Hitesranjan Sanyal’s (1940-1988) collection of photographs of Bengal’s brick temples and mosques, numbering close to 3000, is an integral part of the visual archives at The Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (CSSSC). The documentation, which would form the basis of his monumental work on social mobility in Bengal, was conducted in the 1960s and 70s, and it constitutes one of the most comprehensive archives of photographs of the religious architectural heritage of Bengal.
The digital archive and platform, funded by the ICSSR, has been imagined as a resource for researchers, as well as conservation specialists, tourism professionals, and enthusiasts. We welcome various stakeholders, including archivists who have continued and expanded on the work of Hitesranjan Sanyal, to explore the possibilities that a resource such as this can offer.
In 2023-24, Wikimedia Foundation generously funded the digitization and uploading of the George Michell archive, containing over 500 photographs from George Michell’s collection, who kindly consented to place his images under a Creative Commons license. Both archives are hosted under the Religious Architecture of Bengal website.
Learning to read stories of social change and mobility through religious architecture
The photographic archive of George Michell from the 1980s, in the footsteps of David McCutchion
From the field to the photographic archive and into the realm of the digital
The Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, was founded in February 1973. Financed primarily by matching grants from the ICSSR and the Government of West Bengal, the Centre has full academic autonomy, is designed to function democratically and is proud of its impeccable record of public accountability.
The original premises of The CSSSC, the Jadunath Bhavan Museum & Resource Centre at 10 Lake Terrace, Kolkata, was the residence of historian Jadunath Sarkar (1870-1958). JBMRC currently hosts a composite library, archives, and exhibition rooms, that were made possible by a grant from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in 2010. Among the museum’s exhibits is a gallery dedicated to the life and work of Hitesranjan Sanyal, glimpses of which you can see here. Visitors are welcome on weekdays between 10 am and 5 pm or through prior appointment. (View map.)
Contact:
The Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta
R-1 Baishnabghata Patuli Township
Kolkata 700094
Phone: Tel: +91 33-24625795/24368313/24627251
Jadunath Bhavan Museum & Resource Centre
10 Lake Terrace, Kolkata 700029
Phone +91 33 24666472
© The Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, 2022
