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Research Projects - Indian Engineering HeritageIndia has a long tradition of outstanding engineering achievements in diverse fields such as Monuments, Bridges, Irrigation Systems, Metallurgy, Textiles etc. The documentation on these achievements is available in the libraries of Archeological Survey of India, State Museums, Professional Societies and with individuals. It is fragmented and not easily accessible.
In this direction, Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) constituted Experts Study Groups on Railways, Civil Engineering and Metallurgy to compile information and documentation on the outstanding engineering achievements and create an Archives of Indian Engineering Heritage in the Library of the Academy. These Study Groups are headed by Shri VK Agarwal, Prof. RN Iyengar and Dr. Baldev Raj respectively.
METALLURGY The history of civilization is in many ways linked to the story of the use of metals in antiquity. Although modern metallurgy has seen an exponential growth since the Industrial Revolution it is interesting that many modern concepts in metallurgy have their seeds in ancient practices that pre-date the Industrial Revolution. Metals were extracted and utilized in the past in stages progressing usually from the use of native metal, to those metals which could be smelted easily from ores, to those which were more difficult to smelt. The commonly used metals in antiquity include gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, zinc and mercury. This brief review takes a synoptic look at some aspects of the early use of metal in a global perspective. It throws light on some of the achievements of ancient Indian metallurgists. Its heritage in metallurgy, medicine, mathematics and astronomy is a matter of pride for India. more...
RAILWAYSExperts Group comprising of eminent railway engineers and three Fellows of INAE is working on the project. The first Report on Indian Engineering Heritage (Railways) was printed about two years back. The Study Group has completed the draft Second Report recently which is an updated version of the earlier Report and also includes some new areas as under :
The printing of the second Report will be undertaken after editing of the Report.
CIVIL
Prof.R.N.Iyengar (IISc) has continued his investigations on “ Studies of Natural Phenomena in Ancient India”. This includes earthquakes, rainfall, floods, droughts, eclipses and comets. He has published the following three papers this year.
1. Kashmir earthquake: history repeats itself, Oped Article, The Hindu, 28th Oct, 2005. 2. Celestial observations associated with Krishna-lore, Ind. J. Hist. Science, 41.1, 1-13. 2006 3. On Some Comet observations of ancient India, J. Geo. Soc. India, 67, 2006, 289-294. 4. Description of rainfall variability in Brihat-samhita of Varaha-mihira, (Current Science, 2004) reprinted in J. Geo.Soc. Ind. 68, 2006, 545-548.
Prof.K.S.Jagadish (IISc) has completed a project on “Structural and Architectural Study of Domes and Vaults of South India.” This deals with the structural roof forms before and after 1370 A.D. in the States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Twenty nine sites in Karnataka, sixteen in Tamil Nadu and three sites in Andhra have been so far covered in the study. The investigator for preparing documents of engineering interest has visited the above sites. It is interesting to note that in ancient times the roofs were either of the post and lintel type or corbelled. However, Hoysala period artisans had developed arcuate construction of domes, which is different from corbelled construction. After 1370 AD the influence of Islamic architecture can be traced in the roofs. The Bahamani and Vijayanagar kingdoms contributed to the development of very impressive buildings. After the fall of Vijayanagar the above roof systems could be seen in Tamil Nadu, even in residential buildings. Local masons shifted to making brick vaults even in villages. The village of Tiruvaiyaru had many vaulted houses, including the one where the famous saint composer Tyagaraja lived. The forts in Gingi, the Virabhadra temple in Darashuram and the Tirumala Nayak palace in Madurai are fine examples of later day domes and vaults. The style seems to have reentered Mysore region during the time of Tipu Sultan. He built vaults of various spans in Srirangapatna, Bellary, Chitradurga and other places. The one with a large span was in Bangalore. A monograph on the study so far carried out is under preparation.
Prof. S.V. Veeravalli (IIT-D) has been studying ancient irrigation engineering systems in India. Under his guidance a Ph. D thesis on “Tank and Anicut Irrigation Systems: An Engineering Analysis” by Ms. Chitra Krishnan has been completed. The objective of the study was to unearth the engineering principles and design underlying the traditional Indian systems. For the first time the thesis reports extensive engineering study of ancient texts, inscriptions and also laboratory simulation studies carried out at IIT Delhi.
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