Madhusudan Narhar Deshpande (11 November 1920 – 7 August 2008), was an Indian archaeologist, art historian and conservator who served as Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1972 to 1978.[1][2][3]
Deshpande was born into a Deshastha Brahmin family in the village of Rahimatpur in the Satara district of the then Bombay Presidency. He did his schooling in Poona and graduated with honours from Fergusson College in 1942. Deshpande did his post graduate research at the Deccan College under H. D. Sankalia on "The Cultural History of India based on Jain Canonical Literature and Archaeology" but before completion, he was selected by Mortimer Wheeler to undergo training in field archaeology in the School of Archaeology at Taxila.[4]
Preceded by B. B. Lal |
Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India 1972 - 1978 |
Succeeded by B. K. Thapar |