H.N. Dutta, head of the directorate of archaeology, delivers a speech at the seminar on Tuesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Nov. 20: Experts and scholars across the country came together today and resolved to work concurrently to protect and preserve the remnants of an ancient civilisation found at an archaeological site in Ambari.

Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra has organised a two-day national seminar on Ambari Archaeological site: A Cultural Epitome of Assam to create awareness on the need to protect the site.

S.K. Sharma, director of Allahabad Museum, delivered the introductory address at the seminar and said his museum is ready to provide support and help for research and to protect the site.

“I have been hearing a lot about the Ambari archaeological site. It was indeed an exciting proposal when Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra approached the Allahabad Museum about organising a national seminar on the site. After the seminar concludes tomorrow, I will personally sit with the Kalakshetra authorities and officials of the state archaeology department to discuss further excavation and preservation of the site,” Sharma said.

Speaking at the seminar, T.C. Sarma, former head of the Gauhati University department of anthropology, said it is unfortunate that the government has not done enough to preserve and excavate the Ambari site.

He said unplanned construction in and around the site has jeopardised further excavation, which could help to explore the glorious history of the city.

“It’s high time that experts and scholars did something to protect the site,” Sarma said.

Two technical sessions were held today at the seminar and scholars and experts discussed various aspects of the site. The first session discussed some lesser-known sculptures found there while the second session dealt with terracotta sculptures.

R.D. Choudhury, former director general of National Museum, New Delhi, presided over the second session and suggested various measures to protect the site.

Goutom Sharma, secretary of Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, said the first day of the seminar was quite fruitful and the experts offered several useful recommendations.

A final decision on the protection of the site will be taken tomorrow, the concluding day of the seminar.

Experts and scholars, including the chairman of Allahabad Museum, R.K. Varma, will visit the Ambari site tomorrow morning,” the secretary added.

Varma also inaugurated a gallery of northeastern dance forms at Sankaradeva Kalakshetra today.

Over 1,000 artefacts have been found during excavation at the site.

According to the department of archaeology, the artefacts found at the site have revealed that the civilisation that existed there was several centuries old.The pottery found at Ambari also has similarities with the ones found at Hastinapur in Ganga valley.

The licence to carry out excavation at Ambari was initially given to the anthropology department in 1969 and then to the archaeology department in 1995.