An Atlas of the Indus Sarasvati Civilization (A Big Book)

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About the Book

This Atlas of the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization is a product of almost twenty-five years of scholarly, systematic and dedicated work by a team of experts under the guidance and direction of two stalwarts, namely, S.P. Gupta and K.N. Dikshit, with the application of computer software programs like Geo-media Professional 4, ArcGIS 9.2, GIS, GPS and DEM, and satellite imagery, shuttle radar topography mission data, accelerator mass spectrometry, "C dating and optically stimulated luminescence chronology.

Twenty-first century excavations in Harappan sites on the old banks of the dried-up course of the River Sarasvati reveal cultures earlier to Harappa civilization, suggesting that Indian civilization originally evolved in this region. This volume has as many as 193 site-distribution maps covering practically all excavated sites and areas of the cultural remains of the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization, particularly in India and Pakistan. Later on, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Mesopotamia, Bahrain and Oman also form part of this Atlas. The sites have been grouped broadly under three groups: the Early Indus-Sarasvati, the Mature Indus-Sarasvati and the Late Indus-Sarasvati. The Early Indus-Sarasvati includes Hakra and Kot Diji-Sothi sites.

The Atlas of the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization is much more than mere site-distribution maps since the underlying concept was a cultural embodiment of the data on the material remains unearthed from the excavated sites. The remains include major architectural remains such as the Great Bath or Granary (Mohenjo-Daro), Citadel mound (Harappa), Dockyard (Lothal) as well as movable antiquities such as the seals and sealings. There are also animal bones, human remains, burials, botanical remains, etc. which find place in the Atlas. It also covers many other aspects and dimensions of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization, including metals, metallurgy, technology, urban planning, water management, etc. All these make it a comprehensive and collector's volume.

About the Authors

Dr Swarajya Prakash Gupta (1931-2007) did his post-graduation in Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology from Allahabad University and got admitted to the first batch of the School of Archaeology (presently, Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India). His academic excellence won him the prestigious Maulana Azad and Sir Mortimer Wheeler Gold Medals. He did his PhD from the University of Delhi and DLitt from Magadh University. He started his career from the Atlas Branch of the Archaeological Survey of India in 1956 and later joined the National Museum, New Delhi as Deputy Keeper (Prehistory) in 1960 and Keeper in the Central Asia section. His sincerity and dedication helped him achieve the post of the Director, Allahabad Museum in 1988 and back to the National Museum as Deputy Director. He retired from the same position in 1989.

Dr Gupta distinguished himself as an academician in varying fields, like Art, Museology and Environmental Archaeology. He travelled widely at home and abroad like Holland, Italy, USA, UK, Germany, Russia and Cambodia. He has innumerable research articles and publications, a few of his important works being Disposal of the Dead and Physical Types in Ancient India and The Elements of Indian Art and his magnum opus Roots of Indian Art.

As Chairman of the Indian Archaeological Society (IAS), he devoted his entire life for its growth and development. He also established the Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies (ISPQS) at Delhi in 1977 and brought out some of the early volumes of Man and Environment, the annual journal of the ISPQS. He also bequeathed his life's savings, about Rs. 4,200,000 to IAS.

Kailash Nath Dikshit 1936)as eminent humingist, anthre and editve of works on bodies and organizer and director of many archarological expeditions d MA in Ancient Indian History and Archaeology from Lucknow University (1956), ned AS in 1997 and Post-Graduate Diploma in Archaeology from Archaeological Survey of India (AST) (1960-62) He retired as Joint Director General in 1994.

He has excavated many sites including Ujjain, Kalibangan, Bairat, Amkheri, Bargace, Allahapur and Chiclim (Goa). Along the dried bed of Sarswati River, he investigated Nobar, Sothi and Sherpura. He has also directed on behalf of (AST) the project on "Archaeology of Ramayana Sites in collaboration with Professor BR Lal of Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, and excavated Ayodhya, Shringverpur, Bhardwaj Ashram, Pariar and Chitrakoot (1977-84). He has also directed excavations at Hulas, Report published by AS1 in 2020.

