An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c19.s15.15

v1.c19.s15.15

Ring-wells, so called because of the lining with terracotta rings and variously identified as soak-pits, draw-wells or granaries, show a vast area of distribution extending from Shahbazgarhi, (*ASI-AR 1921-2*, pp. 65-6) in the n. of ARIKAMEDU in the s. and Brahmanabad in the w. to Mahasthangarh in the e. The maximum occurrence of ring-wells is in the Ganga-Yamuna doab with a lesser concentration in the Taxila region in the n. and in the w. Deccan. Their presence in the rest of the area in c. India and the e. coast is sporadic. The earliest examples do not go back to a period earlier than *c.* 5th-4th centuries B.C. and are almost coeval with the NBPW. Their use continued in subsequent periods and the tradition lingers on till today in some parts of the country (Pande, 1966, pp. 207-19).