ARCHAEOLOGY
The Archaeological Survey of India, an attached office, continued during the year its activities in various fields like excavations, explorations, preservation of monuments, maintenance of gardens, publications enforcing the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 and measures aimed at creating awareness about India's cultural heritage.
A. EXPLORATIONS During 1976-77, a number of sites were explored and discovered in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and West Bengal, which cover various periods extending from the early Stone Age to the medieval times.
In the course of explorations along the hillslopes across the river, near the village of Kalaroos (Kuppavara tehsil, district Baramulla) in Jammu & Kashmir, nine trefoil-arched niches (in the case of one the arch has disappeared), cut into an escarpment of an elephant-shaped rock exposure, were noticed. The niches were devoid of any image, or paintings and the only clue for their dating is provided by the shape of the trefoil-arch, which is available in all the early medieval temples of Kashmir. One of the niches has arrangement for wooden fixture above the arch, similar to structural triangular pediment provided to temples of the period of Lalitaditya (724-756 A.D.).
An important discovery is the location of a neolithic site, near the BMW temple, Venkatapuram at Hampi, the capital of Vijayanagar rulers.
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To explore the sites in Jammu and Punjab and, in particular, to investigate the extension of the late Harappan culture and Painted Grey Ware cultures, an extensive exploration was carried out in the area. In all, the expedition visited thirty sites, of which fourteen were new discoveries of significant archaeological. interest. The sites varied from late Harappan period to medieval period. The most outstanding sites discovered are: Ghini Karanji Ka Ther, district Jullundur, revealing very extensive mound yielding Painted Grey Ware'; Malsian, district Jullundur, and Dadheri, district Ludhiana, with late Harappan and Painted Grey Ware cultures ; Mahsab, district Jullundur, Chak Zafar and Kane Chak, district Jammu, yielding Kushan and late pottery.
More than fifty painted rock-shelters have been discovered in Ahmadpur hilt, 20 km from Vidisha (MP). The most outstanding, feature of the site is its multistoreyed character due to the use of natural' shelters in terraces. The colours used in paintings are red, black, green and, occasionally, white. The themes of the paintings include animals in groups and hunting scones including, the figures of a few species of animals which have become extinct from the area. The largest painted figure is that of an elephant measuring about 2 m * 1 m.
B. EXCAVATIONS During the year, fourteen excavations were conducted. These cover various periods of history extending from the Stone, Age to medieval period. Some of the large scale and important problem oriented excavations were at : (1) Mathura, district Mathura, Uttar Pradesh; (2) Antichak, district Bhagalpur, Bihar; (3) Piprahwa, district Basti, Uttar Pradesh; (4) Sittannvasal, district Pudukkottai, Tamilnadu; (5) Bhagwanpur, district Kurukshetra, Haryana; and (6) Dadheri, district Ludhiana, Punjab.
Mathura More recently, excavations were taken up at ambrish-Tila, Geeta Enclave and north-western edge of Katra mound at
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Mathura and a sequence of cultures from the Painted Grey Ware levels through two major phases of the Northern Black Polished Ware culture to the Saka-Kushan period could be detected Interesting antiquities, comprising beads of precious and semi-precious stones, coins; terracotta figurines, especially those of the Saka-Kushan period seals and sealings and an inscribed amphorae handle were found. Besides, remains of mud floor, mud-platforms of the N.B.P. Ware phases and ring wells and structures of mud and brick of later phases were also found. At Katra, the raised edge of the mound on the western side appears to be a part of an inner fortification of the Saka-Kushan period.
Piprahwa In the excavation at Ganwaria, adjacent to Piprahwa, a large number of Buddhist viharas have been exposed. The site has yielded terracottas, beads of semi-precious stones, and punch marked coins.
Antichak Excavations have been in progress at Antichak, district Bhagalpur, Bihar, since 1972. Earlier excavations were also carried out here by the Patna University which exposed the central stupa alone.
