The 165th “Meet the Artist” programme was held on Saturday in the Jatin Das Centre of Art (JDCA) premises here. Anthropologist Prof Kishore Kumar Basa delivered a presentation on “Recent Excavations in Harirajpur, Puri” on the occasion.
Basa explained the procedure of excavation and showcased the skeletons found at the Chalocolitic- Neolithic site of Banga village of Harirajpur. Basa, who is Professor and Head of the Department of Anthropology, Utkal University, said that the skeletons date back to approximately 2000 to 1500 BC.
He also said that the discoveries made at Banga displayed the evolution of civilisation in Odisha till the fort settlement of Sisupalgarh came up in the 3rd century BC. “This excavation showcased the process of early farming communities, their settlements and exploitation of natural resources in coastal Odisha,” he added.
The excavation was conducted by the Centre of Heritage Studies, Bhubaneswar, Department of Anthropology, Utkal University and Deccan College, Pune. Prof Basa was previously the Director of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal, Indian Museums, Kolkata and Anthropological Survey of India. Among others, Anthropologist Prof laxman Mohapatra, Culture Secretary Arabind Padhee, AC Sahoo, Surya Rath, Biren Das, Dhiren Das and Alekh Sahoo were present.
“Meet the Artist” is a permanent in-house programme of JDCA, started in September 2001. The presentations are made by traditional and contemporary artistes, craft persons and scholars in the field of visual art.