Time Capsule

Why in news?

• Ahead of the laying of the foundation stone for the Ram temple in Ayodhya, claims have emerged about plans to put in a time capsule, or ‘kaal  patrea’ which would carry a message about Ayodhya and Ram.

About Time Capsules:

• It is a container of any size or shape, which accommodates documents, photos and artefacts typical of the current era and is buried underground, for future generations to unearth.
• It is usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians
• The time capsule requires special engineering so that the contents don’t decay, even if pulled out after a century.
• Material such as aluminium and stainless steel are used for the encasing, and documents are often reproduced on acid-free paper.
• While the term “time capsule” was coined in the 20th century, among the earliest examples of one dates back to 1777, found by historians inside the statue of Jesus Christ in a church in Spain.

PRELIMS QUESTION

A “Time Capsule” is term usually in the context of:
(a)Archaeology
(b)Space science
(c)Chemical Engineering
(d)Quantum Physics

Answer to prelims question