Archival Research in Bangladeshi Art History: Sources and Methods

Spanning over two millennia, Bangladeshi art history is celebrated for its Buddhist sculptures from the Pala period, the Islamic architecture from the Mughal period, and the post-partition modern art history, among others. While there is an opportunity for expanding the field, there is also the reality of having to face the challenges of archival research. These challenges affect art historians, curators, and scholars attempting to preserve and interpret Bengal's visual culture. The research's primary sources, which consist of terracotta relics, manuscripts, and archival materials from institutions, comprise collections that need different methodological approaches centered on traditional art history. More research is needed to explore and balance these sources with other intact collections across different disciplines.

Principal Archival Repositories and Institutional Sources

Bangladesh has the largest collection of cultural and historical artifacts at the Bangladesh National Museum, located in Shahbag, Dhaka, which holds 93,738 items as of June 2022. 78% of the collection is held by the History and Classical Art Department, which houses ancient debt and artifacts, terracotta sculptures, plaques, inscriptions, coins, seals, manuscripts, and personal documents and memorabilia from the Language Movement and 1971's Liberation War. The Ethnography and Decorative Art department, which opened in 1975, holds and studies traditional first and second-tier folk and classical artifacts, such as Jaminani, filigreed, wooden, and stitch quilt works of art, that represent the different cultures of the various ethnic groups in the country of Bangladesh.

Founded by Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin in 1948, the Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Arts holds primary and secondary significant archival materials pertaining to contemporary Bangladeshi Art. The Department of Art History opened in 1989 and has in its custody colonial, post-colonial, and contemporary manuscripts/artifacts from various countries to aid in the understanding of global art history, aesthetics, native cultures, and the theory and criticism of art. The Faculty maintains and controls archives of the institution's history as the Government Institute of Art and its several successors of immensely modernized and transformed practices, which are of significant value to researchers on modern art and its pedagogy in Bangladesh.

There are about 30,000 punthis, or Bengali manuscripts, at Dhaka University, most of which are still unpublished and uncatalogued, presenting a major opportunity and challenge for art history research. Some of these manuscripts, such as the 1805 Tangail Manasa Mangal, which has 37 illustrations, are finely painted in styles that testify to the sophistication of local traditions. Evidence of local art history that exists beyond the formal institutional landscape still reflects the sophisticated traditions of painting. The Rāmamālā Library in Comilla holds around 9000 Sanskrit, Bengali, and Prakrit manuscripts, most of which were produced in the 1500-1900 AD period. Many of these manuscripts are illuminated and are relevant for a better appreciation of regional artistic traditions.

Archaeological Sites as Archival Resources

Wari-Bateshwar ruins in the Narsingdi district of Bangladesh are of particular importance to the study of the earliest periods of Bangladesh art history. The ruins are considered one of the oldest urban archaeological sites of Bangladesh, with settlements as old as 450 BCE. Excavations at the site have revealed a sophisticated urban site with elaborate fortifications, paved roads, and a developed system of commerce and trade with a valuable network to other parts of the Indian sub-continent and regions of East and Southeast Asia. Findings at the site include a range of terracotta-crafted artifacts and Northern Black Polished Ware pottery, along with beads made of semi-precious stones, and a number of punch-marked silver coins.

The Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur, built by the Pala emperor Dharmapala in the 8th century CE, is a primary source of artefacts differing from the mundane, mythological, and religious themes that illustrate the cultural life of ancient Bengal. These plaques illustrate the Gupta, Southeast Asian, and traditional Bengali styles, articulately showcasing the exceptional cultural exchange as far as Cambodia.

The site of Paharpur and the artifacts obtained from Paharpur attest to the practices of terracotta art in Bengal to have begun during the Shunga period, 2nd century BCE, and to have continued through the medieval period, from 750 till 1174 CE. It flourished during the Pala dynasty.

Types and Qualities of Primary Source Materials

In the field of Bangladeshi art and history, there are various types of primary sources that need to be looked at in different ways. Examples of these are the Buddhist illuminated manuscripts made of palm leaves that are from the 11th to 12th centuries. These manuscripts are able to tell the story of the artistic traditions of the Pala era. Most of these manuscripts are in the libraries of Nepal and Tibet and contain religious courses of the time, including the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita. These courses also have paintings that tell the story of the life of Buddha and are specifically focused on the Karandavyuhasutra that deals with the overcoming of obstacles.

Some primary historical sources, like inscriptions of the Hindu-Buddhist period, tell us about the dynasties and their origin, the language and scripts that were in use, the names of the rulers, as well as what the inscriptions were meant for. Sculptures at the time were made from stone, metal, and wood, along with the Pala period sculptures, which are from the 8th to 12th century, are also some of the earliest classical relics that were discovered in Bengal. These Pala period sculptures are the most frequently found in the districts of Dinajpur, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Bogura, Dhaka, and Cumilla, which are located close to the Padma River.

