Author: T.S. Subramanian
Publication: The Hindu
Date: February 23, 2007
URL: http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/23/stories/2007022301242200.htm
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.
