महाराष्ट्र शासन
Established-1885
Studies in Indology formed a vital area for research among the teaching fraternity and students, as reflected in the periodicals and chronicles published in the Institute from the time of its establishment. Scholars like Dr. Brojendranath Seal, Dr. Keshav Lakshman Daftari, Dr. V. V. Mirashi, Dr. Hiralal Jain, Dr. Harnarayan Sinha, though intellectuals of repute in their own disciplines, are also counted amongst the galaxy of Indologists not only in India, but in other parts of the world also. However, the credit of introducing the subject in the Institute is attributed to Dr. V. V. Mirashi. He took keen interest in establishing this discipline at the Under-Graduate level and succeeded in his endeavour in 1962. At present, this is the only Government Institute in the state of Maharashtra where this subject is taught. It was an appropriate decision, as the subject Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology was part of the post-graduate curriculum of Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University. A significant lot of students opted for this subject at the graduate level in the Institute and pursued it for post-graduate studies in the University. Amongst those, who are well-known for their remarkable contributions in the field of Archaeology are, Dr. Ahmad Hasan Dani, Dr. R.K. Sharma, Dr. S. K. Mitra, etc. Dr. J. B. Deglurkar, at present President (Chancellor), Deccan College Research Institute and Deemed University, Pune was appointed as Faculty (Ad-Hoc) for the period 1962-1963. In the following year, Dr. Y. K. Risaldar and Prof. Ghonge were appointed by the MPSC as permanent faculty. They contributed to its working and management as Head of the Department and Lecturer, respectively. Prof. Dr. Preety A. Trivedi was appointed through MPSC On 1997 and strengthens the foundation of the department till 2013. At present Dr. Ashish S. Shende appointed through MPSC on September 2014 as Head of the Department and Assistant Professor takes efforts to carry forward the legacy of the department.