NEWSNATIONAL

Published:January3,201501:49IST|Updated:January3,201515:11IST
CHENNAI,January3,2015

ExcavationatHarappansiterevealshouseplan
T.S.SUBRAMANIAN

ASI
Apartofthe21potsfoundattheburialpitinthelateHarappansiteofChandayan,Baghpatdistrict,UttarPradesh.
Remainsofskeleton,animalbonesindicatefuneralceremonyatlateHarappansite
ExcavationconductedbytheArchaeologicalSurveyofIndia(ASI)atthelateHarappansiteofChandayaninUttarPradeshhas,forthefirst
time,revealedtheplanofahouseontheGangaYamunadoab,withitsmudwalls,foursuccessivefloorlevelsandpostholes.
Whilethesewerefoundinthehabitationarea,trencheslaidintheburialareabroughttolight21Harappanpots,theremainsofaskeleton,a
brokencoppercrownplacedontheskull,animalbonesandremainsofafeast,indicatingafuneralceremony.
Itwasasalvageexcavationmeanttoknowthesitesculturalsequence,saidA.K.Pandey,SuperintendingArchaeologist,ExcavationBranch
II,ASI,wholedtheexcavationatChandayaninBarauttehsilofBaghpatdistrict.Hedecidedtoconducttheexcavationafterlabourersdigging
farmlandtocollectclayfoundthecrownplacedontheskull,aredwarebowlandaminiaturepotlastAugust.TheASIexcavatedfivetrenches
inDecember,eachof10x10metres,withtwotrenchesinthehabitationlocalityandthreeintheburialarea.Mr.Pandeyestimatedthatthe
lateHarappansitecouldhaveexistedbefore4,000years.

Theexcavationintheresidentialarearevealedamudwallandpostholesinonetrenchandfourcloselylaidandsuccessivefloorsofahouse
inanothertrenchandpots.Theywerefoundatadepthof130cmandupwardsfromthesurfacelevel.Thepostspositionedintheholeswould
havesupportedtheroofofthehouse.Thehabitationareaissignificantforthefloorlevels,andmudwallswereoccurringintheGanga
Yamunadoabforthefirsttime,Mr.Pandeysaid.

Intheburialsite,150metresfromtheresidentialarea,excavationsbroughttolight21pots,includingdeepbowls,dishes,flasksandlidswith
knobsandcylindricalagatebeads.Nearbyweretheskeletonsfemurandpelvis.These,alongwithabrokencoppercrown,werefoundby
labourersdiggingforclay.Thecoppercrownwasembeddedwithcarnelianandfaiencebeads.Theorientationoftheburialsitewasfrom
northwesttosoutheast.The21potsmighthavecontainedcereals,milk,butterandhoneyusedinthefuneralceremony,Mr.Pandeysaid.
Twentymetresfromtheskeleton,remainsofanimalsacrifice,otherrefuseandpotssimilartothosefoundinthehabitationareawerefound,
suggestingsomereligiousceremonyduringthefuneral,Mr.Pandeysaid.
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plan/article6749380.ece
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