EXCAVATIONS - PROTOHISTORIC SITES

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Dangawada 1978-79. 1979-80, 1982-83)

The ancient city of Danmgwada (Iat. 23° 3' N and long. 76° 6'E) is situated on the right bank of the river Chambal, about I km west of the present village of the same name and 6 km from Ingoria, on the Nagda-Ingoria road In Badnagar tahsil of Ujjain district, It is 32 km south-west of Ujjain via Ingoria. The mound is L-shaped with habitation deposit of about 12 m. At one end of the mount there is a Siva temple called Boreshwar Mahadeo of the Paramara period, and hence it is locally known as the Boreshwar mound. On the south-west a distance of half a km another small mound of Chalcolithic period is noticed near the Kapileswar temple. At the present habitational village of Dangawada there are also two small mounds from where chalcolithic pottery and other antiquities have been found.

Malwa Chalcolithic Designs	Painted Chalcolithic Designs
Terracotta Bulls and Bullforms	Chalcolithic Potsherds, DGW, TR-I,26

The excavation at Dangawada was conducted jointly by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museum, M.P. Govt. and the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Vikram University, Ujjain, under the directions respectively of M.D. Khare and V.S. Wakankar during three seasons viz. 1978-79, 1979-80 and 1982-83. The excavations conducted in twelve trenches revealed a fairly consistent cultural sequence of ten periods from Kayatha culture to the Muslim period as per outline given below:

Period I (Kayatha) : A5.45 m deposit of this culture was revealed in the centre of the Boreshwar mound. Two phases of this culture were revealed viz IA representing Kayatha without Ahar (1.10 m deposit) and ill reprsenting Kayatha with Ahar (4.35 m deposit).

Period II (Ahar Chalolithic) : This period is distinguished by the presence of microliths, copper, stone pestles, and ceramic industry comprising painted black-and- red, painted black-on-red, and incised grey ware besides lustrous red ware. The white painted designs on black-and-red ware comprise simple bands, straight and wavy line, strokes and dots Painted black-and-red ware has predominance over plain black-and- red ware Another distinguishing feature of this deposit is the occurrence of terracotta bulls and archaic bull forms. Two pot burials were encountered in DGW (12). No. structural remains, except a floor consisting of small pebbles were exposed in DGW I (29).

Period III (Malwa Chalcolithic) : This phase has been divided into four subphases as under:

Phase I: This has yielded only Malwa Chalcolithic pottery along with a limited quantity of Ahar type and microliths, stone objects like querns, pestles, balls and hammer stones. No structural remains were noticed.

Phase II : This phase has yielded maximum number of antiquities and structural remains. the most notable structure in DGW VII is a brick-built mud-plastered shrine measuring 1.2 x 0.70 m in close proximity of which symbolic mother goddess and a few mini-lamps were encountered. A sacrificial pit full of charcoal and measuring 1.95 x 1.50 m was exposed at a distance of 1.15 m south of the shrine structural complex, possibly of religious significance was another spectacular discovery in DGW VII. A still-larger and rectangular room with a number of post-holes was exposed in DGW IV. The ceramic industries of this sub-phase are almost the same as in subphase I except that the Ahar types are few in number and painted designs are more elaborate and the animal designs make their appearance.

Phase 3 : This sub-phase is noted for an elliptical structure standing on wooden posted and a kitchen complex, containing besides a few posts, one terracotta ladle with a perforated handle and painted on its exterior from DGw VII, and a copper chisel, a terracotta mould for copper axes and another kitchen complex from DGW IV. Four storage jars containing charred grains were also recovercd from here. The important finds of this deposit are bone tools including a chisel, terracotta ear-lobe and stone and terracotta balls. There is a high percentage of painted designs on pottery.

Phase 4 : In sub-phase 4 ofDGW VI was found a compact deposit going to a depth of 3.72 m the exact nature and extent of which couid not be ascertained. Towards south of this deposit was a dump. Whether it could be a part of a rampart or a bastion is a matter of conjecture only. A rectangular house measuring 5 x 6 m standing on wooden posts in DGW IV also belongs to this sub-phase.

Period IV: This period between pre-Mauryan and malwa is marked by black-and-red ware. In spite of the fact there is an indication of flood on the south-west side of the mound, there is an evidence of continuous occuption throughout the mount. This deposit is divisible into two sub-phases.
The tradition of Malwa Chalcolithic pottery continues along with a large percentage of early historic types. Iron makes appearance for the first time and is associated with the finds like shell bangles, terracotta beads and a few ear-lobes. No structural remains have been met with.

Malwa Painted Potsherds DGW, VII,7	Plan showing Apsidal Structure DGW-VII, 7B Phase-3
Malwa chalcolithic Pots-potstands and Bullform	Eleptical structures, Dangewada TR-VI, TR-II

Period V : This period is distinguished form the above by the presence of punchmarked coins NBP ware, abundance of iron and copper, ring-wells and antiuqities usually found in contemporary deposits.

Period VI and VII : This (Sunga-Satavahana-Ksatrupa) : Important remains of this period comprised a sacrificial pit (yajna-kunda), encountered in DGW II, which has also yielded an inscribed seal of terracotta in Brahmi script of second century BC reading Damodara Yajayi. In DGW VI was exposed an elliptical structure which was possibly a temple, measuring 11x5 m Objects associated with structure were huge terracotta bulls, a small bowl of shell provided with a thin copper handle and two
terracotta seals inscribed in Brahmi script of second century Be reading Siri Rajno Agni Tapas and Jivamatangasa. Important finds of this period were ivory objects silver coated bangles, an ear-lobe of lead, a small gold leaf, a decorated handle of kaolin, beads of terracotta, semi-precions stones and a large number of punch-marked coins.

Period V III (Gupta): Three sealings containing inscriptions in Gupta Brahmi reading Bhattarakapada, Vedisa and Siri Maharaja Pra and a large number of terracotta figurines, both human and animal decorated bangles of terracotta and shell, a terracotta mould of Yaksa, beads of terracotta as well as chariot are some of the finds of this period. Of the structural remains, a floor packed with pebbles and small stones was exposed in DGW II.

Comparative study of Pottery Drawings	Pujagraha (Worshipping spot)
General view of the Mound and layout of the trenches	Chalcolithic house planning

Period IX (Paramara): This period is marked by the presence of early medieval pottery, which has predominace of coarse grey ware over red ware and a few structural remains with re-used bricks of Periods III and IV.

Period X (Post-Paramara) : This period is marked by the destruction of the site during Muslim invasions. The temples were brought down and the people left the mound I and settled themselves on the presents mound.

Stratified Deposits

REFERENCES
IAR, 1978-79, PP. 70-71; 1979-80, PP 54-55; 1982-83, PP. 59-60. Chakravarty, K.K. et al Dangawada Excavations, Bhopal, Archaeology and Museums, M.P., 1989.