Lucknow circle of Archaeological Survey of India was created on May 13th, 1985 by the bifurcating the parts of Agra Circle, Bhopal circle & Patna Circle. Again in 2020, some districts of this circle were carved out and a new circle, Jhansi, was created. Presently, there are a total of 198 protected monuments/sites under the jurisdiction of Lucknow Circle which are being looked after by the Superintending Archaeologist of the Lucknow Circle including parts of Awadh and Terai region of Uttar Pradesh. In the Awadh region, Lucknow reflects the best example of Awadh School of architecture. Besides, a number of monuments flourished on Mughal route between Allahabad and Agra. The Circle also comprises a large number of brick temples the most famous of which is Brick temple at Bhitargaon dating back to Gupta period which is a landmark of Indian temple architecture. In the Terai region, Buddhism became the main inspiring factor giving impetus to building activities at the location hollowed by the presence of Buddha himself or at the places somehow connected with him. The excavations revealed a number of ancient Buddhist sites including Sravasti & Piprahwa i.e. Kapilvastu.
Functions of Lucknow Circle
The Circles carry out archaeological fieldwork, research activities and implement various provisions of the AMASR Act, 1958 and amended by AM & ASR(Amendment & Validation ACT 2010 )and Antiquities and Art Treasures Act 1972. This may include the following:
* Carrying out village-to-village survey of antiquarian remains; exploration of archaeological sites, documentation of loose sculptures;
* Excavation of archaeological sites;
* Conservation and day-to-day maintenance of protected monuments;
* Providing basic amenities at the monuments for tourists;
* Issuing permission for filming, photography and cultural programmes at the protected monuments;
* Organizing public awareness programmes on various occasions like Word Heritage Day (April 18), World Heritage Week (November 17-25), Museum Day (May 18) and other important occasions;
* Registration of antiquities and issuing non-antiquity certificates;
* Interaction with various universities and research institutions;
* Implementation of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958 and Rules 1959, Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act 2010, Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 and Rules 1973.
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