Author: Saurabh Tankha
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: May 3, 2009
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/173504/Harappa-next-door.html
Saurabh Tankha traces an ancient civilisation
in and around Hissar and argues why we need to keep them away from encroachment
and neglect
Hissar isn't pretty enough for a visit. Or
so you thought. But may be you would reconsider your views if we tell you
that it is sitting on a treasure trove of an ancient civilisation, where traces
of a civilisation 500 years before the Indus Valley were found a few years
ago. May be you would venture out to find these monumental wonders. For there
lies a priceless piece of heritage that could do with a bit more attention
than the boards put up by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
During excavations in 2004, the ASI found
around 2,300 coins, idols and remains of temples, which it claimed belonged
to the period between the seventh and the 10th century, near Hansi. But perhaps
Hansi's real golden period was when the river Saraswati flowed through it
and cradled a pre-Harappan Chalcolithic agricultural community. Their pottery
has been recovered from a number of places at Siswal, Banwali and Rakhigarhi
around here. It is not yet possible to say from where these people had moved
here or to throw much light on their socio-economic life. However, on the
basis of the evidence, we can say that these people possibly lived in mud
brick and thatched roof houses, used wheel-made pottery, oval ovens, terracotta
and copper-made objects. The painted and incised terracotta figurines possibly
indicate their belief in animal worship. And from the continuity of patterns,
it seems that these people were a peaceful community of pastoralists and traders,
hardly uprooted or culturally overrun by invaders. The Harappans at Banawali
built a citadel and lower town, which was fortified on three sides and was
designed like an irregular trapezium, following the planning of the pre-Harappans.
At a late stage, they dug a deep and broad moat around town. On account of
a different configuration for both the lower town and the citadel set within
it in the form of a semicircular division, the streets became curiously radial
or semi-radial with an elaborate gateway complex.
Look closely at the serrated cross sections
of the mounds here and you will know that the fields had been ploughed from
millennia. Farmers used wooden ploughs and carbon deposits from jars in granaries
prove that they grew large quantities of barley, sesame and mustard.
Rakhigarhi: A lost city
Around 30 km on the Jind Road from Hansi,
present-day Rakhigarhi is a non-descript, muddy village with heaps of cowdung
and uncovered drains. It is unfortunate that while 5,000 years ago its residents
enjoyed the privileges of urban life - paved roads and streets, underground
sewerage system, rainwater harvesting system, toilets and bathing facilities
- modern dwellers at the same place live in poor conditions.
In 1963, archaeologists discovered Rakhigarhi
as a major city of the Indus Valley Civilisation along the Chautang river.
Since 1997, the ASI has undertaken a detailed excavation of the site, revealing
the size of a lost city (at least 2.2 sq km) and recovering numerous artefacts,
some over 5,000 years old. Apart from civic amenities, they unearthed storage
systems, terracotta brick kilns and statue production and metal ware (both
in bronze and precious metals) units. They dug up jewellery, including bangles
made from terracotta, conch shells, gold and semi-precious stones.
At 224 hectares, Rakhigarhi matches Harappa
and Mohenjodaro at every level. Three layers of early, mature and later phases
of Indus Valley Civilisation have been found here. The rich deposits of Hakra
ware (typical of settlements dating back before the early phase of the Indus
Valley) raises an important question: Did the Indus civilisation come later
than recorded? The Hakra and the early phases are separated by around 600
years. That would make Rakhigarhi a city around 2500-3000 BC.
The site of antiquities, drainage system and
signs of small-scale industry are in continuity with other Indus sites.
Every villager here claims a patent on the
ancient finds; somehow they anchor themselves with an identity that has eluded
them in rebirth. "The ASI diggings had taken place right next to my farm.
I remember that they had fished out a few earthen pots, canals and even houses,"
says the 65-year-old Ram Kalan as he takes me to the site and hands me a broken
shard of a later Harappan period grey ware pot. That's all he'd managed to
keep as evidence.
Get talking to villagers and they tell you
stories around remnant mounds. "They say the pottery found here was similar
to Kalibangan. Also, they unearthed some pits surrounded by walls. These are
thought to be sacrificial altars or platforms for religious ceremonies which
show the use of fire in rituals," says one of the onlookers. Another
one takes over the commentary: "Terracotta statues, bronze artefacts,
combs, needles and terracotta seals were found too. I remember seeing a bronze
vessel decorated with silver and gold. Of course, how can I forget the gold
foundry with over 3,000 unpolished semi-precious stones? Archaeologists located
a number of tools for polishing these stones and a furnace."
