K. K. Muhammed


Karingamannu Kuzhiyil Muhammed is an Indian archaeologist who served as the Regional Director of the Archaeological Survey of India. Muhammed is credited for the discovery of Ibadat Khana, as well as various prominent Buddhist Stupas and Monuments. During his career, he undertook the restoration of the Bateshwar Complex, successfully convincing naxal insurgents and dacoits to cooperate, as well as facelift and restoration of the Dantewada and Bhojeshwar temples.
Muhammed also successfully conceived and executed the idea of building Replica Museum, Delhi, which showcases replicas of Indian statues and stone-carved sculptures.
For his contributions to archeology, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019, India's fourth highest civilian honour.

Biography

Early life and education

KK Muhammed was born in Koduvally, Kozhikode, Kerala in a middle-class family to Beeran Kutty Haji and Mariyam. Muhammed is second amongst five siblings. After completing his schooling from Government Higher Secondary School, Koduvally, he obtained his master's degree in history from Aligarh Muslim University and his postgraduate diploma in archaeology from the School of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi, India.

Career

Muhammed served as a technical assistant and then as an assistant archaeologist in the Department of History at Aligarh Muslim University, before being selected as deputy superintendent archaeologist for the Archaeological Survey of India.
Muhammed was initially posted at Madras in 1988 and then at Goa in 1991. He was promoted to superintendent archaeologist in 1997 and subsequently served in many states in India, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. During this period, he also served as a tour guide for prominent foreign guests such as Barack Obama and Pervez Musharraf. In 2012, Muhammed was made regional director of the Archaeological Survey of India, and he retired in the same year.

Major projects

Ibadat Khana

Ibadat Khana was a complex established by Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1575 for hosting religious debates and discussions among theologians and professors of different religions. It was also the structure where Akbar first proclaimed the formation of the composite religion known as Din-e Ilahi.
In the 80s, Muhammed, was a member of a team from the Archaeological Survey of India and Aligarh Muslim University visiting Fatehpur Sikri. With the help of a painting from Akbarnama, he convinced the others to excavate the mound, and they found more proof, including paintings of Christian missionaries from Spain and Italy.
For centuries, the location of the complex had been controversial among archaeologists and historians, although it is generally accepted to be the place Muhammad discovered.

Excavations of at Ayodhya's Disputed site

KK Muhammed was a part of the 1976 excavation of the Babri Masjid, led by B. B. Lal. He stated in a rediff interview that they had found remains of a temple on the western side of the mosque. This temple was built between 10th and 11th century during the Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty. However, his findings were suppressed by historian Irfan Habib, who he says were very powerful and influential towards the Indian Council of Historical Research and many leading newspapers.
Muhammed also said they found 12 pillars in the excavations which were constructed with Hindu symbolism, including Ashtamangala signs. They had also found terracotta figurines of humans and animals, which Muhammad uses to hypothesize that a temple existed before the mosque.
KK Muhammed further tells that he being the only Muslim involved in the excavations, had to come up by publishing his opinion in The Indian Express newspaper on 15 December 1990 to defend Prof. B. B. Lal who was constantly being attacked by the left for not confirming to their views.

Dantewada temples

KK Muhammed restored the Barsoor and Samlur Temples in Dantewada District near Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh. This area is known to be the seat of Naxal activities in the region. In 2003, KK Muhammed was able to convince Naxal activists and with their co-operation, conserved the Temples to its present-day state.

Bateshwar Complex restoration

Bateshwar, Morena, a complex of 200 ancient Shiva & Vishnu temples situated 40 km away from Gwalior. These temples were built between the 9th and 11th centuries during the Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty, 200 years before Khajuraho. The area was under the control of Nirbhay Singh Gujjar KK Muhammed was successful in convincing the dacoits to let him do the restoration. He was able to restore 60 temples during his tenure. After the dacoits were eliminated by the police, the area has been under encroachment from illegal mining, as the tremors from the usage of explosives can damage the structure.
In his autobiography, Muhammed alleged that a powerful mining lobby did not allow temple restoration work to go on and he himself made several attempts to get the mining work stopped.

Facelifting of Delhi's monuments

KK Muhammed was appointed as the Superintending Archaeologist of Delhi Circle, Archaeological Survey of India in 2008. His primary task was to carry out a major facelift and preservation activity at 46 monuments for the Commonwealth Games of 2010.

Other prominent tasks

  • Discovered the first Christian Chapel of North India built by Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri.
  • Excavated the Buddhist Stupa of Kesaria built by Emperor Ashoka.
  • Discovered and excavated Buddhist Stupa in Rajgir.
  • Excavated the Buddhist archaeological site in Kolhua, Vaishali.
  • Located and excavated a number of rock cut caves, Umbrella Stones, Cists and Dolmens in Calicut and Malapuram districts of Kerala.
  • Muhammed conceived and executed the idea of building a Museum that showcases replicas of Indian statues and stone-carved sculptures. The museum, called the Replica Museum, is situated outside the Siri Fort Sports Complex, behind Siri Fort Auditorium in Delhi.

