EXCAVATIONS - PROTOHISTORIC SITES

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AVRA ( 1960-61)

Avra where the Madhya Pradesh Archaeology Department excavated during 1960 and 1961 under the direction, of Dr. H. V. Trivedi, is located in the Garoth Pargana of the Mandsaur District of Madhya Pradesh. It is about six miles west of Chandwasa, a small town which has a Rest House and which is connected by a metalled road of fourteen miles from Shamgarh, a Railway Station between Ratlam and Kotah on the Western Railway.

Ancient Mound and section scraping of the mound	Trench showing brick structure
Antiquities like Terracotta Bulls, shell bangles, beads etc.	Miniature pots of early historic period

The village is situated about half a mile east of the Chambal. Between the river and the modem habitation there is a series of mounds, high and low, the top of two which nestled the village until about 10-12 years back when its inhabitants shifted to a safer place nearby because of the threat of the river, the mounds are separated from each other by small and broad depressions and rain gullies, some of which might represent old streets. The chain of mounds, however, creates an impression that they contain the remains of an extensive and populous city which grew along the bank of the river rather than at right angles to it as has been the case with most of the ancient cities in India, like Ujjain and Maheshwar in this State and Hastinapura, Pataliputra and Kausambi outside.

Strangely enough, the place in nowhere mentioned in ancient literature or epigraphs. Its prosperity, however, can be gauged from the fact that about eleven miles due of this site are some antiquities, viz. the ninth century monolithic temple of Dharmarajesvara, locally known as Dharnrad or Dhamnar, and the seventh century rock-cut Buddhist Caves with monasteries and Stupas,. cut in a hill called chandanagiri in ancient times and giving its name to the neighbouring town of Chandwasa (Chandanavasa). This town itself contains an old medieval temple which was later on destroyed and converted into a patchwork mosque, its door-frame finding place in the Museum at Indore. The Museum also displays a number of sculptures and images discovered at Avra.

The old name of appears to be Apara, as we find on a terracotta seal recovered in the excavation. The name Apara was probably later on corrupted into Avra. This is the only reference about its old name that we have.

Prominent of the mounds are four, on the north and two on the south. These two pairs of mounds are separated by a very deep and broad depression. Those on the north are higher, showing thicker cultural deposit than those on the south. The excavation was aimed at establishing a sort of coordination between the Cultures of the Narmada and the Chambal valleys. The work was of an emergent nature since this prolific site was soon to be sumberged in the water of the Chambal.

Section of Trench II facing west	Section of Trench II facing North
Painted designs on Chalcolithic Pottery Period-II	Painted Black and Red Ware

 

The excavation unravelled six main Periods of occupation on the site. The respective chronology of these periods was as noted below:

I. Pre-Historic or Stone Age:

The pre-history of the Malwa region goes back to about 200,000 years when the river-valleys of the Chambal and the Narmada were inhabited by a man using stone implements. Explorations in these river-valleys resulted in the discovery of a large number of tools belonging to the Stone Age. This long period which is known as Prehistoric has been provisionally taken here as period I. It has to be observed, however, that there was no stratigraphical evidence of this Culture at Avra, though the region around yielded a large number of stone implements from the beds of the Chambal and its tributaries. ClAR, 1958-59, P. 27 and 1959-60, P.22)

II. Proto-Historic (Chalcolithic) Age: (C. 1500 to 600 B. C.)

There was nothing to show how and when the stone Age Culture came to an end in this region; but there was definite evidence of the existence on this site of the Chalcolithic or Early Bronze Culture, characterised by a fine painted pottery, blade industry and other associated antiquities. The settlement of this period seems to have begun on the yellow silt deposited by the river. It is not known if there was any earlier habitation on the black soil, the cradle of the Chalcolithic Culture, which may have been washed off by the erosion of the river as indicated by thick deposit of the silt. Being equivalent to the Chalcolithic Culture of Maheshwar Navdatoli and Nagda, the Chalcolithic Culture of the site may provisionally be dated to about the middle of the second millennium B.C., though the thickness of the habitational deposit showed signs of its probably being slightly earlier, as also indicated by the painted Black-and Red ware excavated on this site and the yield of incised pottery below it. The lowest occupation of this Period was thus noteworthy for is yield of incised pottery which underlaid the settlement characterised by the white-painted B1ack-and-Red ware, recalling the corresponding ware from Nagda and Ahar.

The upper strata of this period revealed a fragmentary rubble foundation in AVR. II. The limited operations were not able to provide any idea of the housing system of this period, though patches of floors made of rarnrned clay mixed with gravel were encountered. In one of these floors in the lower level the lower part of a Black-and-Red painted pot was exhumed.

The food habits of these people could under as certained fish-bones were acquired. Similarly, there was no evidence to show whether these people were Aryans or non-Aryans.

The microlithic industry of this period consisted mainly of blades with blunted back, penknife blades, cores, arrow-heads and lunates, which are rare, and Crested, ridge flakes. The use of copper was scarce, the noteworthy find being only a small bronze celt in the uppermost layer of this Period in AVR. II.

III. Early Historic Period (A) (C. 500-100 B. C.)

As on other sites, the Chalcolithic Period at Avra may be taken as extending up to c. 500 B. C. when it merged into the Early Historic Period, as suggested by the overlap of the Painted Pottery with the N.B.P. Which is the characteristic of the following Period and was recovered in AVR. I and 1A (layers VI- VllI) and AVR . II(layers IX - XI). Iron objects, Black-and-Red ware and Punch-marked and cast copper coins are the other characteristic finds of this Period.

