Indian Archaeology 2003-2004 - A Review

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It gives me great pleasure in presenting before the general readers and scholars this issue of Indian Archaeology 2003-04- A Review. This issue contains reports of archaeological researches undertaken by colleagues in the Survey, State Departments of Archaeology and Museums, Departments of Ancient Indian History and Archaeology of various Universities, research institutions and museums all over the country.

In the year under discussion, while some explorations and excavations were carried over from work begun in previous years, others were taken up afresh. To give a few examples, in Haryana, Bhirrana was identified as a Harappan site; Jognakhera yielded evidence of post-Harappan Bara and PGW cultures; the twin mounds constituting the site of Sandhauli revealed deposits of PGW, post-Gupta, Rajput and medieval periods. In Rajasthan, Baror produced pre-Harappan and Harappan remains; the contiguous sites of Tarkhanewala-Dera and Chak 86 yielded Harappan and PGW cultural material respectively; at Lodruvapatan was identified the structural remains of a temple belonging to the early medieval 9th-10th centuries; the 16th century ruined palace of Maharana Pratap was found at Chavand. In Gujarat, the palaeochannel of the lost Sarasvati river was traced at the site of Juni Karan. In Uttar Pradesh, Siyapur revealed noteworthy pre-PGW and Kushan period deposits. In Madhya Pradesh, Maruchichli was identified as a Chalcolithic site. In Chhattisgarh, a Rama temple complex, dated to the 7th-8th centuries A.D. was identified at Siyapur. In Maharashtra, Siddapur produced material of the Satavahana as well as early medieval periods. While the port of Chaul was in continuous occupation from 300 BC to nearly AD 1600, in the case of the Daulatabad Fort, it was shorter—limited to the early medieval and medieval periods. In Tamil Nadu, the site of Adichannalur yielded urn-burials. In Jharkhand, three phases of the early historical period were unearthed at Saridkel. Twenty nine Neolithic sites were located in east and north Sikkim. In Manipur, Oakleu-Loukol was identified as a secondary urn-burial site.

Epigraphic researches carried out by the Mysore and Nagpur Branches of the Survey are of importance. Among the Sanskritic and Dravidic inscriptions, the majority are donative in character. Chronologically, the inscriptions belong to the period of the Ikshvakus, Cholas, Eastern Chalukyas, Kalyani Chalukyas, Pandyas and the kingdom of Vijayanagara. The Persian corpus comprises of epitaphs; inscriptions referring to the construction of `idgahs and mosques; writing inscribed on daggers belonging to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and on guns associated with the Nizams of Hyderabad respectively. A few Urdu inscriptions too have been discussed.

Coins hoards discovered from Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have the potential to enrich numismatic research. Some of the coin finds discussed in this volume include gold coins of the late Kushana period; copper coins belonging to the Lohar dynasty of the 10th-11th centuries and silver coins of the Mughal, late Mughal and British periods.

The Temple Survey Branch (South) studied the Karnataka temples of Aihole, Hallur, Pattadakal and Badami, in the framework of the project on the structural temples of the Rashrakuta dynasty. The Temple Survey Branch (North) explored the temples of Vaidyanatha, Kesavanarayana, Machendranatha, Patalesvara Triayatama, Viratesvara and Visvanatha, as part of the project on the temple architecture of the Kalachuri dynasty of Madhya Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Conservation has always been a priority for the ASI. During the year, the Circles undertook major conservation initiatives for caves, monasteries, temples, mosques, tombs, step-wells, forts and churches. The Science Branch of the Survey carried out chemical treatment of antiquities such as lead and copper coins, lead ingots, wooden painted panels etc. For the past few years, the Survey has been engaged in landscaping and environmental management of protected monuments. This year, archaeological gardens were maintained in Delhi, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Among the publications of the Survey, mention may made of the Annual Report on Indian Epigraphy for the year 1981-82 and Guide Books on Ajanta and Mahabalipuram (under the World Heritage Sites series). Brochures on significant sites and monuments were brought out by the Kolkata Circle; Jaipur Circle; Lucknow Circle, Dharwad Circle and Mini Circle, Shimla. The Heritage Trust, Vadodara, Gujarat which undertook a few projects financially supported by the Survey, published monographs on Champaner and Pavagadh.

I thank Dr. P. K. Trivedi (Director, Publication) and his team in the Publication Section. Speedy publication of this issue has been possible because of the singular work of Dr. Arundhati Banerji (Superintending Archaeologist) in compiling, editing and proof reading. She was assisted, in various ways, by Shri Hoshiar Singh (Production Officer) and Dr. Piyush Bhatt, Ms. Tajinder Kaur and Shri Vinay Kumar Gupta (Assistant Archaeologists).

Finally, I would like to thank M/s Chandu Press, Delhi for bringing out the book.

**Contents and Sample Pages**