Origin & Development of Indian Archaeology

Origin & Development of Indian Archaeology

Beginning of Archaeology in India

• In India, archaeology-related activities were started by Europeans.

• Eminent orientalist Sir William Jones (1746-94 AD) founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal (Calcutta) in 1784 AD.

Early Contributions of the Asiatic Society

• In the beginning, the activities of the Asiastic Society were limited to language & literature, but soon the society had to take notice of archaeology.

• A large number of inscriptions were collected, but there was a big problem.

• These inscriptions could not be deciphered because of the ignorance of the script.

This problem was solved by James Princep (1799-1840 AD), a minister of the Asiatic Society and the founding editor of the journal of the Asiatic Society, by decipherment of the Brahmi script in 1837 AD after strenuous labour of 7 years, and after that, he succeeded in deciphering Ashokan inscriptions. He also deciphered Kharosthi script.

Contribution of George Turnour

• George Turnour (1799-1842 AD), an officer of the Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Civil Service.

• He took forward the research work regarding Indian archaeology by the identification of "Piyadassi" (Priyadarshi) with Mauryan king "Ashoka" as mentioned in ancient Buddhist texts.

Role of Sir Alexander Cunninghum

• Sir Alexander Cunninghum, a British army engineer deputed in Bengal, was very helpful in the explanation work of James Princep.

Foundation of the Archaeological Survey of India

• Sir Alexander Cunninghum (1861-85AD) was appointed Archaeological Surveyer at the Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi (founded in 1861 during the reign of Governor General & Viceroy Lord Canning).

• Cunninghum laid the foundation of Indian Archaeology by his intensive research in the field of explorations and excavations.

Title: Father of Indian Archaeology

• For his great contribution to Indian archaeology, Sir Alexander Cunninghum is called the "Father of Indian Archaeology".

After Cunninghum’s Retirement

• In 1885 AD, Cunninghum retired from his post.

• After his retirement, James Burgess (1886-89 AD) held the post, but after his retirement in 1889 AD, the chaos spread there that prolonged for about 13 years (1889-1902 AD).

Reforms under Lord Curzon

• In the early years of the 20th century, favourable conditions had been established by Governor General & Viceroy Lord Curzon.

• He set up a separate Department of Archaeology and appointed Sir John Marshall as the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India in 1902 AD.

• Marshall held this post for 26 years (1902-28 AD).

Discovery of the Indus Valley Civilization

• Sir John Marshall, with the help of his associates—

  • Dayaram Sahani (Discovery of Harappa-1921)

  • Rakhal Das Bannerji (Discovery of Mohanjodaro-1922)

  • Ernest Mackay (Chanhudaro-1925)

  • Aurel Stein (Sutkagendor-1927)—succeeded firstly to bring to light the ruins of ancient cities.

• The formal announcement of the discovery of the Indus Civilization was made in 1924 by Sir John Marshall. The revelation of the Indus Civilization changed the stream of history. In other words, it was the turning point in Indian history.

• Now, India was placed on the global map because it had an ancient civilization like

  • Iraq (Mesopotamian Civilization)

  • Egypt (Egyptian Civilization)

  • China (Chinese Civilization).

• Before Marshall's announcement, it was believed that civilization in India began with the Vedic Aryans.

• The finding of the remains of the Indus Civilization disproved this belief.

• Now, the beginning of civilization in India was pushed 2,500 years back. In this way, the antiquity of Indian civilization was established.

Successors of Sir John Marshall

The names of the Successors of Sir John Marshall are—

• H. Hargreaves (1928-31 AD)

• Dayaram Sahani (1931-35 AD)

• J.P. Blackiston (1935-37 AD)

• K.N. Dixit (1937-44 AD)

• Mortimer Wheeler (1944-48 AD)

• N.P. Chakrabarti (1948-50 AD), etc.

Final Thoughts

The origin and development of Indian archaeology reflect the transition from literary curiosity to systematic exploration and excavation, driven largely by British scholars and administrators.

From the decipherment of ancient scripts by James Princep to the groundbreaking discovery of the Indus Valley Civilization under Sir John Marshall, each milestone played a crucial role in uncovering India’s rich and ancient past.

For UPSC aspirants, understanding this evolution is essential as it forms the foundation of India's historical studies and highlights the significance of archaeological methods in reconstructing history.