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58-654: King Mindon founded Mandalay in 1857 as the new royal capital of the Konbaung dynasty. It was Burma's last royal capital before the British Empire annexed the kingdom in 1885. The picture of the prison was taken in 1903 by the Archaeological Survey of India under Lord Curzon , Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905. In this prison, heavily-guarded Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was brought on 25 January 1925, at midnight and spent almost three years there. Bose considered it as

116-453: A hunger strike , in response to the high-profile execution of anti-coup political activists, including Kyaw Min Yu and Phyo Zeyar Thaw . Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India ( ASI ) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It

174-462: A King Devanampriya Piyadasi which Prinsep initially assumed was a Sri Lankan king. He was then able to associate this title with Ashoka on the basis of Pali script from Sri Lanka communicated to him by George Turnour . These scripts were found on the pillars at Delhi and Allahabad and on rock inscriptions from both sides of India, and also the Kharosthi script in the coins and inscriptions of

232-628: A century. Inspired by early amateur archaeologists like the Italian military officer, Jean-Baptiste Ventura , Cunningham excavated stupas along the width, the length and breadth of India. While Cunningham funded many of his early excavations himself, in the long run, he realised the need for a permanent body to oversee archaeological excavations and the conservation of Indian monuments and used his stature and influence in India to lobby for an archaeological survey. While his attempt in 1848 did not meet with success,

290-620: A cupel or crucible and observe their melting. He also described a pyrometer that measured the expansion of a small amount of air held within a gold bulb. In 1833 he called for reforms to Indian weights and measures and advocated a uniform coinage based on the new silver rupee of the East India Company. He also devised a balance so sensitive as to measure three-thousandth of a grain (≈0.19 mg ). James Prinsep continued to take an interest in architecture at Benares. Regaining his eyesight, he studied and illustrated temple architecture, designed

348-611: A family and become a father. In 1892, Edward Buck announced that the Archaeological Survey of India would be shut down and all ASI staff would be dismissed by 1895, in order to generate savings for the Government's budget. It was understood that only a fantastic archaeological discovery within the next three years for example might be able to turn public opinion and save the funding of the ASI. Great "discoveries" were indeed made with

406-584: A monograph on his discoveries in Nigali Sagar and Lumbini, Monograph on Buddha Sakyamuni's birth-place in the Nepalese tarai , which was withdrawn from circulation by the Government. Führer was dismissed and returned to Europe. The post of Director General was restored by Viceroy and Governor-General Lord Curzon in 1902. In a speech given to the Asiatic Society on 26 February 1901, he stated that he 'regarded

464-401: A monthly that was launched in 1788. The Marquis of Wellesley's 1800 nomination of Francis Buchanan to survey Mysore was a wise move on the part of the administration at the time. He was hired in 1807 to investigate historical sites and monuments in what is now Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The first attempt at using the legal system to force the government to become involved when there was a risk to

522-537: A monument was the Bengal Regulation XIX of 1810. The publication revealed the studies and polls that the society conducted to educate the public about India's ancient treasures. Many antiques and other relics were quickly discovered during the ongoing fieldwork, and in 1814 they were placed in a museum. Subsequently, comparable organisations were founded in Madras, Chennai, in 1818, and Bombay, Mumbai, in 1804. However,

580-548: A move which inaugurated a tradition of appointing bureaucrats of the IAS instead of archaeologists to head the survey. The tradition was finally brought to an end in 2010 when Gautam Sengupta an archaeologist, replaced K.M Srivastava an IAS officer as director general. He was again succeeded by Pravin Srivastava, another IAS officer. Srivastava's successor incumbent, Rakesh Tiwari was also a professional archaeologist. His successor Usha Sharma

638-539: A privilege as Bal Gangadhar Tilak (imprisoned from 1907 to 1913), Lala Lajpat Rai who were imprisoned there once. The jail was located on the banks of the Irrawaddy River shown in the picture in the far background on the right. A new prison was built in 1992 by the State Law and Order Restoration Council , the ruling military junta, to replace a pre-colonial jail inside Mandalay Palace , amid domestic unrest following

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696-740: A year at Calcutta, he was sent by his superior, the eminent orientalist Horace Hayman Wilson , to work as assay master at the Benares mint. He stayed at Benares until the closure of that mint in 1830. He then moved back to Calcutta as deputy assay master, and when Wilson resigned in 1832, he was made assay master (overruling Wilson's nominee for that position, James Atkinson ) at the new silver mint designed in Greek revival style by Major W. N. Forbes. His work as assay master led him to conduct many scientific studies. He worked on means for measuring high temperatures in furnaces accurately. The publication of his technique in

