Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c16.s2.t5.5

v1.c16.s2.t5.5

Evidence from Daimabad and Inamgaon throws a welcome light on the religious beliefs of the Malwa people. The evidence is furnished by the recent discovery of a copper bronze hoard from Daimabad which consists of a bull chariot driven by a man, an elephant, a rhino and a buffalo. Dhavalikar thinks that all the objects from the hoard were probably used in some ritual procession and the man driving the chariot may be identified as Paśupati. At first there was a controversy regarding these bronze objects, the main point being whether these materials were from Late-Harappan level or later than that. Dhavalikar and several other archaeologists from Deccan College, have confirmed that these were from Late-Harappan level. The chemical composition also confirms this view; there is the presence of arsenic in those objects as in Harappan bronze objects. The Malwa people in the Deccan had faith in life after death as is testified to by their burials at Dāimābād and Ināmgāon. At Ināmgāon two twin burials of children were exposed. One of them was in a pit dwelling. This tradition was adopted from the neighbouring Jorwe Culture. (Agarwal and Chakrabarti, 1979: 248-50)