He was awarded DAAD fellowship (1965-67). He has visited museums in Berlin, Paris, London, Cambridge, Rome and Cairo. Under Cultural Exchange Programme and International Conferences, he also visited Turkey (1983), USSR (1984), Sri Lanka (1987), Paris (1989), Luanda, Angola (1990) for the reorganization of Armed Forces Museum. As visiting fellow, he has been to Kansai University, Japan (1991) and Ulanbsator (Mangolia) (1993) for providing a report on the conservation of Buddhist monasteries.

After his retirement in 1994, he directed the Kampilya excavation (2000-01) with Ca Foscari University, Venice and delivered lectures at Venice and Padova (2001). He visited Canada (2007) to attend the ICOMOS Conference. He attended the International Conference on Archaeology in Islamabad, Pakistan (2012), and was in Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa (2012) to conceptualize the image of Mahatama Gandhi at Pietermaritzburg Railway Station. He visited Kenya (2017) and Ethiopia for International Conference at Kisumu. In 2019, he visited Colombo (Sri Lanka) to attend the International Conference on Archaeology, History and Heritage, and also delivered a public lecture at University of Kelaniya (Colombo).

The Kerala University brought out his Felicitation Volume in two parts in 2017 and Deccan College, Pune has also honoured him with D.Litt. in 2018.

He has been bestowed with several National Awards: Allahabad Museum conferred Life Time Achievement Award as the best Archaeologist 2018. M.5. University, Baroda, honoured him for his contribution to South Asian Archaeology (2012). He was awarded Dr. Vishnu Sridhar Wakankar Rashtriya Samman, Bhopal (2010-11). He was Member of Governing Council INTACH (1994-1992) and (2001-2004), General Assembly, ICCR (2016-19), Central Advisory Board of Archaeology (AST) (2014-), Committee on National Museum Institute (2019-22). He was appointed Chairman of a Committee "Holistic study of origin and evolution of India Culture since 12000 years (2017)" by Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

Dikshit has to his credit more than 150 research papers, reviewed more than 60 books, edited a number of books and joumals including Archaeological Perspectives of India since Independence (1985), Neolithic-Chalcolithic Cultures of Eastern India (2013), Megalithic Cultures of South India (2014), and has been editing Puratattar since 1979 and History Today.

Preface

EVERY idea has its origin in a given situation. The "Lost Sarasvati" was found scattered at different places explaining the origin and growth of an urban civilization. While the river was visible in the upper reaches of the Shivalik’s, the phenomena was flowing fast in the minds of scholar’s geologists, archaeologists, environmentalists and historians. At the end of a workshop on the subject sometime in the late 1990s, few scholars assembled at a dining table discussing various aspects and theories about the River Sarasvati. Following this animated discussion, the idea of mapping an atlas showing the flow of Sarasvati struck Dr. S.P. Gupta and myself. Without losing much time, we formulated a proposal conceptualizing an Atlas of the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization incorporating not only the maps showing the location of each and every site but also the historical context of major sites alongside the related cultural repertoire. This proposal was submitted to Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) in the year 1998. The approval was in our hands in the year 2000.

Introduction

The Indian Archaeological Society sent a proposal for financial support to the Indian Council of Historical Research for preparing an Atlas of the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization in 1998 (1999-2001) by S.P. Gupta and myself under its scheme of major projects, which was approved in 2000. While formulating this Atlas, a detailed sequence of cultures in Indus and Sarasvati basins were chalked out, along with the advantage of suggestions, reviews and opinions from my professional colleagues to bring the work up to date. A. Cunningham (1871) has contributed a book The Ancient Geography of India, but we may emphasize that it was India and Pakistan: A General and Regional Geography by Professor O.H.K. Spate (1954) and The Personality of India by Professor B. Subbarao (1956), the first book by any Indian author on India's past, that has inspired us for this Atlas.

**Contents and Sample Pages**