BHARAT ITIHAS SANSHODHAK MANDAL

INTRODUCTION OF HERITAGE SITES

In today's fast-paced world history has become a broader discipline.
It has emerged as an important applied subject in modern times. It
is not only a study of the past, but also can became a source of skill
development based on this knowledge. Attempts are being made to
establish interrelationships with various departments related to this
subject with a view to use this subject matter to make the
personality and future of the students meaningful. Historical
tourism and heritage sites are the most developed areas in the
world today, India also has a long history of heritage sites.
The correlation between history and the present is important. It will
be a successful endeavor to save and preserve this heritage in
tangible and intangible form on the basis of applied history. V. K.
Rajwade says, '’History is the past character of the nation in all its
forms.” In this context, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan says, '’History is
the memory of the Nation"
Heritage is the English word for inheritance. Inheritance is
something inherited from one's ancestors, Its meaning is not limited
to immovable objects and structures but it is a broad concept
encompassing various things like literature, culture, art, sports and
architecture. Heritage sites are places of ancient artifacts created by
our ancestors, unique remnants of traditions and unique natural
treasures.
Heritage sites are classified into three main types according to the
nature and content of it as follows:
 (1) Cultural Heritage Sites
 (2) Natural heritage sites
 (3) Mixed heritage sites
The first type of heritage sites i.e. cultural heritage sites can be
further divided into two sub-types tangible cultural heritage sites
and Intangible cultural heritage sites. Biodiversity is a priority in
natural heritage sites. In addition, heritage sites other than natural
heritage sites are included in the mixed heritage sites. All the three
types of heritage sites can be seen in India.

HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF HERITAGE SITES AND

MUSEUMS
Educationist V. D. Ghate says. "History is the scientific study of the
evolution of human beings on Earth" In short, history studies the
course of human life in the past. This study and research can be
based on the evidences from the past. The role of museums is very
important in preserving and conserving such historical objects. That
is why the historical significance of heritage sites and museums is
unique because we get to see the reflection of the past history on
the basis of the places and objects they are preserved and nurtured
within

MUSEUMS

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 The role of museums in preserving the cultural and historical
heritage of a nation and society is debatable. In addition to this
traditional role, museums also play an important role in the field of
education. The culture, history, timeliness, aspirations of a nation
are evident from the nature and functions of museums in that
particular country. That is why the museum has a big place in the
working of a nation. The International Council of Museums is a
branch of UNESCO. May 18 is celebrated as International Museum
Day by this organization every year. Museums are the powerhouse
of history.
The world's oldest museum was discovered during excavations in
the city of Ur in Mesopotamia. The museum dates back to the 6
century BC In India human nature of collection has been observed
since time immemorial. In the medieval period, wealthy individuals
and organizations collected art objects, called galleries, cabinets and
scribes. It was later converted into a museum Muses are a Greek art
form and its abode is Musean Over time, museums gradually took
on a more formal form. It was from this that the museum idea took
shape in modern times. The Indian Museum' of the Asiatic Society of
Bengal in India was started in 1814 It is the oldest and first museum
not only in India but also in Asia. Since then, various museums have
been started in India through the Archaeological Survey
Department.
The Government Museum was opened in Chennai in 1851, the
second museum in India. The National Museum in Delhi was
established in 1949 with a view to project a new image of India in
post-independence period. Over time many museums were created
in different states of India. Historical museums are one of the most
important types of museums. There are many famous museums in
India like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum - Satara, Rana Pratap
Museum Udaipur, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Museum - Surat. Tipu

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 Sultan Museum - Srirangapatnam, Salarjung Museum - Hyderabad.
Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum Pune. Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal
Pune.

The historical significance of museums is highlighted by Raja Kelkar's

statement that "historical museums are the cultural treasure of the
nation and a legacy of past life."

INTRODUCTION

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On 5th May 2023 I went to Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal for
heritage place visit . I arrived there at 12.30 pm . The purpose of visit
was my college project which was visiting historical places and write
report on the visit. For that matter I planned to visit Bharat Itihas
Sanshodhak Mandal and find out the story of behind building that
museum.

VISIT OBJECTIVE
The objective of visit was getting information about museums and co-
relation between history and museum. And importance of history and
museums.