As a result of the recent excavations, a formidable monastic complex surrounding the central stupa has been exposed. The complex is provided with an entrance gateway, on the northern side, apart from a postern gate. The site is popularly associated with that of the famous ancient Vikramshila University. The central shrine is a structure cruciform on plan with two terraced pradakshina pathas. The flanking walls of the terraces were decorated with terracotta plaques having animals, sacred symbols, Buddhistic and Brahmanical details. it has four shrines facing the cardinal directions. The shrines contain images of the Buddha.
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The entire central shrine complex is surrounded by a massive peripheral wall made of bricks with circular and rectangular projections at the rear at regular intervals. Built against the inner face of the peripheral wall, is the array of cells facing the ex- pansive courtyard. Flanked by rooms, the entrance gateway is provided with porches having pillars of hard granite. An important architectural feature which has been noticed in the balconies of the central shrine and cells of the monastic establishment is the arched ceilings. This monastic establishment was perhaps built by Dharmapala (Circa A.D. 770-810) of the Pala dynasty. The inner area of the entire complex is about 330 square metres. Important finds include a large number of stone sculptures of Brahmanical and Buddhist deities, besides bronzes and terracottas. A bronze image of Vajrapani is, however, remarkable. The whole complex seems to have been destroyed by a fire as indicated by the ashy deposit.
Sittannavasal At Sittannavasal three megaliths were taken up. Apart from this, a few transepted cists; were cleared of debris which added new information on the construction and burial furnishings.
All the megaliths were of different types ; Megalith I was a pit- burial encircled by a rectangular enclosure with a head stone on the south and a passage covered by a stone slab on the west. The pit, rectangle in shape, contained only pottery. This is unique in character, the type of which is not available anywhere in Tamilnadu, and one, excavated for the first time. Megalith II was an urn-burial circumscribed by the granite stone circle and covered by a capstone. Megalith III was a cist entombing two urns placed on their bellies, their mouths facing the eastern porthole which opened into a passage of slab. Besides pottery, usual to megaliths, viz., black-and-red, red-and-blackware, iron objects were also found.
Now of these revealed any skeletal remains. Only Megalith III yielded various objects, viz., sword, hoop, sickles, etc. On clearing the transepted cist in Megalith IV, it showed that on the
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northern way, i.e., where there was no bench, under a false floor there were served pots, pans, ringstand, etc. This is a new feature which is so far unknown in transepted cists.
Bhagwanpura The Painted Grey Ware culture, supposed to have been associated with the eastward movement of the Aryans in India, has been found inter-locked with the last phase of the late Harappan culture at Bhagwanpura in district Kurukshetra, Haryana.
Such an evidence of overlap, noticed clearly for the first time, is of considerable significance, so far as the reconstruction of a continuous history of the Kurukshetra region from the middle of the second to the first few centuries of the first millennium B.C. is concerned. That there was a fusion of two cultures here is evident from the continuity of pottery types Painted designs and the art of terracotta figurines. Either of the cultures did not, however, yield any iron objects.
It was the late Harappans who first established their settlement over the alluvial deposit of the Saraswati. As a protective measure against floods, they raised two solid mud platforms in two successive phases. Yet the site was damaged twice by floods the last one taking place when the people using Painted Grey Ware had been living alongside the late Harappans.
The excavations at Bhagwanpura have revealed for the first time some important evidence on the house-types and the burial customs of the Painted Grey Ware culture. At first, the people were living in round or semi-circular huts, one such hut yielding four saddle guerns and pestles of different types. In the next stage, the houses were built of mud walls. A complete house-complex, consisting of thirteen rooms, with a courtyard on the eastern side, was unearthed. The rooms varied from 1.60 m * 1.60 to 3.35 m * 4.20 m in size. The finds obtained from their houses include animal bones, dishes and bowls of Painted Grey Ware, terracotta beads, bone stylii and copper objects, besides a small percentage of the late Harappan pottery. The third
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structural phase was associated with houses built of baked bricks of three different sizes. Two oval structures of burnt earth, probably of religious character, also came from this phase.
