Krishna Archeology

Nanditha Krishna

Last week, at the C P Art Centre in Chennai, T K V Rajan, archaeologist turned television producer, presented an exhibition titled "In Search of Krishna", a well-documented collection of material about the excavations conducted at the various sites connected with the life of Krishna and the events of the Mahabharata. In view of the ongoing excavations at Ayodhya, it is worthwhile to see what the Mahabharata excavations revealed.

Over 35 sites of the Mahabharata have been identified in the North, all of which have yielded material culture - painted grey ware (PGW) pottery painted over with designs in black pigment, and antiquities in uniform and identical levels. This pottery is made of a superior quality of paste formed of well levigated clay and fine, well-burnt fabric achieved by distributing heat in the kiln evenly. This civilisation is also characterised by the use of iron, unknown to the earlier Harappans.

Hastinapur, between Meerut and Mawana in Uttar Pradesh, is now a forgotten village, but excavations in 1952 revealed the existence of Vidur-ka-tilla (Vidura's palace), Draupadi-ki-rasoi (Draupadi's kitchen) and Draupadi Ghat (for bathing), besides copper utensils, iron seals, ornaments made of gold and silver, terracotta discs and several oblong-shaped ivory dice used in the game of chauper.

Iron objects numbering 135, and which included arrow and spearheads, shafts, tongs, hooks, axes and knives indicate the existence of a vigorous industry. There are indications of brick-lined roads and drainage systems, and an agro-livestock based economy. The PGW of Hastinapura has been assigned to 1100-800 BC. The events of the Mahabharata probably occurred around 1000-900 BC.

Later, according to the Matsya and Vayu Puranas, a heavy flood on the River Ganga destroyed Hastinapura, and Nichakshu, the fifth king after Parikshit (Arjuna's grandson) who ascended the throne after the Kurukshetra war, shifted his capital to Kausambi, 50 kilometres from Allahabad. There is definite archaeological evidence of a massive flood level. The devastation by the Ganga is still visible in the thick clay soil.

After their exile, the Pandavas asked for three villages: Paniprastha, Sonaprastha and Indiraprastha, generally identified with modern Panipat, Sonepat and Puranaqila in New Delhi. These sites have also yielded the same pottery and antiquities. Building structures with drainage systems and PGW were excavated at Purana Qila.

Kurukshetra, now in Haryana, was the site of the Kuru war. Excavations here have yielded iron arrow and spearheads, dated by Thermoluminence (TM) to 2800 BC. Today it is a town of bathing pools. At the Brahma Sarovar, a large lake 3,600 feet by 1,500 feet, Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra are said to have bathed after a solar eclipse. Bhishma lay on his bed of arrows at Bhishma Kund. Arjuna shot an arrow into the earth and a cool fountain of water flowed out directly into Bhishma's mouth, creating the Ban Ganga pond. Eight kilometres away is the village of Thanesar, the capital of Harsha Vardhana in the sixth century.

Yet, the excavations were stopped soon after these finds were revealed, and were never resumed. Why?

The submergence of Dwaraka is described vividly in the epic. Arjuna asked the residents to vacate the city immediately as it was going to be submerged by the sea. Dvaravati, according to the Sabhaparva of the Mahabharata, was heavily fortified. Dr S R Rao started excavating the Dwarkadish temple till he hit the remains of 15th, 12th and 9th century AD temples. He dug on, passing two earlier temples, until, at a depth of 9.5 metres, they came to the remains of two towns destroyed by the sea. From the earlier of the two they recovered the characteristic lustrous red pottery of the period and region. Encouraged by his findings, he decided to search for Dwaraka.

Underwater exploration yielded two gateways, fort walls, bastions and a jetty at a depth of 10 metres off Dwaraka, in the Arabian Sea. Apart from corresponding to the Mahabharata's description of the architectural features of the city and the mode of its submergence, it has directly fixed a date by TM for the pottery of Dwaraka at 3520 years BP (Before Present).

Other finds include pottery, bronze and iron implements, three-holed triangular stone anchors at Dwaraka, a late Harappan type of seal made of conch of a composite animal - a bull, unicorn and goat - and lustrous red ware pottery at Bet Dwaraka, linking the site to the Harappan culture, and thereby establishing its continuity.

Bet Dwaraka was an island frequented by Krishna who is said to have visited its Shankhodara Temple. It also contains the only ancient temple for Matsya, the epic saviour of the world at the time of the Great Flood. The materials discovered at Dwaraka corroborate history and myth, and fix a date for the inundation of the city - between 1500 and 1300 BC.

