ARCHAEOLOGY
The Archaeological Survey of India continued its activities in the various fields like Excavations, Explorations, Preservation of Monuments, Maintenance of Site Museums, Preservation of Antiquities and Art Treasures and running of School of Archaeology.
1. EXPLORATIONS AND EXCAVATIONS
A. Explorations In the course of exploration in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, a large number of ancient sites, representing Various periods extending from the Lower Palaeolithic Age to the medieval period, were discovered. In the vicinity of almost all the 79 villages surveyed in the District Raisen Early Stone Age tools like choppers, scrapers, handaxes and cleavors and late Stone Age tools, blades scrapers, and points were noticed. Rock-shelters bearing paintings were discovered at Diwagunj, Ghat Pipeline, Hisarkhera, Khabai, Kulalhrai, Mahakhera, Mistabad, Nagori, Narkhera, Rattanpur and Salkenda in District Raisen, Madhya Pradesh.
Amongst the important discoveries of the year mention may be made of the microlithic sites representing Late Stone Age at Chapara, Anjuna, Candolim, Arali, Gananguinim, Num and Raj Bagh in Goa. The discovery of a neolithic site at Arali village in Goa makes it the westernmost peninsular occurrence of the neolithic culture. Megaliths were noticed at Terkumedi in District North Arcot, Tamilnadu.
With a view to finding the extension of pre-Harappan and Harappan cultures in the region of Punjab, systematic explorations were carried out in this region. The operations led to the discovery of eight pre- Harappan and Harappan mounds at Dhalewan, Gurnikalan, Hasanpur, Gurna, Baglian-Da-Theh, Naiwala Theh, Lakhmirwala, and Danewala, besides six late Harappan
149
150
mounds in Mansa Tehsil, District Bhatinda, in Punjab in the adjoining region of Sri Ganganagar District of Rajasthan. Now it appears that the main thrust of the migration of pre-Harappans and later on the Harappans took place from Rajasthan to Panjab and Haryana through the Ghaggar and its tributaries and not by the Satluj and Beas rivers.
In a systematic exploration six Harappan sites were located in Districts Mehsana and Banaskantha in Gujarat, further confirming the land migration of the Harappans from Sind to Gujarat. Ten Late Harappan sites on the bank of the river Krishni, a tributary of the Yamuna in District Muzaffarnagar, U.P., have been located which link the contemporary sites in Meerut and Saharanpur Districts. In addition, a number of sites with remains of the Painted Grey Ware culture have been discovered in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Buddhist stupas and remains of monasteries of the 2nd and 1st Century B. C. were discovered at Bidhpur and Pattandeo in Dis- trict Raisen, Madhya Pradesh. Again, at Besra were noticed sculptures belonging to the Sunga period, including a bell-capital, a yaksha figure and an inscription. About 70 early historical sites were located in Punjab.
B. Excavations During the year under review the following 12 problem-oriented excavations were conducted in different regions of India. These cover various periods of history extending from proto-historic times to medieval periods
(i) Antichak Excavations were undertaken at Antichak, District Bhagalpur, Bihar to expose the remaining portion of the fortification wall. A rectangular structure measuring 41.65m in length and 18.65m in breadth has been exposed. A few stone pillar-bases have also been found. Antiquities include terracotta figures and plaques, stone images of Buddha, Vishnu, Surya, Siva and Sadyojata and a few heads. Sow minor objects including a few copper coins, bangles, spouted bowls were also unearthed. A triangular palette bearing the figure of a bust was an important discovery. A hoard of stone querns and pestle totalling about 50 in manufacturing stage was discovered.
151
(ii) Bharadwaj Ashram, Allahabad Excavations at Bharadwaj Ashram, District Allahabad, U.P., have yielded a two-fold sequence of cultures beginning with Northern Black Polished Ware followed by the Gupta Period.
(iii) Daimabad Excavations at Daimabad, District Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, which has earlier given a sequence of five cultural phases has yielded more Harappan pottery and house-complexes this year.
(iv) Fatehpur Sikri During the course of further excavations at Fatehpur Sikri, District Agra, three huge structural complexes and a hammam have been exposed.
(v) Hampi As a result of further excavations at Hampi, District Bellary, Karnataka, in the Mint area, two huge structural complexes belonging to royal residential complex have been exposed.
(vi) Hulas Excavations at Hulas, District Saharanpur, U.P., have yielded late Harappan and Painted Grey Ware habitations in two different localities of the mound. The 'site has yielded a sequence of five periods. A magnificent structure of Kushana period was also exposed.
(vii) Kalingapatanam Further excavation at Kalingapatanam, District Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, has yielded remains of a large stupa, probably belonging to early centuries of the Christian era.
(viii) Mottur Excavation at Mottur, District North Arcot, Tamilnadu, where a huge stone anthropomorphic figure was discovered earlier, has yielded interesting result showing that the figure was used as one of the slabs on the north of the slab-circle encircling a cist with port-hole on the cast with sarcophagus interment.
152
(ix) Parihar Excavation at Parihar, District Unnao, U.P. has yielded black- slipped and Ochre Coloured Pottery in the lowest levels.
(x) Patan Excavation at Patan, District Mehsana, Gujarat, revealed that the fortification wall was repaired during the thirteenth century A.D.
(xi) Satanikota Further excavation at Satanikota, in District Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, has yielded more evidence of the fortification and' moat around the habitation.
(xii) Sringaverapur Further excavation at Sringaverapur, 35 km. upstream of Allahabad, has yielded remains of an impressive large tank of the Kushana period.
C. Village to Village Survey of Antiquarian Remains Under this scheme Archaeological Survey of India and the various universities carried out explorations in 24 districts in different States.