754-533: Is also a repository of rare books, plates, and original drawings. The Survey additionally maintains a library in each of its circles to cater to local academics and researchers. Mohammed Sanaullah Khan was appointed to the Archaeological Survey of India on 29 June 1917, marking the establishment of the Science Branch. His main responsibilities included preserving and chemically treating artefacts from museums and other artefacts. An Archaeological Chemist then oversaw

812-501: Is an ex-Director of the Archaeological Survey of India. Five expert archaeologists who have also been working on Mohenjo Daro for many years—P. Ajit Prasad, V. N. Prabakhar, K. Krishnan, Vasant Shinde, and R. S. Bisht, "who are all from the Archaeological Survey of India, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and other institutions, all with expertise in different aspects of the same civilization." James Prinsep James Prinsep FRS (20 August 1799 – 22 April 1840)

870-536: Is noted for the excavations of Indus Valley sites at Kalibangan , Lothal and Dholavira . The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act was passed in 1958 bringing the archaeological survey under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture. Ghosh was succeeded by B. B. Lal who conducted archaeological excavations at Ayodhya to investigate whether a Ram Temple preceded the Babri Masjid . During Lal's tenure,

928-437: The 8888 Uprising . The prison's half-spoke wheel design has been used as a reference model for subsequent prison designs in the country. In April 2008, 5 inmates at the prison were charged with murder after Kyaw Myo Thu, an inmate was found dead in a jail cell. In the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état , Obo Prison has been used to house numerous political prisoners. In August 2022, several prisoners were shot for staging

986-452: The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act (1972) was passed recommending central protection for monuments considered to be "of national importance". Lal was succeeded by M. N. Deshpande who served from 1972 to 1978 and B. K. Thapar who served from 1978 to 1981. On Thapar's retirement in 1981, archaeologist Debala Mitra was appointed to succeed him - she was the first woman Director General of

1044-490: The Journal of the Asiatic Society . Prinsep became the founding editor of this journal and contributed articles on chemistry, mineralogy, numismatics and on the study of Indian antiquities. He was also very interested in meteorology and the tabulation of observations and the analysis of weather data from across the country. He worked on the calibration of instruments to measure humidity and atmospheric pressure. He continued to edit

1102-525: The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London in 1828 led to his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He suggested the possibility of visual pyrometric measurement using a calibrated series of mica plates as well as using the thermal expansion of platinum but considered that a practical approach was to use calibrated combinations of platinum, gold and silver alloys placed in

1160-535: The Prinsep family rose to high positions in India. John Prinsep later became a member of parliament . James initially went to study in a school in Clifton run by a Mr. Bullock but learnt more at home from his older siblings. He showed a talent for detailed drawing and mechanical invention and this made him study architecture under the gifted but eccentric Augustus Pugin . His eyesight however declined due to an infection and he

1218-442: The die-struck , and the cast coins . Prinsep also reported upon the native punch-marked coinage, noting that they were better known in eastern India. As a result of Prinsep's work as an editor of the Asiatic Society's journal, coins and copies of inscriptions were transmitted to him from all over India, to be deciphered, translated, and published. The decipherment of Brahmi became the focus of European scholarly attention in

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1276-648: The public-private-partnership (PPP) model. In May 2018, the Supreme Court of India said that the ASI was not properly discharging its duty in maintaining the World Heritage Site of Taj Mahal and asked the Government of India to consider whether some other agency be given the responsibility to protect and preserve it. The fictional character Kakababu , in Sunil Gangopadhyay 's famed Kakababu series,

1334-460: The ASI did not have reliable information on the exact number of monuments under its protection. The CAG recommended that periodic inspection of each protected monument should be done by a suitably ranked officer. The Culture ministry accepted the proposal. Author and IIPM Director Arindam Chaudhuri said that since the ASI is unable to protect the country's museums and monuments, they should be professionally maintained by private companies or through

1392-565: The ASI. Mitra was succeeded by M. S. Nagaraja Rao , who had been transferred from the Karnataka State Department of Archaeology . Archaeologists J. P. Joshi and M. C. Joshi succeeded Rao. M. C. Joshi was the director general when the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992 triggering Hindu-Muslim violence all over India. As a fallout of the demolition, Joshi was dismissed in 1993 and controversially replaced as director general by Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Achala Moulik,

