Archaeological Survey of India

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency affiliated with the Ministry of Culture that is in charge of archaeological research as well as the protection and preservation of the country’s cultural historical monuments. Alexander Cunningham formed it in 1861 and served as its first Director-General. 

History

Alexander Cunningham formed ASI in 1861 and served as its first Director-General. The Asiatic Society, formed on 15 January 1784 by the British Indologist William Jones, conducted the first systematic inquiry into the subcontinent’s history. The association, which was based in Calcutta, encouraged the study of ancient Sanskrit and Persian writings and issued an annual journal called Asiatic Researches. Among its early members was Charles Wilkins, who, with the support of the then-Governor-General of Bengal, Warren Hastings, released the first English translation of the Bhagavad Gita in 1785. The most notable achievement of the group, however, was the decipherment of the Brahmi script by James Prinsep in 1837. This successful decipherment kicked off the asset. 

Formation Of ASI

Armed with Brahmi expertise, Alexander Cunningham, a protégé of James Prinsep, conducted a detailed examination of Buddhist monuments that lasted more than a half-century. Cunningham dug stupas across India, inspired by early amateur archaeologists such as the Italian military officer Jean-Baptiste Ventura. While Cunningham personally sponsored many of his early digs, he saw the necessity for a permanent body to oversee archaeological excavations and the protection of Indian monuments and used his reputation and influence in India to campaign for an archaeological survey. While his attempt in 1848 was unsuccessful, Lord Canning’s bill came into law in 1861, establishing the Archaeological Survey of India, with Cunningham as the first Archaeological Surveyor. The survey was temporarily halted from 1865 to 1871 due to a shortage of money, but Lord Lawrence, the then Viceroy of India, revived it. Cunningham was chosen as the Survey’s first Director-General when it was resurrected as a separate agency in 1871.

Organisation

The Archaeological Survey of India is a ministry-affiliated organisation. The ASI oversees around 3650 historic monuments, archaeological sites, and remnants of national importance under the provisions of the AMASR Act of 1958. Temples, mosques, cathedrals, tombs, and cemeteries are examples, as are castles, forts, step-wells, and rock-cut caves. The Survey also cares for ancient mounds and other comparable sites that are remnants of ancient habitation.

The ASI is led by a Director General, who is supported by an Assistant Director General, two Joint Directors General, and 17 Directors.

Museums

The Asiatic Society founded India’s first museum in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1814. Much of its collection was given to the city’s Indian Museum, which was founded in 1866. [16] Until the tenure of its third director-general, John Marshall, the Archaeological Survey did not have its own museums. He was instrumental in the establishment of museums in Sarnath (1904), Agra (1906), Ajmer (1908), Delhi Fort (1909), Bijapur (1912), Nalanda (1917), and Sanchi (1918). (1919). The ASI’s museums are typically built very close to the locations linked with their inventory “so that they may be studied among their natural surroundings and not lose emphasis by being transferred.

Criticism

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) study from 2013 revealed that at least 92 centrally protected historical monuments around the country have vanished without a trace. Only 45 percent of the structures could be physically verified by the CAG (1,655 out of 3,678). According to the CAG study, the ASI lacked credible information on the exact number of monuments under its protection. The CAG suggested that each protected monument be inspected on a regular basis by a suitably ranked official. The idea was accepted by the Culture Ministry. [20] Since the ASI is unable to conserve the country’s museums and monuments, they should be professionally maintained by private enterprises or under the public-private-partnership (PPP) model, according to author and IIPM Director Arindam Chaudhuri. [21]

In May 2018, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the ASI was not doing its duties in maintaining the Taj Mahal World Heritage Site and directed the Government of India to consider appointing another body to protect and conserve it.

Conclusion

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), a branch of the Ministry of Culture, is the country’s premier archaeological research and preservation organisation. The major mission of the ASI is to preserve ancient monuments, archaeological sites, and national-historical artifacts.