By Admin 
This time, the Central Government has announced to give India’s fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri, to the country’s renowned archaeologist Dr. BR Mani. BR Mani is the archaeologist under whose leadership the ASI team conducted excavations during the Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir dispute in Adhyadhya and after the demolition of Babri Masjid, collected evidence of a grand temple hundreds of years old below, at the place where the disputed structure was previously present, and recorded it in the report in the court.
Dr. BR Mani had a career as an archaeologist for a total of 47 years, in which apart from Ayodhya, he also did excavations in Sarnath and his report proved that there was a huge glorious empire in Sarnath in the period between Gautam Buddha and Ashoka. In this excavation, it was also revealed what kind of glorious empire existed in Sarnath at the beginning of the Maurya period and how the empire developed.
asi After retirement, he was the director of the National Museum twice.
Apart from this, an ancient idol of Lord Varaha was found during excavation under the leadership of Dr. BR Mani in Mehrauli area in Delhi. Also, during the excavation, it was revealed that the area of Mehrauli, which was once flourishing before the arrival of the invaders. During his lifetime, Dr. BR Mani led more than 20 archaeological excavations. After which BR Mani retired from ASI in the year 2015. Then firstly he was the Director of the National Museum twice, from 2017 to 2019 and from 2023 to 2025.
During this time also, Dr. BR Mani got the remains of Harappan civilization excavated in Haryana after the remains of Harappan civilization were not in the National Museum and got the remains of the Harappan period kept in the National Museum for the people.
In an exclusive conversation with ABP News, Dr. Mani said that he had neither applied for Padma Shri on his own nor had the government talked to him before. His students had nominated him for the Padma Award, after which on January 25, 2026, he received information from the Home Ministry that he was getting the Padma Award.
What did social media users say about the award of Padma Shri??
Although the ASI team that excavated in the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid dispute was led by Dr. BR Mani, but before him an archaeologist included in that team had already been given the Padma Award. In such a situation, many people on social media were talking about Dr. BR Mani getting the Padma Award late. On this matter, Dr. BR Mani said that the government gave him the award when he considered him worthy of it and kept in mind his 47 years of career.
The report he made or the excavation team he led in the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid dispute was his responsibility. Which he had to discharge and he did it, so that the truth could come before the country. In such a situation, he has no complaints about meeting late.
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