Sir Alexander Cunningham (1814–1893) The father of modern Indian archeology and the first director of the Archeological Survey of India.
Cunningham arrived in India in 1831 as a Royal Engineers officer, but his passion was the study of ancient India's material culture.
Cunningham founded the A.S. I., which he led until his retirement in 1885, as a consequence of his enthusiasm.
His work was crucial in conserving India's history by inspecting places, documenting their contents, and interpreting inscriptions.