1450-502: The Archaeological Survey of India was eventually formed in 1861 by a statute passed into law by Lord Canning with Cunningham as the first Archaeological Surveyor. The survey was suspended briefly between 1865 and 1871 due to lack of funds but restored by Lord Lawrence the then Viceroy of India . In 1871, the Survey was revived as a separate department and Cunningham was appointed as its first Director-General. Cunningham retired in 1885 and

1508-598: The Bengal army and his wife Hannah, at the cathedral in Calcutta on 25 April 1835. They had a daughter Eliza in 1837 who was to be the only child to survive. He was elected a member to the American Philosophical Society in 1839. Prinsep literally worked himself to death. From 1838 he began to suffer from recurrent headaches and sickness. It was initially thought to be related to a liver (bilious) condition and he

1566-756: The Ganges further to the east. In 1829, Captain James D. Herbert started a serial called Gleanings in Science . Captain Herbert, however, was posted as Astronomer to the King of Oudh in 1830, leaving the journal to the editorship of James Prinsep, who was himself the primary contributor to it. In 1832 he succeeded H. H. Wilson as secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bengal and suggested that the Society should take over Gleanings in Science and produce

1624-700: The March 1895 discovery of the Nigali Sagar inscription, which succeeded in bringing the "Buck Crisis" to an end, and the ASI was finally allowed in June 1895 to continue operations, subject to yearly approval based on successful digs every year. Georg Bühler , writing in July 1895 in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , continued to advocate for the preservation of the Archaeological Survey of India, and expressed that what

1682-461: The conservation of ancient monuments as one of the primary obligations of Government’. The Ancient Monuments Preservation Act was passed in 1904 during his tenure as viceroy. Breaking with tradition, Curzon appointed 26-year-old Cambridge -trained archeologist John Marshall as the director-general of the ASI. Marshall had experience with archeological excavations in Greece and oversaw reforms within

1740-512: The discovery of the Indus Valley civilization at Harappa and Mohenjodaro in 1921. The success and scale of the discoveries made ensured that the progress made in Marshall's tenure would remain unmatched. Marshall was succeeded by Harold Hargreaves in 1928. Hargreaves was succeeded by Daya Ram Sahni . Sahni was succeeded by J. F. Blakiston and K. N. Dikshit both of whom had participated in

1798-699: The early 19th-century during East India Company rule in India , in particular in the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta . Brahmi was deciphered by Prinsep, who was then the secretary of the Society, in a series of scholarly articles published in the Society's journal between 1836 and 1838. His breakthroughs built on the epigraphic work of Christian Lassen , Edwin Norris , H. H. Wilson and Alexander Cunningham , among others. The edicts in Brahmi script mentioned

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1856-474: The early history of Afghanistan, producing several works that touched on archaeological finds in that country. Many of the collections were sent by Alexander Burnes. After James Prinsep's death, his brother Henry Thoby Prinsep published in 1844 a volume exploring the numismatist's work on collections made from Afghanistan. A talented artist and craftsman, Prinsep made meticulous sketches of ancient monuments, astronomy, instruments, fossils and other subjects. He

1914-515: The establishment of a laboratory at the Indian Museum in Calcutta, which was later moved to Dehradun in 1921–1922. The scope and activities of the Science Branch greatly expanded along with the survey's expansion and shortly after Independence. These included doing in-depth study, treating monuments, analysing material remnants, determining the reasons behind deterioration, and taking corrective action for chemical conservation. The day-to-day work of

1972-569: The excavations at Harappa and Mohenjodaro. In 1944, a British archaeologist and army officer, Mortimer Wheeler took over as Director General. Wheeler served as Director General till 1948 and during this period he excavated the Iron Age site of Arikamedu and the Stone age sites of Brahmagiri , Chandravalli and Maski in South India. Wheeler founded the journal Ancient India in 1946 and presided over

2030-450: The individual archaeological departments of these states were not integrated with the ASI. Instead, they were allowed to function as independent bodies. In 2013, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report found that at least 92 centrally protected monuments of historical importance across the country had gone missing without a trace. The CAG could physically verify only 45% of the structures (1,655 out of 3,678). The CAG report said that

