Princely Archaeologies and Plural Sovereignties in Modern South Asia

This volume highlights the overlooked role of princely states in South Asia’s archaeology. It compiles studies on exploration, conservation, and sovereignty, revealing how local royal houses shaped heritage. It challenges colonial biases and opens new paths for historical inquiry.

Archaeological explorations and research in colonial South Asia were carried out within the native and British political and administrative dispensations, and so far, the disciplinary histories have almost entirely focused on colonial institutions, legalities and individuals. As a result, a vital local element in the entire process of archaeological work has been neglected. The studies that are collected in this volume, with their focus on the princely states, provide an important alternative perspective.

 

There were more than 500 local royal houses in India, which together governed two-fifths of the entire subcontinent. Some were of considerable significance in terms of geography, resources and population. They also housed some remarkable antiquities and monuments. However, although politically and administratively divided, India was crisscrossed by the explorers, antiquarians and officials of the Archaeological Survey of India. Princely Archaeologies and Plural Sovereignties in Modern South Asia collects the small group of vitally valuable studies that have been published to date, with the aim of streamlining the study of the princely past through princely archaeologies and wider South Asian historiographical considerations. The 13 papers range from the first narrative of princely archaeologies, which appeared in 1939, to postcolonial investigations from the beginning of the 21st century. They deal with themes of exploration, conservation, legality and sovereignty. The crucial role played by princely durbars has been highlighted, but more significantly the colonial bias of conventional narratives is exposed. Concluding the volume, a newly written chapter by the editor explores further avenues for historical investigation in the field of princely archaeologies.

Contributor: Rafiullah Khan (Edited by)

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