The Padma Vibhushan Awardee : Braj Basi lal 

👉This Republic day 2021, Archaeologist Braj Basi Lal honoured with the padma vibhushan. He was born in 1921 at jhansi, UP.  

👉In 1943, he served as a trainee in the excavation under the renounced british archaeologist Mortimer wheeler & began his career as an archaeologist from the site of Taxila.

👉He worked on over 50 books and 150 research papers. Some of the notable books -  The sarswati flows on : The continuity of indian culture ,2002. Rama, his historicity,mandir and setu: Evidence of literature, archaeology and other science, 2008.

👉Between 1950-52 he discovered a number of painted grey ware sites in the indo-gangetic divide and upper yamuna ganga doab. He was the director general of the Archaeological Survey of India between 1968-72.

👉In mid 1970s, he led an excavation at the Ramjanmabhoomi site. He is known for his theory of temple like structure underneath the now demolished babri masjid.

Findings in the Ramjanmabhoomi site in Ayodhya ::

👉B. B. Lal commenced on the project in 1975 titled, "Archaeology of the ramayan site". the project was funded by the ASI, Jiwaji university, Gwalior and department of archaeology in government of utter pradesh. 

👉The project was inagurated at ayodhya on march 31, 1975. It excavated five ramayan related sites, Ayodhya, Bhardwaj Ashram, nandigram, chitrakoot, Shringaverapura.

👉In his 2008 book "Rama, his historicity, mandir and setu : Evidence of literature, archaeology and other sciences" he wrote " Attached to the piers of the babri masjid, there were twelve stone pillars, which carried out not only typical hindu motifs and mouldings, but also figures of hindu deities. It was self evident that these pillars were not an integral part of the masjid but were foreign to it."