Archaeology in India is mainly done under the supervision of Archaeological Survey of India.
History
12th century Indian scholar Kalhana's writings involved recording of local traditions, examining manuscripts, inscriptions, coins and architectures, which is described as one of the earliest traces of archaeology. One of his notable work is called Rajatarangini which was completed in c.1150 and is described as one of the first history books of India.
Origin of modern archaeology
One of the earliest non-Indian scholars to take an interest in the archaeology of the Indian subcontinent were Western European travelers in the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries. The earliest European written accounts of India's ancient monuments and Hindu temples were produced by sailors and travelers in the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries CE. Some of these accounts included ground plans and drawings of the buildings, however they lacked any historical discussion of their origins, with the exception of several references to Alexander the Great, the Macedonian emperor, who tried and failed to conquer India in the fourth century BCE.
Some notable archaeological sites in India include Rakhigarhi, an archaeological site located in the state of Haryana, India. Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa are also ancient archaeological sites that were once a part of India, but now lie within the borders of Pakistan. The Harappan civilization was also called the Indus River Valley Civilization.
Alexander Cunningham and Archaeological Survey of India
Scholarly investigation into Indian archaeology was largely influenced by Alexander Cunningham, who became the first director of the Archaeological Survey of India, which was established in 1861. Cunningham along with various assistants visited many sites and monuments of archaeological importance in India. Their trips ranged from simply visiting sites to study and report on to excavations as well.
Paleolithic archaeological sites (2,500,000–250,000 BC)
Palaeolithic sites in India are characterised by the Madrasian culture and Soanian culture. Bhimbetka rock shelters is also a paleolithic (Old Stone Age) and mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) site.
Mesolithic sites (250,000 BC–10,000 BC)
Anangpur caves (Faridabad) and Mangar Bani Caves (Gurugram) in Delhi NCR, Bhimbetka rock shelters (Bhopal) and Pahargarh caves (Morena) IN Madhya Pradesh have continuity of paleolithic to mesolithic phase.
Neolithic sites (10,800–3300 BC)
Neolithic sites in India are characterised by the Bhirrana culture (7570–6200 BC), Mehrgarh culture (7000–3300 BC) and Edakkal culture (5000–3000 BC).
Marine archaeology in the Gulf of Khambat,
Sanganakallu, Kupgal petroglyphs, Sonda rock art, dwellings of Anegundi are neolithic sites. Brahmagiri archaeological site has neolithic and mesolithic phases.
Chalcolithic (Copper age) archaeological sites (3500–1500 BC)
Chalcolithic cultures
Chalcolithic sites in India are characterised by the following cultures.
Anarta tradition (c. 3950–1900 BC) Ahar-Banas culture (3000–1500 BC) Pandu culture (1600–1500 BC) Malwa culture (1600–1300 BC) Daimabad site Jorwe culture (1400–700 BC)
Megalithic archaeological sites of India
Megalith of India date back to 5000 BC in southern India, before 3000 BC in upper Indus valley in northern India, and megaliths in eastern India are of much later date.
Types of megaliths
Megaliths, made of large stones, are man-made structures.
Based on the "structural design" megaliths are classified as either monolith or polylithic.:
Monolithic structures: are single large stones standing vertically, which have following 2 sub-types. Menhir: are vertically standing stone, usually found across all continents. Stone circles: are vertically standing several stones, standing separate from each other with no physical contact with each other, to form circle, semi circle or ellipse. Polylithic structures are made of several large stones in physical contact with each other, these are of following 3 sub-types: Dolmen: megalith which is made in single chamber tomb, usually consisting of three or more upright stones supporting a large flat horizontal capstone. Cairn: a man-made pile of stones, often in conical form, raised either as sepulchral monuments or for astronomical use, these range from simple small piles of loose stones to architecturally complex arrangements. Cist: encasements for dead bodies, in which presence of ornaments shows the wealth or importance of the dead, usually found in groups or close to cairns.