| Subject | Guest Lecture |
| Session | I |
| Year | 2024-25 |
| Event Date | 16th July, 2024 |
| Time | 3:00 p.m. |
| Venue | Conclave 2 |
| Faculty Co-ordinator | Neha Sayed |
| Guest Speaker | Dr. Anjay Dhanawade |
- When and How the event was conducted
The guest lecture was conducted in the MES Campus New Panvel. Conclave 2 was booked for the event. Dr. Dhanawade came especially from Mahad to give the lecture. - Significance of the event/topic
River Savitri has a rich ecology in its banks. It originates in Mahabaleshwar and through twists and turns reaches the sea at Harihareshwar. In its course it touches many important cities one of them is Mahad, which is a port city.
The lecture explored important heritage places and the value of the ecology and the community on the course of the river.
- Brief introduction of the guest
Dr. Anjay Dhanawade is a well known archaeologist in the Konkan region. He is known for his ability to discover new sites in Konkan expanding the knowledge about its history. He is currently pursuing his Post-Doc in Deccan College, Pune. He completed his PhD from Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune. He has a MA in History. - Gist / points covered in lecture / event
- The geography of Sahyadri at Mahabaleshwar was discussed in brief.
- The description of five rivers and the heritage structures that mark the origin were discussed.
- Mythology of the river Savitri was explained
- Katalshilpa that the author has himself found was shown indicating the ages old habitation of humans.
- The forts in the range of Matheran were discussed briefly as heritage sites
- On the winding path down there are Buddhist caves which were discussed briefly
- A hot water bath and a famous dargah near it was explained briefly
- Many famous temples and the idols within the temples were explained
- The Vir Gal and Sati stones were explained
- Brief takeaway of the event/lecture
The Heritage Club planned this lecture as a precursor to a possible visit to the heritage places that the speaker introduced. He has also promised to be a guide for this tour.
Being in Raigad district, Savitri River and its geography contributes heavily to the understanding of the history of Konkan region. Pillai College of Architecture should utilize the opportunity of learning about this landscape and knowing the heritage structures of this region. The lecture was just an introduction to this vast topic.
