From Belur to Bamiyan, the alchemist has done it all

The veteran archaeological chemist from Karnataka, who served over three  decades with the ASI, has helped restore some of the country’s ancient murals

By Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: In March 2001, the Taliban began their destruction of the historic Buddhas of Bamiyan - Vairocana and Gautama - a process that would take over two weeks to complete, first with antiaircraft guns and artillery, then dynamite. Sitting in the United States at the time, Subbaraman, an archaeological chemist from Karnataka, watched the ravaging take place, as did the rest of the world. Only a little over two decades earlier, in June of 1977, Subbaraman had led a team of experts to Bamiyan, to complete what would be a nineyear conservation project. “The work on the small Buddha had been completed earlier and work on the 183-foot statue was in progress,” Subbaraman recalls.

They began by constructing steel scaffolding, 200-feet high, which led to the very top of the niche in which the Buddha stood. “If you stood on the head of the statue, it felt like being in a large room. You can imagine the size of the statue when I say that. When I climbed about 30 feet down the scaffolding, I would have only reached the shoulder,” Subbaraman recalls. The work involved consolidating the stone surface of the statue and conserving the ancient murals, depicting various Buddhist themes, which covered the walls and ceiling of the niche. These paintings date back to the third and fourth centuries C.E., similar to the paintings in the Ajanta caves.

Work began at 8.30 am, winding up by 4.30 pm, with only a brief break for lunch. “The team used to hurry to the camp at 4.30 pm for their tea and a game of volleyball,” he says.

The project began in 1969 and locals in Bamiyan were hostile to the idea as their religion was opposed to idol worship. However, as work progressed, tourism increased, hotels opened up and as the economy took a turn for the better, residents warmed to the project. “S.K. Singh, the Indian Ambassador at the time, was very helpful. Whenever the team members visited Kabul, the Indian Embassy staff would invite them over for dinner. It was all a very pleasant experience for them.”

When the project was completed in October 1977, then External Affairs Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee arrived to hand over the monuments to the Afghan government. “The opening lines of Atal’s speech still ring in my ears,” Subbaraman remarks. Vajpayee said, “Bamiyanaakar, Hamaara Afghanistan Yaatra Theerthyathra Ban Gaye.”

After a brief period at the King’s Institute, Madras where he began his career, Subbaraman joined the Central Government. Being a conservator, he says, “requires an amount of artistic sensibility and a feel for these great works of art, along with the technical knowledge of chemicals and manual skill.” During his 30 year long career with ASI, Subbaraman has helped restore frescoes at Ajanta & Ellora, the Hoysala temples at Belur and Halebid and Veerabhadra Swamy temple in Lepakshi.