Outlook바카라s latest issue examines the ASI바카라s role in shaping India바카라s historical narratives and how critics say archaeology is being pulled into political and ideological battles
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found itself at the heart of heated debates in recent years바카라whether in Ayodhya, Mathura or Gyanvapi. Outlook바카라s latest issue, 바카라What 바카라Lies바카라 Beneath,바카라 examines the ASI바카라s role in shaping India바카라s historical narratives and how critics say archaeology is being pulled into political and ideological battles.
The question of India바카라s earliest civilisations continues to spark debate, with Hindu nationalists asserting the Harappan civilisation was Vedic바카라an idea many archaeologists firmly dispute. The ancient Harappan site of Rakhigarhi for similar reasons, remains a puzzle.
In Kerala바카라s Pattanam, an excavation site remains shrouded in secrecy. Work came to a halt after Hindutva groups alleged that the project aimed to fabricate evidence of St. Thomas바카라s arrival in India바카라the apostle who is believed to have brought Christianity to the subcontinent.
Archaeologist Ashish Avikunthak sheds light on the workings of the ASI, questioning its excavation methods, its meagre funding, and the bureaucratic red tape that often hinders research. He also highlights the influence of nationalist ideologies on how archaeology is practiced in India today.
JNU professor Y. S. Alone warns that India바카라s knowledge systems are being shaped more by myth than by historical facts. He critiques the growing push for a Vedic civilisational identity, arguing that it is driven by Brahmanical cultural nationalism at the cost of scientific rationality.
This issue also takes a global view바카라exploring how sacred sites like the Hagia Sophia, the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, Babri Masjid, and Jerusalem바카라s Al Aqsa Mosque have been reshaped by political and religious forces over centuries.
The issue also features the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj looking at it from a political lens, a gathering which has attracted numerous prominent political figures over the years. Trump바카라s ongoing spree of policy reversals in the US also finds space in the next issue.