APPENDIX A (O) :
REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE
 DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY
 

Publications

(a) Ancient India No. 7 has been published, No. 8 is in the press and material for No. 9 is being made ready for press.

(b) The Guide Book to Khajuraho by Messrs. S. C. Chandra and B.L. Dhama and Guide to Rajgir (Revised Edition) by Mr. A. Ghosh have been published. A Guide Book to Agra Fort is in the press. The following Guide Books are being revised for reprinting:

1. A Guide to Fatehpur Sikri

2. Guide to Nalanda

3. Guide to Mahabalipuram

4. Guide to Sanchi

(c) Archaeological Memoirs: Memoir No. 71, Nagarjunakonda by Mr. T. N. Ramachandran has been published. Memoir No. 72 Sanskrit Literature and Archaeology Mirrors of Indian Culture by C. Sivaramurti is ready for the press.

(d) Epigraphical publications: The antiquities of Chamba State Part II by Dr. B. Ch. Chabhra, is in the press. Epigraphia Indica, Volume XXVII, Parts 7 and 8, Volume XXVIII, Parts 1, 3, 4, 5 have been published. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Kalachuri Inscriptions, by Prof. V. V. Mirashi is in press.

Annual report on Indian Epigraphy for 1946-47 has been published. Annual reports on South Indian Inscriptions Volume XI, Part 2 and Volume XIII have been published. Several sets of Picture Post Cards of outstanding monuments have already been published and more sets are being made ready for press.

Conservation of Ancient Monuments

Two new circles have been created and the boundaries of the existing seven circles have been readjusted. With this expansion and readjustment of the circles it has been possible to terminate the agency arrangements that had been in existence in Part `B' States, Governments of Rajasthan, Mysore, Tranvacore-Cochin, Pepsu, Hyderabad and Madhya Bharat. Thus all the Monuments of national importance in Parts `A', `B' and `C'

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States are now looked after and conserved by this Department. Several outstanding works of special repairs had been and are being carried out in all the nine circles.

The Archaeological Chemist and the Assistant Archaeological Chemist are also engaged in carrying out important chemical works of preservation of ancient monuments, e.g., the preservation of wall paintings in Tambekarwada, District Baroda, Fatehpur Sikri, Khajuraho, Konarak, Bhubaneswar, Tanjore Ajanta, Ellora, etc.

Exploration and Excavation works

The Exploration Branch of this Department continued its programme of the systematic exploration of the dried up river basins in the northern part of Bikaner. The Branch is at present carrying out exploration at a site known as Jagatgram near Kalsi in Dehra Dun District (U.P.).

The Excavations Branch of the Department is at present carrying out excavations at Rupar, District Ambala (Punjab). The remains of Harappa Culture have been found here.

The site at Nagarjunkonda is, in danger of being submerged by the Nandikonda Project. Before this happens, however, it has been decided to carry out extensive excavations at this site and to implement this the minimum temporary staff, both gazetted and non-gazetted has recently been sanctioned. It is hoped that the site will be thoroughly explored before it is submerged by the Project.

Museums

The galleries of the Central Antiquities Museum have been reorganised. The Central Archaeological Museums at Sarnath, Delhi Fort, Nalanda, Nagarjunakonda and Fort St. George have made steady progress by imparting education to the ever increasing number of visitors, students and scholars.

The site museums at Kondapur and Maski are also being brought upto the level of other Departmental site museums. Steps have also been taken to start a local museum at Hampi, District Bellary.

Gardens

The Archaeological Gardens at Agra which formed part of the protected monuments but which were being looked after by the State Government so far, have now been taken over by the

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Government of India from the Uttar Pradesh Government with effect from the 1st August, 1954. A special reservoir will be built near the gardens to increase the water supply to the gardens and the Central Water and Power Commission has already taken this work in hand.

The Garden Section of the Department has been devoting special attention to the gardens at Red Fort, Safdarjung, Kotla Ferozeshah, Lodhi Tombs and the nursery at the Central Asian Antiquities Museum.