The Personality of India: Pre- and Proto-historic Foundation of India and Pakistan c12.s3.9

c12.s3.9

The N. B. P. spread over various parts of the country from Taxila in the north-west to Gaur and Pandua in the east and Amaravati in the South. But outside the Gangetic valley, it occurs in very small quantities and usually at the Buddhist sites. Does it signify that they were the carriers? For example, at Bairat, an N. B. P. bowl, nicely mended with copper wires, occurred in the excavation. This pottery seems to have spread very rapidly in view of what we have seen at Taxila. At Maheshvar and Ujjain, the N. B. P. occurs at the intermediate levels of black-and-red ware and iron, suggesting again, an infiltration into this area about 5th century or slightly later. Hence this ware can safely be dated to the five centuries preceding the Christian Era, in view of its occurrence also with the coins of the Satavahanas at Nasik³ and Nevasa.⁴ The whole chronology of the Grey Ware depends on this pottery, as they stratigraphically belong to the Pre-N. B. P. Phase.