Bal Krishen Thapar (18 October 1921 – 6 September 1995) was an Indian archaeologist who served as the Director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1978 to 1981.
Thapar obtained a doctorate in West Asian archaeology from the Heidelberg University.
[1] Other excavations he conducted and led include archaeological projects at Hastinapur, Sisupalgarh, Rupnagar, Kausambi, Porkalam, Somnath, Prakash, Kuchai, and Juna Pani.
In 1978, Thapar succeeded M. N. Deshpande as the Director-general of the ASI and served till retirement in 1981.
Indian megaliths in Asian context - with Arun Kumar Sharma (1994) Conservation of the Indian heritage - with Bridget Allchin and Frank Raymond Allchin (1989) Recent archaeological discoveries in India (1985) Approaches to the Archaeological Heritage Chapter 7, India - Henry Cleere (1984) History of Humanity: Scientific and Cultural Development.