Part 9 - Archaeological urban features of Vārāṇasī

Summary: Archaeological urban features and a cultural profile of the city life.

Traces of the ancient city of Vārāṇasī may be seen a little north east to the present city. The archaeological site of Rajghat is actually consisted of a cluster of mounds located on the confluence of the Gaṅgā and the Varuṇā. Chief among them were three mounds, numbered conveniently 1, 2 and 3. The biggest the most important one is the mound 1 flanked by the Ganga on the south-east and the Varuṇā on the north and north-east. This strategic location is fully in tune with the ancient literary suggestion for Kautilya speaks of a water fort or Nadī Dūrga or Udaka Dūrga. He meant either an Island or high land shut by water.^[1] Vārāṇasī surely belongs to the second category. Mound 1 is as high as 15 metres at places and has a steep depression in the northwest, which has been taken as a moat. This mound was constantly occupied since the earliest period till the 17^th century.

In general colonization of the Gaṅgā plain started in the BRW and BSW times belonging to the Chalcolithic period.^[2] Here at Vārāṇasī favourable location and physical conditions provided a suitable habitat for human occupation and growth of agriculture and trade based economy as early as the 8^th century BCE.^[3] Mound 2 is located on the opposite side of the Varuṇā and has been identified as the Sarai Mohana region. The area came to be occupied quite late when there was a perceivable increase in the area under settlement. So it was not before 6^th century BCE the area came under human settlement.^[4] Mound 3 came to be occupied even later, possibly as a result of population growth.

In 1940, for the first time an extensive excavation took place at Rajghat. Eleven trenches were discovered at mound 1, one on mound 2 and two on mound 3. Mound 1 showed a consistent cultural sequence right from the 8^th century BCE which has been the earliest period at Vārāṇasī till the medieval times. A thorough study of the whole cultural periods captures the evolution of the settlement pattern and the process of urbanisation. The first period may further be divided into three sub periods.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

R.P. Kangle, The Kauṭilya Arthaśāstra, 2.3.1, Construction of forts, Vol. II An English Translation with Critical and Explanatory Notes, Motilal Banarasidass Pvt. Ltd. Delhi, 1992, p.61.

[2]:

T. N. Roy, The Ganges Civilization: A Critical Study of the Painted Grey Ware and Northern Black Polished Ware Periods of the Ganga plains of India, Ramanand Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi, 1983, p.128

[3]:

Vidula Jayaswal, Ancient Varanasi: An Archaeological Perspective(Excavations at Ᾱktha), Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 2009, p.7.

[4]:

B. P. Singh, Life in Ancient Varanasi, Sundeep Prakashan, Delhi, 1985,p.23.