The most remarkable aspect of both epics is their geography. The Mahabharata mentions many small villages, tanks and hills, which are still identifiable.

What is the historicity of the Mahabharata? Our doubting historians will never accept any of these finds unless they are supported by inscriptions, which will never be forthcoming as the earliest Indian inscriptions belong to 300 BC. So, do we treat the epic as myth till they are satisfied?

Western scholars tried to establish a connection between Krishna and Christ, claiming that the former was derived from St Thomas' teachings about the latter, but literature and archaeology have proved otherwise. The Chandogya Upanishad mentions that Krishna Devakiputra was a student of Ghora Angirasa and the author of the Upanishad, which repeats the teachings of the Bhagavat Gita word by word.

In the 4th century BC, Chanakya refers to the story of Krishna's birth, while Megasthenes mentions that the Sourasenoi (Surasenas or Yadavas) worshipped Herakles (Krishna). Their two great cities were Methora (Mathura) and Kleisobora (Krishnapura?) on the navigable river Yobares (Yamuna). He also mentions that Herakles (Krishna) sent his daughter Pandaia to rule over the kingdom of Mathura (Madura) on the southern sea. Was she a descendant of the Pandavas, and did the latter re-emerge as the Pandyas, whose southern capital was named after Krishna's capital, Mathura?

Panini, Patanjali and the Buddhist and Jain works also mention Krishna and the events of the Kurukshetra war, while the Chinese traveller Yuan Chang records that a great war was fought at Kurukshetra and the bones of dead warriors lay buried under the soil.

In 180-165 BC, the Greek ruler Agathocles issued coins with images of Vasudeva holding a chakra. Several inscriptions are available in the first century BC: the Greek ambassador Bhagavata Heliodorus erected a Garuda column to Vasudeva at Besnagar; the Mora Well inscription near Mathura mentions the worship of the five Vrishni heroes, including Vasudeva; stone enclosures (Narayana vatika) were built for Vasudeva and his brother Shankarshana (Balarama) at Ghosundi and Hathivada.

The most controversial site is, of course, the temple at Mathura, the birthplace of Krishna. I am not aware if any excavation has been done here, but tradition and even eminent historians associate the site with the birth of Krishna, which is why Aurangazeb consciously chose to build a mosque over it.

Apart from knowing that vyuhas were army formations, I never really understood their formation or penetration. Rajan has computerised them to work out how the various Kaurava warriors were placed and how the Pandavas entered and destroyed these vyuhas, increasing the sophistication of what was always believed to be a primitive tribal war.

Krishna's divinity is a matter of faith, established by his identification with Lord Vishnu. But archaeology has conclusively established the veracity of the Mahabharata and the existence of the cult of Vasudeva-Krishna at a very early period. The epics form the soul of India, and Rajan has done well to document and bring alive ancient history.

Nanditha Krishna is Director, C P Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation and can be reached at nankrishna@vsnl.com

Although the given dates have pretty big range and the author considers the Mahabharata events happening circa 2000 years after the sastric date, the date '2800 BC' for Kuruksetra artifacts probably scared the establishment scientists - it could support the sastras and thus the whole Vedic civilization. That's why the excavations were stopped, imho.

Government apathy, academic indifference
Search on Krishna's Dwarka comes to a standstill
By Vaidehi Nathan

Artist's view of ancient fortified Dwarka in Kusasthali

It would look incredible. The marine archaeology has found proof of Krishna's Dwarka. But the work on further excavation has met a formidable roadblock in the form of academic indifference and government apathy.

A proposal submitted to the government by Dr S.R. Rao, renowned marine archaeologist, who led the underwater investigations is collecting dust for over four years now.

The Organiser accidentally come across the proposal submitted by Rao and it is an action plan which will cost a meagre Rs 14 crores. But this would have greatly helped in establishing the historicity of Mahabharata and thereby our understanding of the Indian heritage.

A long wall under the sea between buoys A12 and S12, DWK

Rao submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Culture in January 2000, that aimed at preserving the 'underwater cultural heritage of India Dwarka' and also promoting it as a pilgrimage-tourism centre. His proposal in three stages, was to cost Rs 14 crores.

