Ponniyin Selvan Varalaatru Peravai

Following article is from indian archaeology group

Little `Harappa' in Nagpur Nov. 21st, 2005
by Shirish Borkar

NAGPUR: DOES anybody know the fact that the Harappan priests used to
wear stylised terracotta horns during the 5th millennium BC? This
particular fact has been brought to light only recently by the
archaeologists of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) after
excavating a Harappan site of Saraswati river basin in Haryana.
ASI's premier Excavation Branch-I stationed in Nagpur has exhibited
its findings of the recent years in the exhibition at Old High Court
building titled "Archaeology from the Earth" as a part of World
Heritage Week celebrations. The exhibits in the form of Harrapan
cultural remains are now pulling in historians, scholars, and
antiquarians who will now view ancient Indian history in a new
light. The expo highlights the most recent findings from an
excavated site Bhirrana in Fetehabad district of Haryana. This site
places the Harappan chronology to a much earlier time than commonly
known. The major contribution of the site to Harappan studies is the
reporting of a separate horizon of the probable predecessors of the
Harappans namely `Hakraware' period. This, according to
archaeologists and scientists, can be dated back to the 5th
millennium BC. Apart from this, early and matured Harappan seals,
stylised horns of terracotta (first time reported from any other
site) and other regular Harappan antiquities and pottery are on
show. A team of ASI's Excavation Branch-I comprising Deputy
Superintending Archaeologist Nandini Sahu, Assistant Archaeologists
Sameer Diwan, Prabhat Sahu and Vijay Shastri under the leadership of
Director (Excavations) L S Rao had excavated the site at Bhirrana in
2003-2004 and 2004-05. The same site will be excavated for the third
consecutive season in January 2006. Besides the terracotta stylised
horns, the team unearthed terracotta floor tiles (also reported from
Mohenjo-daro and Kalibanga), crucibles for smelting copper, charred
food grains (Wheat and Barley) and terracotta cakes which are
circular, oval and triangular in shapes from Bhirrana. Hakra river
valley (now in Pakistan), an extension of Saraswati river basin,
contains rich Harappan treasure. The earliest pottery found in
Harappan sites is popularly known as known as Hakraware. The pottery
found in Bhirrana, which has been showcased, is handmade, with criss-
cross, appliqué and incised designs. This pottery dates back to the
4th millennium BC as per the scientists of Birla Sahani Institute of
Palaeo-Botany, Lucknow. Similarly, 11 seals have been reported from
this site which are made of steatite material and shell. The
Harrappan weights exhibited are of sandstone, jasper, and chert.
Another attraction is the inscribed Harappan sherds. One of the pot
sherds bearing the figure of a dancing girl resembles that of the
world famous figurine of the Harappan dancing girl found from
Mohenjo-daro. The tools and implements displayed include celt,
chisel, arrow-heads of copper, bone point, chert blade and sling
balls. Similarly, ornaments of Harappan women exhibited include
copper bangles, copper rings, shell, faience and terracotta bangles,
beads of semi-precious stones, shell, faience and steatite and
necklaces. The Harappan toys like hop-scotch, rattle, terracotta
bird whistle, bull figurine and toycarts.

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