Who excavated the Chira Tope stupa at Taxila?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. John Marshall.
As the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from 1902 to 1928, Marshall conducted systematic, large-scale excavations at Taxila over two decades.
His meticulous work in the early 20th century, which included excavating the Chira Tope stupa, fundamentally transformed the understanding of the city's layered history, from the Achaemenid period to its zenith as a centre of Greco-Buddhist art and learning.
While Alexander Cunningham had earlier identified the site, it was Marshall's extensive and scientific excavations that thoroughly documented and preserved Taxila's complex of stupas, monasteries, and urban structures, establishing its global significance.