Ghulam Yazdani, OBE was an Indian archaeologist who was one of the founders of the Archaeological Department during the colonial era reign of Nizam of Hyderabad.
13 Facts About Ghulam Yazdani
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Ghulam Yazdani edited the Arabic and Persian Supplement of Epigraphia Indica from 1913 to 1940.
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Ghulam Yazdani was instrumental in surveying and documenting Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu and Jain sites in the Hyderabad state, including major mosques in the region, the caves at Ajanta, Ellora caves, Alampur group of temples, Ramappa Temple, Bidar fort, and Daulatabad Fort, among many others.
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The young Ghulam Yazdani was trained under Maulavi Mohammad Ishaq and Shamsul Ulama Maulavi Nazeer Ahmad.
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Ghulam Yazdani succeeded Josef Horovitz as the Epigraphist to the Government of India for Persian and Arabic inscriptions in 1915, and held that office till 1941.
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Ghulam Yazdani became the first Director of the department and served for 30 years till his retirement in 1943.
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Dr Ghulam 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 of Hyderabad State under Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, the Nizam of Hyderabad.
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Ghulam Yazdani introduced an illustrated booklet, to serve as a guide-book titled The Antiquities of Bidar in 1917.
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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 in Europe and the United States of America, Dr Ghulam Yazdani wrote several books.
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Ghulam Yazdani wrote about eight volumes on the work of Ajanta and Ellora before and after excavation and preservation.
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Dr Ghulam Yazdani received several honours such as being elected a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, a Member of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, and an Honorary Fellow of Islamic Research Association, Bombay.
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Ghulam Yazdani was involved with Osmania University right since its inception.
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Dr Ghulam Yazdani was a mentor to the next generation of scholars who worked on the Deccan, such as Haroon Khan Sherwani.