Two graves, one for an adult and the other for a child located in the habitation area itself. Both the skeletons, laid in north-south orientation, with head to the north, had no grave-goods unlike the Harappan tradition,
Dadheri In the current excavation at Dadheri, 5 Km east of Govindgarh, district Ludhiana (Punjab), Painted Grey Ware culture, supposed to be associated with the eastward movement of the Aryans, has been found interlocked with the late Harappan culture. This phenomenon comfirms the evidence of last year's excavation at Bhagwanpur, district Kurukshetra, Haryana.
At Dadheri, in a 6 m cultural deposit a three fold squence of cultures was identified. Of these, the lowest, sub-period IA is represented by the pure late Harappan culture, closely followed by period IB wherein Painted Grey Ware and late Harappan pottery are found together. Evidence of a massive flood is recorded after the arrival of the people using Painted Grey Ware. In this sub-period, three structural phases have been recognised.
Other important finds from sub-period IA include a huge storage jar with late Harappan painting and incised wavy lines of pre-Harappan tradition, copper objects, terracotta beads, wheels: and round cake, painted bull and faience bangles. Sub-period IB yielded Painted Gray Ware, black ware, grey ware and the Harappan pottery. Other finds from this sub-period include terracotta beads, copper ring, terracotta wheels and faience bangles.
The last period of occupation of the site belongs to the medieval times. The finds from this period include remains of a mud-wall, typical medieval painted and plain pottery, and terracotta figurines.
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Other Excavations.-At Vidisha, district Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, a stone fortification wall dating back to the second century B.C. has been found. At Kolhua, district Muzaffarpur, Bihar, a stupa of the Mauryan times has been exposed. At Sarai Mound at Nalanda, mural paintings of the Pala period have been discovered in the temple, exposed as a result of excavation. At Karwan, the ancient Kayavarohana, district Vadodara, a brick-built temple complex has been uncovered throwing light on the history of temple architecture of Gujarat.
At Ayodhya, district Faizabad, U.P., excavation work in the Janam Bhumi area and Hanuman Garhi, has been taken up jointly by the Archaeological Survey of India and the Indian Institute of Advance Study, Simla. Early historical levels belonging to 1st century A.D. have been exposed. Further work is in progress.
Excavation at Fatehpur Sikri, district Agra, U.P., a national project, has been taken up by the Northern Circle of the Survey.
At Panguraria, district Sehore, M.P., during the course of clearance work a stupa built of stones has been exposed at the cave site. A chhattra and an octagonal inscribed pillar assignable to the Sunga period have been an outstanding discovery.
C. PRESERVATION OF MONUMENTS AND MAINTENANCE OF
GARDENS Monuments and sites under the direct control of the Survey continued to receive attention. Major structural repairs were in progress to the monuments like Pathar Masjid at Srinagar and Avantiswami Temple at Aavantipur in Kashmir; group of temples at Puri, Sun Temple at Konark, group of temples at Bhubaneshwar in Orissa; Humayun's Tomb, Khane-Khane's Tomb, Tuglakabad Fort, Qutab Minar, Tomb at Kotla Mubarakpur, Jantar Mantar, Red Fort and Roshanara Baradari in Delhi; Sun Temple at Modhera, Baba Lauli's Mosque at Ahmedabad in Gujarat; Buddhist Monastery at Antichack in Bihar; the Siva Temple at Bhojpur, the Bagh Caves, Monument at Mandu in Madhya Pradesh; Pattabirama and Vithala Temples at Hampi;
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monuments at Aihole and Pattadakkal; Nambinarayana Temple at Tonnur in Karnataka; monuments at Murshidabad in West Bengal; Ahom Raja's palaces in Assam; monuments at Lucknow, Taj and Red Fort at Agra in U.P.; Deeg palaces at Deeg, Fort at Bharatpur, structures within the Fort at Golkonda and Charminar in Andhra Pradesh.
