Indian Prehistory: 1964

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Foreword On the 15th of October 1964 the Deccan College celebrated the centenary of its main Building, and curiously enough this period coincides with the Silver Jubilee of the Postgraduate and Research Institute which, as successor to the Deccan College, started functioning from 17th August 1939 when members of the teaching faculty reported on duty. When I suggested to members of our faculty the novel idea that the centenary should be celebrated by the publication of a hundred monographs representing the research carried on under the auspices of the Deccan College in its several departments they readily accepted the suggestion. These contributions are from present and past faculty members and research scholars of the Deccan College, giving a cross-section of the manifold research that it has sponsored during the past twenty-five years. From small beginnings in 1939 the Deccan College has now grown into a well developed and developing Research Institute and become a national centre in so far as Linguistics, Archaeo- logy and Ancient Indian History and Anthropology and Sociology are concerned. Its international status is attested by the location of the Indian Institute of German Studies (jointly sponsored by Deccan College and the Goethe Institute of Munich), the American Institute of Indian Studies and a branch of the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient in the campus of the Deccan College. The century of mono- graphs not only symbolises the centenary of the original building and the Silver Jubilee of the Research Institute, but also the new spirit of critical inquiry and the promise of more to come.

Preface Current problems of Indian archaeology, particularly relating to certain aspects of prehistory and protohistory, have been discussed for the last ten years or so at the annual meetings of the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology. These discussions have two limitations: First they are open only to the field workers who happen to be present at these meetings. Secondly, the time at the disposal for discussion is also very much restricted. Hence we all felt the need for an occasion to discuss some of the important problems of Indian prehistory and proto- history.

Such an opportunity was provided by the University Grants Commission. Under their enlightened policy, universities in India are encouraged to hold summer and winter schools, seminars and symposia. Less than one such project, the Department of Archaeology, University of Poona, located at the Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, held a Seminar in prehistory and protohistory of India from 24th to 31st May, 1965. This Seminar had three main aims:

(1) To discuss a few important problems in prehistory and protohistory created by intensive work in these two fields of archaeology during the last 15 years or so; 2. To bring together the scholars-young and old-senior or junior- working in this field, irrespective of their status, so that the latest data can be freely discussed, problems redefined and attempts made to face them. (3) The third objective was to place before the scholars at large the latest happenings in Indian prehistory and protohistory. For it would appear that excepting a few scholars in Russia, scholars elsewhere do not care to acquaint them- selves with Indian publications and hence theories and views old are "dished out" to the world in publications which claim to speak on world prehistory. It is hoped that the publication of the proceedings of the seminar would help to remove this deliberate neglect of Indian prehistory.

With a view to making our discussions purposeful three precautions were taken.

As there was not much time for previous consultation among colleagues in other parts of India regarding the themes to be discussed at the seminar, and the persons to be invited, for participating in various the themes chosen were not very specific, but broad, so that we could attack them from different points of view. Secondly, only those scholars were invited to participate in the seminar who as field workers or organizers or authors had intimate first-hand knowledge of the subjects selected for discussion. From among these scholars, a panel of scholars was prepared and each scholar was to prepare a working paper on a chosen theme.

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