While hosting Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto at this year’s Republic Day, Prime Minister Modi announced that India will help conserve yet unrestored parts of the Prambanan temple complex in Java. This is an example of India’s heritage diplomacy, a soft power tool centred around archaeology and conservation initiatives abroad. In the last decade alone, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has invested in at least 20 heritage projects across eleven countries, including 14 managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

There are several reasons why India invests in such heritage projects abroad. As part of bilateral cultural, scientific and development partnerships, they promote a country’s international image and help catalyse tourism and economic ties. Yet the most important driver for conservation or restoration initiatives abroad is often found domestically, as people seek validation for narratives that revive their States’ past grandeur and civilisational identity.

MEA and ASI have started catering to a growing domestic demand for evidence of India’s past glory and regional influence. When ASI excavates to search for Bharat abroad, it helps restore a sense of self at home. For example, in 2020, when a 1,100-year-old Shiva........

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