Hyderabad:The Telangana department of heritage will soon adopt cutting-edge technologies developed by the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) to explore, document and preserve archaeological sites across the state. Under a newly signed MoU, the department and NGRI will collaborate to enhance scientific analysis, improve dating accuracy of artefacts and train archaeologists in modern research methodologies — bringing Telangana’s heritage studies in line with global standards.
The MoU was signed in the presence of special chief secretary Jayesh Ranjan, CSIR-NGRI director Dr Prakash Kumar and Prof. K. Arjun Rao, director of the department of heritage, along with senior officials from both institutions.
As part of the agreement, the heritage department will gain access to NGRI’s advanced scientific tools for site detection, excavation planning and conservation. Geophysical surveys will now allow exploration of buried archaeological sites without extensive excavation, helping protect cultural layers from damage.
Using technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), archaeologists can accurately locate structures and artefacts before excavation, significantly reducing time, manual labour and costs. The collaboration will also facilitate scientific dating of artefacts, yielding more reliable timelines and supporting historical interpretation.
“The material characterisation techniques will help identify composition, sources of raw materials, and ancient technologies used in artefact production,” an official explained. NGRI will also assist the heritage department by organising training programmes, workshops and joint projects to build scientific capacity among archaeologists. Prof. Arjun Rao described the partnership as a historic milestone. “With NGRI’s support, we will expand our research initiatives and strengthen the protection of Telangana’s heritage sites,” he said.
Officials from NGRI said the collaboration marks an important step for the institute to apply its geophysical, mineralogical and analytical expertise to real-world heritage preservation. “This partnership extends our scientific reach beyond geosciences and underlines the societal relevance of our work,” an NGRI scientist added.
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