Autobiography

In 2016, KK Muhammad's Malayalam-language autobiography Njan Enna Bharatiyan was released. The book attracted controversy due to his claim that the Marxist historians like Irfan Habib sided with the extremist Muslim groups and derailed attempts to find an amicable solution to the Ayodhya dispute. According to him, archaeological excavations at Ayodhya clearly indicated the presence of a temple below the mosque, but the historians like Irfan Habib, dismissed these, and even successfully proved Irfan Habib wrong in the Allahabad High Court.

Major Awards and Honors

  • Padma Shri : Awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honor for his outstanding work in archaeology and heritage conservation.
  • Lifetime Achievement Award : Conferred by Svayam at its 25th-anniversary celebrations and the National Summit on Accessibility in Sports & Tourism. The award was presented by Mrs. Savitri Jindal and Ms. Sminu Jindal.
  • Sri Sathya Sai Award for Human Excellence He was recognized for promoting interfaith harmony through his archaeological work, specifically for his efforts at sensitive historical sites like the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi site to foster dialogue and mutual respect.
  • Dr. P. Gururaj Bhat Memorial Award : Awarded for his remarkable achievements in the fields of history and archaeology. National Tourism Awards: He won four national awards between 2006 and 2010 from the Union Ministry of Tourism for making major monuments like the Qutub Minar, Sanchi Stupa, and Humayun’s Tomb accessible to physically challenged tourists.
  • Chishthi India Harmony Award : In the year 2014, Dr. Najma Heptulla conferred the highly prestigious Chishti India Harmony Award on KK Muhammad. It was in recognition of his enormous contribution toward fostering communal harmony and preserving the rich cultural heritage of India. As an archaeologist, the work of KK Muhammad in restoring cultural heritage and monuments is instrumental in promoting unity and symbolizes the diversified, all-inclusive spirit of India.
  • Rajiv Gandhi Global Excellence Award : KK Muhammad received awards in 2011 from the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Trust for exceptional service to archaeology and for saving India's cultural heritage. The work revivified monuments and heritages to bring them into the real light of people for education as well as for deprived groups, significantly influencing them.
  • REACH Foundation Award : Awarded by the Rural Education and Conservation of Heritage Foundation for the restoration of the Bateshwar complex.
  • SAARC Environment Award : Received for his significant role in the conservation and restoration of the Bateshwar temple complex in Madhya Pradesh.
  • Srilanka Maha Bodhi Society Award:KK Muhammed was conferred the Sri Lanka Maha Bodhi Society by the Sri Lanka Maha Bodhi Society. He was awarded for his immense contribution to the saving and restoration of Buddhist heritage sites. It acknowledged his efforts towards the preservation and promotion of the Buddhist monuments that are of cultural and historical importance. It reflected his commitment to keeping the important heritage site safe and developing it for the coming generations.
  • Citizens Journalist Award : KK Muhammad has been awarded the Citizen Journalist Award. Be the Change by Network18 for 2009-2010. He received this prestigious award for his brilliant initiative to run Slum Schools with the noble objective of educating underprivileged children. The award being given by none other than the legendary Shri Amitabh Bachchan recognizes the work of KK Muhammad in the empowerment of such communities through education and further recognizes his commitment to being a catalyst for social change.
  • National Tourism Award : KK Muhammad received the prestigious National Award for Maintaining Sanchi Stupa as the Best Maintained & Tourist Friendly Monument. Instituted by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in 2006-2007, this award recognizes exceptional efforts in preserving India's rich cultural heritage. The award was presented by Shri Pranab Mukherjee.
  • National Tourism Award : Renowned conservationist KK Muhammad has been honored with the prestigious National Award for maintaining Humayun's Tomb as the Best Maintained & Tourist Friendly Monument for the year 2008-2009. The award, presented by Shri Hamid Ansari, is a testament to Muhammad's exceptional dedication to preserving India's rich cultural heritage.
  • National Tourism Award : KK Muhammad was bestowed the prestigious National Award for Maintaining Qutub Minar as the Best Maintained & Tourist Friendly monument for the year 2007-2008. Shri Chidambaram, in appreciation of Muhammad's excellent efforts undertaken in saving this historical monument, came forward graciously to present the award.
  • National Tourism Award : KK Muhammad was awarded the National Award for Maintaining Red Fort as the Best Maintained & Tourist Friendly Monument for the year 2009-2010. This definitely gives worth to his candidness in keeping this piece of history in perfect state and meanwhile conserving its historical and architectural value. This award was conferred upon him by Smt. It was attended by, among others, Meera Kumar, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and famous film actor Priyanka Chopra, who recognized his incredible efforts in making the Red Fort one of the most visited places by tourists, sustaining its elegance and heritage.