The 19th century Indian archaeologist and collector Bhagwanlal Indraji began his journey as a researcher of antiquities by translating texts written in Brahmi. His works were talked about in the scientific world, and soon they became the object of close attention of scientists, as well as the translations of the English historian and linguist James Prinsep, who deciphered the Brahmi script. Thanks to his collaboration with the Indian Sanskrit scholar and physician Bhau Daji Lad, Indraji made many travels, during which he visited excavation sites and visited archives, where he translated ancient texts.
Over the years of wandering, the researcher has collected many manuscripts, sculptures and coins. The numismatic collection included coins of the Gupta state, the Kushan kingdom, the Sasanian Empire, etc. Indraji was the only Indian numismatist of that time who studied coins in detail and, on the basis of research, was able to compile genealogies of some rulers of India. In his notes you can find detailed descriptions of costumes, customs, lifestyle in different regions of the country.
Indraji donated the artifacts he collected during his lifetime to several museums. He handed over the manuscripts to the Royal Asiatic Society of Bombay (now Mumbai), the books ended up in one of the Bombay libraries, and the coins are still kept in the British Museum. In addition, Indraji collaborated with European archaeologists and made a special contribution to the collection of the British Indologist Alexander Cunningham.
