Anthropological Survey of India
The Anthropological Survey of India is an Indian government organisation involved in anthropological studies and field data research, primarily engaged in physical anthropology and cultural anthropology, while maintaining a strong focus on indigenous populations. It also attempts to document the cultures of other communities and religious groups.
History
The Anthropological Survey of India was founded in 1945 at Varanasi and shifted to the Indian Museum at Calcutta in 1948.In 1916, the Zoological and Anthropological sections of the Museum together became a new entity the Zoological Survey of India. Later, in 1945, the Anthropology section formed into an independent body, the Anthropological Survey of India, with Biraja Sankar Guha as the initial director and Verrier Elwin, as Deputy Director.
Operating under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, it is headquartered in Kolkata and has regional centres in Sri Vijaya Puram, Shillong, Dehra Dun, Udaipur, Nagpur, and Mysore, along with sub-regional centers like Jagdalpur.