Artefacts from Maurya dynasty, cannon of Sher Shah Suri on display; exhibits to be placed in upcoming museum

kolkata: On Thursday, the Ambassador of Greece in India, Dimitrios Loannou met Biplab Roy, the current Administrator General and Official Trustee of West Bengal at his office in Kolkata to see rare artefacts. Law Minister Moloy Ghatak and judges of the Calcutta High Court also were present.

Some antiquities covering 3,000 years were displayed in the office premises, which will be placed in the upcoming Judicial Museum and Research Centre in Kolkata. Artefacts from the Maurya dynasty to the British regime were showcased.

The cannon of Sher Shah Suri with Farsi inscription was also on display along with the primitive guns and its subsequent development. Guns used during Sepoy Mutiny were also on display.

“Khajuraho is famous for erotic arts but the same was influenced by Chandraketugarh, North 24 Parganas and West Bengal. Terracotta slides of Chandraketugarh depict the erotic art and culture, which are more significant than that of Khajuraho,” said Roy.

Some artefacts of the Sunderban area were also showcased. Covering five dynasties (Maurya, Shunga, Sena, Gupta and Pala), these artefacts were embedded in the Sunderban Tiger Reserve. Fossils of elephant bone found in the Sunderban Tiger Reserve suggest the existence of elephants in the area during those dynasties.

“A fossil of a human jaw with teeth is found, which suggests that the minimum height of the person is not less than seven feet,” said Roy.

Impressed with the collection, the Ambassador of Greece in India assured Roy to develop more cultural exchanges between the two countries.

It took Roy four-five months to put the collection in order and he said only five percent of the entire collection was on display for the Ambassador of Greece in India.