An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c19.s1.29

v1.c19.s1.29

(ii) Punjab and Haryana. These two areas constitute the major part of the Indo-Ganga divide which lies between the Siwaliks on the n. and the GHAGGAR course in Rajasthan on the s. and between the Sutlej on the w. and the Aravalli ridge touching Delhi on the e. This is an area where historical and cultural impulses both from farther w. and from farther e. have been active throughout the course of known history. This is also an area where river changes have been most active: the YAMUNA is supposed to have oscillated between the Indus and the Ganga [9.10.2; SARASVATĪ] and if the Yamuna behaved like this there would have been tremendous instability in the behaviour of the lesser river courses in the area. It should be possible to work out the history of these river changes if the distribution of settlements of all periods along old drainage channels is carefully plotted and studied; but apart from some excellent but limited surveys nothing much has been done in this field of enquiry. The sequence begins with the pre-Harappans [4.8], isolated at SISWAL and BANAWALI. In the next phase consisting of the mature and late Harappas [4.9, 10] there is a wide proliferation of sites: ROPAR, BANAWALI and DAULATPUR are the most important excavated Harappa sites in the area. Among the late Harappa sites the excavated ones of BARA, MITATHAL, BHAGAWANPURA, DADHERI and KATPALON deserve notice; the number of unexcavated late Harappa sites in the areas seems to be impressive from exploration reports. At BHAGWANPURA, DADHERI and KATPALON the late Harappa deposits are found interlocked with the succeeding PGW culture [4.15], but the pattern is not repeated at other excavated sites (such as ROPAR), thus suggesting difference in the nature of interaction between the late Harappa and the succeeding non-Harappa elements in different parts of this region. In analysis of these settlements in Haryana it has been pointed out that while the earlier settlements are found away from the perennial rivers, the settlements of the PGW culture phase are located right in the flood-plain of the SARASVATĪ and the YAMUNA. (Suraj Bhan, 1977). A level not yet clearly understood in the area is that of the OCW [4.12]: sites are not particularly frequent but they are known to occur. The archaeological evidence of the beginning of history in the area is still meagre, The excavated sites are still virtually ROPAR and SUGH, but the whole of the area is full of historical mounds most of which are not listed or explored in the proper way.