EXCAVATIONS - PROTOHISTORIC SITES

BACK

PIPLYA LORKA (RAISEN) (1983-84)

The Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, M.P. Bhopal, conducted an archaeological excavation at Piplya Lorka (District Raisen, M.P.), a Chalcolithic site, during two sessions viz., 1977-78 and 1983-84, under the direction of S/Shri V.K. Bajpai and C. Krishna respectively. During the earlier session only limited area was excavated on account of shortage of time. However, during 1983-84, excavation on better scale was undertaken by the Department. The team included S/Shri C. Krishna, R.R. Singh, Dr. O.P. Mishra, Vinod Joshi, S.L. Soni, L.P. Kadam and Ram Anjorpal.

Piplya Lorka (Lat. 23° 6' Long. 77° 37' E.) is situated at a distance or 25 krn. from Bhopal towards Mandideep and 5 krn. east from Mandideep by cart road. Prof Shankar Tiwari of the Department of Geography, Hamidia College, Bhopal made discovery of the site in 1976 during his sporadic survey of Rock-shelters surrounding Bhopal.

The ancient site is situated on the right bank of the kaliasot a tributary of the Betwa. The whole mound, excepting a small area in western end of the village has been occupied by modern habitation. Their left over area was selected for excavation. The total height of the mound is approximately IS m
In all six trenches were laid viz., PLK I,II, and III, during 1977-78 and PLK IV , V, VI during 1983-84. PLK IV measuring 9 x 6 mts. was laid on the top of the mound, PLK VI and VI were laid towards south of the PLK IV and near PLK II on the slope. Natural soil was traced at the depth of 9.10 m. in PLK IV and 7.40 m. in PLK VI. On the basis of pottery and antiquarian remains the following cultural sequence of the site was established.

Stratified Deposit, Raisen	Chalcolithic Painted Pottery

 

Period I. Chalcolithic Cultures.
Period II. Early Historic Cultures.

PERIOD- I -CHALCOLITHIC CULTURES

Habitational deposit of this period was found to be about 5.50 m. in the trenches PLK IV & VI Extn. and this indicated the potentiality of this culture. On the basis of ceramic variations and antiquarians remains it may be divided in to four subphases as under :

Phase -I

It is lowermost deposit of this site yielding painted Black-on-Red ware ( in minority), Iustrus Red ware engraved on exterior, Chocolet ware and painted Whiteon-Red ware in various shapes and sizes. regarding antiquarian remains, an important micro-bead of gold has been unearthed from this phase. Other antiquities included microliths viz., fluted cores, blades, lunates and burins made of chert and jasper.

Phase-II

It is an important phase of the Chalcolithic deposit with presence of pottery types and other antiquities unearthed from layer (14) to (18) in PLK IV. The varieties of pots included bowls, dishes shallow bowls, dish-on-stand-painted and plain. White painted black-and-red ware are quite similar to the Ahar Chalcolithic pottery types. Antiquities recovered from this phase are beads made on terracotta, steatite and stone in various shapes and sizes. Hexagonal, round, barrel and flat shaped beads are the main types. The stones used for bead for bead making are chert, chert, jasper, agate, and chalcedony and these must have been imported from somewhere in India.

Microliths encountered are fluted cores, crested ridge ridge blades crescents, Iunates, burines, parallel and single sides blades, borers scrapers, of chert and chalcedony. The blades are maximum 4.55 em. in length and in minimum they are 2.00 em. Excepting a few post-holes, no hutments have been clearly demarcated. However, almost all the layers contained burnt floors. The average thickness of the floor marked was found to be 4 to 10 em. No grain sample was recovered but charcoal samples, were picked up from for C-14 dating. Copper objects like bangles, antimony rods and strips were recovered as important antiquities.

Phase-III

The main characteristic of this phase in the find of pinted black-and-red with white border on black paintings. Such paintings have not been encountered in any of the Chalcolithic settlements in India in general and Madhya Pradesh in particular. Apart from this painted black-on-red ware, black-and red ware, black-slipped ware, red-slipped ware, and grey ware fine and coarse texture, have been noticed. It is noteworthy that similar fine grey ware sherds have been noticed in Amakheda Excavation (Vidisha). It is located in layers (10) to (13) in PLK IV at Piplya. Terracotta objects, beads, microliths of various types and desing have also been found in this phase.

Phase-IV

It is the topmost phase of the Chalcolithic settlement at Pipalya Lorka. The pottery are orange, black, black-and-red and red slipped wares in v,arious shapes and sizes in frequency. The paintines on pottery are lesser than phases II and ID. Antiquities and potteries are common as reported previously.

The Chalcolithic pottery from Piplya Lorka

The pottery included both painted and unpainted red ware, burnished red ware, incised buff ware black-and-red ware chocolet ware, besides thin grey ware made of well-levigated clay. All these wares had multi-coloured paintings, both on the interior and exterior. The colours mostly included white, pinkish red, blue and black. Linier designs were mostly found on the pottery of top layers and thick bands were found in the pottery of lower levels. Curved lines and triangles with matted dots formed major depiction. The painted pottery mainly included types such as storage and water pots, dish and vase on stand, shallow and deep bowls, carinated and undulated inverted funnel shaped jars, vessels with or without headrest, short mouthed jars, and globular sided vessels. The decorations on pottery are the mainly liner designs, lopes, both in single and double rows one over the other, cross bands, check designs, matted black designs-smaller in the upper and bigger in the lower levels, diamonds with white and black designs, circles, circles with dots, leaves, plants circles, squares, criss-cross arrow points, concentric arches, zig-zag lines and line in wavy horiwntal and vertical, with strokes on inside and outside of rims. Besides the above many more designs formed the decorations -mostly on rim, neck and globular body. Graffiti marks such as geometrical designs, figures of animals, tantric symbols such as swastika, triangles etc. formed decorations on black -and-red ware and burnished ware.

PERIOD II - HISTORIC PERIOD

This excavation does not reveal any regular sequence of culture of the historic period. However, the antiquites belonging to Maurya, Sunga, Satavahana, Kshatrap, Gupta, Paramara and Medival periods have been encountered from PLK IV. It appears that the regular habitation rnight be somewhere in the vicinity of the mound. The important antiquities were terracotta objects, shell bangles, stone beads, terracotta beads, iron implements, glass objects, bone implements, copper coins, stone sculptures etc. The potteries were red ware, black ware, black-and-red ware and painted black bonds on red ware of Kshatrapa level.

An outstanding sculpture of Nayika shown in standing posture and holding a lolus stalk and flower in the left hand right hand downwards, was procured from the upper historic level of the site. Artistically it may by placed around circa 9- 10th century A.D.

REFERENCES
Singh, R.R., "Excavations at Piplya Larka (Raisen) - 1983-84" in Shastri, A.M. el. at. (eds.), Vajapaeya, prof, K.D. Bajpai Felicitation volume, Delhi, 1987, pp. 31-33, IAR, 1983-84, pp. 52-53, Prachya Pratibha, IV, 2, PP. 77-79