Page 2 - Archeology

Prepare plan for monument restoration at Mehruali archeological park: L-G

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Saturday visited the Mehrauli archaeological park and directed officials to prepare a plan for the restoration of monuments such as the Balban tomb, the Jamali-Kamali mosque and the Rajaon ki Baoli. The plan, he said, should be made at the earliest with fixed timelines for the works to be done under it, according to officials. Saxena, who was accompanied by Union Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi and Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, also issued directions to sort out scattered carved stones and relics at the park to be displayed at a museum, they said. The park in Mehrauli also houses the iconic Qutub Minar, besides the Balban tomb, the Jamali-Kamali mosque and the Rajaon ki Baoli. "The restoration and beautification of these places has to be done in coordination by the ASI (Archeological Survey of India), the DDA (Delhi Development Authority) and other authorities concerned in a time-bound manner," Saxena said. Some parts of t

Loacal authorities ask ASI to pay water, property tax for Taj Mahal

The Archaeological Survey of India has been asked to pay a water tax of nearly Rs 2 crore, and a property tax of about Rs 1.5 lakh for the Taj Mahal, along with a Rs 5-crore service tax for the Agra Fort, in an apparent first-of-its-kind action by local authorities. The ASI in Agra said the monuments are exempted from such taxes, but Municipal Commissioner Nikhil Tikaram Funde said notices have been issued to several buildings and those eligible will be given the relief. The Agra Municipal Corporation's notices ask the ASI to pay a water tax of Rs 1.94 crore and a property of Rs 1.47 lakh for the Taj Mahal, and Rs 1.40 lakh as property tax for another monument, the tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah. The notices were issued for the financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23, and the ASI has been asked to pay up within the next 15 days. In-addition, the Agra Cantonment Board has sent out a notice to the ASI to recover a service tax of Rs 5 crore for the Agra Fort, an official said. Agra Circle ASI .

HC give 'last indulgence' to ASI to remove Tughlaqabad Fort encroachment

The Delhi High Court Thursday granted six weeks as the last indulgence to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to remove encroachments in and around the Tughlaqabad Fort. A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad made it clear that non-compliance with its order will lead to strict action by the court and that it will call for appearance of members of a committee which was formed in 2017 to oversee the task of surveying the structure to determine which of them existed in 1993. As the counsel for ASI expressed its inability to remove the encroachments due to non-cooperation of other departments, the lawyers for MCD, DDA and other authorities submitted they will extend full assistance to the ASI. The bench asked power utility BSES to cooperate as the electricity supply at the site needs to be disconnected before removing encroachments, and directed all the authorities concerned and the committee members to file their status reports. The fact ...

ASI finds remains of Buddhist caves, temples in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

The Archaeological Survey of India has found ancient caves and temples, remains of Buddhist structures and mural inscriptions bearing names of cities like Mathura and Kaushambi in old scripts during its recent exploration at Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday. An ASI team covered nearly 170 sq km falling in the area of the famous Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve that is not accessible to public during the over a month-long exploration of the region which it undertook for the first since 1938, they said. During the exercise held from May 20-June 27, the ASI's Jabalpur Circle also reported many ancient sculptures, including large monolithic sculptures of various avatars of Vishnu like 'Varaha' and 'Matsya', and "board games made in natural caves", officials said. Superintending Archaelogist of the Jabalpur Circle, S K Bajpai, who led the team, shared details and images from the exploration during a media interaction at the ASI headquarters here. "This is the first ti

ASI illuminates 100 monuments in tri-colour to celebrate 1 bn vaccinations

The ASI under the Ministry of Culture is illuminating 100 monuments in the colours of Indian flag across the country to celebrate the landmark milestone of hundred crore vaccination

Delhi Assembly to throw open for public British-era tunnel, execution room

The Delhi Assembly will throw open for public a British-era tunnel and renovated execution room next year, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said on Friday.

Egypt: Archaeologists unearth world's oldest beer factory in Abydos

The factory was found in Abydos, an ancient burial ground located in the desert west of the Nile River, over 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Cairo

500-year-old temple submerged in Mahanadi river found near Cuttack

The temple was found in the mid-river near Baideswar in the Padmavati area in Cuttack, he said on Sunday

Archaeological experts discover 3,000-year-old city in Pakistan

The discovery also find traces of Hindu temples, coins, stupa, pots and weapons of that period

Why the Rakhigarhi site is the source of heated debate about our origins

Genetic material from the Harappan site of Rakhigarhi has given rise to conflicting theories about our origins. Ritwik Sharma examines the debate

Meet Biswajit Sahu, a fisherman at day and an archaeologist by night

A fisherman from the Sundarbans has historians reassess the region's history