Ghulam Yazdani,
OBE (22 March 1885 – 13 November 1962) was an Indian archaeologist who was one of the founders of the Archaeological Department during the colonial era reign of Nizam of
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
. He also edited the Arabic and Persian Supplement of ''
Epigraphia Indica'' from 1913 to 1940. He was instrumental in surveying and documenting Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu and Jain sites in the Hyderabad state, including major mosques in the region, the caves at
Ajanta,
Ellora caves
Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from the period 600–1000 CE., Quote: "These 34 mo ...
,
Alampur group of temples,
Ramappa Temple
Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreshwara temple, is a Kakatiya style Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva, located in Telangana, India. It is from Mulugu, from Warangal, from Hyderabad. An inscription in the temple says it was cons ...
,
Bidar fort, and
Daulatabad Fort
Daulatabad Fort, also known as Devagiri Fort or Deogiri Fort, is a historic fortified citadel located in Daulatabad village near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. It was the capital of the Yadava dynasty (9th century–14th century CE), for a br ...
, among many others.
Yazdani led archaeological surveys were periodically published as ''Annual Reports of the Archaeological Department of His Exalted Highness the Nizam's Dominions''.
Early life and career
Yazdani was born on 22 March 1885 in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
.
He was educated under
Rev. J. Godfrey F. Day and
C.F. Andrews. The young Yazdani was also trained under Maulavi Mohammad Ishaq and
Shamsul Ulama Maulavi Nazeer Ahmad. In 1903, he stood first in
Aligarh Muslim University in his intermediate exams, and in 1905, he stood first in Arabic, Oriental Classics, and English in the B.A. exam, winning three gold medals: the Macleod medal, the Aitchison medal, and the F.S. Jamaluddin medal. He succeeded
Josef Horovitz as the Epigraphist to the Government of India for Persian and Arabic inscriptions in 1915, and held that office till 1941. In 1907, he was appointed the Professor of Persian at
St. Stephen's College in Delhi, and in 1909, H. Sharp (later Sir Henry Sharp) appointed him as the Professor of Arabic in the
Government College at
Rajshahi
Rajshahi ( bn, রাজশাহী, ) is a metropolitan city and a major urban, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous division and district. Located on the north bank of the P ...
in Bengal. In 1913, the Government of Punjab appointed him as the Professor of Arabic at the
Government College in Lahore.
Director of the Archaeological Department of H.E.H. The Nizam's Dominions
Upon the recommendation of
John Marshall, he was deputed to
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
to organize the Archaeological Department of H.E.H the Nizam's Dominions (Hyderabad state) in 1914. He became the first Director of the department and served for 30 years till his retirement in 1943. In this capacity, he also edited the ''Annual Report of the Archaeological Department of His Exalted Highness The Nizam's Dominions''.
Dr. Yazdani visited Bidar for the first time in 1915, drew up a comprehensive program for the thorough repair and conservation of the monuments at Bidar, and the work was carried out by the Government of
Hyderabad State under
Mir Osman Ali Khan
Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (5 or 6 April 1886 — 24 February 1967), was the last Nizam (ruler) of the Princely State of Hyderabad, the largest princely state in British India. He ascended the throne on 29 August 1911, at the age o ...
, Asaf Jah VII, the
Nizam of Hyderabad. He introduced an illustrated booklet, to serve as a guide-book titled ''The Antiquities of Bidar'' in 1917. Later, he completed his book ''Bidar: Its History and Monuments'' published by the
Nizam
The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...
’s Government and printed at Oxford University Press in 1947.
The work done by him on the preservation of monuments and exploration and excavation of relics of ancient civilization, particularly Ellora, Ajanta and Bidar, was well received not only in India but also in Europe and the United States of America, Dr. Yazdani wrote several books. He wrote about eight volumes on the work of Ajanta and Ellora before and after excavation and preservation.
Dr. Yazdani received several honours such as being elected a Fellow of the
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...
, a Member of the
Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) is located in Pune, Maharashtra, India. It was founded on 6 July 1917 and named after Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar (1837–1925), long regarded as the founder of Indology (Orientalism) in Ind ...
, and an Honorary Fellow of
Islamic Research Association, Bombay. He was involved with
Osmania University
Osmania University is a collegiate university, collegiate Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad in 1918 , He released a farma ...
right since its inception. In 1936, he was conferred the title of "Officer of the Distinguished Order of the British Empire" (
O.B.E.). He also received several honorary doctorates from several universities. Finally, in recognition of his glorious service to history and archaeology, the Government of India conferred the award of
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 1959. Dr. Yazdani was also a mentor to the next generation of scholars who worked on the Deccan, such as
Haroon Khan Sherwani
Prof Haroon Khan Sherwani (1891–1980) was an Indian historian, scholar, and author. Maulana Azad National Urdu University had created Centre for Deccan Studies in his honor.
Education
Haroon Khan Sherwani was educated in Aligarh Muslim Uni ...
. Dr. Sherwani is best known for his two volume work co-edited with Purushottam Mahadev Joshi (Director, Bombay Archives) called ''History of Medieval Deccan''.
Later life
The Government of India awarded him the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
, then the second highest civilian award, in 1959. He died on 13 November 1962.
Bibliography
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References
14. The man history forgot, ''The Hindu'', 24 December 2013
15. 'Padma Bhushan Dr. Ghulam Yazdani - A hero ignored,' by Dr. Rehaman Patel, ''Karnataka Muslims'', 25 February 2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yazdani, Ghulam
1885 births
1962 deaths
20th-century Indian archaeologists
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering
People from Hyderabad State
Scientists from Delhi