Archaeological Survey of India

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is the premier organisation for archaeological research and the protection of the cultural-historical heritage of the nation, functioning as an attached office of the Ministry of Culture. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham, who became its first Director-General under Viceroy Lord Canning; Cunningham's surveys revived knowledge of Buddhist sites such as Sāñchī and Bhārhut. The institution gained its modern statutory and conservation character under Lord Curzon, whose tenure produced the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904, and who appointed John Marshall as Director-General in 1902 — under whom Harappā (Daya Ram Sahni) and Mohenjo-daro (R. D. Banerji) were excavated in the 1920s, establishing the Indus Valley Civilisation. Today the ASI derives its legal mandate principally from the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act) and the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972.

The ASI's core functions are the maintenance, conservation and preservation of Centrally Protected Monuments (numbering over 3,650), the conduct of archaeological excavations and explorations, chemical preservation, epigraphical and numismatic study, the operation of site museums, and the regulation of antiquities. Under the AMASR Act and its 2010 amendment, the ASI enforces the concept of "prohibited" and "regulated" areas — banning construction within 100 metres of a protected monument and regulating it up to 300 metres — adjudicated by the National Monuments Authority (NMA) created by the same amendment. The Director-General heads the organisation, which is administered through territorial Circles (each under a Superintending Archaeologist) and specialised branches for excavation, epigraphy, science (chemical conservation), horticulture and underwater archaeology. The ASI also serves as the nodal agency for India's nominations to the UNESCO World Heritage List under the 1972 World Heritage Convention.

Landmark ASI engagements include the excavation and conservation of World Heritage properties such as the Taj Mahal, Ajanta and Ellora caves, the Sun Temple at Konārak, Hampi and the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. The ASI conducted the court-mandated excavation at the Rām Janmabhūmi–Babri site at Ayodhya in 2003, whose findings figured in the Supreme Court's 2019 M. Siddiq v. Mahant Suresh Das judgment, and undertook a survey of the Gyānvāpī complex in Vārāṇasī in 2023–24. As of 2026 the ASI maintains 43 of India's 43-plus UNESCO World Heritage Sites under its protective ambit and continues digitisation and 'Adopt a Heritage' partnership initiatives. It remains distinct from state archaeology departments, which protect monuments of state importance.

For the UPSC examination the ASI is tested in General Studies Paper I (Indian Heritage and Culture) and Prelims current affairs. Typical question angles include its founding by Cunningham and consolidation under Curzon, the statutory framework of the AMASR Act 1958 and its 2010 amendment, the 100-metre/300-metre prohibited–regulated zones, the role of the National Monuments Authority, and the distinction between Centrally Protected Monuments and World Heritage Sites. Candidates should link the ASI to specific excavations (Harappā, Mohenjo-daro) and to contemporary controversies such as Ayodhya and Gyānvāpī.