The Deccan College, Pune, organised a condolence meeting on Tuesday for F. Raymond Allchin, the well-known British scholar who specialised in south Asian archaeology. Dr. Allchin passed away at the age of 86 years in Cambridge recently.
According to K. Paddayya, Emeritus Professor and Former Director of the Deccan College, who had a long association with Dr. Allchin, he was one of the towering figures of south Asian archaeology.
Dr. Allchin came to India during World War II to serve in the Royal Corps of Signals. A chance visit to the Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh kindled in him an enduring interest in south Asian archaeology.
In 1952, he completed doctoral research on the early cultures of Raichur Doab in Karnataka and was soon taken on the faculty of School of Oriental and African Studies, London. In 1959, he shifted to Cambridge University and served on its faculty till retirement in 1989.
Neolithic excavations
Dr. Allchin's major contribution to Indian archaeology concerns his excavations at the Neolithic (early agropastoral) sites of Piklihal and Utnur in the Krishna Valley.
In his book, The Neolithic Cattle-Keepers of South India (1963), a landmark publication in Indian archaeology since Independence, Dr. Allchin employed both archaeological and ethnographic evidence and arrived at a novel interpretation of the ashmound (burnt cowdung accumulation) sites of south India as resulting from a widely prevalent ash-fire cult. As part of it, the Neolithic pastoral groups intentionally burnt cowdung accumulations periodically to promoting cattle fertility.
Dr. Paddayya said Dr. Allchin and his wife Bridget, a specialist in south Asian pre-history, co-authored several major and widely read works of synthesis. These include The Birth of Indian Civilization in India and Pakistan (1989) and Origin of a Civilization (1997).
The Allchins also strengthened south Asian studies in England by establishing the Ancient India and Iran Trust in Cambridge. The trust enabled many young scholars from south Asia to visit U.K. for pursuing research.
Proficient in Hindi
Dr. Allchin also had a deep appreciation of the spiritual and religious heritage of India. He was proficient in Hindi and translated into English two of the devotional writings of Tulsi Das — Kavitavali and Petition to Ram — under UNESCO's sponsorship.
In recognition of his contribution to south Asian archaeology, the Deccan College conferred on Dr. Allchin the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in 2007.
