Rajesh S. V. is an Indian

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

based in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. He is known for leading various successful archaeological expeditions in

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

and Kerala.

Education and career

Rajesh received a Ph.D. from

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, formerly Baroda College, is a public university in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Originally established as a college in 1881, it became a public university on April 30, 1949 and was renamed after ...

in Gujarat. He is a member of the faculty at the

University of Kerala University of Kerala (formerly known as University of Travancore) is a state-run public university in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithi ...

Discoveries

Rajesh led the team that discovered the

Indus Valley Civilisation The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the Northwestern South Asia, northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 Common Era, BCE to 1300 BCE, and in i ...

necropolis in Khatiya,

. He was also instrumental in unearthing the Harappan settlement in Padta Bet near Khatiya. Rajesh has led many archaeological expeditions in Kutch and specialises in aspects that concern ceramics. Rajesh was a leader of the team that discovered megalithic burial cists in Poothangara in Enadimangalam gram panchayat of

Pathanamthitta Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality, city in southern Kerala, India, spread over an area of . It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37,538 (as of 2011 census). The Hindu pilgrim centre Sab ...

, Kerala.

Honours

Rajesh won the Field Discovery Award given by the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,

Shanghai University Shanghai University (SHU) is a municipal public university in Shanghai, China. It is owned by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government. The university is part of Project 211 and the Double First-Class Construction. Shanghai University mai ...

. He received the medal at the fifth Shanghai Archaeology Forum (SAF).

Works

Kailashnath Hetu. Essays on Prehistory, Protohistory and Historical Archaeology. Published: 2017. Publisher: New Bharatiya Book Corporation. Editors: G. Ajit Kumar, G. S. Abhayan, S. V. Rajesh. Human and Heritage. An Archaeological Spectrum of Asiatic Countries. Published: 2019. Publisher: New Bharatiya Book Corporation. Editors: Ehsan Rahmath Ilahi, G. S. Abhayan, Preeta Nayar, S. V. Rajesh. The Archaeology of Burials. Examples from Indian Subcontinent. Published: 2020. Publisher: New Bharatiya Book Corporation. Editors: Ehsan Rahmath Elahi, G. Ajit Kumar. Contributors: G. S. Abhayan, S. V. Rajesh.

Advocacy

Rajesh has helped educate villagers to get them involved in excavations given their knowledge of local conditions. He has also raised awareness to help protect important archaeological sites from industrialization. Rajesh has participated in workshops to popularize archaeology.

References

{{reflist Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century Indian archaeologists 21st-century Indian educators