Stone Inscriptions of Srinagar: A Digital Panorama

Abstract

Traditional monuments are repositories of various types of inscriptions including both epigraphs and epitaphs and are a means for gaining knowledge about historical facts and events. Inscriptions have associated historical and intellectual value, and therefore, need to be identified and digitized in order to preserve these intellectual assets and make their knowledge content accessible at a global level. This chapter is an attempt towards identification, documentation, and creation of a digital collection of stone inscriptions available in various monumental structures at Srinagar. The work mainly involves identification of historical monuments in Srinagar with a rich inscription collection. These inscriptions constitute an important addition to the corpus of known historical texts from different historical time periods. The study analyses their content and attempts to provide associated metadata and related information about each identified inscription by collecting data through reading the inscriptions, discussions and consultations with concierge and local people, and by consulting other secondary sources pertaining to such inscriptions. High definition digital cameras were used to capture images. Greenstone Digital Library Software was used for managing the digital collection for preserving and disseminating the historical facts available in the form of inscriptions which forms a means for bridging the void between known and unknown facts about our social, historical, and cultural aspects.