Foreign universities flock to India to explore archaeological sites

Foreign universities are all for bartering their technological expertise and resources to get an opportunity to work on the unexcavated sites here. The MoUs with Indian institutes help foreign students to be a part of the excavation and exploration projects, and then conduct the classification and documentations back in the better-equipped laboratories of their country.  

R S Fonia, Director, Exploration and Excavation and Publication, ASI, told The Indian Express, “We have received applications from a number of foreign institutions like Harvard University, Cambridge University and others. Their interest in Indian sites is positive for us, as this provides us with updated modern technological know-how and adequate funds. The need for modern technology and digitisation of old records are required for a country like ours, which is so hugely endowed with ancient sites. For such large-scale projects, huge amount of funds are also required. These foreign universities, on the other hand, face shortage of such sites and look towards Indian heritage sites for an opportunity to conduct excavation processes.”

Banaras Hindu University (BHU), in a tie-up with Cambridge University, had undertaken excavations in the Harappan sites of Alamgirpur and Bulandkhera — both in Uttar Pradesh — earlier this year. The MoU signed by the two universities calls for student and faculty exchange programmes in the department of archaeology and funds for the excavation projects as well.

“We have received a sanction of Rs 18 lakh this year from Cambridge University for funding excavation projects and students and faculty who would go out on the exchange programme,” said Paras Nath Singh, head of the department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, BHU. “Thanks to the tie-up, we can now conduct tests like radio carbon dating (C 14) more accurately and make useful comparisons of our results with their reports,” Singh added.

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