B. K. Thapar

Bal Krishen Thapar (18 October 1921 – 6 September 1995) was an Indian archaeologist who served as the Director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1978 to 1981. He was the founder of INTACH.

Thapar was born to a cloth merchant in Ludhiana on 18 October 1921. On completing his M.A. in History from the University of Punjab, Lahore, Thapar joined the Archaeological Survey of India and trained under Mortimer Wheeler at the newly established Institute of Archaeology in Taxila. Thapar obtained a doctorate in West Asian archaeology from the Heidelberg University.

Thapar participated in the archaeological excavations in Kalibangan, Purana Qila and Maski. He was also involved in ASI's excavations in Farah Valley and Begram in Afghanistan. Other excavations he conducted and led include archaeological projects at Hastinapur, Sisupalgarh, Rupnagar, 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 Director-general of the ASI and served till retirement in 1981.

Thapar was a member of many academic bodies, both in India and abroad, including:

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