It is clear that for almost a decade the Central Government had not shown much interest in the excavations in Dwarka. Though the discoveries at Gulf of Cambay by the National Institute of Ocean Technology established carbon-14 date of 7,500 years for the wood samples excavated from under the sea and the existence of a civilisation dating to that period, it is not directly connected with Krishna's Dwarka which Shri Rao believes existed some 4,000 years ago. This, however, might help in ascertaining the rise in the sea-level about 30 metres in 7,500 years, approximately at the rate of 10 metres in 3,500-3,800 years. Dr Rao is on record that Dwarka excavation was carried out almost fully but the excavation in the inter-tidal zone of Balapur Bay in Bet Dwarka where further antiquities may be found, has not been carried out partly due to the lack of funds and mainly due to lack of interest in the CSIR.

A few years ago, when asked as to how sure he was that this was Krishna's Dwarka, Rao had replied, "only the name board is missing." He submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Culture in January 2000, that aimed at preserving the 'underwater cultural heritage of India Dwarka' and also promoting it as a pilgrimage-tourism centre. His proposal, in three stages, was to cost Rs 14 crores. It is sad that the proposal was not taken up. The then Secretary, Ministry of Culture, visited Dwarka and promised help, but nothing has been heard so far.

In the project proposal, Rao writes, "The fort walls of the first town of Dwarka said to have been founded at Kusasthali in Bet Dwarka island have been traced on shore and in the sea and also dated by thermol-uminiscence dating method to 16th century b.c." According to him, the clue to the existence of ancient Dwarka near the modern town of Dwarka was found during archaeological excavation near the Dwarkadhish temple in 1979-80. Eroded debris and pottery provided evidence of a port town destroyed by sea about 3,500 years ago. This evidence is what led to the early excavations in the Arabian Sea, near the mouth of the Gomti river, where the modern town of Dwarka stands.

A broken idol found in the seabed

The project for underwater exploration was sanctioned in 1984, directly by the then Prime Minister for three years. Excavation under the sea is a hard and strenuous task. The sea offers too much resistance. Excavation is possible only between November and February, during low tide.

The project for underwater exploration was sanctioned in 1984, directly by the then Prime Minister for three years. Excavation under the sea is a hard and strenuous task. The sea offers too much resistance. Excavation is possible only between November and February, during low tide. The sea has to be smooth and there should be bright sunshine. All these requirements effectively reduce the number of diving days to 40 to 45 in one season.

In order to make the maximum use of the time available, divers use echo sounder to get a fairly accurate idea of the location and the depth of the object under water. The side scan sonar offers a view of the sea floor. The sonar signals sent inside the water return the signals. Reading of the signals reveals the broad nature of the object under water. Underwater scooters, besides the usual diving equipment like scuba were also pressed into service.

The marine archaeologists in India have found enough proof to assert that Mahabharata is not a myth, but history. The discovery of submerged buildings of the legendary city of Dwarka indicates that the Indians were masters in town planning and maritime activity, 4,000 years ago.

The marine archaeologists in India have found enough proof to assert that Mahabharata is not a myth, but history. The discovery of submerged buildings of the legendary city of Dwarka indicates that Indians were masters in town planning and maritime activity, 4,000 years ago.

And yet, the findings remain low key, with neither the government nor the academicians wanting to take the underwater excavations to their logical conclusion. What is keeping Dwarka still submerged is the acade-mic and government apathy to the discoveries.

The layout of the excavated city, the spread and the location of fort walls and bastions match the descriptions mentioned in Harivamsha, a prologue to Mahabharata. Harivamsha described the city of Dwarka in minute details. According to it, the area of Dwarka was 12 yojnas. It was connected to the mainland by a strip, which is visible even now, in low tide. The city excavated is of the same size.

Harivamsha, detailing the security arrangements, says that there were seals, without which one could not enter the city. Seals of a particular description were found on the seabed. A stone image of Vishnu, chert blades and pottery are all part of the recovered objects.

Elaborating on the town plan of first Dwarka, Rao's proposal says, "There were two fortifica-tion walls. One in the lower terrace and another in the middle terrace. The walls which extended over a length of 4 km on the eastern shore are mostly destroyed by sea action. The walls of the lower terrace are of massive, dressed sandstone blocks while that of the upper terrace are of rubble. The houses and other public buildings, built of smaller size stones within the enclosure are all destroyed and levelled up by the encroachment of the sea. These structures lie in a depth of 7 to 10 metres, below the present mean sea-level, indicating a rise of 10 metres in sea-level during the last 3,600 years." The reclamation of land from water-logged areas, referred to in Mahabharata, in order to build the city, is also attested by the boulder foundations over which walls and bastions were raised.

Dr. S.R. Rao

The proposal envisaged a three-stage heritage conservation. This was to be done along with further excavations in Bet Dwarka. It was suggested that access to the submerged city in Dwarka water can be given to visitors, in fair season, through underwater acrylic tubes or viewing chambers at specific points. Such facilities exist in Singapore and Auckland (New Zealand). Alternati-vely, underwater video cameras can be used to project images above water, in monitors.

