Lime Workshop

The Lime Workshop put up here aims at educating the visitors, particularly the schoolchildren and university students, on the use of lime and other construction materials employed in construction of Moidams. The Workshop space also includes an "Archaeological Excavation Toolkit" comprising a variety of tools used for excavation, recording, and undertaking other tasks of the Moidams.

Lime has been used as a construction material for thousands of years, with the oldest examples in our country dating back at least to the Indus Valley Civilization around 5000 BCE. Lime used as binding material and plaster is natural and breathable, which can help regulate the air quality in structures. These are also slow-drying that allows them to be reworked, if needed.

The Changrung Phukonar Buranji records as to how the Ahom prepared a lime mix called karal to be used as mortar in masonry constructions. For the preparation of karal, pits of various sizes were dug. Various additives like molasses, shell lime, limestone, edible lime, black gram, Hemp, barali fish, duck’s eggs, glue of wood apples, bara chaul, milk, brick power, etc. were measured and mixed to prepare karal. Molasses and shell lime were used to increase the adhesive power of karal and resin was used for giving a better polish to the plastered surface.

As for the "Archaeological Excavation Toolkit", it depends on the type of excavation. However, some of the tools used in Charaideo Moidams excavations include:

• Safety tools
• Hand tools
• Measuring tools
• Writing tools
• Surveying instruments
• Other tools