In a major discovery, relics of the Copper Age and numismatics and tools of the Mauryan period have been unearthed from a big mound on the banks of the Banas river at Kumharia village in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district, promising to connect several missing links in ancient history.
Bundi-based amateur archaeologist Om Prakash Sharma alias Kukki discovered broken bowls of black and red ware pottery, mica-mixed earthenware with zigzag lines, terracotta toys and pieces of conch and shell bangles during his recent exploratory visit to Bhilwara. The rare findings depict the phase of civilisation in north-western India when early metal tools had started appearing.
Missing link
The vast tract along the Banas river seems to be hiding underneath the artefacts dating back to the prehistoric period when the post-Rig Vedic civilisation was flourishing in the region during the 12th to 9th Century B.C. Bagore village in Bhilwara district has already reported the discovery of ancient archaeological objects.
Copper Age tools were earlier found in Rajasthan at places such as Kalibanga in Hanumangarh district, Ahad in Udaipur and Namana in Bundi. Mr. Sharma told The Hindu from Bundi on Thursday that the baked reddish-brown clay toys found by him were mostly in the shape of bull with horns, and also depicted other animals.
“This entire region, spread over several kilometres, has layers after layers of ancient civilisations. If the sand mounds [in the region] are excavated in a systematic manner, traces of continuous human habitation for at least 4,000 years can be found here.” He said he stumbled upon the relics while trying to find evidence of Kumharia's connectivity with Bagore.
A barely literate grocer with a passion for history and archaeology, the 54-year-old has discovered rock paintings belonging to the Mesolithic-Chalcolithic age and objects and tools of the Copper age and Mauryan and post-Gupta period in the vast hilly tracts of Bundi, Kota and Bhilwara districts over the past two decades.
Another significant finding by him at Kumharia was the punch mark copper coins issued by the Mauryan dynasty between 321 B.C. and 185 B.C. They are in different shapes and sizes and have one or more symbols punched on them. Mr. Sharma said these symbols represented either the royal insignia or the mark of the local guild which struck the coins.
According to him, the mound also has traces of huge brick walls belonging to the Kushan period of the 1st to early 2nd century A.D. and the Gupta period which existed approximately from 320 A.D. to 550 A.D., covering much of the Indian subcontinent.
Appeal
Mr. Sharma has informed the Archaeological Survey of India and the State Directorate of Archaeology here about his latest finds and requested the authorities to protect the region from vandals digging up the archaeological heritage. The expansion of Kumharia village with new constructions in the area would lead to “permanent loss of the precious legacy”, he said.
Mr. Sharma, who was honoured for his achievements in the field of archaeology on Republic Day here last year, is also working on a project sanctioned to him by the Directorate of Archaeology for documentation of ancient rock paintings in Bundi district. There are about 55 sites in Bundi where the rock art provides a glimpse of flora and fauna of the pre-historic era.
Author: Mohammed Iqbal | Source: The Hindu [April 29, 2011]
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| The earthenware, clay toys and coins unearthed recently by amateur archaeologist Om Prakash Sharma near the Banas river at Kumharia village in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district [Credit: Rohit Jain Paras] |
Missing link
The vast tract along the Banas river seems to be hiding underneath the artefacts dating back to the prehistoric period when the post-Rig Vedic civilisation was flourishing in the region during the 12th to 9th Century B.C. Bagore village in Bhilwara district has already reported the discovery of ancient archaeological objects.
Copper Age tools were earlier found in Rajasthan at places such as Kalibanga in Hanumangarh district, Ahad in Udaipur and Namana in Bundi. Mr. Sharma told The Hindu from Bundi on Thursday that the baked reddish-brown clay toys found by him were mostly in the shape of bull with horns, and also depicted other animals.
“This entire region, spread over several kilometres, has layers after layers of ancient civilisations. If the sand mounds [in the region] are excavated in a systematic manner, traces of continuous human habitation for at least 4,000 years can be found here.” He said he stumbled upon the relics while trying to find evidence of Kumharia's connectivity with Bagore.
A barely literate grocer with a passion for history and archaeology, the 54-year-old has discovered rock paintings belonging to the Mesolithic-Chalcolithic age and objects and tools of the Copper age and Mauryan and post-Gupta period in the vast hilly tracts of Bundi, Kota and Bhilwara districts over the past two decades.
Another significant finding by him at Kumharia was the punch mark copper coins issued by the Mauryan dynasty between 321 B.C. and 185 B.C. They are in different shapes and sizes and have one or more symbols punched on them. Mr. Sharma said these symbols represented either the royal insignia or the mark of the local guild which struck the coins.
According to him, the mound also has traces of huge brick walls belonging to the Kushan period of the 1st to early 2nd century A.D. and the Gupta period which existed approximately from 320 A.D. to 550 A.D., covering much of the Indian subcontinent.
Appeal
Mr. Sharma has informed the Archaeological Survey of India and the State Directorate of Archaeology here about his latest finds and requested the authorities to protect the region from vandals digging up the archaeological heritage. The expansion of Kumharia village with new constructions in the area would lead to “permanent loss of the precious legacy”, he said.
Mr. Sharma, who was honoured for his achievements in the field of archaeology on Republic Day here last year, is also working on a project sanctioned to him by the Directorate of Archaeology for documentation of ancient rock paintings in Bundi district. There are about 55 sites in Bundi where the rock art provides a glimpse of flora and fauna of the pre-historic era.
Author: Mohammed Iqbal | Source: The Hindu [April 29, 2011]