In addition to the above, sculpture sheds for housing the loose sculptures are being constructed at Belgavi and Kamalpur in Karnataka.
The Horiculture Branch of Survey continued to maintain and attend to the gardens around the monuments and sites. New gardens have been laid around monuments at Sahet Mahet in U.P., Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, etc.
The Chemistry Branch of the Survey attended to the preservation of paintings at Ajanta, sculptures at Ellora, Elephanta and Karala in Maharashtra, Bagh Caves in Madhya Pradesh, Kailasanatha Temple at Kanchipuram, Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjore in Tamilnadu, group of temples at Bhubaneswar in Orissa, etc.
In collaboration with different organisations like I.M.D., Neeri, M/s. Tecneco of Italy, the problem of air pollution on various monuments is being studied. Similarly, the assistance of the Survey of India, Central Building Research Institute and the Geological Survey of India has been enlisted in scientific studies of various problems for better preservation of monuments.
Preservation of Monuments outside India, Cooperation with the Government of Afghanistan : During the year the Survey continued work on the preservation of the Big Buddha (55 m high) at Bamiyan and of the Khwaja Parsa Mosque at Balkh in Afghanistan. At Bamiyan, the damaged east wall of the Buddha Shrine was repaired by constructing a masonry wall. This also facilitated easy approach to the cave at a higher level which contains beautiful stucco decorations. Necessary structural repairs
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to the caves at the floor level were completed in all respects. Major cracks appearing on the right leg of the Big Buddha were filled in and the fabric strengthened by rock-bolting and grouting. The paintings on the walls and ceilings of the shrines were cleaned and preserved. Broken edges of painted surface were also filled. Paintings on the ceiling of the Buddha shrine were cleaned. The preservation work was in progress.
At Balkh, preservation of Khwaja Parsa Mosque was completed in all respects during the year and the monument handed over to the Afghan Government authorities. It was originally planned to complete the preservation works in three working seasons. However, at the request of the local people and the Afghan Government it was completed in two working seasons (1975-76). During the year, the blue-tiled dome was made watertight by restoring the disturbed and loose tile- work. For this purpose, blue tiles were manufactured locally. A preservative coat was also applied to the outer surface of the dome. The extensive work was appreciated very much by the Afghan people.
D. PRESERVATION OF ANTIQUITIES AND ART TREASURES Several new measures were introduced by the Archaeological Survey of India during the year of which the most important was, the enforcement of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, since 5th April, 1976 throughout India except Sikkim. This Act seeks to regulate the export trade in antiquities and art treasures and provides for the prevention of smuggling and fraudulent dealings in antiquities and compulsory acquisition of antiquities and art treasures for preservation in public places. Obtaining licence is now obligatory of all persons who intend to carry on the business of selling or offering to sell any antiquity. Persons or institutions (except those owned, controlled and managed by the Government) are required to register the notified categories of antiquities.
The original notification issued on 5th April, 1976 for the registration of antiquities was subsequently superseded by the
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notification on 2nd July, 1976 under which the following items are to be registered, the intention being to extend the scope of registration progressively ;
(i) sculptures in stone, terracotta, metals, ivory and bone
(ii) paintings (including miniatures and tankas) in all media, that is to say, paper, wood, cloth, skin, silk and the like ; and
(iii) manuscripts, where such manuscripts contain paintings, illustrations or illuminations (that is, adornment with coloured lettering or illustrations).
An Ordinance amending certain sections of the Act was also promulgated on 4th June, 1976. This was later made into an Act- Antiquities and Art Treasures (Amendment) Act, 1976.
For the. implementation of this Act, the Central Government provided, from its budget, expenditure for the setting up of the registration machinery which consists of 104 Registering Officers and attached staff who have been appointed in all the States and Union Territories, excluding Mizoram. Apart from this, 12 Licensing Officers, who are officers of the Archaeological Survey of India, have been appointed with defined jurisdiction who will be responsible for the licensing of dealers who intend to carry on the business of selling or offering to sell any antiquity.