2088-448: The journal until his illness in 1838 which led to his leaving India and subsequently his death. Many of the plates in the journal were illustrated by him. Coins were Prinsep's first interest. He interpreted coins from Bactria and Kushan as well as Indian series coins , including "punch-marked" ones from the Gupta series . Prinsep suggested that there were three stages; the punch-marked ,

2146-455: The most important of the society's achievements was the decipherment of the Brahmi script by James Prinsep in 1837. This successful decipherment inaugurated the asset. Armed with the knowledge of Brahmi, Alexander Cunningham , a protégé of James Prinsep , carried out a detailed survey of the Buddhist monuments of his own type to be constructed in the Nepalese tarai which lasted for over half

2204-519: The new mint building at Benares as well as a church. In 1822 he conducted a survey of Benares and produced an accurate map at the scale of 8 inches to a mile. This map was lithographed in England. He also painted a series of watercolours of monuments and festivities in Benares which were sent to London in 1829 and published between 1830 and 1834 as Benares Illustrated, in a Series of Drawings . He helped design an arched tunnel to drain stagnant lakes and improve

2262-418: The north-west. The idea of Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum , a collection of Indian epigraphy, was first suggested by Prinsep and the work was formally begun by Sir Alexander Cunningham in 1877. His studies on inscriptions helped in the establishment of date of Indian dynasties based on references to Antiochus and other Greeks. Prinsep's research and writing were not confined to India. Prinsep also delved into

2320-504: The organization that consolidated funding and oversight over the local branches of the ASI. He served as the director-general for a quarter of a century and during his long tenure, he replenished and invigorated the survey whose activities were fast dwindling into insignificance. Marshall established the post of Government epigraphist and encouraged epigraphical studies. In 1913, he began the excavations at Taxila , which lasted for 21 years. The most significant event of his tenure was, however,

2378-672: The partitioning of ASI's assets during the Partition of India and helped establish an archaeological body for the newly formed Pakistan. Wheeler was succeeded by N. P. Chakravarti in 1948. The National Museum was inaugurated in New Delhi on 15 August 1949 to house the artifacts displayed at the Indian Exhibition in the United Kingdom. Madho Sarup Vats and Amalananda Ghosh succeeded Chakravarti. Ghosh's tenure which lasted until 1968

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2436-606: The remains of ancient habitation. The ASI is headed by a director general who is assisted by an additional director general, two joint directors general, and 17 directors. The ASI is divided into a total of 34 circles each headed by a Superintending Archaeologist. Each of the circles are further divided into sub-circles. The circles of the ASI are: The ASI also administers three "mini-circles" at Delhi , Leh and Hampi . The Survey has had 32 Directors-General thus far. Its founder, Alexander Cunningham served as Archaeological Surveyor between 1861 and 1865. India's first museum

2494-511: The sanitation of the densely populated areas of Benares and built a stone bridge over the Karamansa river. He helped restore the minarets of Aurangzeb which were in a state of collapse. When he moved to Calcutta, he offered to help complete a canal that had been planned by his brother Thomas but left incomplete by the latter's death in 1830. Thomas's canal linked the River Hooghly with branches of

2552-598: The sites that their inventories are associated with "so that they may be studied amid their natural surroundings and not lose focus by being transported". A dedicated Museums Branch was established in 1946 by Mortimer Wheeler, which now maintains a total of 50 museums spread across the country. The ASI maintains a Central Archaeological Library in the Archaeological Survey of India headquarters building in Tilak Marg, Mandi House, New Delhi. Established in 1902, its collection numbers more than 100,000 books and journals. The library

2610-456: The society promoted the study of ancient Persian texts and published an annual journal titled Asiatic Researches . Notable among its early members was Charles Wilkins who published the first English translation of the Bhagavad Gita in 1785 with the patronage of the then Governor-General of Bengal , Warren Hastings . Jones initiative resulted in the publication of Asiatick Researches ,

2668-450: The survey was published in a series of periodical bulletins and reports. The periodicals and archaeological series published by the ASI are: Apart from the ASI, archaeological work in India and conservation of monuments is also carried out in some states by state government archaeological departments. Most of these bodies were set up by the various princely states before independence. When these states were annexed to India after independence,

