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AIIS, Center for Art and Archaeology

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AIIS, Center for Art and Archaeology

The Center for Art and Archaeology is now on FB to connect with fellow enthusiasts of South Asian Art and Archaeology.

Hope to share and receive insightful knowledge about Indian art and looking forward to hearty engaging conversations and debates. For over forty years, the Center’s staff has documented a significant portion of the surviving artistic achievements of South Asia through photographs, measured drawings and research. It has presently over 250,000 photographs, the majority produced by the center; a larg

e number of sites as well as objects in museum collections in India are represented by these photographs. The Center’s resources include a Library that has been characterized as one of the finest collections of studies on Indian art in the subcontinent. This open stack Library, houses a collection of 75000 books and journals.

31/07/2026

Remembering MA Dhaky on his birth anniversary.

A pioneering scholar of Indian temple architecture and art history, MA Dhaky dedicated his life to documenting and interpreting India’s architectural heritage. Through his long association with the American Institute of Indian Studies and his collaboration with Michael W. Meister on the Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, he helped create one of the most significant resources for the study of India’s temples.

His scholarship continues to inspire researchers, conservators, and heritage professionals around the world. The digitized volumes of the Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture can be accessed on our website.

Photo: MA Dhaky, Gus Van Beek, and Mrs. Gus Van Beek at Modhera Sun Temple, Gujarat in November 1985.

30/07/2026

As Sarnath joins the UNESCO World Heritage List, we invite you to rediscover one of Buddhism’s most significant sites through CA&A’s collections. Explore the Sarnath collection, a rare visual archive of sculptures from the Sarnath Museum, which can no longer be photographed, as well as photos documenting the archaeological site and surrounding monuments of Sarnath.

Also explore the exhibition Making of a Pilgrimage: Locations of the Buddha’s Life, drawn from the photo archive of Prof. Frederick M. Asher (1941–2021). Generously gifted to the CA&A before his passing, his photographs offer a unique perspective on Sarnath and the other sacred sites of the Buddha’s life, revealing their enduring significance as places of faith, pilgrimage, and living heritage.

Links in bio.

[Uttar Pradesh, Bodhgaya, Lumbini, Kushinagar, Dhamek Stupa, Chaukhandi Stupa, Ashokan Pillar, Lion Capital of Ashoka, Gupta art, Mauryan art, Early Buddhist art, South Asian art, Votive stupas, Buddhist iconography, Art history, Ancient India]

10/07/2026

Travel the legendary Grand Trunk Road and explore its magnificent 17th-century caravan sarais, stepped wells, bridges, and baths through an immersive VR experience.

Created by the Documentation Team of the Center for Art and Archaeology, American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS), this virtual walkthrough is based on the Centre’s recent documentation of one of the oldest highways of the Indian subcontinent, bringing its remarkable architectural heritage to life like never before.

Whether on desktop or with an HTC Vive VR headset, discover the interiors of these historic monuments and experience the Grand Trunk Road from a whole new perspective.

To learn more, log on to: afcp.vmis.in

09/07/2026

Discover rare treasures from the CA&A Library, including The Oriental Annual; or, Scenes in India (1834)—a beautifully illustrated window into India’s architectural and cultural heritage. Visit, explore, and experience our open-stack reference collection.

01/07/2026

Discover the CA&A Library 📚

The Center for Art & Archaeology (CA&A) Library at the American Institute of Indian Studies is an open-stack reference library, welcoming all visitors with an interest in India’s rich artistic, architectural, and archaeological heritage. No membership is required—simply walk in and explore.

Our collections support research in:
• Art
• Architecture
• Archaeology
• Sculpture
• Painting
• Epigraphy
• Numismatics
• Cultural History
• Indology
• Religion
• Epistemology
• Design
• Textiles
• Performing Arts

Browse a remarkable collection of books, journals, rare volumes, maps, and research resources in a peaceful environment designed for scholars, students, artists, architects, and heritage enthusiasts.

🕘 Open: Monday–Friday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
📍 Center for Art & Archaeology Library
22, Sector 32, Institutional Area, Gurugram – 122001, Haryana, India

📧 For inquiries: [email protected]

25/06/2026

📚 Step into a world of discovery at the CA&A Library, Center for Art and Archaeology, American Institute of Indian Studies.

Dedicated to the study of Indian architecture, art, and archaeology of the pre-modern era, the library houses an exceptional collection of approximately 75,000 books, journals, and rare volumes, including publications from the 18th and 19th centuries. It is also home to one of the largest collections of Indian journals in these fields.

We are pleased to announce that the library will resume its regular Monday–Friday schedule from July 1, 2026.

🕘 Library Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Whether you are a scholar, student, or enthusiast, we welcome you to explore, research, and discover.

11/02/2026

𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚

An evening exploring the overlooked histories and material presence of clay sculpture in South Asia.

Speaker: Susan Bean - curator, writer, and consultant on modern South Asian visual arts and culture. She Chairs the Advisory Committee of the Art & Archaeology Centre, American Institute of Indian Studies, and is an Associate of the Peabody Museum at Harvard University.

Chair: Naman P. Ahuja - Professor of Indian Art and Architecture, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

12 February 2026
6:00 pm
Conference Room I, India International Centre, Delhi

Join us for a conversation that brings material, memory, and art history into dialogue.

22/01/2026

An exciting new postdoctoral fellowship program entitled, “Connected Teams: Practicing Transcultural Art Histories under the Conditions of Ecological Crises and Digital Transformation: India, Latin America, and Europe” conceptualised by Nachiket Chanchai in collaboration with the Kunsthistorisches Institut-Max Planck Institute in Florence and its 4A Lab in Berlin, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta and the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá.

The application deadline is January 31

15/12/2025

The Living Monument: Stories from Sarai Amanat Khan

We’ve just launched a new exhibition on Google Arts & Culture that looks at Sarai Amanat Khan, a 17th-century caravansarai on the Grand Trunk Road in Punjab. Through photographs, architectural drawings, and oral histories, the exhibition explores what it means to live in a historic site that is still very much part of everyday life. From its strong, enclosed architecture to memories of markets, homes, and community, these stories show how the sarai continues to change while holding on to its past.

This exhibition is drawn from the project Documentation of 16th–17th Century Mughal Monuments on the Grand Trunk Road, undertaken by the AIIS with support from the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (2023–2025).

Now live on Google Arts & Culture https://artsandculture.google.com/story/bwUxJ8yZ6ezrWQ

Google Arts & Culture

Address

American Institute Of Indian Studies, Plot Number 22, Sector-32, Institutional Area
Gurugram
122001

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+911242381424

Website

http://www.indiastudies.org/

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