Why In News?

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) recently examined 22 boxes of Rajghat excavations stored for nearly 70 years, uncovering over 10,000 artefacts—including 3,000-year-old painted black pottery.  

About Rajghat Site

  • Ganga-Varuna Confluence: Located on a high clay cliff at the Ganga and Varuna confluence in northern Varanasi.

  • Ancient Varanasi's Nucleus: The original archaeological mound and core settlement from which historic Varanasi expanded southward.

  • Material Link to Ancient Kashi: Serves as the physical capital of the Kashi Mahajanapada, recorded in Vedic and Buddhist texts.

  • Key Gangetic Heritage Site: Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected urban archaeological site under the The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958.

Rajghat Excavation

  • Accidental Railway Discovery (1940): Discovered in late 1940 during soil digging for the remodeling of the Kashi Railway Station near Malviya Bridge.  

  • Preliminary ASI Salvage Digging (1940): Archaeologist conducted immediate rescue operations, unearthing hundreds of terracotta seals.  

  • Systematic BHU Excavations (1957–1969): Banaras Hindu University archaeologists executed multi-season scientific excavations across six stratigraphic periods. 

  • Modern Chronometric Re-Excavations (2000s): Re-excavations using radiocarbon dating, establishing that human occupation dates back to at least the 9th century BCE. 

Key Archaeological Findings

  • Pre-NBPW Stratigraphic Layers: Uncovered Period I layers yielding coarse Red Ware and Black-and-Red Ware shards pre-dating the urban Iron Age.  

  • Continuous Settlement from 800 BCE: Documented continuous occupational stratigraphy from the early Iron Age through the Mauryan, Shunga, Kushana, Gupta, and Gahadavala periods.  

  • Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW): Recovered exquisite, mirror-like glossy NBPW ceramic luxury bowls symbolizing the height of Second Urbanisation. 

  • Silver & Copper Punch-Marked Coins: Unearthed punch-marked coinage and cast copper tokens demonstrating early monetized trade in the Mahajanapada era. 

  • Terracotta Masterpieces: Discovered delicate human figurines depicting Mother Goddesses, animals, and fashionable Gupta-era coiffures. 

  • Craft Tools in Ivory and Iron: Recovered iron spearheads, axes, chisels, bone styluses, and finely carved ivory combs indicating specialized artisan quarters.  

  • Thousands of Clay Seals and Sealings: Collected over 2,000 clay seal impressions inscribed in Brahmi script across Mauryan, Kushana, and Gupta strata.  

  • Gupta & Medieval Monumental Remains: Traced burnt-brick residential foundations, drainage systems, ring-wells, and temple fragments dating up to the 12th century CE. 

Significance of the Seals

  • Administrative Clarity of Ancient Cities: Yields bureaucratic sealings inscribed "Baranasi-adhisthana-adhikaranasya"*, proving an institutional municipal court operated in the city.  

  • Evidence of Trade Guilds (Srenis): Discovered merchant guild seals stamped with "Nigama" and "Sreni", establishing autonomous commercial guilds governed market trade.  

  • Epigraphic Records of Territorial Units: Documents ancient Janapada administrative divisions, tax collector titles, and imperial governor names in Ashokan and Gupta Brahmi.  

  • Confirmation of the Name 'Varanasi': Provides unequivocal archaeological proof that the geographical name 'Baranasi' was actively used over 2,000 years ago.  

What Do the Artefacts Tell Us About Ancient Varanasi?

  • Second Urbanisation Nucleus: Confirms Varanasi emerged as a fortified economic metropolis alongside Pataliputra and Kaushambi in the 6th century BCE.  

  • Thriving Industrial Craft Production: Proves the city was a renowned hub for metallurgy, glass bead manufacturing, textile weaving, and ivory carving.  

  • Cross-Regional Riverine Trade Networks: Demonstrated by finding non-local semi-precious lapis lazuli from Badakhshan and carnelian from Gujarat in Rajghat trenches. 

  • Unbroken Cultural and Religious Continuity: Documents 3,000 years of continuous cultural worship, featuring Shiva lingas, Nandi seals, and Buddhist votive tablets.  

Source: INDIANEXPRESS

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following pairs of ancient ceramic wares and their corresponding cultural periods:

1. Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP) — Bronze Age / Copper Hoard Culture

2. Painted Grey Ware (PGW) — Early to Mature Iron Age

3. Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) — Second Urbanisation and Mahajanapada Period

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, and 3

Answer: (d) 1, 2, and 3

Explanation:  

  • Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP): This culture belongs to the Bronze Age / Late Harappan period (roughly 2000 BCE to 1500 BCE). It is heavily associated with the Copper Hoard Culture in the Indo-Gangetic plains.

  • Painted Grey Ware (PGW): This pottery style marks the Early to Mature Iron Age (roughly 1200 BCE to 600 BCE) in northern India. It is closely linked to the Later Vedic period.

  • Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW): This high-gloss pottery belongs to the Second Urbanisation period (roughly 700 BCE to 200 BCE). It directly corresponds with the rise of the Mahajanapadas, the Mauryan Empire, and the growth of major cities.