II. CONSERVATION The Archaeological Survey of India took up the challenging job of dismantling the Sangamesvarasvami temple at Kudavalli near Alampur (Andhra Pradesh) which was to be submerged by the construction of Srisailam Dam. The sikhara and parts of the compound wall have been dismantled after thorough documentation and is being transported to the transplantation site which is 25 kilometres away. The work is of a similar nature, as was carried out to Abu Simbel in Egypt. The Survey continued to maintain, preserve and carry out major structural repairs to centrally protected monuments during the year 1979-80. Noteworthy monuments undergoing major structural repairs are : monasteries at Leh, District Ladakh, which are situated at a high altitude; Pari Mahal and Akhun Malta Shah mosque in Jammu and Kashmir State; group of temples in Bhubaneswar and Sun temple at Konarak in Orissa; Sultangarhi and Khan-i-Khana tombs and forts at Adilabad and Tughlaqabad in Delhi;
153
Neelkantha Mahadeva temple at Arthuna, monuments in Chittor fort and Ranthanbore fort in Rajasthan; excavated site at Lothal, Dwarkadish temple, Dwarka, churches and fort walls at Daman in Gujarat; Buddhist sites at Nalanda and Piprawah and Jaunpur Fort in Bihar; Bibi-ka- Maqbara in Maharashtra; Bom Jesus church in Goa; Buddhist rock-cut caves at Dhamnar, Siva temple at Bhojpur and floodlighting of western group of temples in Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh; Nambinarayana temple, Tonnur and temples at Lakkundi, Aihole and Pattadakal in Karnataka; Mahals at Chandragiri and Silaikhana in Golkonda Fort in Andhra Pradesh; Hazarduari place at Murshidabad in West Bengal; Nirvana Stupa at Kusinagara, Fort and monuments in Fatehpur Sikri, Taj Mahal at Agra in Uttar Pradesh; fort wall at Palghat in Kerala; Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram and Brihadisvara temple in Gangaikondacholapuram in Tamilnadu.
Typical Mughal type gardens are being laid out in Itmad-ud-daula and Rambagh in Agra, apart from extensive horticultural operations carried out at various monuments.
Chemical preservation was taken up at Nila Gumbaz, and Diwani-i- am at Red Fort in Delhi, Taj Mahal at Agra and Rama Temple at Palampet, in addition to various other monuments. The Survey has set up a chemical laboratory and a monitoring station at Agra to study the air pollution problems in and around Agra.
III. PRESERVATION OF ANTIQUITIES AND ART
TREASURES A substantial number of objects of art intended for export was examined by the Director-General, Archaeological Survey of India and Exports Advisory Committees for export of non-antiquities. Many objects were declared to be antiquities and their export was stopped. A number of antiquities confiscated by the Custom Departments were distributed to various Museums by the Director-General after examination.
Progress was maintained in implementing the various provisions of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act. Particular mention may be made of the following :-
(i) Watch was kept an the activities of the licensed dealers and it was ensured that illegal dealings in antiquities were minimized.
154
(ii) The work of registration of antiquities was Continued. About 18,000 applications were entertained during the year and more than 23,000 certificates of registration were issued. In addition, action for notifying wooden sculpture as registerable antiquity has also been initiated. Still further, with a view to coping with the unwillingness of some persons to re- gister their antiquities, action for investing certain officers with the powers of search and seizure has been initiated.
(iii) Two meetings of State Government Officers appoin- ted as Co-ordinators under the Act and Officers of the Survey were held in Madras and Lucknow. Problems encountered in implementing the various provisions of the Act were discussed threadbare at these meetings.
Having regard to their artistic and aesthetic value, the works of art of the following five modern artists were declared to be art treasures : viz. (a) Gaganendra Nath Tagore: (b) Abanindra Nath Tagore; (c) Sailoz Mukherjee; (d) Ravi Verma; and (e) N. Roerich.
The Antiquities and Art Treasures (Amendment) Rules. 1979 laying down the procedure for declaring an object to be an art treasure were framed.
IV. MUSEUMS The Museums Branch of the Survey at present looks after the maintenance of 20 archaeological Museums spread over different parts of the country. Besides, it has taken over the charge of the Indian War Memorial Museum at Red Fort, which is being reorganised as a period museum of arms and warfare In addition to the major reorganisation work of Museums at Bodh-Gaya, Bijapur, Halebid, Nalanda, Sanchi and Sarnath, that is underway, the Museums Branch of, the Archaeological Survey of India has completed the setting. up of the Museum at Vaishali, where the staff quarters are under construction. Considerable progress has been made in opening the new museums at Taj and Lothal. The Museums Branch has also taken up the programme of detailed documentation of exhibits in the gallery and in the reserve collection.
155
V. SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY The School of Archaeology offers a professional one-year diploma course in Archaeology. The current session is the twenty-first since its inception in 1959. This course has been attracting officially- sponsored trainees as well as students from both within the country and from the friendly neighbouring countries either under Colombo Plan of other arrangements, for which a seat is provided, subject to demand, every year. In the current year, an officer-trainee from Nepal joined the School.
VI. PUBLICATIONS The Survey has its own Publication Wing, which brings out Archaeological and Epigraphical report of technical nature and various kinds of popular but erudite publications like guidebooks (in English, Hindi and vernacular languages) on important sites and Archaeological Museums besides folders and series of coloured and black-and-white picture postcards. Amongst the publications which have been released for sale and/or the printing of which are likely to be completed soon, mention may be made of the three issues of the Indian Archaeology-A Review' Excavations of Lothal, South Indian Inscriptions, Vol. XXIII, Epigraphia Indica, Vols. III and IV (reprinted), Sir Mortimer and Indian Archaeology and Archaeological Works Code.