Here is some breaking news. King Asoka (Chandragupta Maurya’s grandson and the hero of Santosh Sivan’s film) does not look like Shah Rukh Khan. Not even a bit. We can say this for sure since we have an actual labelled portraiture of king Asoka and his queen. This information comes to us via the excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India at Kanganhalli in Gulbarga district of Karnataka.

The site has yielded more than 145 short and 1lengthy donatory inscriptions of which the one referring to Asoka the Great (Rayo Asoka) is inscribed on a carved slab depicting king Asoka and his queen keeping in the view the international importance of the site the Archaeological Survey of India has initiated a project to reconstruct the stupa in its original form. It is also proposed to extend the archaeological excavations to expose the monastic complex, if any, which is a usual feature of the Buddhist sites in India [Kanganhalli]

Here are the pictures and the women in the carvings seem to be bare breasted. This means that Santosh Sivan’s movie was so factually incorrect

• First ever discovered labelled portraiture of king Asoka and his queen
• Mended slab dipicting Ashoka and his queen
• Close up of the inscription reading ‘ Ranyo Asoko’ [ King Asoka ]

Besides this, two other statues of Asoka were also unearthed in Orissa in 2001

One of the two finds is the first individual statue of Asoka bearing an inscription ever to be discovered in India.Dr DR Pradhan, secretary of the state-run Institute of Maritime and South East Asian studies, told the BBC the ancient inscription translates as: “The statue was unveiled by the auspicious hands of Asoka”.Dr Pradhan said the second statue, depicting the king with two of his queens, bore the simple inscription: “The King Asoka”. [Asoka statues unearthed in India]

Amphora, one of the important vessels used by the Greeks was used to transport olives, oil, fish and wine. Such amphoras were found in India in Arikkamedu and Kanchipuram, both in the South. But now the Underwater Archaeology Wing of the Archaeological Survey of India has found Roman amphorae, along with coins and pottery in Elephanta caves, located near Mumbai.
The Elephanta caves are built in the same style as Ellora and are famous for their sculptures, especially that of the Trimurti figure of Shiva. According to A. L. Basham the Elephanta was influenced by the Pallava school of sculpture and he writes that the three-headed bust of Siva, clam with the calmness of eternity is so impressive and so religiously inspired that it needs little comment[13].

Head of ASI’s Underwater Archaeology Wing Dr Alok Tripathi had been quietly exploring the island since 1988, but it’s only in the last two years that extensive explorations were done. The richest site turned out to be the area around village Mora Bandar on the island.
‘‘The discovery of a large variety of amphorae and other antiquities on the island may solve some of the historical riddles,’’ said Tripathi. In addition to indicating continuity of trade with the western world during 5th-7th century AD, the findings may also answer why Chalukya King Pulakesin II of Badami had invaded this small island with a tiny population and limited natural resources in 634 AD.
‘‘We probably know why he did it. Elephanta appears to have been a prosperous island with a thriving trade,’’ said the underwater archaeologist. It is all the more significant since around the same period, the cave temple on the island, enshrining Mahesmurti, was excavated. [ASI to fish out Elephanta island’s Roman links]

The most famous ancient observatory in India is the one built by Maharaja Jai Singh II in Jaipur between 1727 and 1733. The Chinese had an observatory about 4000 years before that and it also turns out to be the world’s oldest one.

The observatory was uncovered at the Taosi relics site in Shanxi province, He Nu, a research follow with the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency on Sunday. The observatory “was not only used for observing astronomical phenomena but also for sacrificial rites”, said He.
The remains, in the shape of a semi-circle 40 meters (132 feet) in diameter in the main observation platform and 60 meters (198 feet) in diameter in the outer circle, were made of rammed earth, the report said. Archaeologists said 13 stone pillars, at least four meters (13 feet) tall, stood on the foundation of the first circle originally, forming 12 gaps between them.
“The ancient people observed the direction of sunrise through the gaps and distinguished the different seasons of the year,” said He. In order to test the theory, archaeologists spent 18 months simulating observations at the site, Xinhua said.
They found that the seasons were only one or two days different from the seasonal division of the traditional Chinese calendar, which is still widely used in China. The Taosi relics site dates back 4,300 years ago and is believed to be a settlement from the period known in Chinese history as the five legendary rulers (2,600 BC-1,600 BC).[Chinese archaeologists find one of world’s oldest observatories]

This time period, 2600 BC-1600 BC was also the time of Indus Valley Civilization.

Now we are able to piece together the history of the oldest temple discovered in Tamil Nadu which is located near Mahabalipuram. The original temple made of brick and dedicated to Muruga was built during the Sangam era (200 BCE to 300 CE). This temple was destroyed and the Pallava kings rebuilt it as a granite temple during 800 – 900 CE. This temple was destroyed as well. What is discovered now is remains of that temple.
The Frontline article describes the discovery in detail and has numerous pictures. It also talks about the various scripts and languages found at the site.

