Abstract
The hill fort of Raigad is a massive historical structure constructed with basaltic stone blocks and cemented together with lime mortar. The lime mortar samples from the fort were examined using a petrological microscope, grain size distribution, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive x-ray analysis (SEM–EDX). The mineralogical and compositional characteristic of the mortar was analyzed to provide a compatible repair mix for large scale restoration. Aggregates derived from weathering of basaltic rocks of Sahyadri hills were sourced from the vicinity of the fort. Non-hydraulic aerial lime of moderate porosity was specifically used in India's highly rain-fed Western Ghats for rapid evaporation of water and to prevent the build-up of salts. Thin section analysis and FTIR results indicate the use of organic proteinaceous material during the preparation of lime. FTIR analysis also showed the disorder in the man-made calcite crystals while XRD and SEM–EDX analysis elucidated the mixing of quartz and plagioclase feldspar derived from basaltic aggregates in the calcite matrix. The present study gives a holistic approach to prepare a compatible mortar for restoration.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to Prof. P.D. Sabale of Deccan College, Pune, Dr. L.P. Singh of CBRI, Roorkee, Shri Ghanshyam Lal of NRLC, Lucknow and Shri Deepak Gupta of Archaeological Survey of India, Aurangabad for their help in the analysis of samples. We are thankful to the staff of ASI, Raigad, and NRLC, Lucknow for their help and co-operation.
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Singh, M.R., Yadav, R. Microstructural analysis and characterization of lime mortar of seventeenth century Raigad hill fort from western India. Indian J Hist. Sci. 56, 217–227 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43539-021-00023-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43539-021-00023-z