Prehistory and Protohistory in India and Pakistan c9.s3.t7: Saurashtra
Prehistory and Protohistory in India and Pakistan c9.s3.t7
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Saurashtra
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As far back as 1934-36, Saurashtra had yielded evidence of Harappan penetration. Pandit VATS¹⁹ and Prof. GHURYE²⁰ discovered Rangpur and carried out preliminary digging there. Later it was further excavated on a very small scale by the writer and Dr. DIKSHIT²¹ The latter scholar²¹ thought from his study of pottery that Rangpur had little of Harappan traits. Since then the site has been more fully explored by Shri S. R. RAO²², who has undoubted evidence of Harappan occupation there²³. Soon after Lothal was discovered by the last mentioned scholar²⁴. Now every year explorations bring to light more and more sites of this culture almost all over Saurashtra—eastern, western, northern, southern and even central (which was supposed to be immune from this enveloping movement) so that the whole of the peninsula seems to have been colonized by the Harappans. If they came from Sind, as it seems most probable, then the coastal route²⁵ seems to have been preferred, small groups arriving by boats which would keep as near the coast as possible. Whether Kutch was first colonized and Saurashtra later, or the former was treated as a half-way house (the destination being Saurashtra) cannot be definitely known,²⁶ unless Kutch is fully explored and one or two sites excavated which would prove the priority of the Kutch Harappan over that of Saurashtra. To date, typically Harappan pottery—perforated jar, handled bowl, dish-on-stand besides steatite beads, microliths and copper objects—have been reported from the surface at Desalpur,²⁷ on the left bank of the Morai river, Nakhtrana taluka, and Todia Timbo²⁸ in Lakhpat taluka.
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¹⁹ A.S.I.A.R., 1934-35, pp. 35-8.
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²⁰ GHURYE in J.U.B., vol. III (N.S.), 1939, pp. 3-11.
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²¹ DIKSHIT, M. G., B.D.C.R.I., Vol. XI, 1950, pp. 1-55.
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²² I.A.R., 1953-54, p. 7; 1954-55, p. 50; 1956-57, p. 80.
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²³ The full report is in press, and is expected to be published in 1962.
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²⁴ I.A.R., 1955-56 and later.
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²⁵ See, however, below writer's comment, p. 164.
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²⁶ RAO, S. R. "Excavations at Lothal" in Lalit Kala, Nos. 3-4 (1956-57), p. 82, seems to think that Desalpur in Kutch and Lothal are the earliest Harappan sites in Kutch and Saurashtra respectively.
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²⁷ I.A.R., 1955-56, p. 70. It is regarded as a very promising site.
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²⁸ Ibid.