Born on the 22nd of March, 1885, Ghulam Yazdani was one of the most premier archaeologists of India for his time, and his work would be responsible for some of the most crucial preservation projects in Southern and Central Indian archaeological sites.

Born in Delhi, but later moving to Hyderabad on the advice of the-leading archaeologist John Marshall, he would head up the Nizam of Hyderabad’s archaeological department, serving from 1914 till 1943. His work for this monument and others would earn him the OBE - the Officer of the Distinguished Order of the British Empire, and several doctorates, honorary degrees etc. from various movies.

Some of his landmark projects included Bidar. Not only did he order and supervise the preservation of the medieval fortress, but also published an illustrated guidebook, and comprehensive historical study of the Fort and its monuments, by 1947.

Then, he would move to the preservation of the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, ancient marvels of rock-cut temple architecture, and would publish books on those too. From Ajanta, Mandu, Ellora and the Deccan as a whole - his guidebooks and published essays would be instrumental in dealing with tourists and those wanting to explore Indian history from a local perspective.

Indian ancient history had been dominated by European opinions and written histories till now - and that would not stand with Yazdani and a whole generation of Indian scholars trying to reclaim their history from outside influence.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1959 by the government of India. However, his achievements are mostly forgotten today, as are most other archaeologists’, who helped discover Indian heritage.