The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has given permission to dig at a number of sites around the country. These include the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat and the Gomti River in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Surprisingly, the list also has places in and around Harwan and in Srinagar that are close to the Zabarwan Hills.
People think that the old monastery of Harwan was very important in the history of Buddhism. In the 1st or 2nd century CE, the Kushana emperor Kanishka I had the 4th Buddhist council of the Mahayana school of Buddhism held here.
First List of Archaeological excavation approval given by @ASIGoI for the year 2022-23.#excavation #archaeological #archaeologicalexcavation #ArchaeologicalSurveyofIndia pic.twitter.com/JT5D5MG5oj
— Archaeological Survey of India (@ASIGoI) February 14, 2023
In a late-night tweet on Tuesday, the ASI shared the list of sites, which includes excavations that will be done by the ASI (31 sites), different state governments (16 sites), or universities. It tweeted, “First list of archaeological excavations approved by @ASIGoI for the year 2022-23. #excavation #archaeological #archaeologicalexcavation #ArchaeologicalSurveyofIndia.”
The ASI will dig at 31 sites, including the Purana Quila in Delhi and Rakhigarhi in Haryana, where a new round of digging has already started. Other places include the Bibi ka Maqbara in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, the Rakhigarhi district of Haryana, the Church of St. Augustine in Old Goa, and the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat.
Pratima Garh and the area around it in Assam, as well as Vembakottai in Tamil Nadu, are on the list of 16 sites where excavations will be done by the state government. Universities will dig at places like the Gomti River in Rudauli tehsil in the Ayodhya district, Mahavan in the Varanasi district, and Kutch district.