Though the site has been estimated to be around
260 acres, only a third is available for excavation while the rest are still
hidden under the village and farmlands around it. Somebody reminds Ram Kalan
to tell me about the skeletons. "Yes, yes," he concurs and recalls
how the villagers had found a burial site with 11 skeletons, the skulls of
which were placed in the northern direction. "Utensils for everyday use
were kept around their heads. Three of the female skeletons had shell bangles
on their left wrist while one had a gold armlet." And we thought after-life
was only celebrated by the Egyptians.
Ram Kalan then shows me some more earthenware
items, a couple of broken pots, small dishes and a nearly-broken cover of
one of these pots. I can't date them but having heard out the villagers and
seen the layered earth and its relics I can well imagine the city that Rakhigarhi
was. It was laid out in a grid-like pattern with the orientation of streets
and buildings according to the cardinal directions. The streets were organised
to facilitate the access to other neighbourhoods and to segregate private
and public areas. There were many drinking water wells and a highly sophisticated
system of waste removal. All Harappan houses were equipped with latrines,
bathing houses and sewage drains which emptied into larger mains. These eventually
deposited the fertile sludge in surrounding agricultural fields. Perhaps,
this explains the rich green belt of the village. Archaeologists have been
surprised by the fact that the site layouts and artefact styles throughout
the Indus region are very similar. These probably indicate the uniform economic
and social structure within these cities. So the people probably lived harmoniously
and were happy.
Agroha: The home of the Agarwals
Half-an-hour later, I am on the road to Agroha,
around 25 km northwest of Hissar on the Hissar-Fazilka Road. Some accounts
suggest that Agroha was established 51 years before the war of Mahabharata.
The Punjab Government's gazette also mentions it as a very big ancient city.
The primary efforts to discover its historical past were made in the year
1889-89 when excavations at the site began but could last only a fortnight.
They were resumed in 1938-39 but were halted by World War II. In 1978-79,
the archaeological department of Haryana picked up the trail again and fished
out a large number of coins, predominantly made of silver and bronze in different
shapes and sizes, depicting their different periods. The bronze coins had
Prakrit inscriptions. A coin dated 200 BC was found beside Roman, Kushana,
Yodhaya and Gupta dynasty coins, indicating Agroha's significance in every
empire. The archaeologists also found many statues made of stone and sand
apart from masks, terracotta animals, toys and utensils belonging to the second
century BC in black, brown and red polish.
Legend has it that Agroha was established
by Maharja Agrasen, some 5,000 years ago, around the time of Mahabharat, and
was a republican state consisting of 18 units with the residents known as
Yodhya and Agraya. During those days, Agroha was renowned for its bravery
and prosperity. However, over time, it could not withstand the invasions by
the foreign forces of Hunas, Greeks and Yavanas who invaded north India and
disintegrated the various kingdoms. In his book, Example of Geography, the
famous Greek writer Ptolemy mentions Agara in a map, which when transposed
on today's boundaries, indicate he was referring to Agroha.
The foreign conquest led to the migration
of the residents to other parts of the country, especially Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab and Malwa region. However, to this day, they all share a common
surname, Agarwal, which has been derived from Agroha-wale.
The remains of ancient Agroha are some 1.5
km away from the present village but if you are around these parts, remember
to walk 250-odd metres to the left of its famous temple complex till you hit
upon an ASI board. When you reach the locked gate, honk and wait for the caretaker
to usher you in. Then drive around half-a-kilometre uphill to spot two different
excavation sites, around 200 metres from each other. It is then that you wonder
whether you are on the plinth of a construction site of a modern residential
complex. For Agroha was indeed a well-planned, progressive town; the butterfly
layout of each of its houses with separate private chambers can still give
modern architects some smart ideas. The houses here are rectangular in plan,
having an east-west orientation. Some of the structures, like the defence
wall and the shrine cells unearthed here, are of great historical importance.
About 7,000 artefacts were recovered during
the excavations, including stone sculptures, terracotta seals, iron and copper
implements, beads of semi-precious stones, shell and glass. I learn one important
lesson. You think about accessories only when the basics are sound and safe.
In that sense, from the volume of antiquities recovered here, I can declare
Agroha as a very smart township with bustling bazaars and a prosperous people.
In the end, I am left thinking. Are we mega-city
builders? Or is it that we are just following the masterplan laid out by our
predecessors? For that we have to dig out deeper truths.
