Page 3 - Jul-Sep 2017
P. 3
VOl. 14 No. 3
ARCHAEOLOGY: NOW AMAsr ACt
In India after Independence, government support to The ancient Monuments and archaeological sites
further archaeological research significantly developed. and remains act (or aMasr act) provides for the
The basic structure of the Archaeological Survey of preservation of ancient and historical monuments
India remained the same but the scale of archaeological and archaeological sites. The asi implements the
investigations increased. The state governments also various provisions of the aMasr act, 1958 and the
assumed responsibility of archaeological research and antiquities and art Treasures act, 1972.
conservation in their respective states along with the
central government.
QiLA QissA: ArChAeoLoGiCAL
Post iNdePeNdeNCe eXCAVAtioNs At PUrANA QiLA
Post independence, N.P. Chakravarti succeeded The asi has carried out numerous excavations at Purana
Mortimer wheeler as Director-general in april Qila in 1954–55 and again from 1969 to 1973. recently
1948. Today, the archaeological survey of india more excavations were carried out from January
(asi), under the Ministry of Culture, is responsible 2014 to May 2014. The asi conducted large-scale
for archaeological research and protection of the excavations here revealing remains of eight periods:
cultural heritage of india. Mauryan, sunga, saka-Kushan, gupta, Post-gupta,
regional circles were created in states to carry out rajput, sultanate and Mughal.
archaeological fieldwork, research activities and Nisha Samy, X, Army Public School, R.K Puram, Secunderabad
surveys. in 2014, asi (Delhi Circle) led the
Vibhuti Sharma, VIIID, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan Vidyashram, Jaipur students from Delhi schools to
the excavated sites at the Purana
Qila. Many fascinating objects
were shown to the students
like a red sandstone pillar base
found among Kushan layers, an
impression of a wall of Kushanas
which archaeologists call ‘the
ghost wall’. some of the excavated objects included a
piece of jar from the Mughal period, remains of Chinese
porcelain, semi-precious stone beads etc. students were
also shown rare findings such as a dice holder from the
Kushan period with the depictions of Mother goddess
and a Vishnu figurine.
ACtiVitY: diGGiNG deeP
Collect newspaper clippings of any such
excavation in your region and write about it.
rEgIONal CIrClES Of aSI Source: Hindustan Times
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