MUMMIES IN INDIA, WITHIN AND WITHOUT MUSEUMS
Egypt, Tutankhamun, pyramids, bandages, creepy-crawlies… These are the instant thoughts that come to most of our minds when we hear the mention of mummies. Yes, the Ancient Egyptians are most well-known for their mummies and the process of mummification. But the ritualistic concept, which was heavily tied with a belief in the afterlife, also prevailed in several other civilisations and spanned many geographical regions. The early Chinese dynasties, inhabitants of the Canary Islands, as well as pre-Columbian societies in South America such as the Incas, all practised mummification.
A mummy refers to a dead human or animal whose body has been preserved after its death by deliberately drying or embalming the flesh. Mummies form an important part of cultural heritage and are a significant historical evidence. The process of mummification was rampant in the ancient times and was an honoured tradition, often performed by special priests or ‘embalmers.’ In some rare cases, mummies were also created unintentionally or ‘naturally,’ when a dead body was exposed to extreme conditions such as frigid temperature, dry environment or other related factors.
Most historical evidence of mummification is available in the context of Ancient Egypt. Scholars, researchers and Egyptologists over the years have come to an agreement on what the process of mummification would have looked like in preparing members of the royal family for their afterlife.
The process was indeed a very elaborate one and involved a range of steps. One of the most gruesome yet fascinating stages in the mummification process involved the removal of the brain (excerebration), for which a curved metal tool or stick was inserted through the deceased’s nostrils to break through the braincase. Other bodily organs were also taken out by making a cut or incision along the stomach. All organs were extracted, except for the heart. The heart was left behind, since Egyptians believed that it was key and it contained a person’s intellect, playing a big part in their afterlife. The empty cavity, now devoid of all organs, was then filled with aromatic herbs and substances such as myrrh and cassia. The body was then stitched up and covered in salt, so as to dehydrate it of all moisture. After two months or so, the body, now dried, was wrapped up in linen which was applied with some sort of resin to make sure the bandages remained intact and did not pop open.
Some of these interesting mummified pieces have also made their way into India. There are six Egyptian mummies that are on view in some of India’s museum spaces. Let us have a look at where we can pay them a visit!
INDIAN MUSEUM, KOLKATA:
The Indian Museum’s Egypt Gallery, in addition to exhibiting a range of cultural artefacts and antiquities from Egypt, is home to a 4,000-year-old mummy. This mummy is said to have arrived in India in 1882 and, as per records of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, was given as a gift to the Society by a British officer and Lieutenant of the Light Cavalry in Bengal called E. C. Archbold. When the Asiatic Society set up the Indian Museum, the mummy was placed here on display. Measuring 162.5 cm in length, it is believed to have been a man who came from the tombs of the kings at Gourvah (possibly referring to the Gourna region on the western bank of the Nile) in Egypt. The Indian Museum’s description of the mummy states, “The body is seen wrapped in cloth, the arms tied down to the sides. The flesh of the face and head has crumbled away, leaving the bones exposed. The mask which lay over the face has been removed and laid on the chest…”
In the image, one can see that the skull of the mummy has been exposed, and the mask that once would have been on its face now lies on its chest.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
ALBERT HALL MUSEUM, JAIPUR:
One of the star attractions of the famous Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur is an Egyptian mummy named Tutu. Believed to have been a teenage girl belonging to a family of priests from Akhmim in Egypt, the mummy of Tutu was gifted by Brughsch Bey, curator of the Museum of Cairo, to Sawai Ishwar Singh for an exhibition in Jaipur sometime between 1883 and 1887. She has remained in Jaipur ever since, and in 2020, had a lucky escape from being majorly damaged when torrential rains led to water accumulation at the Albert Hall Museum. At this time, the mummy of Tutu was brought out of its glass case for the first time in 130 years to transport it to another floor.
Image source: Hindustan Times
CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ VASTU SANGRAHALAYA, MUMBAI:
A 2,000-year-old mummy has been an important part of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya’s Egyptian collection since the early 20th century. The mummy lay in a coffin made of Egyptian cedar wood and having remained in the museum reserves for decades on end, was brought out to be showcased during the ‘Mummy: The Inside Story’ exhibition in 2013. It was able to be viewed by the public in 2016 during another exhibition entitled ‘Mummy: An Unsolved Mystery — Conserving Mumbai’s Egyptian Treasures.’ There is no certainty as to whether the mummy was a female or male, although the depictions on the face of a coffin do look like a man’s facial features.
Image source: Mid-Day
STATE MUSEUM, LUCKNOW:
The Lucknow State Museum, located within the premises of the Lucknow Zoo, also houses a 3000-year-old mummy. This mummy was bought by the museum from a British national named J. J. E. Potter in 1952. This piece of history is what lends to the museum the name ‘murda ajayabghar’ or ‘corpse museum,’ as it is often locally known. The size and structure of this figure has helped experts to ascertain that it is actually a 13-year-old child’s mummy. Due to aging and the environmental conditions it is kept in, the bandages on one foot have now come undone, exposing the little girl’s toe!
Image source: MummipediaWiki
TELANGANA STATE ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM, HYDERABAD:
The main attraction and pride of this museum is the mummy of Princess Naishu, believed to be the daughter of Pharaoh VI of Egypt. This was brought to Hyderabad in 1930 by Nasir Nawaz Jung and gifted to Asaf Jah VII, the last Nizam of Hyderabad. He then donated the mummy to the state museum. It is believed to have been bought for around 1,000 pounds at the time. Measuring around 140 cm in length, it has been confirmed through testing and analysis that the Princess must have been 24 years old when she passed away.
It lay in a wooden casket for several years, and then in a glass enclosure, and due to inappropriate temperature and humidity conditions, was deteriorating. Fragments had begun to chip off, bandages were getting damaged, and parts of the toe and skull were exposed. The mummy has been conserved as recently as 2016 and is now placed in a nitrogen box to give it a new lease of life. Interestingly, research during these conservation efforts revealed that traces of the princess’ brain were still intact, which is rare, because during mummification all the organs are meant to be sucked out of the body of the deceased.
Image source: Telangana Today
BARODA MUSEUM AND PICTURE GALLERY, VADODARA:
The museum has a specialised Egyptian Gallery. The mummy housed here was bought by Sayajirao Gaekwad III from a New York museum in 1895. Although earlier thought to have been a female, studies conducted showed that it was actually a male mummy. This particular mummy has been preserved relatively well, and its linen wrappings are still more or less intact.
Image source: MummipediaWiki
Aside from these museum-bound mummies, there is another interesting example from Himachal Pradesh. In a village called Gue in the Lahaul & Spiti district, can be seen a 500-year-old mummy of a Buddhist monk who was called Sangha Tenzin. The most fascinating thing about this, you ask? To begin with, the mummy still has its teeth intact! Then, research and analysis carried out has shown that this mummy came to be through a self-mummification process, wherein the monk would have induced slow starvation, consuming only poisonous nuts, roots and herbs. This would have sapped his body of all moisture and fat. Seen seated in a meditative posture, today the mummy is located in a temple.
Seated mummy of a monk. Image source: Wikimedia Commons
The fact is that India is home to some of the most wonderful specimens of history. But the condition in which these artefacts and tellers of the past find themselves is tragic. Most museum authorities are struggling with the level of know-how needed to care for and conserve these precious collections.