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New documentary to capture ongoing excavation of ancient Dwarka
The documentary series will be available in leading global OTT platforms.
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Staff Reporter - Mon, 06, Jul 2026
- 15:19 EDT
- 56
Representative Image / Ministry of Culture
A new documentary series and limited web series will showcase the excavation of the submerged city of Dwarka, a holy coastal city in Gujarat, bringing one of India's most significant underwater archaeological projects to audiences worldwide.
The project, titled Excavations at Dwarka, is being developed under a multi-year agreement between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and AEIOU Films. The collaboration marks the first time that the excavation of the submerged city will be documented through an exclusive long-term cinematic production.
The documentary will present the excavation through scientific evidence and verified archaeological findings, avoiding mythology and speculation. The production will follow the progress of underwater archaeological investigations while highlighting the methods and discoveries made during the ongoing exploration, the producers said in a statement.
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Under the agreement, AEIOU Films has received exclusive rights to document the excavation over multiple years. The production house said the independently funded project is currently in a research-intensive phase involving archival studies, historical verification and the integration of advanced technologies. Artificial intelligence-assisted research tools are also being used to support the project, with all findings undergoing expert human validation.
Marine archaeology expert A.S. Gaur, former principal technical officer at the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, said collaborations between public institutions and private filmmakers can help preserve India's maritime heritage while encouraging research, education and public awareness.
Vikrant Pandya, India's first Ph.D. in maritime heritage management, said the documentary offers an opportunity to present India's archaeological history through evidence-based research and rigorous scholarship.
"Dwarka deserves a world-class documentary because civilizations are remembered through the stories they preserve and share. The time has come for India to tell its own story to the world, grounded in evidence and rigorous scholarship,” Pandya said.
AEIOU Films founder and executive producer Ankour Saraiya described the partnership as a milestone for Indian documentary filmmaking, saying the production aims to create a definitive visual record of one of the country's most important underwater archaeological explorations.
Dwarka has been the focus of underwater archaeological investigations since the 1930s and is regarded as one of the world's most extensively studied submerged archaeological sites. The documentary series aims to preserve the excavation process on film while showcasing India's underwater archaeological heritage to a global audience.
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