Mayur Thakare

Mayur Thakare completed his graduation (2007) in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology and History from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (Gujarat) and post-graduation (2009) in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology from Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune (Maharashtra) in India. He has secured his Ph.d (2018) from the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune (Maharashtra) on his research centring on the Defence and Settlement pattern of the Portuguese Province of the North (1534 - 1739 C.E.) in the background of the famous Maratha-Portuguese war campaign (1737 - 1739 C.E.).

He holds multiple academic and research interests in the fields of Philosophy, Social Science, Art History and Architecture, Literature, International Relations and specialises in the Field Archaeology, Theoretical Archaeology, the Medieval and Modern period studies.  He has extensively explored, discovered and documented Medieval and late Medieval Indo-European sites and monuments in the Konkan region of Maharashtra in India. He has participated, led and directed excavation and scientific debris clearance projects on the sites ranging from the Prehistoric to the Medieval period. He has presented his research in the various state, national and international level workshops, seminars and conferences, delivered guest lectures, conducted Heritage tours and contributed research and popular articles in the various journals, publications and online domain.

Active in the field and archival studies, he has earlier worked in Archaeological Survey of India (Mumbai Circle), National Monuments Authority (Competent Authority Office, Mumbai) under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India and is presently working in the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Maharashtra. In these offices, he has handled the desks and sections related to Technical (Documentation, Monument Protection, Exploration, Excavation), Museum Development, Heritage Management, UNESCO, Legal affairs and office administration. 

Recognising his contribution in the Heritage studies in the North Konkan region of Western India, he was facilitated by Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (District - Palghar, Maharashtra) in 2013 and was awarded a major documentation project by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region-Heritage Conservation Society (a body under M.M.R.D.A. Government of Maharashtra) in 2014. 

At present, he is exploring the domain of the Archaeology of European Expansion and Colonial Archaeology in the context of South Asia, particularly of the Western coastal region of India. As a part of this research, he has been admitted to the ARTIS - The Institute of Art History, University of Lisbon in 2021 as a Fundação Oriente Postdoctoral Research Fellow. The Postdoctoral research project titled "The Lost World - Tracing the Historicity and Functionality of the Surviving Structural Remains and Settlements in the Portuguese Province of the North as the Case Study of Archaeology of European Expansion/Colonial Archaeology (1534 - 1739 C.E.)" is funded by Fundação Oriente and is being carried out in joint collaboration with CHAM, the New University of Lisbon under the supervision of Prof. Vítor Serrão and Dr. Joaquim Rodrigues dos Santos (ARTIS, University of Lisbon) and Dr. André Teixeira (CHAM, New University of Lisbon).