INDRAPRASTHA
- ART AND CULTURE
News: Searching for Indraprastha: Can excavations
at Purana Qila find its Mahabharata link?
What's in
the news?
●
Under the Ministry of
Tourism's 'Adopt a Heritage' initiative, the Sabhyata Foundation of the Dalmia
Group has taken on the responsibility of maintaining and operating the Purana
Qila, promoting sustainable tourism at the site.
Key
takeaways:
●
With the seventh round of
excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) – the most in the Delhi-National Capital Region – set to
begin at the Purana Qila in a few
months, a new layer of history is being uncovered at the 16th century fort built by the Mughal emperor Humayun.
●
The goal - finding evidence
to establish the fort’s link to the
Mahabharata.
Findings
in 2014 and Significance of Painted Grey Ware:
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In 1954, archeologist B.B.
Lal conducted the first excavation of the site.
●
In 2014, a significant
discovery of grey pottery rolled up
inside a piece of soft white cotton cloth was made.
●
The pottery, known as
Painted Grey Ware (PGW), establishes a link between the site and the ancient city of Indraprastha.
Painted
Grey Ware:
●
PGW is a fine, smooth, grey
coloured pottery that’s produced by
firing techniques.
●
They contain mostly geometric patterns in black or deep
chocolate brown and usually occur in shapes such as open-mouthed bowls and
dishes.
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Mostly found in the
Indo-Gangetic divide, the Sutlej Basin and the Upper Ganga plains, PGW is dated
between approximately 1100 BCE and
500/400 BCE.
1100 BCE
and 500/400 BCE:
●
This is the timeframe that
matches some of the wide estimates of when the Mahabharata was composed.
●
Also, as ASI’s findings, in
each of the other Mahabharata-related sites excavated by Lal, such as Hastinapur, Tilpat and Kurukshetra, PGW
formed the lowest cultural deposit. So its presence at Purana Qila suggests
its Mahabharata link.
●
It was well established by
B B Lal that PGW is associated with the Mahabharata period.
●
The Purana Qila excavation
proves that there has been continuous habitation in Delhi from 1200 BCE till
today.
Indraprastha:
●
Indraprastha is mentioned
in ancient Indian literature as a city
of the Kuru Kingdom.
●
During the Mauryan period,
Indraprastha was known as Indapatta in Buddhist
Pali literature, as the capital of the Kuru Mahajanapada.
●
Modern historians cite its
location in the region of present-day
New Delhi, particularly the Old Fort (Purana Qila).
Kuru
Kingdom:
●
The Kuru kingdom appeared
in the Middle Vedic period (1200 BCE), encompassing
parts of the modern-day states of Haryana,
Delhi, and some parts of western Uttar Pradesh.
●
It declined in importance
during the late Vedic period (900-500 BCE).
● It corresponds with the archaeological Painted Grey Ware culture.