A barely literate grocer with an eye for priceless antiques

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Kukki,

whose two-decade work led to the discovery of an ancient civilisation

in Hadauti region, longs for recognition He has discovered 55 prehistoric rock paintingsMy work can be used to convert Bundi into a heritage destination, says Kukki

JAIPUR: A barely literate grocer with a passion for the artefacts of

yore who has brought the spectacular prehistoric wealth of Rajasthan's

Bundi district to the world map of archaeology is yearning for some

well-deserved recognition. His work spanning two decades has even led

to the discovery of an ancient civilisation in the Hadauti region.

Om Prakash Sharma alias Kukki hardly fits into the image of a

professional archaeologist. An eighth standard drop-out, he owns a

grocery shop in Bundi town but has devoted his life to the search for

priceless antiques and archaeological sites in the nearby Vindhyachal

mountain ranges.

The 54-year-old amateur archaeologist has discovered as many as 55

sites of rock paintings belonging to the Mesolithic-Chalcolithic age

which provide a glimpse of the flora and fauna of the prehistoric era,

and accomplished a remarkable exploration of copper age tools at Namana

and elsewhere.

Subsequent excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

at Namana confirmed that the hilly area was the centre of a

pre-Harappan civilisation.

The ASI recognised Kukki's discovery of three copper tools — two sharp-edged axes and a scraper — from the site in the Indian Archaeology Review 1991-92.

Kukki's archaeological and numismatic finds include tools such as

chopper, cleaver, hand-axe, knife, unpainted black and red pottery,

utensils, terracotta beads and toys of copper age and coins of the

Mauryan and post-Gupta period as well as the Lodhi and Mughal

dynasties.

"I always knew that Bundi has a treasure trove of ancient

civilisation. But my claim that the 35-km-long stretch along the

Gararda rivulet containing hundreds of rock shelters is the longest

archaeological site in the world has few takers," Kukki told The

Hindu, adding that the oldest coin he had found so far dates back to 400 B.C.

Zealous explorer

The zealous explorer has come across the remnants of stone and

copper ages at Namana, Gagosh, Rajgarh, Chatras, Bijnawar and Khatkar —

all in the vicinity of Bundi where the Vindhyachal ranges form an

important segment of Hadauti region.

Kukki has extensively read all available literature on archaeology

to compare his work with that undertaken in other parts of the world.

"My discoveries are second to none at the global level. While

researchers in Western countries instantly win laurels, I am still

longing to get recognition," he laments.

Significantly, Kukki has never used his discoveries to make himself

richer. He has honestly deposited all the major artefacts with the

Rajasthan government and donated his valuable finds to the government

museums. http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/07/stories/2009060752060700.htm