Manuscript art as an expression of national identity is most evident in the handwritten Constitution of Bangladesh, 1972, which is a sign of Bangladesh`s artistic and cultural achievement in the post-colonial era. Zainul Abedin and his students incorporated Shiuli flowers, paddy stalks, Jamdani, terracotta motifs, and Nakshi Kantha designs in engineering several pieces of art, for which this document consists. This is a post-colonial aspiration document in which primary source materials serve not only as legal manuscripts but also as artistic and cultural artifacts of Bangladesh and the legal documents of a free Bangladesh.

Artists' sketches, letters, exhibition catalogs, diaries, and statements serve as primary sources for documenting the various artistic expressions and intentions of the artists. These artistic expressions also recorded and documented the movements and cultural changes of the society, but with a high degree of caution in evaluating the sources for their authenticity and point of view.

Research Methodologies in Archival Art History

In the history of Bangladeshi art, the integration of a variety of methods from various disciplines is a unique feature. A thorough examination of form, theme, style, and technique of the art is the foundation of visual analysis. A systematic study of terracotta plaques within the Paharpur and Kantajew temple sites gives insights into the beliefs, social order, and daily activities of the society in the era in which the plaques were constructed.

Bangladeshi art is studied within the framework of world art in the spirit of productive and constructive dialogue. The influence of Pala Buddhist art on Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, and Southeast Asian art forms forced scholars to make cross-cultural connections. The architectural design of Somapura Mahavihara influenced Buddhist architecture across Asia and showcased the multicultural exchange that can be explored through cross-form analysis.

In Bangladeshi art history, the post-colonial theoretical frameworks providing the tools to investigate the complexities of the region's colonial history are of great value. The selection of Zainul Abedin to supervise the handwritten constitution project is a tactical demonstration of cultural sovereignty and the rejection of the colonial order, whereby the colonial order is meta, and the characters of the hand of the indigenous people are positioned to be the primary actors in the formation of the nation's identity. The recapturing of the in-part colonial value is often described by historians as the scholarly endeavor of reclaiming the lost identity, particularly in colonial Malay cultures, and poses great value in the theory of heritage to the residents of the region.

The production techniques, craft traditions, and the socio-economic context of a society are studied through material culture and ethnoarchaeology as a whole. The research carried out on terracotta artisan communities studies the molding techniques, use of plant fibers in clay mixtures, and patronage and stylistic attention to the volumetric production of clay. The Creative Practices of Bengal, particularly around 1500 BCE to present clay traditions, show a clear geologic influence of clay-rich soils.

To conduct archival research, you need to know how to read and write in paleography (the study of old handwriting), to understand conservation principles, to be able to use finding aids, and to follow institutional protocols for dealing with special collections. Researchers also need to understand documentation and cataloguing and be able to work in curatorial practice in order to use fragile primary source materials. \

Challenges and Future Directions

Doing the archival research, or even working to find sources, has its challenges; This is especially true in the Bangladeshi art history field. The situation of a significant portion of the about 30,000 manuscripts in Dhaka University is in a concerning state. There is no catalog of these manuscripts, and their detailed contents are not published. Furthermore, the manuscripts are deteriorating in their present storage conditions. There has not even been a proper climate control mechanism implemented. This has been a problem since the 1970s, when a master plan to build the climate-controlled storage was designed and allocated funding. Their storage conditions leave the manuscripts vulnerable to a lot of problems, including fluctuations in temperature, humidity, and vermin control.

Other significant problems sorting the manuscripts are the languages that are present within the manuscripts: Sanskrit, Prakrit, Bengali, and the many historical scripts. The problem is compounded by the fact that there are very few expert researchers who possess the needed skill to analyze ancient scripts and translate them. Our problems are especially large because of the loss of traditional knowledge associated with fragmented regional Islamic manuscripts and other similar manuscripts. These are manuscripts contextual to the Satyapīr traditions, and the other knowledge associated with them is a significant loss to our culture. There is an art historical focus; however, a post-colonial paradigm adds an element of tension to Western art history's objective analytical focus. This tension comes from identity theorists from formerly colonized nations who are trying to salvage and retrieve the culturally significant remains lost to the logic of colonialism.

Addressing the challenges of conserving the delicate architectural elements of the eroded manuscripts and fragile terracotta sculptures. There is a need to find a good balance between the need to access the material and the need to preserve aspects of the materials in order for scholars to develop the necessary skills to balance the competing preservation needs of their materials, and to find ways to support enduring preservation activities.

As with many facets of art history in Bangladesh, archival research involves a wide range of materials, including archaeological sites, museum collections, manuscripts, oral history, and papers of the artists. The methodological concerns of the field must balance traditional art historical thinking and cross-disciplinary work in post-colonial studies, material culture, and the digital humanities. The field suffers from a number of outstanding challenges related to the lack of organizing, preserving, and providing adequate access to materials, but it has remarkable potential to broaden the understanding of Bengal's visual culture in all its diversity and across multiple time periods. The continuing challenges of developing appropriate strategies and building and maintaining sufficient research infrastructure will ensure that archival research will be critical to the documentation, preservation, and interpretation of Bangladesh's art.