An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c16.s16.9

v1.c16.s16.9

The shapes in the NBPW are almost totally represented by: (1) the dish with inverted or straight sides; (2) the bowl with straight, convex, corrugated or tapering sides; (3) the lid with flat terminal; and (4) the sharply carinated *hāṇḍī* (*AI*, 10 and 11, 1954 and 1955, p. 51). The KAUŚĀMBĪ forms are in conformity with these (Sharma, 1969, p. 129). These shapes are shared by the NBPW with the PGW [11.14] and the n. black-and-red ware [11.6], with both of which it wholly or partially overlapped both in space and in time. In addition, at ŚRĀVASTĪ there is the bottle-necked jar (Sinha, 1967, p. 23), at VAIŚĀLĪ the knobbed lid (Mishra and Roy, 1964, pp. 85-7) and at Tilaura-kot the saucer which could as well be used as lid, the lid with tapering sides, some with a projection to fit flanged vessels, and the small vase with varying rim-forms and conspicuous necks, at times with a cordon at the junction of the shoulder and neck (Mitra, 1972, pp. 18-9). That the NBPW was a *de luxe* ware at least outside its epicentre is indicated by specimens with their fragments having been repaired with copper rivets, fillets or pins (Sahni, p. 37). The variety of shapes shows that not all of them were used for eating purposes.