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Discovering ancient secrets

 

 

 

 

Excavations prove that civilisation existed in Gujarat 4,000 years

ago

 

"The sea, which had been beating against the shores, suddenly broke

the boundary that was imposed on it by nature. The sea rushed into

the city. It coursed through the streets of the beautiful city. The

sea covered up everything in the city. Even as they were all

looking, Arjuna saw the beautiful buildings becoming submerged one

by one. He took a last look at the mansion of Krishna. It was soon

covered by the sea. In a matter of a few moments it was all over.

The sea had now become as placid as a lake. There was no trace of

the beautiful city that had been the favourite haunt of all the

Pandavas. Dwaraka became just a name; just a memory". This is an

account of the submergence of Dwarka taken from the Mahabharata. It

is said that at about the time that Lord Krishna, was killed by a

hunter's arrow near Somnath, Dwarka, Krishna's capital,

disappeared

into the sea.

 

 

 

 

And in memory it remained for more than 5,000 years-the facts

growing into legends, the legends into myths, handed over orally

through generations of bards and wandering mendicants. The whole

coast of western India sank by nearly 40 feet around 1500 B.C.

taking with it rich tradition and the magic of the legend of Krishna.

 

 

 

 

Now fresh archeological evidence has surfaced proving beyond

reasonable doubt the existence of the historic city of Dwaraka, and

throwing light on the lives of people who inhabited the "City of

Gold. This is hallowed ground-the city over which Krishna ruled.

Gujarat dates back to pre-historic times, here exists one of the

three largest dinosaur sites of the world that include clutches of

eggs that date back 65 million years. But interest in Jurassic Park

notwithstanding, for devout Indians, Gujarat is closely linked with

one of India's most enduring gods-Krishna

 

 

 

 

Excavations at Dwaraka that began in 1981 helped add credence to the

legend of Krishna and the Mahabharat war as well as provide ample

evidence of the advanced societies that lived in these areas-the

Harappan settlements that represent some of the world's greatest

civilisations. One of the first outposts to be excavated, soon after

independence was in the Ahmedabad district. Further surveys of the

peninsulas of Saurashtra, Kutch and mainland Gujarat brought to

light the different phases of Harappan civilization, expanding the

reach of the Indus empire.

 

 

 

 

It is now believed that around 2500 B.C. the Harappans started

infiltrating into Kutch and settled there in great numbers. So far

60 Indus settlements have been found in Kutch, of which about 40

belong to the `early' phase and the remaining represent the

late or

mature Harappan culture. These discoveries extended the civilization

by 500 kms right up to the north of the river Kim.

 

 

 

 

Evidence suggests that these settlers brought with them a highly

developed culture that was rich not just in the arts but in the

sciences as well. The emphasis was on a well-organised society based

on trade that was conducted through their ports.

 

 

 

 

Dwaraka, for example was a well-planned township, its harbour

consisted of a rocky ridge modified into an anchorage for berthing

vessels, a unique feature in harbour technology that was in use even

before the Phoenicians attempted this in the Mediterranean sea much

later. The man-made holes in the ridge and the large stone anchors

lying there suggest that large ships used to be anchored there while

smaller boats carried men and cargo up the river.

 

 

 

 

The foundation of boulders on which the city's walls were erected

proves that the land was reclaimed from the sea about 3,600 years

ago. The Mahabharata has references to such reclamation activity at

Dwaraka. Seven islands mentioned in it have also been discovered

submerged in the Arabian Sea. Pottery, which has been established by

thermoluminiscence tests to be 3,528 years old and carrying

inscriptions in late Indus Valley civilization script; iron stakes

and triangular three-holed anchors discovered here find mention in

the Mahabharata. Among the many objects unearthed that further prove

Dwaraka's connection with the epic is a seal engraved with the image

of a three-headed animal. The epic mentions that such a seal was

given to the citizens of Dwaraka as a proof of identity when the

city was threatened by King Jarasandha of the powerful Magadh

kingdom. "The findings in Dwaraka and archeological evidence found

compatible with the Mahabharata tradition remove the lingering doubt

about the historicity of the Mahabharata," says Dr Rao, of the

National Institute of Oceanography that was instrumental in

conducting much of the underwater excavations. We would say Krishna

definitely existed."

 

 

 

 

These evidences prove beyond doubt that Kusasthali, a pre-Dwaraka

settlement did exist in Bet, Dwaraka. Archeologists have concluded

that this early settlement of Kusasthali was first occupied and

fortified during the Mahabharata period and was named Dwaraka. After

realizing that the narrow terraces were not sufficient for the

increasing population, a new town was built a few years later at the

mouth of the river Gomati. This planned port city was also called

Dwaraka, further adding credence to the fact that the Mahabharata

was not a myth but an important source of history.

 

 

 

 

It is not just Dwaraka that is of importance in Gujarat. Excavations

at places like Lothal, Rangpur, Amri, Lakhabaval and Razdi, in the

Kathiawar peninsula as well as Dholavira have yielded valuable

information. The name Lothal literally means the place of death and

is essentially a single Harappan culture site. The Harappans were

attracted to Lothal not only by its sheltered harbour with a rich

cotton-and rice-growing hinterland but also by its bead-making

industry. The Indus dichotomy of dividing the city into a citadel or

Acropolis and a Lower Town was followed in planning Lothal too. The

ruler and his entourage lived in the acropolis where houses were

built on 3 m high platforms and provided with all the civic

amenities including paved baths, underground drains and a well for

potable water.

 

 

 

 

There are two other important aspects that the engineers of Lothal

accorded high priority to-a dock for berthing ships and a warehouse

for storing and examining cargo. The need for a warehouse arose from

the large volume of cargo that Lothal handled. The site has been

dated to have been in existence around 2350 B.C. and even then

enjoyed great prosperity due to foreign trade. It became a busy

industrial center importing pure copper and producing bronze celts,

fishhook, chisels, spearheads and ornaments which were supplied too

much of the western world.

 

 

 

 

But of all the Harappan sites, Dholavira, locally known as Kotada,

in the Rann of Kutch, is a city par excellence. It is remarkable for

its magnificent planning and enormity of size. It is one of the two

largest settlements in India and the fourth largest in the

subcontinent, the others being Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Gharo Bhiro

and Rakhigarthi. Dholavira is famous for the unique distinction of

yielding an inscription of ten large-sized signs of the Harappan

script, possibly the oldest signboard of the world. A variety of

funerary structures are yet another important feature that throws

new light on the socio-religious beliefs that indicate the presence

of composite ethnic groups. Inside the fortified city are three

distinct complexes-an Acropolis, a middle town and a lower town,

that have been furnished with their own defence network, gateways,

built-up areas, street-systems, wells and large open spaces. The

city within the general fortification goes well beyond 100 hectares

in expanse. Amazing feats for a civilization that goes back 5,000

years. But what's more amazing is the fact that people today

neither

have the time nor the inclination to preserve this ancient culture

of our land.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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