The Speaking Archaeologically Podcast

The Baolis of Delhi Project: Why Condition Surveys Matter?

In this episode, we up where we last left off: the step wells of Delhi! Built in 1506 and tucked away in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, the Rajon ki Baoli was the site that set the entire Baolis of Delhi project in motion. But this episode isn't about its history or architecture. It is about what our team found when we got there, and what that visit revealed about a city-wide crisis hiding in plain sight. Listen to Ms. Simran Kaur as makes a case for why condition surveys are one of the most powerful and most underappreciated tools in heritage conservation. From siltation to structural decay, from public invisibility to the idea that documentation is itself a form of preservation, this episode asks a simple but urgent question: how do we protect something if we don't first stop to look at it? For the full history and architecture of the Rajon ki Baoli, check out our dedicated video on the Speaking Archaeologically YouTube channel : https://youtu.be/c7zZyX5lSaw?si=n_-vIa1rmmPlHofK [https://youtu.be/c7zZyX5lSaw?si=n_-vIa1rmmPlHofK]

A Tryst With Delhi's Stepwells: An Introduction To The Baolis Of Delhi Project

What began as a routine site visit in December 2019 soon turned into a race against time. When members of the Speaking Archaeologically Delhi Research Wing encountered the stepwells of Rajon ki Baoli and Gandhak ki Baoli, they uncovered a larger, urgent story: one of disappearance, neglect, and fading memory. Once numbering around 100, Delhi’s baolis have dwindled to just 14–15 surviving structures today, many undocumented and barely recognised. In this episode, panelist Simran Kaur traces the rationale behind the Baolis of Delhi project, a project that focused on documenting, recording, and reviving these forgotten water monuments through fieldwork, photography, site reports, and oral histories. Join us as we explore how these structures hold fragments of the city’s past and why saving them from obscurity matters now more than ever.

Capturing Sunder Nursery Through Art

Join Mr. Diptarka Datta as he delves into how Sunder Nursery has continued to captivate artists through history. The episode will unpack how the monuments within this historic complex have been perceived in art and how archaeological illustrations are an important tool to uncover a site's story!

Uncovering the Monument's Story: When Art Meets Archaeology

Every excavation tells a story. Every artwork does too. Art allows archaeologists to trace the shifts that a monument goes through across time. In this episode, join panelists Diptarka Datta and Simran Kaur Saini as they explore Skhédíos, an art competition that aims to bring artists and archaeologists together, and ask what each discipline sees in the other. Tune in to know more about why Skhédíos began in the first place and how you can be a part of the competition as well!

Are Museums Becoming Obsolete? Museums Between Legacy and Reinvention

Are museums slowly drifting into irrelevance? In an age of shrinking attention spans and endless digital content, many institutions face a pressing concern: disinterested visitors. At the same time, collections themselves tell a fractured story. Objects from a single site, culture, or historical moment are often scattered across institutions, sometimes across continents, making it nearly impossible for audiences to encounter a coherent narrative. What does it mean to interpret the past when its material remains are physically and intellectually fragmented? Join Dr. Shriya Gautam as she asks difficult yet important questions about visitor fatigue, dispersed collections, and institutional inertia in museums.