2726-673: Was also an IAS officer and her successor V Vidyavathi who is the present DG of ASI is also an IAS officer. The Archaeological Survey of India is an attached office of the Ministry of Culture . Under the provisions of the AMASR Act of 1958, the ASI administers more than 3650 ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance. These can include everything from temples, mosques, churches, tombs, and cemeteries to palaces, forts, step-wells, and rock-cut caves. The Survey also maintains ancient mounds and other similar sites which represent

2784-486: Was also very interested in understanding weather. He designed a modified barometer that automatically compensated for temperature. He maintained meteorological registers, apart from supplying barometers to volunteers and graphically summarising the records of others. He conducted experiments on practical methods to prevent rusting of iron surfaces. Prinsep married Harriet Sophia Aubert, elder daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Jeremiah Aubert (grandson of Alexander Aubert ) of

2842-529: Was an English scholar, orientalist and antiquary . He was the founding editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal and is best remembered for deciphering the Kharosthi and Brahmi scripts of ancient India. He studied, documented and illustrated many aspects of numismatics , metallurgy , meteorology apart from pursuing his career in India as an assay master at the mint in Benares . James Prinsep

2900-487: Was carried out by the superintendents of the individual areas. From 1888 started severe lobbying aimed at reducing Government expenses, and at curtailing the budget of the Archaeological Survey of India, a period of about ten years known as the "Buck crisis", after the Liberal Edward Buck. In effect, this severely threatened the employment of the employees of the ASI, such as Alois Anton Führer , who had just started

2958-581: Was established by the Asiatic Society in Calcutta (now Kolkata ) in 1814. Much of its collection was passed on to the Indian Museum , which was established in the city in 1866. The Archaeological Survey did not maintain its own museums until the tenure of its third director-general, John Marshall. He initiated the establishment of various museums at Sarnath (1904), Agra (1906), Ajmer (1908), Delhi Fort (1909), Bijapur (1912), Nalanda (1917) and Sanchi (1919). The ASI's museums are customarily located right next to

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3016-602: Was forced to get away from his studies and left for England in November 1838 aboard the Herefordshire . He arrived in England in poor condition and did not recover. He died on 22 April 1840 in his sister Sophia Haldimand's home at 31 Belgrave Square of a " softening of the brain ". A genus of plant Prinsepia was named after him by the botanist John Forbes Royle in 1839 in appreciation of his work. News of his death reached India and several memorials were commissioned. A bust at

3074-551: Was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham during the British Raj who also became its first Director-General. ASI was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham who also became its first Director-General. The first systematic research into the subcontinent's history was conducted by the Asiatic Society , which was founded by the British Indologist Sir William Jones on 15 January 1784. Based in Calcutta ,

3132-506: Was needed were "new authentic documents" from the pre-Ashokan period, and they would "only be found underground". Another momentous discovery would be made in 1896, with the Lumbini pillar inscription , a major inscription on a pillar of Ashoka discovered by Alois Anton Führer . The inscription, together with other evidence, confirmed Lumbini as the birthplace of the Buddha. The organization

3190-512: Was rocked when Führer was unmasked in 1898, and was found to file fraudulent reports about his investigations. Confronted by Smith about his archaeological publications and his report to the Government, Führer was obliged to admit "that every statement in it [the report] was absolutely false." Under official instructions from the Government of India, Führer was relieved of his positions, his papers seized and his offices inspected by Vincent Arthur Smith on 22 September 1898. Führer had written in 1897

3248-470: Was succeeded as Director General by James Burgess . Burgess launched a yearly journal The Indian Antiquary (1872) and an annual epigraphical publication Epigraphia Indica (1882) as a supplement to the Indian Antiquary . The post of Director General was permanently suspended in 1889 due to a funds crunch and was not restored until 1902. In the interim period, conservation work in the different areas

3306-455: Was the seventh son and the tenth child of John Prinsep (1746–1830) and his wife, Sophia Elizabeth Auriol (1760–1850). John Prinsep went to India in 1771 with almost no money and became a successful indigo planter. He returned to England in 1787 with a fortune of £40,000 and established himself as an East India merchant . He moved to Clifton in 1809 after incurring losses. His connections helped him find work for all his sons and several members of

3364-535: Was unable to take up architecture as a profession. His father knew of an opening in the assay department at the mint in India and sent him to train in chemistry at Guy's Hospital and later as an apprentice to Robert Bingley, assay master at the Royal Mint in London (1818–19). Prinsep found a position as an assay master at the Calcutta mint and reached Calcutta along with his brother Henry Thoby on 15 September 1819. Within

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