were retrieved as
surface finds, primarily because the data collection was done individually and independently by
the researcher. This paper is a report of the findings during the survey and attempts to study the
future of these sites in the field of paleolithic archaeology. It begins with a review of previous
investigations in the Siwaliks and the Banganga-Beas valley and then talks about the findings
from the Nandrool site. Finally, it proceeds to elaborate the importance of the finds in relation to
the study of lithic assemblages from Banganga-Beas valley and the Siwaliks as a whole.
Thesis Chapters by Mayank Singh
The following section deals with the cult of Sheetla mata in the Indian sub-continent and the iconography of her depiction. The second section deals with the ancient literature available on Sheetla mata and the rituals associated with her. The third section talks about the myths and oral history regarding the goddess in the Kangra district and the procedure followed in the temples for the treatment of diseases. Lastly, the paper concludes with a discussion on the influence of the goddess on the healthcare systems and the future research that can be undertaken in this regard.
The study of the site had many constraints, as there was not sufficient archaeological mapping and documentation available. Much of the information that has been collected is on the basis of personal observation and interviewing the local people of Rehlu village. The paper initially begins with an introduction to the general geography and the history of the site in focus. The subsequent sections then discuss the current scenario of the site’s conservation and its architecture. The paper also suggests ways which may be applied in protecting the site through adaptive reuse, and which may also be applied to similar sites in the Kangra district.
majorly as open-air sites associated with Acheulian (bifaces) and Soanian (non-bifacial) lithic
traditions (De Terra and Paterson, 1939; Sankalia, 1974; Chauhan, 2003). These sites have been
predominantly restricted to the Siwaliks. The distribution of the sites in the Siwaliks can be
divided on the basis of the accumulation of sites in a close area, such as the Soan valley in
Pakistan, Markanda river basin in the South-east Himachal Pradesh, the Sutlej catchment area in
the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab and the Banganga-Beas river valley in the North-Western
Himachal Pradesh.
The Banganga-Beas region among these, has been devoid of any significant archaeological
research in recent times. Hence, a primary survey and exploration were carried out in the region
by the researcher, to identify localities with potential palaeolithic assemblages and to re-explore
the localities that have been described by previous researchers. The paper deals with the findings
of the exploration and the description of artefacts collected from a previously unexplored locality
of Nandrool, near the Kangra town.
Due to lack of time and resources, the investigations were limited to just the previously reported
sites. For the same reason, the artefacts that were collected for the study, were retrieved as
surface finds, primarily because the data collection was done individually and independently by
the researcher. This paper is a report of the findings during the survey and attempts to study the
future of these sites in the field of paleolithic archaeology. It begins with a review of previous
investigations in the Siwaliks and the Banganga-Beas valley and then talks about the findings
from the Nandrool site. Finally, it proceeds to elaborate the importance of the finds in relation to
the study of lithic assemblages from Banganga-Beas valley and the Siwaliks as a whole.