Swaraj Prakash Gupta
Dr. S.P Gupta | |
|---|---|
 Dr. Swaraj Prakash Gupta | |
| Born | 1931 |
| Died | 2007 (aged 75–76) |
| Nationality | Indian |
Swaraj Prakash Gupta (S. P. Gupta, 1931–2007) was a prominent Indian
Career
Dr. Gupta edited several volumes of the
The Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies had published a volume of papers in his honour in 2009.[1]
Ayodhya Dispute
Dr. Gupta was a prominent scholar who supported the pro-Temple side of the Ayodhya dispute. He argued that there was evidence of a 10th-century temple that lay underneath the masjid, which was subsequently demolished by Babur (the founder of the Mughal Empire and a Turkic invader hailing from present-day Uzbekistan). This temple was a Hindu pilgrimage site and considered to be one of the holiest temples in Hinduism due to the belief by many Hindus to be the birthplace of Ram. The masjid was demolished in 1992 by Hindu protestors.[2]
From the crumbling walls of the so-called Babri [Mosque] and the old and new debris there emerged, like the proverbial phoenix, hundreds of objects which testify ... to the existence of the eleventh- to twelfth-century Rama temple ...
- Dr. S.P. Gupta
Some controversy arose when the topic of Ayodhya was not discussed at the
B.B. Lal later justified the decision as follows:
People have discussed this topic [Ayodhya] for two years now and have still not reached any conclusion. The Supreme Court also could not reach any conclusion. So, why waste time on it? If we have time after all the papers, we will see what we can do. - B. B. Lal, quoted in The Asian Age, December 7, 1994[2]
Personal life
From childhood Gupta was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.[2] Dr Gupta remained a bachelor throughout his life.
He died on the evening of 3 October 2007, at a private nursing home. He was unwell for a fortnight, suffering from acute asthma and breathlessness. He was 76.
Bibliography
Art History and Culture
- Tourism, Museums and Monuments (1975)
- The Roots of Indian Art (1980) (French edition: 1990)
- Cultural Tourism in India (S. P. Gupta and K. Lal), Indraprastha Museum of Art and Archaeology and D. K. Printworld, 2002, ISBN 8124602166.
- Elements of Indian Art : Including Temple Architecture, Iconography and Iconometry (S. P. Gupta and S. P. Asthana) New Delhi: Indraprastha Museum of Art and Archaeology, 2002, ISBN 81-246-0213-1.
- Temples in India (S. P. Gupta and V. Somasekh) New Delhi: Centre for Research and Training in History, Archaeology and Paleo-Environment, 2010, ISBN 8124604959.
Archaeology and History
- Disposal of the Dead and Physical Types in Ancient India (1971)
- Mahabharata, Myth and Reality - Differing Views (S. P. Gupta and K. S. Ramachandran, ed.) Delhi: Agam Prakashan, 1976.
- Archaeology of Soviet Central Asia and the Indian Borderlands (2 volumes) (1978)
- 'Frontiers of the Indus Civilization (B. B. Lal and S. P. Gupta, Eds.). New Delhi: Indian Archaeological Society, 1984.
- The lost Sarasvati and the Indus Civilization, Jodhpur: Kusumanjali Prakashan, 1984
- The Indus-Sarasvati Civilization, Delhi: Pratibha Prakashan (1996).
- Dimensions in Indian History and Archaeology (S. P. Gupta and K. S. Ramachandran, eds.) New Delhi: Indian History and lture Society, 1993.
Selected articles
- S. P. Gupta. The dawn of civilization, in G. C. Pande (ed.)History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization ed., D. P. Chattophadhyaya, vol I Part 1) (New Delhi: Centre for Studies in Civilizations, 1999)
References
- ISBN 9788190833004.
- ^ a b c d e
Bernbeck, Reinhard; Pollock, Susan (February 1996). "Ayodhya, Archaeology, and Identity". Current Anthropology. 37 (1): S138–S142. S2CID 143935761.
- JSTOR 10.7312/guha12998.15.
- JSTOR 4402029.
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