law: Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958
  
  2.Definitions.-
  In
  
  this Act unless the context otherwise requires-,
  (a)
  
  "ancient monuments" means any structure, erection or monument, or any
  
  tumulus or place of interment, or any cave, rock-sculpture, inscription or
  
  monolith, which is of historical, archaeological or artistic interest and which
  
  has been in existence for not less than one hundred years, and includes-
  ( i ) the remains of
  
  an ancient monument.
  
  
  (ii) the site of an ancient monument,
  
  
  (iii) such portion of land adjoining the site of an ancient monument as may be
  
  required for fencing or covering in or otherwise preserving such monument, and
  
  
  (iv) the means of access to, and convenient inspection of, an ancient monument;
  (b)
  
  "antiquity" includes-
  ( i ) any coin,
  
  sculpture , manuscript, epigraph, or other work of art or craftsmanship.
  
  
  (ii) any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave,
  
  
  (iii) any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts,
  
  literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages,
  
  
  (iv) any article, object or thing of historical interest, and
  
  
  (v) any article, object or thing declared by the Central Government, by
  
  notification in the Official Gazette, to be an antiquity for the purposes of
  
  this Act.
  
  
  which has been in existence for not less than one hundred years;
  (c)
  
  "archaeological officer" means an officer of the Department of
  
  Archaeology of the Government of India not lower in rank than Assistant Superintendent
  
  of Archaeology;
  
  
  (d) "archaeological site and remains" means any area which contains
  
  or is reasonably believed to contain ruins or relics of historical or
  
  archaeological importance which have been in existence for not less than one
  
  hundred years, and includes-
  ( i ) such portion of
  
  land adjoining the area as may be required for fencing or covering in or
  
  otherwise preserving it, and
  
  
  (ii) the means of access to, and convenient inspection of, the area;
  (e)
  
  "Director-General" means the Director-General of Archaeology, and
  
  includes any officer authorized by the Central Government to perform the duties
  
  of the Director-General;
  
  
  (f) "maintain, with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions,
  
  includes the fencing, covering in, repairing, restoring and cleansing of a
  
  protected monument, and the doing of any act which may be necessary for the
  
  porpoise of preserving a protected monument or of securing convenient access
  
  thereto;
  
  
  (g) "owner" includes-
  ( i ) a joint owner
  
  invested with powers of management on behalf of himself and other joint owners
  
  and the successor-in-title of any such owner; and
  
  
  (ii) any manager or trustee exercising powers of management and the
  
  successor-in-office of any such manager or trustee;
  (h)
  
  "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
  
  
  ( i ) "protected area" means any
  
  archaeological site and remains which is declared to be of national importance
  
  by or under this Act;
  
  
  (j) "protected monument" means an ancient monument which is declared
  
  to be of national importance by or under this Act.