Pandu Rajar Dhibi
Encyclopedia
Pandu Rajar Dhibi is an archaeological site in Ausgram
block in the sadar subdivision
of Bardhaman district
in the India
n state
of West Bengal
. It was the first Chalcolithic
site discovered in West Bengal. The main mound at Pandu Rajar Dhibi is associated with King Pandu
mentioned in Mahabharata
.
and excavations have been made near Rajpotdanga and Panduk villages.
While Pandu Rajar Dhibi was the first Chalcolithic or Copper Age site to be discovered, a number of other sites have been discovered in an area spread over the districts of Birbhum
, Bardhaman
, Bankura
and Midnapore
, and interspersed by rivers Brahmani, Mayurakshi
, Kopai
, Ajay
, Kunur
, Damodar
, Dwarakesvar
, Shilabati
, and Rupnarayan
.
There were two main periods – the Chalcolithic period around 1600 BC – 750 BC, and the Iron Age
. The excavation at Pandu Rajar Dhibi has provided evidence for the gradual growth of a Chalcolithic culture and its displacement by iron-using people.
. The Copper Age civilisation in eastern India had links with similar civilisation of central India and Rajasthan. In those days the people were capable of building well planned towns with pavements and streets. Agriculture and trade were the mainstays of their economy. It has been suggested that Pandu Rajar Dhibi represents the ruins of a trading township. The people carried out trade not only with interior parts of India but also distant lands such as Crete and the Mediterranean lands. They were predominantly a sea-faring people.
Ausgram
Ausgram I is an administrative division in Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision of Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Ausgram police station serves this block. Headquarters of this block is at Guskara...
block in the sadar subdivision
Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision
Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision is a subdivision of the Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of Bardhaman municipality, Guskara municipality and six community development blocks: Ausgram — I, Ausgram–II, Bhatar, Burdwan–I, Burdwan–II and...
of Bardhaman district
Bardhaman District
'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. It was the first Chalcolithic
Copper Age
The Chalcolithic |stone]]") period or Copper Age, also known as the Eneolithic/Æneolithic , is a phase of the Bronze Age in which the addition of tin to copper to form bronze during smelting remained yet unknown by the metallurgists of the times...
site discovered in West Bengal. The main mound at Pandu Rajar Dhibi is associated with King Pandu
Pandu
In the Mahābhārata epic, King Pandu is the son of Ambalika and Rishi Ved Vyasa. He is more popularly known as the father of the Pandavas and ruled Hastinapur.-Birth:...
mentioned in Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
.
Location
It is located near the southern bank of Ajay RiverAjay River
The Ajay River is a major river in Jharkhand and West Bengal. The word “Ajay” means “not conquered”.-Geography:The Ajay River originates on a small hill about 300 metres high, south west of Munger in Bihar. It then flows through Jharkhand and enters West Bengal at Simjuri, near Chittaranjan...
and excavations have been made near Rajpotdanga and Panduk villages.
Excavations
The site was first excavated by B.B. Lal in 1954-57. Subsequent excavations were carried out in several phases in 1962-1965 and in 1985 by the West Bengal Department of Archaeology.While Pandu Rajar Dhibi was the first Chalcolithic or Copper Age site to be discovered, a number of other sites have been discovered in an area spread over the districts of Birbhum
Birbhum district
Birbhum district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the three administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is located at Suri...
, Bardhaman
Bardhaman District
'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...
, Bankura
Bankura District
Bankura district is one of the seven districts of Burdwan Division in the Indian state of West Bengal. The district has been described as the “connecting link between the plains of Bengal on the east and Chota Nagpur plateau on the west.” The areas to the east and north-east are low lying alluvial...
and Midnapore
Midnapore District
Midnapore district is a former district of the state of West Bengal, India. This district was bifurcated on January 1, 2002 into the Purba Medinipur district and the Paschim Medinipur district.-References:...
, and interspersed by rivers Brahmani, Mayurakshi
Mayurakshi River
Mayurakshi River is a major river in West Bengal, India, with a long history of devastating floods.It has its source on Trikut hill, about 16 km from Deoghar in Jharkhand state. It flows through Jharkhand and then through the districts of Birbhum and Murshidabad in West Bengal before flowing...
, Kopai
Kopai River
The Kopai River is a tributary of the Mayurakshi River. It flows past such towns as Santiniketan, Bolpur, Kankalitala and Labhpur in Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal...
, Ajay
Ajay River
The Ajay River is a major river in Jharkhand and West Bengal. The word “Ajay” means “not conquered”.-Geography:The Ajay River originates on a small hill about 300 metres high, south west of Munger in Bihar. It then flows through Jharkhand and enters West Bengal at Simjuri, near Chittaranjan...
, Kunur
Kunur River
Kunur River , one of main tributaries of the Ajay, in length, has its origin near Bansgara in the Faridpur police station area. With water from several small streams swelling it during the monsoons, it often floods large areas of Ausgram and Mangalkot police stations of Bardhaman district...
, Damodar
Damodar River
Damodar River originates near Chandwa village, Palamau district, on the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Jharkhand state in eastern India, and flows eastward for about 592 km through the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the estaury of the River Hooghly...
, Dwarakesvar
Dwarakeswar River
Dwarakeswar River is a major river in the western part of West Bengal.-Course:It originates from Tilboni hill in Purulia district and enters Bankura district near Chhatna. It cuts across the district flowing past the district head quarters and enters the south-eastern tip of Bardhaman District...
, Shilabati
Shilabati River
The Shilabati River originates in the terrain of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau in the Purulia district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India. It flows in an almost southeasterly direction through the districts of Bankura and West Midnapore. The Shilabati joins the Dwarakeswar near Ghatal and...
, and Rupnarayan
Rupnarayan River
The Rupnarayan River is a river in India. It begins as the Dhaleswari in the Chhota Nagpur plateau foothills northeast of the town of Purulia. It then follows a tortuous southeasterly course past the town of Bankura, where it is known as the Dwarakeswar river. Near the town of Ghatal it is...
.
There were two main periods – the Chalcolithic period around 1600 BC – 750 BC, and the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
. The excavation at Pandu Rajar Dhibi has provided evidence for the gradual growth of a Chalcolithic culture and its displacement by iron-using people.
Significance
The excavations at Pandu Raiar Dhibi reveal the non-Aryan origin of the BengalisBengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
. The Copper Age civilisation in eastern India had links with similar civilisation of central India and Rajasthan. In those days the people were capable of building well planned towns with pavements and streets. Agriculture and trade were the mainstays of their economy. It has been suggested that Pandu Rajar Dhibi represents the ruins of a trading township. The people carried out trade not only with interior parts of India but also distant lands such as Crete and the Mediterranean lands. They were predominantly a sea-faring people.