Himanshu Prabha Ray & Manoj Kumar (Ed.)

Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray is Chairperson of National Monuments Authority, New Delhi, and former Professor, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Among her recent publications are two edited volumes, Archaeology and Text: The Temple in South Asia (2010) and Sanghol and the Archaeology of Punjab (2010); a co-edited volume, Reimagining A?oka: Memory and History (2012); and two authored volumes, Colonial Archaeology in South Asia (1944?1948): The Legacy of Sir Mortimer Wheeler in India (2007) and Monuments in India (2007). Her latest book is titled The Return of the Buddha: Ancient Symbols for a New Nation, Routledge, New Delhi, 2013. This book maps the role of archaeological discoveries in shaping the public and academic discourse on India?s Buddhist past in the colonial period that eventually led to the acceptance of Buddhist symbols by independent India. Dr. Manoj Kumar, an archaeologist, is working in the National Monuments Authority as Consultant. He has co-authored the volume, Kos Minar in History and Architecture (2013, NMA & Aryan) and authored a book titled Neolithic and Tribal Cultures of Himalayan Region: An Ethno-archaeological Approach (2010).