Maritime and Underwater Archaeology in India: A Critical Appraisal and a Future Prospect

Abstract

This article critically reviews four decades of development of maritime and underwater archaeology in India (MUAI). Established in 1981, the first Marine Archaeology Centre at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research—National Institute of Oceanography in Goa, India, has conducted a series of maritime and underwater investigations. The country has also attracted international collaborations mainly focused on maritime ethnographic studies. As such, the discipline has seen steady growth, but its progress unfortunately remains slow and is struggling to keep pace with the developments happening within the discipline globally. A significant setback was in 2015 when the Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW) of the Archaeological Survey of India was defunct. Furthermore, India is not a signatory to the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. This raises the question—what does the future hold for the MUAI? The government’s plan to establish the country’s first National Maritime Museum to display maritime past and its intention to revive the UAW to boost research indicates some optimism towards the survival of the field. Nonetheless, there exists gaps in research approaches and methodologies adopted so far and problems and challenges faced by the discipline that are hindering its growth. Along with discussing the aforementioned issues, this paper concludes with prospects for the future of MUAI.