The project also mooted the idea of a submarine museum of dolphins as they are in good population in deeper water, off Dwarka. There is also a strong case for a Maritime Museum of Antiquities found in excavations at Dwarka, Bet Dwarka, Somnath, Nageswar and dioramas of Lothal port and Dwarka city. As of now, the Dwarka antiquities are lying in NOI, Goa.

It is again a telling story of the system in India, which is the cause of lack of interest in the project. Such a discovery in any other country would have been approved and encouraged. The excavation on Dwarka was done by Rao, who was with the National Institute of Oceano-graphy, Goa. Though work remained to be done, the CSIR, under whom falls the NIO, did not release the funds. Further extension to Rao was not given as he had already reached the age of 72.

It is indeed surprising that the history associations, archaeologists and historians have taken little notice of the findings at Dwarka. In its early days, the project received UNESCO support and several foreign marine archaeologists also offered help. However, the government's indifference to the project has kept them away. Unlike several other land excavations, the underwater excavations can be done only with total government help. Several levels of permissions are needed. While land excavations are demanding in labour, the underwater explorations need machinery and equipment. Skilful divers, who are trained to look for meaningful objects are required too.

For an Indian, Dwarka is not a mere archaeological site, nor is it a proof. Indians have all along believed Mahabha-rata to be a historical narra-tion. But the excavations are a national heritage, a symbol of pride, an honour that is shared by all who are born in this land of Bharata. It is a call for action on Dwarka.

What needs to be done

Project Dwarka should be declared a national mission. The findings of Dwarka will set right the aberrations that have crept into the study of history of India. The West-sponsored theories of Aryan invasion and other such bunkum will beat a retreat. It will establish the cultural, civilisational and spiritual history of India at an unquestionable academic height.

There is an urgent need to focus attention on the Dwarka explorations and take immediate measures to preserve the work already done. More experts, marine archaeologists and institutions need to be co-opted into the work to prepare and present a comprehensive picture of Dwarka. Already a lot of work has been done on the dating of Mahabharata war, based on the planetary constellations described in the epic. Such evidences can be used to corroborate the findings.

It is equally important to complete the task of underwater excavations, whatever remains and needs to be done.

What happened in Dwarka

The rise in the sea-level in Dwarka is a scientific truth. Studies have proved that the sea considerably and suddenly rose to submerge the city. Harivamsha describes the submerging of Dwarka saying Krishna instructed Arjuna, who was then visiting Dwarka, to evacuate the residents of the city as the sea was going to engulf the city. "On the seventh day (of Krishna saying this), as the last of the citizens were leaving the city, the sea entered the streets of Dwarka.

According to experts, there could have been three reasons why the sea entered the land. One, a change in the level of seabed, two, a massive earthquake and three, sudden increase in the level of sea water. Of the three, the last is the most plausible. If it was a change in the level of seabed, some remains of the "tearing off action" on the shore would be visible, which is absent. Earthquake can be ruled out as the structures have not collapsed because of the shake. The third reason is most acceptable as a similar phenomenon had occurred in the shores of Bahrain, around the same time, as some recent findings indicate. It is to be noted here that considerable work has been done on shore and offshore underwater excavations in Bahrain, which has indicated a deep and regular trade and other relations between the western coast and the coasts of the present-day Bahrain region.

What was found in the excavations

The underwater excavations revealed structures and ridge-like features. Other antiquities were also found. All the objects were photographed and documented with drawings both underwater. While underwater cameras are used for photography, drawings are done on boards a transparent polyester film of 75 micron fixed with a graph sheet below. The graph sheet acts as a scale. One or two divers take the dimensions and the third draws the pictures.

The Public Works Department routinely conducts dredging in these waters to keep the Gomti channel open. This throws up a lot of sediments, which settle on underwater structures. Brushes are used to clear these sediments to expose the structures.

* Explorations yielded structures such as bastions, walls, pillars and triangular and rectangular stone anchors.

* A semi-spherical single-hole stone which might be the base for flagpost.

* L-shaped edges of stones for proper grip and arresting wave action on bastions.

* Seals, inscriptions, which have been dated to 1500 B.C.

* Pottery, which have been dated to 3528 b.p. (before present).

* Stone sculptures, terracotta beads, bronze, copper and iron objects.

Further references to Dwaraka archeology:
www.hinduwisdom.info/Dwaraka.htm
Unearthing historical vestiges

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