H.D Sankalia (Anthropologist)

“The spade and the notebook must go together.” – H.D. Sankalia

In the dusty plains of India’s ancient landscapes, where millennia-old secrets lie buried beneath the soil, Hasmukh Dhirajlal Sankalia emerged as a trailblazer who gave Indian archaeology a scientific soul. Often referred to as the father of Indian prehistory, Sankalia wasn’t just an archaeologist-he was a visionary who married rigorous fieldwork with academic precision, bringing the past to life with tools, theories, and untiring curiosity.

H.D Sankalia Anthropologist Biography by Anthroholic

Born in colonial India and educated in both Bombay and London, Sankalia defied the then-prevalent colonial lens of archaeology. He brought a fresh, indigenous perspective to the study of India’s ancient past. From the earliest human settlements to the chalcolithic cultures and protohistoric cities, Sankalia’s excavations and interpretations rewrote the subcontinent’s deep history with clarity and objectivity.

Early Life and Education

H.D Sankalia was born on December 10, 1908, in Bombay (now Mumbai), during British colonial rule. He hailed from a Gujarati family and received his early education in Bombay. A bright and inquisitive student, Sankalia was initially drawn to the study of classical languages, particularly Sanskrit, which laid the foundation for his lifelong interest in ancient texts and cultures.

He graduated from the University of Bombay with a degree in Sanskrit and began studying ancient Indian history and archaeology as extensions of classical studies. His intellectual curiosity and academic excellence earned him a scholarship to the University of London in the early 1930s, where he trained under the renowned archaeologist V. Gordon Childe, one of the most influential theorists of European prehistory. This period marked a turning point for Sankalia: he absorbed the latest excavation methods, typological approaches, and the emerging theoretical debates in European archaeology.

His training in London emphasized stratigraphic excavation, culture sequences, and evolutionary perspectives, which he would later adapt and apply to the Indian context with transformative results.

Academic Career and Archaeological Training

Returning to India in 1935, Sankalia took up a position at the Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute in Pune. At the time, archaeology in India was dominated by colonial administrators and antiquarians with limited scientific training. Sankalia, however, brought with him a rigorous academic and field-oriented approach that stood in stark contrast to the prevailing norms.

At Deccan College, he began to transform the institution into India’s first full-fledged center for archaeological research and training. He initiated courses in field archaeology, artifact analysis, and prehistory, laying the academic groundwork for what would become the first generation of post-independence Indian archaeologists.

His early field projects-such as surveys and minor excavations in Maharashtra-soon expanded into larger, more ambitious ventures that would rewrite the narrative of India’s prehistory.

Major Contributions to Indian Archaeology

Excavations and Key Sites

Sankalia is best known for his work at a series of critical archaeological sites across India:

Nevasa (1954–56): This excavation in Maharashtra became a textbook example of a multi-period site, revealing cultural layers from the Lower Paleolithic to the early historic period. It introduced scientific stratigraphy into Indian fieldwork.
Inamgaon: A late-Jorwe chalcolithic site that helped reconstruct village life in prehistoric Deccan India through detailed study of architecture, food remains, burial practices, and craft specialization.
Langhnaj (Gujarat): A Mesolithic site where Sankalia’s work uncovered skeletal remains, microlithic tools, and faunal evidence, offering one of the first comprehensive views of hunter-gatherer life in western India.
Sanasad and Godavari Valley: These excavations and surveys pushed back the chronology of human presence in India by documenting stone tools and early cultural deposits.

Methodological Innovations

What set Sankalia apart from his contemporaries was his insistence on:

Stratigraphic excavation
Use of geological and anthropological inputs
Chronological sequencing of cultural phases
Collaboration with scientists from other disciplines (such as geologists and physical anthropologists)

He was also an early advocate of radiocarbon dating, helping establish it as a standard tool in Indian archaeology.

Through these innovations, Sankalia turned Indian archaeology from a largely descriptive field into an analytical, theory-informed discipline grounded in empirical evidence.

