Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c29.s3.3

v1.c29.s3.3

There is no question of accepting or using the literary data blindly. The Hastināpura archaeological evidence for example rules out any possibility that the material splendour described in the epic *Mahābhārata* could belong to 1000 BC Hastināpura. On the other hand, as pointed out by D.K. Ganguly (1990), many archaeological, numismatic and epigraphic data have been given widely divergent interpretations by different scholars. Mortimer Wheeler used his imperfect knowledge of the *Ṛgveda* to suggest the wild theory of racial (Aryan) intrusion causing the downfall of Harappan civilization. Many scholars including ourselves (Biswas, 1990) have exposed the 'Aryan myth', and have shown how the *Ṛgvedic* evidence illustrates the indigenous growth of a material civilization. Thus the literary sources may be used but with great caution.