Bal Krishen Thapar (18 October 1921 – 6 September 1995) was an Indian archaeologist who served as the

Director-general A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'' ) or general director is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer, within a government ...

of the

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 was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

from 1978 to 1981. He was the founder of

INTACH The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with Unite ...

Early life

Thapar was born to a cloth merchant in

Ludhiana Ludhiana ( ) is the most populous and the largest Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. The city has an estimated population of 1,618,879 2011 Indian census, 2011 census and distributed over , making Ludhiana the ...

on 18 October 1921. On completing his M.A. in History from the

University of Punjab The University of the Punjab (Urdu, pnb, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

, Thapar joined the

and trained under

Mortimer Wheeler Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH CIE MC TD (10 September 1890 – 22 July 1976) was a British archaeologist and officer in the British Army. Over the course of his career, he served as Director of both the National Museum of Wales an ...

at the newly established Institute of Archaeology in

Taxila Taxila or Takshashila (; sa, तक्षशिला; pi, ; , ; , ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and ...

. Thapar obtained a doctorate in West Asian archaeology from the

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

In the Archaeological Survey of India

Thapar participated in the archaeological excavations in

Kalibangan Kalibangān is a town located at on the left or southern banks of the Ghaggar (Ghaggar-Hakra River) in Tehsil Pilibangān, between Suratgarh and Hanumangarh in Hanumangarh District, Rajasthan, India 205 km. from Bikaner. It is also identifi ...

Purana Qila Purana Qila () is one of the oldest forts in Delhi, India. Built by the second Mughal Emperor Humayun and Surid Sultan Sher Shah Suri, it is thought by many to be located on the site of the ancient city of Indraprastha. The fort formed the inn ...

and

Maski Maski is a town and an archaeological site in the Raichur district of the state of Karnataka, India.Amalananda Ghosh (1990), p282 It lies on the bank of the Maski river which is a tributary of the Tungabhadra. Maski derives its name from Mahasan ...

. He was also involved in ASI's excavations in Farah Valley and

Begram Bagram (; Pashto/ fa, بگرام) is a town and seat in Bagram District in Parwan Province of Afghanistan, about 60 kilometers north of the capital Kabul. It is the site of an ancient city located at the junction of the Ghorband and Panjshir V ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Other excavations he conducted and led include archaeological projects at

Hastinapur Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain tex ...

Sisupalgarh Sisupalgarh or Sisupalagada is situated in Khurda District in Odisha, India and houses ruined fortifications. It used to be the capital of ancient Kalinga. It is identified with Kalinganagara of Kharavela and Tosali of Ashoka. It is one of ...

Rupnagar Rupnagar (; formerly known as Ropar is a city and a municipal council in Rupnagar district in the Indian state of Punjab. Rupnagar is a newly created fifth Divisional Headquarters of Punjab comprising Rupnagar, Mohali, and its adjoining distr ...

, Kausambi, Porkalam, Somnath, Prakash, Kuchai, and Juna Pani. Thapar edited Archaeological Survey of India's official journals ''Indian Archaeology'' from 1973 to 1979 and ''Purattatva'' from 1974 to 1978. In 1978, Thapar succeeded M. N. Deshpande as

of the ASI and served till retirement in 1981.

Professional Memberships

Thapar was a member of many academic bodies, both in India and abroad, including: * Chairman, Centre for Cultural Resources & Training (1982–92) * Secretary and Founding Member, Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (1986–94) * Member Advisory Committee, American Institute of Indian Studies (1988–94) * Vice President, Executive Committee,

ICOMOS The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS; french: links=no, Conseil international des monuments et des sites) is a professional association that works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the worl ...

(1975–84) * Member Permanent Council, Congress Internationale des Sciences Prehistoriques et Protohistoriques * Member Indian National Committee for cooperation with UNESCO (1987–91) * Member International Editorial Committee of UNESCO – Projects on Scientific & Cultural History of Mankind and History of Civilisation of Central Asia * Member, UNESCO Consultative Committee on Silk Roads & Roads of Dialogue project * Correspondent Member,

German Archaeological Institute The German Archaeological Institute (german: Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, ''DAI'') is a research institute in the field of archaeology (and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office of Germany ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

* Secretary, Central Advisory Board of Archaeology in India * Member, Indian Science Congress Association * Member, Radiocarbon Dating Committee

Fellowships and awards

In 1992, Thapar was awarded the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

for Literature and Education by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

. Thapar was awarded the Alexander Von Humboldt Scholarship in 1959. In 1993, he was awarded the Asiatic Society of Bengal medal, and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centenary Medal. Thapar was also a Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Fellow; Churchill College Fellow (1971), and a Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fellow (1981).

Death

Thapar died at

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

on 6 September 1995.

Selected publications

Indian megaliths in Asian context
' - with Arun Kumar Sharma (1994)
''Conservation of the Indian heritage''
- with

Bridget Allchin Bridget Allchin (10 February 1927 – 27 June 2017) was an archaeologist who specialised in South Asian archaeology. She published many works, some co-authored with her husband, Raymond Allchin (1923–2010). Background She was born Bridget G ...

and

Frank Raymond Allchin Frank Raymond Allchin, FBA (9 July 1923 – 4 June 2010) was a British archaeologist and Indologist. He and his wife, Bridget Allchin, formed one of the most influential British partnerships in the post-Independence study of South Asian archaeolo ...

(1989)
''Recent archaeological discoveries in India''
(1985)
Approaches to the Archaeological Heritage
' Chapter 7, India - Henry Cleere (1984)
History of Humanity: Scientific and Cultural Development.
' Book Chapter: The Indus Valley: 3000-1500 BC. Dani, A. H. and Mohan, J.-P. (eds.), Vol. II UNESCO and Rutledge: 246-265 - with

Mohammed Rafique Mughal Muhammad Rafiq Mugal (born 1936) is a Pakistani archaeologist, engaged in investigating of ethnoarchaeological research in Chitral, northern Pakistan. He has been responsible for the direction, technical support and supervision for restorati ...

(1996)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thapar, B. K. 1921 births 1995 deaths Directors General of the Archaeological Survey of India University of the Punjab alumni 20th-century Indian archaeologists Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education Scientists from Ludhiana Indian institute directors Indian expatriates in Germany