Bindeshwari Prasad Sinha (1919–2002) was an Indian archaeologist and historian specialising in ancient Indian history. Sinha was a professor and head of the Department of History and Archaeology at Patna University. He was the founder of

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

state's Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. He was also the director of the K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute in Patna. B. P. Sinha was born in Bihar Sharif in 1919. He obtained an M.A. degree from the Patna University. He obtained a Ph.D. from

SOAS, University of London The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public university, public research university in London, England, and a constituent college, member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, ...

in 1948. His guide was Lionel Barnett, and his thesis was on the topic ''Decline of the Kingdom of

Magadh Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshado ...

''. After returning to India, he taught at the Patna College, and later Patna University. He became the university's Head of department in 1958, and a professor in 1959. He also taught as a visiting professor in Bulgaria, the United States and

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. Sinha is known for having carried out the first excavations at

Vikramashila Vikramashila ( IAST: ) was a Buddhist monastery situated in what is now modern-day Bihar in India. It was founded by King Dharmapala between the late eighth and early ninth century. It was one of the three most important Buddhist Mahaviharas ...

, the site of an ancient

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

established in the 8th century CE. He also carried out excavations at Chirand. Sinha was among other scholars and academicians to support the

Vishva Hindu Parishad Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) () is an Indian Right-wing politics, right-wing Hindu organisation based on Hindutva, Hindu nationalism. The VHP was founded in 1964 by M. S. Golwalkar and S. S. Apte in collaboration with Chinmayananda Saraswati, ...

(VHP, World Hindu Council) in their negotiations with the Babri Masjid Action Committee during the

Ayodhya dispute The Ayodhya dispute is a political, historical, and socio-religious debate in India, centred on a plot of land in the city of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The issues revolve around the control of a site regarded since at least the 18th century amo ...

. He authored a document that presented archaeological evidence in support of Ayodhya as Ram Janmabhoomi (or Lord Rama's birthplace), which the VHP later presented to the Government of India in December 1990.B. P. Sinha
''Archaeological Evidences of Ram Janmabhoomi''
Text: Evidence For The Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir; Presented to the Government of India; 23 December 1990; Hindu Vivek Kendra; retrieved 2015-05-03. Sinha died on 3 May 2002.
article; 4 May 2002; The Hindu; retrieved October 2015.

Works

*
Potteries in Ancient India
', (edited), University of Patna, 1969. *
Vaiśālī Excavations, 1958-1962
', (with Sita Ram Roy), Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, 1969. *
Sonpur Excavations, 1956 and 1959-1962
', (with Bhagwati Sharan Verma), Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, 1977. *
Dynastic History of Magadha, Cir. 450-1200 A.D.
', Abhinav Publications, 1977. *
Readings in history and culture
', Sandeep Prakashan, 1978. *
Archaeology & Art of India
', Sundeep Prakashan, 1979. *
Comprehensive History of Bihar
' (two volumes, with Syed Hasan Askari and Kalikinkar Datta), K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute, 1983.

References

1919 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Indian archaeologists Historians of India Scientists from Bihar Indian social sciences writers Indian expatriates in the United Kingdom {{India-academic-bio-stub