Significant
finds at Dwaraka
Introduction:
Ancient structures, under water and on land, discovered
Ancient
structural remains of some significance have been discovered at
Dwaraka, under water and on land, by the Underwater Archaeology
Wing (UAW) of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Alok
Tripathi, Superintending Archaeologist, UAW, said the ancient
underwater structures found in the
Arabian Sea
were yet to be identified. "We have to find out what they
are. They are fragments. I would not like to call them a wall or a
temple. They are part of some structure," said Dr. Tripathi,
himself a trained diver.
Thirty
copper coins were also found in the excavation area. The
structures found on land belonged to the medieval period. "We
have also found 30 copper coins. We are cleaning them. After we
finish cleaning them, we can give their date," he said.
Dwaraka is a
coastal town in
Jamnagar
district of Gujarat. Traditionally, modern Dwaraka is identified
with Dvaraka or Dvaravati, mentioned in the Mahabharata as
Krishna
's city. Dwaraka was a port, and some scholars have identified it
with the
island
of
Barka
mentioned in the Periplus of Erythrean Sea. Ancient Dwaraka sank
in sea and hence is an important archaeological site.
The first
archaeological excavations at Dwaraka were done by the
Deccan
College
, Pune and the Department of Archaeology, Government of Gujarat,
in 1963 under the direction of H.D. Sankalia. It revealed
artefacts many centuries old.
The ASI
conducted a second round of excavations in 1979 under S.R. Rao's
direction. He found a distinct pottery known as lustrous red ware,
which could be more than 3,000 years old. Based on the results of
these excavations, the search for the sunken city in the
Arabian Sea
began in 1981. Scientists and archaeologists have continually
worked on the site for 20 years.
The UAW
began excavations at Dwaraka again from January 2007. Dr. Tripathi
said: "To study the antiquity of the site in a holistic
manner, excavations are being conducted simultaneously both on
land [close to the Dwarakadhish temple] and undersea so that finds
from both the places can be co-related and analysed
scientifically."
The
objective of the excavation is to know the antiquity of the site,
based on material evidence. In the offshore excavation, the ASI's
trained underwater archaeologists and the divers of the Navy
searched the sunken structural remains. The finds were studied and
documented.
On land, the
excavation is being done in the forecourt of the Dwarakadhish
temple. Students from
Gwalior
,
Lucknow
, Pune, Vadodara,
Varanasi
and
Bikaner
are helping ASI archaeologists. In the forecourt, old structures
including a circular one have been found. A small cache of 30
copper coins was discovered.
(source: Significant
finds at Dwaraka - By T.S. Subramanian
- The Hindu February 23, 2007).
Rajkot
, May 4:
Archaeologists are excited about a circular wooden structure found
underwater at a near-shore excavation site off the coast of
Jamnagar
. Thought to be the remains of the lost city of ancient Dwarka,
the wooden structure is well preserved and surrounded by another
structure made of stone blocks.
“It is
significant as scientific dating of wood, which is carbon, is
possible. This was not the case with evidences like stone, beads,
glass and terracota found earlier,” said Alok Tripathi,
Superintending Archeologist, Underwater Archeology Wing of
Archaeological Survey of India.
The dating
of submerged ruins off the coast of
Dwarka
has been matter of debate for since long. Archaeologists and
historians have been at loggerhead about the period when these
structures were built and have claimed various dates about the
origin and decay of one of the most scared places in
India
. Answers to questions like when did Lord Krishna set up his
kingdom in Dwarka? When did the “
Golden
City
” submerge in the sea? — were based on the interpretations of
these scholars and no material evidence had so far been found so
that these structures could be scientifically dated.
“Though
excavation at Dwarka has been carried out a number of times, this
is for the first time a wooden block has been found, and this is
going to help us almost pin-point a time frame and give some
credible answers,” said Tripathi.
This piece
was found during a near-shore excavation carried out in the
southwest region of
Samudranarayan
Temple
. The structure is made of stone and wood. The underwater
archaeologist carried out diving in shallow water and studied the
technique of joining these blocks in detail. The blocks were
joined so well with the help of wooden dowels and nails that they
remained in situ (in position) despite heavy surfs and strong
current for a long period.
“The
collected samples will be sent to different laboratories. We
expect the results to come as soon as possible,” said Tripathi.
According to
ancient literature the ancient Dwarka city had submerged in the
sea. The Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW) of the Archaeological
Survey of India undertook systematic study of Dwarka about two
years back. After a thorough analysis of earlier research and
extensive fieldwork, UAW started archaeological excavation at
Dwarka from January 1, 2007 to know the antiquity of the site
based on scientific study of the material evidence.
(source: Wooden
piece at Dwarka site to tell all... date, time
- expressindia.com).
New finds take archaeologists closer to Krishna
"These
square coins, dating back to 180- BC, with Krishna on one side and Balram on the
other, were unearthed recently in Al Khanoun in Afghanistan and are the earliest
proof that Krishna was venerated as a god, and that the worship had spread
beyond the Mathura region," says T K V Rajan, archaeologist and
founder-director, Indian Science Monitor, who is holding a five-day exhibition,
In search of Lord Krishna,' in the city from Saturday.
Having
done extensive research in Brindavan, Rajan is convinced that a lot of the
spiritual history of ancient India lies buried. "Close to 10,000 Greeks,
who came in the wake of Alexander the Great, were Krishna's devotees. There is
an inscription by Heliodorus, the Greek ambassador at
Takshila, which reads Deva, deva, Vasudeva. Krishna is my god and I
have installed this Garuda Pillar at Bes Nagar (now
in Bihar),'" says Rajan.
According
to him the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has unearthed many sites that
throw fresh light on the era of Krishna. "ASI is expected to release the
full findings next year. Many of the unearthed artifact have a close resemblance
to materials of what is believed to be the Harappan civilisation. The findings
may show that Krishna's life was the dividing line between India's spiritual
history and the society's gradual shift towards a materialistic one," says
Rajan.
Interestingly,
a lot of what has been uncovered closely resemble the narration in the texts of Mahabharatha
and the Bhagavatham," he adds. Both the
spiritual works are revered by the Hindus as their holy books.
It
has been over five years since the discoveries were made at Tholavira near
Dwaraka, close to Kutch. Much progress has been made due to the application of
thermoluminous study (TL) in ascertaining the age of artifact. "It is
possible to get the diffusion of atomic particles in the clay pottery unearthed
and arrive at an accurate date," points out Rajan. Tholavira itself is
believed to be the capital city as detailed in the opening chapters of
Bhagavatham. Rajan points to an image of a plough, made of wood, which is
mentioned in the Bhagavatham. The findings could lay a trail to understanding
Krishna's life (said to be 5,000 years ago) and times, as a historical fact,
says Rajan. The exhibition will be open till December 31 at Sri Parvathy
Gallery, Eldams Road.
(source: New
finds take archaeologists closer to Krishna - By Bhama Devi Ravi
- timesofindia).
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