The houses of this period were built on coarse rubble foundations, mortared in black clay. The walls were of perishable material like wood or bamboo, posts of which were set in lines at some distance from each other and were thatched with mud mixed with grass. The finds of perforated fragments of tiles and iron nails obtained in the excavation go to show that the houses were roofed by joining the tiles with nails to keep them in position. This is brought to light by excavated remains of residential houses, destroyed by fire.

In this Period iron was represented by arrow-heads, spear-heads, nails, looped hooks, a sickle, a chisel and a fragmentary lamp with a chain for suspension. Legged querns, pestles, earthen ovens, bowls and dishes with broad rims or no rims and gourd- shaped jars, partly inserted in the floor, constituted the kitchen equipment. The use of ivory is known from the yield of bangle-fragments, a small representation of Mother goddess, a small round sealing inscribed in Mauryan Brahrni Characters (Jidhayasa) and a miniature dagger-shaped object used in decoration. Beads, conch and ivory bangles and copper and ivory rings represented objects of ornament, Playthings for children
consisted of perforated wheels and discs, figures of bulls, horses, dogs and other terracotta objects. Cowries also in use. Flakes and blades of semi-precious stones, bone-points and arrowheads and a stone mace-head represent the survivals of the earlier culture.

This Period was particularly remarkable for a very interesting evidence of advanced drainage. At three levels were recovered drains of terracotta pipes joined together with elbow bends; and in addition to the terracotta ring-wells or soak-pits there were soak-walls made by putting one large pot cut base over the other, one of the drainage systems tending to fall in the upper pot another system joined to a ringwell.

Painted Pottery, period - IV	Decorated Sherds

IV. Early Historic Period (B) (c. 100 B. C. to 300 A.D.)

This period was represented in the upper layers of AVR. I, lA, V and VA and in layers VII- VIII of the main Trench (AVR. II). This Period was characterised by the red polished and its associate Painted pottery with black designs on a bright red slip, which has for the first time been found in Malwa. The Black-and-Red ware becomes coarser, and showing only a sprinkling it ultimately disappears altogether towards the end of this Period, The Criss-cross ware appears in the top layers.

The structures of this Period, besides following the earlier tradition of having foundations of coarse rubbles, also introduced the use of foundations of large bricks, arranged on pebbles mixed with sticky black clay, resting on rammed earth. The brick foundations of AVR. lA-extension may be placed in this Period. The site showed a number of patchy brick constructions peeping out on the very surface; and though their nature could be ascertained without making a systematic digging, they appear to be the remains of some structures belonging to this period.

No sensible plan of the construction of houses or of occupational levels could be made out, probably because of the section being limited in extent. But the frequently encountered debris of brickbats and the way oflaying the foundation as stated above go to suggest the existence of some well-thought-out plan. The use of bricks was adopted in the construction of ovens too, in place of earth which was in common use in the earlier Period. The sanitary arrangement of the preceding Period continued in this Period also.

The manufacture of ivory and shell bangles was a flourishing industry in this Period. Terracotta bangles and ear-studs were in common use. Balls, perforated discs and human and animal figurines of terracotta marked a distinct improvement over those of the preceding period. A terracotta sealing inscribed with four Brahmi letters of about the second century A.D. and the hind part of a bull of the same material, bearing a fragmentary inscription in similar characters were also obtained from layers of this Period (in AVR. IA and VA respectively), which is distinguished by the find of the Kshatrapa and other contemporary coins to be noticed below.

The most important feature of this Period was the contact of the site with the Roman world , as envisaged by the yield of fragments of Roman pottery and its imitations. This was confirmed by the find of a terracotta bull bearing a very clear impression of a Roman coin A clay plaque with the figure of a goddess standing on a full-blown lotus on one side and exquisitely decorated designs on the other was one of the unique finds of this Period. It was found in AVR. IA

V. Early Historic Period (C) (c. 300 AD. to 500 AD.)

There was no definite evidence to ascertain the chronology of the succeeding occupational phases of this site, which appear to have existed only on Mound 3 (AVR. II). The brick structure exposed in the upper layers of this Trench can definitely be assigned to the post-Kshatrapa period, or the fourth-fifth century AD. That the break between this and the preceding period was not long is indicated by the fact that the foundation of these Structural remains was laid on the vary debris of the preceding Period in which a silver Kshatrapa coin along with some copper coins ofUiiayini was recovered. The finds of these layers consist for of spouts, sprinklers, thick Red-polished ware, charred grains of millet, a crude mother-goddess figurine and some toys of terracotta. The topmost layers in this Trench contained debris of bricks of the same size and type.

VI. Mediaeval Period (Muslim-Maratha)

Above the structural remains mentioned above there was no habitational deposit on this mound and to was presume at that the site was deserted soon some time after the fifth-sixth century AD. The Muslim, coins and the associated objects collected from the surface indicated that it was re-occupied some time in the late Mediaeval Period.

Thus the tentative chronology was summarised as follows :_

Period I	Stone Age (revealed only from surface finds).
Period II	Proto-Historic (Chalcolithic Age); beginning about 1500 B.C.
Period III	Early Historic (A) : c. 500-100 B.C.
Period IV	Early Historic (B) : c. 100 B. c.- 300 AD.
Period V	Early Historic (C) : c. 300-500 A D.
Period VI	Muslim-Maratha (late mediaeval).

This provisional chronology of the Cultures of this site was based on the finds of pottery and coins,

RERERENCES
Trivedi, H.Y., Excavation at AVRA in Jowunal of theM.P. I.P. No.4, Bhopal, 1962, PP, 13-40