Sat Feb 15 04:57:19 UTC 2025: ## Bengal’s Endangered Chhot Boat Finds New Life in British Museum’s Digital Archives
**Kolkata, February 15, 2025** – A centuries-old Bengal boat, the Chhot, has been preserved for future generations through its inclusion in the British Museum’s digital archives. This initiative, part of the Endangered Material Knowledge Programme funded by Arcadia, ensures the survival of knowledge surrounding this unique vessel, which is facing extinction.
The Chhot, known for its stability and ability to navigate challenging waters, played a crucial role in Bengal’s maritime history primarily as a cargo carrier. A meticulously documented recreation of the boat was constructed in 2022 at Dihimondal Ghat in Howrah district. This process generated a massive 10TB of digital data, including over 1,300 photographs, 15 interviews, 10 ritual documentaries, a feature-length documentary, and numerous live drawings. This comprehensive digital archive, accessible since February 12th, provides unprecedented insight into the boat’s construction and cultural significance.
Dr. Swarup Bhattacharyya, an anthropologist involved in the project alongside researchers from the University of Exeter and Southampton University, hailed this as a landmark achievement. He emphasized the importance of digitization in preserving intangible cultural heritage, highlighting the impossibility of capturing the intricacies of boat-making through traditional methods. The digital archive allows viewers to virtually witness the construction process, preserving the skills of master boat builders like Panchanan Mondal and Amal Mondal for generations to come. Dr. Bhattacharyya called for further digitization efforts to protect India’s rich maritime heritage from being lost to time.
First Piper 