Theoretical Approach, Publications, and Legacy

While Sankalia was primarily known as a field archaeologist, his theoretical stance was equally influential. Drawing from his training under V. Gordon Childe and influenced by cultural evolutionists like Lewis Henry Morgan, he promoted a culture-historical approach, believing that material culture changes could reflect societal development over time.

Unlike some contemporaries who leaned heavily on textual or mythological interpretations, Sankalia insisted on empirical, scientific archaeology. He argued that India’s past should be understood through its artifacts, landscapes, and living traditions, rather than colonial-era romanticism or nationalist myth-making.

He emphasized:

Cultural evolution as a process grounded in technology and environment
A multidisciplinary method involving anthropology, history, and geology
The use of typology and stratigraphy to construct reliable cultural sequences

His work laid the intellectual foundations for what is now called South Asian Prehistoric Studies, focusing on human adaptation, settlement patterns, and subsistence strategies across ecological zones.

Publications and Teaching Contributions

Sankalia was a prolific writer, committed to making both scholarly and public contributions. His most influential works include:

Prehistory and Protohistory of India and Pakistan (1962) – A landmark textbook that synthesized decades of research and is still cited in academic curricula.
Ramayana: Myth or Reality? (1972) – A controversial but insightful work that explored the archaeological basis (or lack thereof) of epic traditions.
Numerous excavation reports and monographs on sites like Nevasa, Inamgaon, and Langhnaj.

He also played a key role in curriculum development and institutional reforms. As a professor and later Director at Deccan College, he mentored students who would become leading archaeologists in post-independence India, including V.N. Misra, M.K. Dhavalikar, and others.

Sankalia popularized archaeology by giving public lectures, writing in regional languages, and engaging with heritage preservation campaigns-uncommon for scholars of his generation.

Recognition, Later Years, and Enduring Influence

Sankalia received numerous awards and honors, the most prestigious being the Padma Bhushan in 1974 for his contributions to literature and education. He remained active in research and writing well into his retirement, continuing to mentor and advise younger scholars.

Even after his death in 1989, Sankalia’s influence persists in:

The methodology and ethics of Indian archaeological practice
Training programs and academic syllabi
National heritage awareness and scientific excavation practices

His insistence on objectivity, scientific rigor, and interdisciplinary research ensured that Indian archaeology evolved from a colonial curiosity into a full-fledged academic discipline. Today, his work stands as a benchmark for how archaeology can serve as both a science and a cultural bridge to the past.

Conclusion

H.D. Sankalia’s legacy is more than a timeline of excavations or a list of accolades-it is the enduring framework of Indian archaeology itself. At a time when the discipline was still tethered to colonial assumptions and mythological interpretations, Sankalia brought in clarity, method, and a fierce commitment to truth, no matter how challenging or unglamorous it seemed.

By grounding archaeology in scientific method, stratigraphy, and interdisciplinary analysis, he not only rewrote India’s prehistoric narrative but also trained a generation of scholars who carried his vision forward. His contributions helped shift the focus from monuments and elite history to ordinary settlements, tools, burial sites, and environmental contexts-making archaeology more democratic, inclusive, and evidence-based.

Even today, as new technologies like remote sensing, genetic archaeology, and digital mapping reshape the field, Sankalia’s core principles-of fieldwork precision, respect for data, and critical inquiry-remain foundational. Museums, universities, and archaeological missions across India bear his imprint, either through direct influence or the many students he mentored.

References

Prehistory and Protohistory of India and Pakistan (1962) – Internet Archive
https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.18446
Born for Archaeology: An Autobiography – Internet Archive
https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.63812
American Anthropologist – Obituary of H.D. Sankalia (1990)
https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/aa.1990.92.4.02a00090
United Indian Anthropology Forum: Biography of H.D. Sankalia
https://www.anthropologyindiaforum.org/indian-luminaries/professor-hasmukh-d-sankalia
Open Magazine – What His Library Reveals About H.D. Sankalia
https://openthemagazine.com/columns/hd-sankalia-library-reveals/
Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute
https://dcpune.ac.in/
National Library of Australia Catalogue – H.D. Sankalia
https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/2639019