FIELD OBSERVATIONS
I was guided by a tour host who explained details about museum
history and the all types of historical resources contained by museum.
The question and answer session between me and the host took one
hour. I also managed to collect some information about V.K. Rajwade
and Sardar K.C. Mehandale the founder of Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak
Mandal.
Due to time constraint as there were so many things to watch and ask
like scripts ,coins ,books ,sculpture etc. I couldn’t get information about
everything .

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I learned various things about V.K. Rajwade and his purpose about
building this museum. How can museum help to history students and
other people who are interested in history and wanted to know about
our culture and best place to study for history students.

RESOURCES

Presently, the Mandal maintains more than 1,500,000 historical papers

and 30,000 scripts mainly in Marathi, Modi, Persian, Portuguese and
English. Moreover, it has also preserved over 4,000 coins, 1,000
paintings and a few sculptures and inscriptions in its well equipped
museum. The Mandal's library keeps more than 27,000 books written
mainly in Marathi and English, which can be made available to the
researchers for free consultation or, for a nominal fee, on 'Take Home'
basis. These resources hold sizeable volumes on the history of
the Maratha Empire, Maratha culture and Marathi literature. They also
contain a large collection of the material on British Rule as well
as Mughal Rule over India. The Mandal issues a Quarterly Journal called
'Trai-Masik' wherein essays and articles on new discoveries are
presented. It has also published books written and edited by veteran
historians and reports of annual conferences and historians' meets.
The Mandal periodically organises lectures, workshops, training,
seminars and study tours for the young researchers and historians.
There were some books like Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj charitra,
Bakhari, Information about ancient sculpture and history, Information
about tempals, some letters and books about maratha empire.

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 The original instruments in the hall are divided into four parts and
halls: (a) Library: There are sixteen lakhs of papers in different
languages such as Modi correspondence, documents, account
books, Persian documents, Mahjar, Karine, Sanada. It contains
papers of about fifty families from Adilshahi, Shivkal, Peshwa etc. (b)
Pothishala: Out of thirty three thousand manuscripts, a list of
seventeen thousand has been published. These books are in
Sanskrit, Marathi, Persian, Kannada etc. There are 200 pothyas in
languages and out of them two hundred pothas are illustrated, they
are religious, astrological and poetical. A separate list of them is in
progress. Gitapancharatni, Shakunwanti, Simhansabattishi (Sanskrit)
and Tarikh-i-Hussainshahi (Persian) are notable among the
illustrated books, and the Persian illustrated copy is one of the
rarest books in the world. (e) Chitrashala has a total of twelve
hundred rare miniatures. These paintings from different eras are in
different styles. There are depictions of ragagini, baramas, portraits,
traditional decorations and the talchitras in them are remarkable.
(e) Coins : Gold, Silver, Copper etc. About seven thousand metal
coins are in the collection of Mandal and they belong to various
dynasties chronologically from the Satavahana period to the
eighteenth century. (c) Copperplates There are a total of 30
copperplates of Chalukya, Rashtrakuta and Yadav races, as well as
many idols, heros, weapons, clothes, maps etc. in this section.(o)
Laboratory : Equipped with modern equipments including
lamination for preservation of documents by applying a layer of
transparent paper over them, coins And cleaning other things etc.
Works are going on. (a) Research Department : Editing of
documents, reading of coins and copper plates etc. Reports have
been published sporadically. Excavation was carried out by the
Board in 1949 at Karad for archaeological research. Since 1980, the
Board has participated with Deccan College (Pune) and Marathwada

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 University (Aurangabad) in a project to research and excavate the
medieval culture of Daulatabad. (Ai) Library: Eighteen thousand rare
books useful to researchers are kept in the circle and new books are
added every year. Apart from this forty five periodicals come
regularly in the circle. In addition to the library, there are study halls
for researchers.

The board has published many research books by historians. It

mainly consists of publication of authentic materials collected by the
Board. One hundred and fifteen publications are available in BISM.

HISTORY OF BHARAT ITIHAS SANSHODHAK MANDAL

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 This premier research institute was founded over a century ago by
historians V.K. Rajwade and Sardar Khanderao Mehendale to
promote research in history, and includes notable members such as
Prof. G.H. Khare.

