Saving Mangar Bani

Photos of Mangar Bani.

(Photo: author)

When one thinks of Indian heritage, the mind wanders to the sounds of hammers striking metal, the rhythmic clatter of pottery wheels, and the mingling scent of incense enveloping the ancient civilisation of Harappa. Or, one thinks about the sun rising over the vast plains of the Indian subcontinent, casting a golden hue across a sprawling Vedic village nestled along the banks of the sacred Saraswati River.

One thinks about any of the countless tales of our glorious past. Yet, one never thinks of Mangar Bani, even though the village is in the heart of the capital region that reverberates with vestiges of an ancient past. It is a site that has resisted the forces of time and persevered against all odds, preserving the footprints of our past.

Mangar Bani, a small village nestled amongst the sprawling Aravali Hills in Faridabad, is often left unnoticed. As travellers cross the village, they pass by, not knowing that they just walked through one of South Asia’s oldest palaeolithic sites. 1000,00 years before the present, the village now called Mangar Bani, was a tool-making site during the Stone Age.

Initial research is already abuzz with excitement that it may be a site even older than the Bhimbetka Caves. It is also the first site in the Aravalli range to have been discovered with cave paintings. Potentially being India’s oldest Stone Age site, Mangar Bani has remnants of our past that are irreplaceable.

So far, the oldest part of Indian history is considered to be the Harappan civilisation. However, the information we could obtain from Mangar’s unrecorded and scattered Stone Age sites, may extend our knowledge and unveil historical civilisations and events that perhaps occurred much before Harappa, and have been lying unnoticed by archaeologists for aeons.

The knowledge gained from this crucial part of our past may broaden our understanding of Indian heritage significantly. The discoveries will potentially expand the current timeline of Indian history, dating our roots further than what is currently discovered.

Recently, there have been various archaeological discoveries. Most recently, Stone Age rock paintings were found in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. A week after the discovery was made by locals, historians went to the site and investigated the rocks, after which, the preliminary findings were shared with the Archaeological Survey of India and the Department of Archaeology and Museology.

Similarly, Rakhigarhi has been excavated by archaeologists, opening a Pandora's box on genomics, history, and linguistics, potentially answering the question of whether the Harappan and Vedic civilisations are synonymous. Many such sites have been deeply examined and acknowledged by historians and archaeologists.

However, Mangar remains elusive and awaits.

Despite its immense historical significance, Mangar Bani lies unprotected, prone to destructive forces like weathering, illegal encroachment, and trespassing. As time goes by, the palaeolithic remnants of this historically significant village keep degrading bit by bit, and we keep losing another priceless chunk of our cultural identity.

Hopes for preservation were briefly ignited in 2015 when the chief minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, announced that the region of Mangar would become a protected forest with a 500-metre buffer zone. However, no further action has been taken to give this historical gem the protection it deserves.

As the government, the ASI, and other powerful stakeholders neglect the destruction of Mangar Bani and its importance, activists and small organisations are keeping up the fight, using the strength of solidarity and people's power to raise awareness about its significance.

Sunil Harsana is one such activist.

Labelled as the ‘pied piper of Mangar Bani’, he has been fighting to protect his village. He is the founder of the Mangar Eco Club, created in 2015. We discovered Mangar Bani, and its hidden history on a walk with Sunil Harsana, when he pointed to weathered rocks and stated that those were the remnants of the Stone Age.

Lying bare, in direct sunlight, in the middle of the road, without any barriers or notice boards outlining the rock’s historical importance, many other remnants of the Stone Age were lying in the village in similar conditions. Seeing the dire state of conditions and the lack of conservation efforts, we were motivated to do our part.

Mangar Bani is in dire need of conservation. Determined to do our part in conserving the site, we, the members of Walking Past, started a heritage club in the Shiv Nadar School Noida. We are committed to saving this invaluable piece of our history and other such forgotten nuggets of our past.

We hope to provide Mangar Bani with the title of being a protected site by ASI. To do so, we have sent petitions to the government and other stakeholders in order to act urgently in this dire situation.

Help us with our mission by signing this petition.

Protecting Mangar Bani is the responsibility of each and every citizen of India. Protect Mangar Bani and protect a piece of your identity. Join us, as we strive to save our cultural past from being erased.

(Karissa Gupta is a class 12 student. She is the recipient of the Youth Leader of India Award.)