K.N. Dikshit

For more than sixty years, Kailash Nath Dikshit has dug into India’s past. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Bhushan, from Delhi ^[1].

At the Archaeological Survey

Dikshit was born on 20 June 1936 ^[2]. He studied ancient Indian history and archaeology at Lucknow University and joined the Archaeological Survey of India in 1957, rising to joint director general by the time he retired in 1994 ^[2].

He worked on excavations at sites including Ujjain, Kalibangan and Bairat ^[2]. In 1977 he surveyed sites along the dried bed of the Saraswati river, and with Professor B.B. Lal he directed a project on sites linked with the Ramayana, including Ayodhya, Shringverpur and Chitrakoot ^[2]. He also directed excavations at Hulas, the easternmost known Harappan site, in western Uttar Pradesh ^[2].

Writing and editing

After retirement he led excavations at Kampilya with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice ^[2]. He has written more than 150 research papers, edited An Atlas of the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization, and has long edited Puratattva, the journal of the Indian Archaeological Society ^[2].

Deccan College in Pune awarded him an honorary D.Litt. in 2018 ^[2].