pic/ atul kamble silence mummy’s the word

TODAY, YOUSHOULD HEAD TO

POTLIARTS EXHIBITION: Catch original folk andtribal artworks of master artists and weavers.COOMARASWAMY HALL, Kala Ghoda, Till: Nov 21

In collaboration with The British Museum, London, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj VastuSangrahalaya is hosting Mummy — The Inside Story, an exhibition of more than a hundred artefactsexcavated from priest Nesperennub’s tomb, who died in Egypt 3,000 years ago

MUMMY’S THE WORD

the guide06WEDNESDAY, 21 NOVEMBER, 2012. MUMBAI. www.mid-day.com

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“Mummies have often been rep-resented as mere curiosities,but should be regarded asunparalleled sources of knowl-edge about many aspects of lifein early civilisations. The exhi-bition shows how very true thatis,” says Marcel Marée, Curator,Ancient Egypt and Sudandepartment, The BritishMuseum. For the first time ever,the city will see 110 artefactsbelonging to the ancientEgyptian period, displayed as apart of Mummy — The InsideStory, an exhibition atChhatrapati Shivaji MaharajVastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS)in collaboration with TheBritish Museum, London.

The exhibition focuses onthe mummy of a priest namedNesperennub, enclosed in a car-tonnage mummy-case, which inturn was found inside a wooden

coffin. “The burial was discov-ered at Luxor (ancient Thebes)in the 1890s. We do not knowthe exact year, because the dis-covery was made by localdiggers who left no documenta-tion. The British Museumbought the set from an antiqui-ties dealer in Luxor. Theexhibition presents about ahundred further artefacts fromother tombs and from temples,covering some 3,000 years ofpharaonic history, acquired inthe course of the 19th and early20th centuries,” says Marée.

Fact scanThe exhibits will be accompa-nied by a 3D film that wouldhelp the layman understand theprocess of unravelling thesecrets of the mummy obtainedwithout destroying its case.“Recently, the mummy was sub-jected to CT scanning atLondon’s University CollegeHospital. The data obtainedinforms us in detail aboutnumerous aspects ofNesperennub’s appearance,health, age at death, and aboutthe way his body was treatedand preserved by the priestswho embalmed him. The scanshave also revealed a range ofamulets and other objects stillplaced between the wrappingsand in part even placed withinthe cavity of Nesperennub’sbody,” says Marée.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee,Director, CSMVS aims to shedlight on India’s relations withEgypt that go back to severalthousand years, “Our associa-tion with Egypt goes back to theHarappa civilisation, almost5,000 years ago. From one ofthe excavation sites at Lothal inGujarat (which was one of thebiggest ports), several artefacts

that indicate trade relationsbetween the two civilisationshave been indicated.”

Tales from the deadWith the help of the exhibits,one can get an insight into thereligious beliefs of ancientEgyptians, especially concern-ing the afterlife, depicting howthey prepared themselves fordeath and afterlife. “They haddeveloped sophisticated mum-mification techniques topreserve the body and they per-formed rituals to restore thebody’s capabilities. Themummy was equipped withamulets and other trappings to

endow the deceased withdivine powers.

Nesperennub is a perfectlypreserved mummy and hasnever been seen by moderneyes, because it is still enclosedin its beautifully paintedmummy-case, which cannot beopened without destroying it,”says Marée. Mukherjee alsorevealed that the museum is intalks to bring down the CyrusCylinder, an important artefactrelated to the history ofZoroastrianism, in 2013.

TILL March 2013AT Chhatrapati Shivaji MaharajVastu Sangrahalaya, Fort.

Nipponzan Myohoji temple

If you are looking for a place in between thehustle-bustle of Mumbai where you mayexperience some peace and tranquility, the

Japanese Buddhist temple located in the heart ofthe city, may be a great place to head to. Knownas the Nipponzan Myohoji temple, this temple inWorli is one of the most popular Buddhist tem-ples in the city. As you enter the temple, you willsee a series of pictures depicting the life andtimes of Buddha that adorn the walls. There is abeautiful marble statue of Buddha in a sittingposture. The temple instills a sense of calm with-in minutes of entering. The temple’s origin isconnected with the prophecy made by MahaBodhisattva Nichiren, a famous monk in Japanin the 13th century, according to whom the rem-edy measure for all evils lay in India.

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P A slice of the city that misses the eye

Near Worli Naka

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MaintainsilencePIC/ ATUL KAMBLE

SUREKHA S

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EXHIBITION

Nesperennub chest wrappings. PICS COURTESY / CSMVS

Cartonnage head-case paintedblue and gilded