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Historians Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade, an alumnus of Deccan
College, and Sardar Khanderao Mehendale established the Bharat Itihas
Sanshodhak Mandal (BISM) on July 7, 1910. Vishwanath Kashinath
Rajwade (1863–1926), popularly known as Itihasacharya Rajwade, was
a historian, scholar, writer, commentator, and orator from
Maharashtra. Rajwade graduated in 1890 from Deccan College, Pune.
During his degree course, he came into close contact with eminent
historian Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, who was then a professor at
the college. Rajwade was also inspired by the works of essayist
Vishnushastri Krushnashastri Chiplunkar, lexicographer Parshuram
Tatya Godbole, and Kavya Itihas Sangrahakar Sane.

The institute was set up to revive archival research on the Maratha

period, promote the scientific study of Indian history, collect rare

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manuscripts, and publish books to accelerate research in history. It was
inaugurated with a lecture by Rajwade, with Mehendale as the only
member in the audience.

The Mandal was originally located in Mehendale’s palace at Appa

Balwant Chowk, a popular crossroads in the Shaniwar Peth
neighbourhood of Pune known for its bookshops. The Mandal later
moved to its present building located in Sadashiv Peth in the heart of
Pune city. The current building was built from 1912–1920 in the
Colonial Vernacular architectural style.

In 1926, Rajwade left Pune due to disagreements with the Mandal

administration and created another institute, Rajwade Sanshodhan
Mandir, in Dhule, Maharashtra. Despite his departure, the Mandal
continued its mission and was strongly supported by scholars in the
form of donations of books and papers. Rajwade’s disciples Datto
Vaman Potdar, Ganesh Hari Khare, and Vasudeo Sitaram Bendrey are
said to have played a major role in supporting the Mandal’s activities.
The main hall of the institute, named Rajwade Hall, is listed as a
heritage building by the Pune Municipal Corporation and has witnessed
many important meetings. A newer hall behind it is called the Potdar
Hall, named after Mahamahopadhyaya Datto Vaman Potdar, who
served as the first secretary of the Mandal. Potdar was a disciple of
Itihasacharya Rajwade and a trustee of Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal in
Pune. The Mandal also has a collection of paintings (around 1,200 to
1,500 watercolor paintings, of which 130 are displayed) in the gallery,
also known as Chitrashala. It also holds a collection of rare maps of
Pune including a few maritime maps. Another important feature of
BISM is the Khare Museum, named after Dr G.H. Khare, a renowned
scholar who was associated with the Mandal for almost 50 years.
BISM’s administration is managed by the Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak
Mandal Trust, a non-profit organisation that mostly functions through
private and public donations, government and private grants, and
membership fees.

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The Mandal publishes Traimasik, a quarterly journal in which essays
and articles on new antiquarian or historical discoveries are presented.
They also regularly organise lectures, workshops, and seminars, and
host young researchers from India and abroad.

Today, the Mandal houses a treasure trove of historical documents,

manuscripts (pothis), maps, paintings, coins, sculptures, copper
plates, arms, historical books, early Marathi newspapers, and more.
The language of instruction used by the institute is primarily
Marathi.

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There are five main sources of historical research available at BISM.

1.Archives: These hold a wide collection of documents such as account

books, letters from various periods like Adilshahi, Shivaji Maharaj, and
Peshwai and in different scripts like Persian and Modi.

2. Manuscripts: The handwritten manuscripts collection includes

documents in Sanskrit, Kannada, Marathi, Persian, and other languages.
These cover a range of subjects such as religion, poetry, and astrology.
Close to 200 manuscripts.

3. Paintings Gallery: BISM holds a collection of around 1,200 to 1,500

rare paintings of various styles and periods, including portraits of kings
and queens.

4. Coins: BISM has a rich collection of gold, silver, and copper coins.

5. Copper Plates: BISM holds close to 30 copper plates of different

periods and dynasties (Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas, and Yadavas).

CONCLUSION

The things I learned after visiting BISM is that museums not only gives
us knowledge but makes us familiar with our culture , history, art,
civilization etc.

I felt exited whenever guide told me about the history and information
behind each and every resources which are in BIHM. I think museum
is one of the only places which let you to get close to your country,
world, and different cultures.

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 HISTORY PROJECT

Savitribai Phule Pune University

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