Swaraj Prakash Gupta (1931-2007) was a well-known Indian archaeologist and art historian. From childhood Gupta was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He was a scholar, writer of great repute and an authority on Indian art history. He has written scores of articles and books on the subject of his interest. Dr Gupta also undertook several excavations in Harappan sites. Dr Gupta remained a bachelor throughout his life. At the time of his death he was busy establishing the Indian History and Culture Society as a full-fledged research centre. Dr. S.P. Gupta was born in 1931, and at the time of his death in late 2007 was Chairman, Indian Archaeological Society, New Delhi. He worked and lectured in more than 30 countries of the world. He authored a number of books including Disposal of the Dead and Physical Types in Ancient India (1971), Tourism, Museums and Monuments (1975), Archaeology of Soviet Central Asia and the Indian Borderlands—two volumes (1978), The Roots of Indian Art (1980)—the French edition of which was published in 1990 and Cultural Tourism in India (2002). Dr S.P. Gupta retired as Director, Allahabad Museum. He was also the editor of several volumes of the Puratattva, the Bulletin of the Indian Archaeological Society. He was a distinguished archaeologist and art historian who was awarded several gold medals and the Sir Mortimer Wheeler Prize for excellence in archaeology. The first Dr Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar National Award of Madhya Pradesh State Government was presented to the celebrated archaeologist Dr S.P. Gupta in recognition of his devotion and contribution to archaeological research.
Publications
- Elements of Indian Art : Including Temple Architecture, Iconography and Iconometry/S.P. Gupta and Shashi Prabha Asthana. New Delhi, D.K. Printworld, 2002, xiv, 146 p., maps, ills., ISBN 81-246-0213-1 and ISBN 81-246-0214-X
- 1984. Frontiers of the Indus Civilization (B.B. Lal and S.P. Gupta, Eds.). New Delhi: Indian Archaeological Society.
- Gupta, S.P. (ed.). 1995. The lost Sarasvati and the Indus Civilization. Kusumanjali Prakashan, Jodhpur.
- Disposal of the Dead and Physical Types in Ancient India (1971)
- Tourism, Museums and Monuments (1975)
- Archaeology of Soviet Central Asia and the Indian Borderlands (2 volumes) (1978)
- The Roots of Indian Art (1980) (French edition: 1990)
- Cultural Tourism in India (2002)
- S.P. Gupta. The dawn of civilization, in G.C. Pande (ed.)(History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization, ed., D.P. Chattophadhyaya, vol I Part 1) (New Delhi:Centre for Studies in Civilizations, 1999)
