Ghulam Yazdani

This article is about the archaeologist. For the Bengali politician, seeGolam Yazdani.

Ghulam Yazdani OBE
Born	(1885-03-22)22 March 1885 Delhi,British India
Died	13 November 1962(1962-11-13)(aged 77) Delhi,India
Occupation(s)	epigraphist,archaeologist
Children	7, includingZubaida Yazdani
Awards	Padma Bhushan
Academic background
Alma mater	Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College
Academic work
Institutions	Government College, Lahore Rajshahi College St. Stephen's College, Delhi

Ghulam Yazdani,OBE(22 March 1885 – 13 November 1962) was an Indian archaeologist who was one of the founders of the Archaeological Department during the colonial era reign of Nizam ofHyderabad.He also edited the Arabic and Persian Supplement ofEpigraphia Indicafrom 1913 to 1940. He was instrumental in surveying and documenting Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu and Jain sites in the Hyderabad state, including major mosques in the region, the caves atAjanta,Ellora caves,Alampurgroup of temples,Ramappa Temple,Bidar fort,andDaulatabad Fort,among many others.

Yazdani led archaeological surveys were periodically published asAnnual Reports of the Archaeological Department of His Exalted Highness the Nizam's Dominions.

Early life and career

Yazdani was born on 22 March 1885 inDelhi.He was educated underRev. J. Godfrey F. DayandC.F. Andrews.The young Yazdani was also trained under Maulavi Mohammad Ishaq andShamsul Ulama Maulavi Nazeer Ahmad.In 1903, he stood first inAligarh Muslim Universityin his intermediate exams, and in 1905, he stood first in Arabic, Oriental Classics, and English in the B.A. exam, winning three gold medals: the Macleod medal, the Aitchison medal, and the F.S. Jamaluddin medal.He succeededJosef Horovitzas the Epigraphist to the Government of India for Persian and Arabic inscriptions in 1915, and held that office till 1941. In 1907, he was appointed the Professor of Persian atSt. Stephen's Collegein Delhi, and in 1909, H. Sharp (later Sir Henry Sharp)appointed him as the Professor of Arabic in theGovernment CollegeatRajshahiin Bengal.In 1913, the Government of Punjab appointed him as the Professor of Arabic at theGovernment Collegein Lahore.

Director of the Archaeological Department of H.E.H. The Nizam's Dominions

Upon the recommendation ofJohn Marshall,he was deputed toHyderabadto organize the Archaeological Department of H.E.H the Nizam's Dominions (Hyderabad state) in 1914. He became the first Director of the department and served for 30 years till his retirement in 1943. In this capacity, he also edited theAnnual Report of the Archaeological Department of His Exalted Highness The Nizam's Dominions.

Dr. Yazdani visited Bidar for the first time in 1915, drew up a comprehensive program for the thorough repair and conservation of the monuments at Bidar, and the work was carried out by the Government ofHyderabad StateunderMir Osman Ali Khan,Asaf Jah VII, theNizam of Hyderabad.He introduced an illustrated booklet, to serve as a guide-book titledThe Antiquities of Bidarin 1917.Later, he completed his bookBidar: Its History and Monumentspublished by theNizam’s Government and printed at Oxford University Press in 1947.

The work done by him on the preservation of monuments and exploration and excavation of relics of ancient civilization, particularly Ellora, Ajanta and Bidar, was well received not only in India but also in Europe and the United States of America, Dr. Yazdani wrote several books. He wrote about eight volumes on the work of Ajanta and Ellora before and after excavation and preservation. Dr. Yazdani received several honours such as being elected a Fellow of theRoyal Asiatic Society,a Member of theBhandarkar Oriental Research Institute,and an Honorary Fellow ofIslamic Research Association,Bombay. He was involved withOsmania Universityright since its inception.In 1936, he was conferred the title of "Officer of the Distinguished Order of the British Empire" (O.B.E.). He also received several honorary doctorates from several universities. Finally, in recognition of his glorious service to history and archaeology, the Government of India conferred the award ofPadma Bhushanin 1959.Dr. Yazdani was also a mentor to the next generation of scholars who worked on the Deccan, such asHaroon Khan Sherwani.Dr. Sherwani is best known for his two volume work co-edited with Purushottam Mahadev Joshi (Director, Bombay Archives) calledHistory of Medieval Deccan.

Later life

The Government of India awarded him thePadma Bhushan,then the second highest civilian award, in 1959. He died on 13 November 1962.

Personal life

He married Badr Jahan Begum in 1909. They had two sons and five daughters.

Bibliography

• Yazdani, Ghulam; Hussein, Shaikh Chand (1900).Mulk-i 'anbar: ya'ni saltanat-i nizam shahiyah.Hyderabad: Matbu`ah `Ahad-i Afrin.
• Yazdani, Ghulam (1917).The Antiquities of Bidar.Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press.ISBN9788120605015.
• Yazdani, Ghulam (1922).The Temples at Palampet.Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing.
• Yazdani, Ghulam (1927).Guide to Ajanta Frescoes.Hyderabad: Archaeological Department.
• Yazdani, Ghulam (1929).Mandu: The City of Joy.1929: Oxford University Press.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location (link)
• Yazdani, Ghulam (1930–1955).Ajanta: the colour and monochrome reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes based on photography.London: Oxford University Press.
• Yazdani, Ghulam, ed. (1936).The story of the Archaeological Department, 1914-1936: a souvenir of the Silver Jubilee of His Exalted Highness the Nizam.Hyderabad: Archaeological Department of H.E.H. The Nizam's Dominions.
• Yazdani, Ghulam (1947).Bidar: Its History and Monuments.London: Oxford University Press.
• Yazdani, Ghulam (1952).History of the Deccan (in three volumes).London, Bombay: Published under the authority of the government of Hyderabad by Oxford University Press.
• Yazdani, Ghulam (1960).The Early History of the Deccan (in two volumes).Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• COMMEMORATION VOLUME:Sherwani, H.K., ed. (1966).Dr. Ghulam Yazdani commemoration volume.Hyderabad: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Oriental Research Institute.

References

14. The man history forgot,The Hindu,24 December 2013
15. 'Padma Bhushan Dr. Ghulam Yazdani - A hero ignored,' by Dr. Rehaman Patel,Karnataka Muslims,25 February 2014