With reference to the Indian History, Alexander Rea, A. H. Longhurst, Robert Sewell, James Burgess and Walter Elliot were associated with
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) archaeological excavations
These five were colonial-era archaeologists and antiquarians who surveyed, recorded and dug up India's ancient sites, so the link is archaeological excavation.
- ✓ (a) Alexander Rea dug the Iron Age burial site of Adichanallur and was the first Superintendent of the Archaeological Survey's Southern Circle (1902), where A. H. Longhurst later served. James Burgess founded the Indian Antiquary journal (1872) and worked on the survey of monuments. Walter Elliot collected sculptures at Amaravati in 1854.
- ✗ (b) None of them is known for setting up the press or newspapers in colonial India.
- ✗ (d) Railway building was the work of engineers and railway companies; these five are known for antiquarian and archaeological work.
Remember · Rea (Adichanallur), Longhurst (ASI Southern Circle), Burgess (Indian Antiquary, monument surveys), Sewell (South Indian antiquities) and Elliot (Amaravati sculptures) are colonial-era archaeology names.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- Archaeological Survey of India, Chennai Circle: About Us ↗ “formerly called Southern Circle covering whole area of the then Madras Presidency was established in the year 1881. Sir Alexander Rea became the first Superintendent in 1902. Subsequently, great scholars like A.H. Longhurst”
- Archaeological Survey of India: Excavations at Adichchanallur ↗ “The site was excavated by Alexander Rea of the Archaeological Survey of India in 1905”
- Archaeological Survey of India: History ↗ “The founding of the journal Indian Antiquary in 1872 by James Burgess enabled publication of important inscriptions and their decipherment by scholars”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 4 “In 1854, Walter Elliot, the commissioner of Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), visited Amaravati and collected several sculpture panels and took them away to Madras.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·