Read the passage and answer the questions:
When Cunningham, the first Director-General of the ASI, began archaeological excavations in the mid-nineteenth century, archaeologists preferred to use the written word (texts and inscription) as a guide to investigations. In fact, Cunningham’s main interest was in the archaeology of the Early Historic (c. sixth century BCE-fourth century CE) and later periods. He used the accounts left by Chinese Buddhist pilgrims who had visited the subcontinent between the fourth and seventh centuries CE to locate early settlements. Cunningham also collected, documented and translated inscriptions found during his surveys. When he excavated sites he tended to recover artefacts that he thought had cultural value.
Who discovered the seals at the site of Mohenjodaro?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Rakhal Das Banerji
The passage talks about how Cunningham, the first Director-General of the ASI, missed the significance of Harappa. The seals were understood only later: Daya Ram Sahni discovered seals at Harappa, and Rakhal Das Banerji found similar seals at Mohenjodaro, which led to the idea that both sites were part of a single archaeological culture.
Hence, the answer is Rakhal Das Banerji.
NCERT (2026-27): “10.2 A new old civilisation … Subsequently, seals were discovered at Harappa by archaeologists such as Daya Ram Sahni in the early decades of the twentieth century, in layers that were definitely much older than Early Historic levels. It was then that their significance began to be realised. Another archaeologist, Rakhal Das Banerji found similar seals at Mohenjodaro, leading to the conjecture that these sites were part of a single archaeological culture. Based on these finds, in 1924, John Marshall, Director-General of the ASI, announced the discovery of a new civilisation in the Indus valley to the world.…” |