In Photos: Who Came Before The Mauryas? Excavation At Purana Qila May Have Clues

Purana Qila, built by Sher Shah Suri and Mughal emperor Humayun, serves as a time capsule of Delhi’s history.

Purana Qila, the fort built by Sher Shah Suri and the second Mughal emperor Humayun, serves as a time capsule of Delhi’s history. Underneath its surface, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found cultural deposits ranging from pre-Mauryan times to the British era.

(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee)

Purana Qila, the 16th century fort in Delhi, is undergoing the third session of excavation, which was commissioned by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in January this year. The current round of excavations has unearthed antiquities, pottery and structures dating back to the Mauryan as well as pre-Mauryan ages, i.e. before 300 BCE, ASI Director Dr Vasant Swarnkar said at a press briefing. 

ASI's Dr Swarnkar said that brick walls of different eras -- from the Kushanas to the Rajputs or from 400 CE to 1200 CE -- stacked on top of each other as settlers came an inhabited the area.

In addition, mud-brick housing complexes belonging to Sunga-Kushana period have been unearthed 10-12 metres under the surface. 

Purana Qila, the fort built by Sher Shah Suri and the second Mughal emperor Humayun, serves as a time capsule of Delhi’s history. Underneath its surface, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found cultural deposits from pre-Mauryan times to the British era.

On being asked why Purana Qila serves as a coffer for historical evidence, Dr Swarnkar said that the answer lies in the fort's location. "The fort has river Yamuna flowing on one side, and a highway, which served as a trade route in the ancient times on the other side. That's why many settlers dwelled in Indraprastha, as the city was earlier called," said Swarnkar.

In addition, remnants of Painted Grey Ware (PGW), which is pottery that dates back to the pre-Mauryan age, were unearthed during the current round of excavation.

PGW is fine terracotta ware of grey colour, often painted with black dots and lines.

ASI officials claimed that "presence of PGW is indicative of the period of the Mahabharata." It is pertinent to note that the Mahabharata is a mythological text.

On being asked how the ASI believes it is possible to find evidence linked to the Mahabharata, Dr Satarupa Bal, Assistant Archaeologist at ASI, told The Quint. “As historians and archaeologists, we do not consider literary resources as mythology. If they exist, if it was written, we believe that happened. And we can start exploring and excavating a site based on that literature."

To explain this further, Bal quoted former ASI Director and Padma Vibhushan Braj Basi Lal or BB Lal.

Lal, who had carried out excavation works inside Purana Qila in the year 1954 and 1969-73, is known for commissioning excavations on sites based on mythological Hindu texts such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. 

He had linked the pre-Mauryan PGW to the "Mahabharata period." 

“When we start excavating, cultural deposits are seen in the form of layers. Now, below the Mauryan layer, we found evidence of flooding in the form of a deposit of silt. Below the silt deposit, we discovered PGW. When Prof BB Lal was conducting excavations in Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh), he had found a similar pattern and had linked PGW to the Mahabharata period based on literary sources," said Bal, who has been closely monitoring the current project.

On being asked how deep archaeologists can dig to demarcate various eras, Bal explained, "ASI's Director Dr Vasant Swarnkar is collaborating with several external agencies to identify the layer where we stop finding cultural assemblages. The layer is called 'natural soil' or the soil which has no evidence of human activity, and the earliest settlers would have started living there."

A ring well, which can be dated back to the Mauryan period, was also unearthed during the excavation. It has 18 rings made of terracotta. It is said that these wells used to provide water to people for domestic use, so that it was no longer imperitive for people to settle on the banks of a river.

An antique, which shows the Vaikuntha Vishnu, was found in the excavations. In this, Vishnu is shown to have three heads -- a tiger on the left and a boar on the right. The Hindu deity can be seen holding a conch in one hand and a lotus in the other.

"However, the presence of Ganesha on the bottom right is very unusual and inexplicable," Swarnkar remarked. 

This is a terracotta plaque, roughly four cm in diameter. On it is showcased the Gaja Laxmi, who is seated at the centre and sports fine ornaments. She is flanked by two elephants, which are performing 'jalaabhishek' on her, the ASI official said.

This is a figurine of Lord Ganesha carved in blue soap stone. It belongs to the Mughal period and is the size of a finger.

This bone needle belongs to the Mauryan period. It is sharp and has grooves on the side, similar to present-day needles used to crochet.

These are some ritualistic objects, with inscriptions on them. Notice that object C has the Swastika inscribed on it. 

"Swastika is the most commonly occurring symbol in these inscriptions," Swarnkar said. 

This is a die belonging to the Gupta period. Notice how numbers have been represented through dots, similar to present-day dice.

A copper wheel dating back to the Kushana period was unearthed in the current round of excavations too.  

When asked how archaeologists distinguish one era from the other, Bal said it is done using relative dating based on three parameters -- antiquities, pottery and structure.

"For each period, the size of the bricks is different. For instance, the bricks of the Kushana period are different from that of the Gupta period, and in the Mauryan period, one may even find stone walls."

Similarly, pottery also helps identify an era by the kind of soil used, how well has it been fired, and if it is stamped or glazed, among other parameters.

The iconography on antiquities gives away the era, the ASI official said.

Union Minister of Culture & Tourism G Kishan Reddy said that Purana Qila will be re-opened, and the excavated remains will be preserved, and conserved.

"The site will be showcased as an open-air site museum, allowing visitors to experience the rich historical legacy of Delhi," he stated.

Furthermore, the excavated remains at Purana Qila will serve as a point of attraction for the delegates of the G20 summit, consisting of Head of States, scheduled to be held in Delhi in September 2023.