A Captive King in Kolkata

THE room is cramped, cluttered and dustyonly wood and iron junk can be seen in the dim light. To say the least, the warehouse at the Indian Museum in Kolkata, India, does not impress. And yet, it is home to the Pucangan inscription, an artifact of immense historical importance.

The Pucangan inscription offers an account of the heyday of King Airlangga. It was Arlo Griffiths, a researcher from cole Franaise d'Extrme-Orient or the French Institute for Asian Studies, who first first noticed the deteriorating condition of the important artifact. "The inscription was lying in the storehouse along with used articles, all of which lay uncared for," said Griffiths, who went to see the Pucangan inscription in 2011.

May 5, 2015