It was a decade ago when national and international experts, who had come to Vadodara, felt the need to keep the mummy at Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery (BMPG) in an oxygen-free glass chamber.
The matter assumes significance, as it is among the seven mummies in Indian museums.
But call it red-tapism or ‘indifferent’ attitude of the Gujarat government, the state never bothered to look into the matter and approach the Egyptian Embassy to preserve the mummy. It was Sayajirao Gaekwad III who purchased the mummy from New York in 1895 for 175 dollars.
In 1999, the BMPG authorities had organised a workshop in which experts from Egypt and India took part. A physical verification of the mummy was done at the workshop, as it is kept in a wooden and glass chamber.
"At the end of the exercise, the findings were startling. We were categorically told by the experts that there was a dire need to change the chamber because the old chamber was not protecting the mummy, as dust particles, humidity and oxygen entered the chamber. This has resulted into formation of specific fungus, which is dangerous for the mummy," said an official who was part of the team.
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