2025-05-08 Thu

The first systematic research of Indian subcontinent's rich History was conducted by the Asiatic Society, based at Kolkata . The Asiatic Society was founded by the British Indologist Sir William Jones on 15 January 1784. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which started researching and preserving India's historical monuments, was founded by Alexander Cunningham in 1861, who mostly excavated stupas for over a half century. In 1871, Cunningham was appointed first Director General of ASI, retired in 1885.

In 1902, John Marshall was appointed the Director-General of the ASI. During his tenure (1902 to 1928), India saw big strides in excavation all around the sub-continent and ASI became a respectable organization once again after Buck crisis and Fuhrer Scandal. During John Marshall's tenure the major excavation of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro with Dayaram Sahni, and #RDBanerjee brought #India and Indus Valley Civilization into the center stage of the #world. It was John Marshall who appointed and trained Indian archaeologists. Mohenjo Daro was discovered by R D Banerji, the ancient Indian city known “to be sophisticated planned cities with #Plumbing and baths".

Today, ASI oversees more than 3,650 ancient sites and structures of national importance, including temples, mosques, churches, tombs, palaces, forts, and rock-cut caves.

In 1961, ASI celebrated a century of accomplishments, a milestone honored by the Government of India through the issuance of two stamps featuring incredible archaeological discoveries. One of these stamps shows the #sculpture of #Pitalkhora #Yaksha, which has a face value of 15 Naya #paisa.

Pitalkhora is located in the #Satmala range of the #WesternGhats and is one of the earliest examples of rock-cut #architecture in India. It dates back to the 3rd century BCE and includes 14 caves—five of them are #chaityagrihas (prayer halls) and the rest are #viharas (dwelling places).

The sculpture featured on the #stamp was found in the debris in front of Cave 3. M N Deshpande, former Director General of the ASI, connects it to Yaksha Sankarin, a resident of Pitangalaya mentioned in the Buddhist Text Mahamayuri. On the right palm of the sculpture, there's a Brahmi inscription that reveals the sculptor’s name as #Kanhadasa. It translates to "made by Kanhadasa, a goldsmith" and dates back to the 2nd century BCE.

Today, this sculpture rests at the National Museum in #NewDelhi, inspiring all who encounter it to appreciate the depth of our history and the artistry that has shaped our world.