Experimental studies of gravitation and feebler forces

The theoretical motivations and the experimental context pertaining to the recent experimental studies of the Weak equivalence Principle and the {open_quotes}Fifth Force{close_quotes} are reviewed briefly. With such a backdrop, the innovative design and the technical details of the several new experiments in this area are presented with a special emphasis on the experiments underway at Gauribidanur, situated on the Deccan Plateau. These experiments jointly rule out the existence of any new forces coupling to baryon or lepton number with a coupling greater than about 10{sup {minus}4} of gravitation per a.m.u. at ranges of about 0.5m and longer. In a few years the author hopes to test the weak equivalence principle with sensitivity exceeding 10{sup {minus}13}.