It’s a coffin that cannot break, a bandage that cannot burn and a body that cannot decompose. Welcome to the world of mummies, a symbol of the ancient Egyptian civilisation that strongly believed that death was not the end of existence.

Now, you don’t have to go to Egypt to unravel the mysteries hidden within the mummies. For the first time ever, you can get a peek into the embalmed bodies of the ancient Egyptian mummies in Mumbai.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) in collaboration with the British Museum, London, is holding a four-month exhibition showcasing four Egyptian Mummies and an array of funerary objects and figurines.

Not only can visitors embark on a historical journey through the exhibits but also experience the virtual unwrapping of the Mummy of Egyptian priest Nesperennub, who died in Egypt nearly 3,000 years ago. In addition, the exhibition features a five-minute pre-show film on his historical context and social background.

Ancient Egypt and Egyptian Mummies have fascinated other cultures for over 2,000 years. For many years, the only way to extract data from Egyptian Mummies was to unwrap them – a process both destructive and irreversible.

The advent of modern non-invasive imaging techniques such as X-rays and CT scans have made it possible to look inside the mummy without disturbing the wrappings.

It took about two years for the British Museum and CSMVS to put together this exhibition. “The transportation and preservation of these valuable exhibits is a complicated process. The humidity, temperature and light intensity needs to be perfect to prevent the paint from fading away on the artefacts and Mummies,” said Neil MacGregor, Director, British Museum, London.

The mummies and other Egyptian artefacts have been kept in glass exhibits in the museum here with specially modulated humidity and temperature. “The humidity has to be about 50 per cent and temperature needs to be between 20 and 30 degree Celsius,” MacGregor added.

Nesperennub’s body, enclosed in a cartonage (linen and plaster) case and a wooden coffin, is an excellent specimen of Egyptian mummification practices in the 20{+t}{+h} and 23{+r}{+d} dynasties (945-715 BC). It was discovered at Luxor, the site of the ancient city of Thebes, in the 1890s and brought to the British Museum.

Ancient Egyptians believed that the dead passed on from the land of the living into another realm, where life would be renewed and would continue forever. The Egyptians preserved bodies through mummification and secured them in tombs and graves.

Ritualistic adieu

“Magic played a key part in the process of transition. Rituals were performed to activate divine powers of the dead and they were provided with religious texts and images in their tombs to equip them for the hazardous passage to the hereafter,” MacGregor said.

Likewise, in the 5-foot-4-inches body of Nesperennub, about 20 magical charms were inserted between the layers of bandages. These amulets were placed on the neck and upper body, which were regarded as the most vulnerable areas.

Interestingly, the scan of Nesperennub’s body revealed certain peculiar practices. For instance, all the vital organs had been systematically removed from the body without any visible incision. Also, what intrigued the researchers was a strange oval clay bowl-like object placed on the skull of the Egyptian priest, which remains a mystery till date.

While the Egyptian exhibits will enthrall Indian audiences for the next four months, CSMVS and British Museum will be holding another exhibition in Mumbai next year displaying the Cyrus Cylinder, an ancient Persian document created around 539–530 BC.

nivedita.ganguly@thehindu.co.in

priya.s@thehindu.co.in

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