There are bilingual inscriptions in Pallava-Grantha and Nagari scripts in Sanskrit language on the walls of this temple. On the floor are found inscriptions in Tamil belonging to Raja Raja Chola, who built the Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur around 1,000 A.D.
ON the beach, about 300 metres to the north of the cave temple is a rock with three inscriptions on its sides. The inscriptions in Tamil on the western and southern sides belong to Parantaka Chola and Kulotunga Chola. The inscription on the eastern side was revealed after the tsunami washed away the sand around it.
S. Rajavelu, Epigraphist, ASI, found that the inscription in Tamil belonging to Rashtrakuta king Krishna III who ruled the area in 9th century A.D. praised him as the “conqueror of Kachi and Thanjai”, that is Kancheepuram and Thanjavur, and spoke about the existence of a Subrahmanya temple at Thiruvizhchil in “Aroor kottam (division)”.[Another surprise in Mamallapuram]

If Karunanidhi was alive in 800 CE, he would be walking with a bucket of cow dung, flinging it on the Sanskrit inscriptions. But he would find that it was already blackened by the enlightened folks running the Tamil Protection Movement.
This new temple has a vimana (tower) like the Shore Temple and it has been suggested that this temple was part of the seven pagodas which existed in that area

THE discovery of the temple complex has strengthened the arguments of those who believe that a string of Seven Pagodas (temples with vimanas) existed on the Mamallapuram coast. Although many dismiss it as a fanciful imagination, the discovery in February 2005 of the remains of a massive temple, dedicated to Siva, close to the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram, revived the debate about whether the Seven Pagodas did exist after all. After last year’s tsunami washed away the beach sand and revealed dressed rock in a square area close to the Shore Temple, the ASI excavated the spot and ran into the remains of a temple, which would have rivalled the Shore Temple in size and grandeur (Frontline, May 7, 2005). The Shore Temple, which is on the fringes of the sea, is said to be one of the Seven Pagodas and it is the only one that exists.[Another surprise in Mamallapuram]

Post-tsunami excavations in Mahabalipuram has revealed a new temple suspected to be built about 2000 years back. Here is the detailed explanation of how the temple was discovered by the ASI.

“The tsunami exposed inscriptions on a huge rock that had previously been protected as a site of importance,” said T Satyamurthy of the ASI.
“These inscriptions dated back to 935 AD and said that Krishna the Third, from the Rashtrakuda Dynasty in Karnataka, had given gold to a temple to pay for keeping an eternal flame alight.
“This led us to dig further. Near the surface we found coins, pottery, stucco figurines and bronze lamps and so we knew there must be something more. Soon we discovered the remains of the 9th century Pallava temple.”
As they continued to excavate they came across the earlier Sangam temple. The distinctive shift from courses of brickwork to large granite slabs indicates the different periods.
“The Pallavas just built on the brick foundations left behind after the Sangam temple was levelled. The two periods are there, clear to see,” said Dr Satyamurthy. [ Tsunami reveals ancient temple sites]

During the time of the Harappan Civilization, a major enterprise was the shell industry located in Bet Dwaraka, an island located 30 km north of Dwaraka. This artefact making industry was more popular than both ivory and bone and recent excavations have revealed that the industry was bigger than previously assumed.

“The presence of cut and unfinished pieces and waste pieces on the island tells us that this was an industry site,” Gaur said. The NIO team found fragments of bangles, beads, a seal and unfinished ladles from the Bet Dwaraka site.
While archaeologists have suspected that the shell artefacts for the Indus people came from the Gulf of Kutch, only one site for an ancient shell industry had been identified 15 years ago — Nageshwar, a Harappan site on the Gujarat coast. The studies by the NIO scientists on Bet Dwarka, conducted during 2000-01, show that the island’s shell-industry might have been one of the largest enterprises of its time.
In a report in the latest issue of the journal Current Science, scientists have documented similarities between the shells at Bet Dwarka and artefacts recovered from Harappan sites. A unique late Harappan seal constructed out of a conch shell with a short-horned bull, a unicorn and goat engraved on it found during underwater excavation near the island is similar to a seal recovered from Mohenjodaro.[Hint of Harappa shell industry]

When we mention Dwaraka, we have to talk about Krishna. Marine Archaeologist S R Rao found evidence of a city under the sea in Dwaraka and since some of the specifications matched the description of Dwaraka mentioned in Harivamsha, a prologue of Mahabharata, some people concluded that it was Krishna’s Dwaraka.
Not so fast, says a scientist at ISRO. Krishna’s Dwaraka was not in Jamnagar, but in Junagad according to Dr P S Thakker and also there nine sites in Gujarat which claim to be Krishna’s Dwaraka.

A senior scientist with the ISRO’s space application centre, Dr P S Thakker, who has worked on this project, said, What is interesting is that ISRO’s findings corroborate what is mentioned in the vedas and other ancient Hindu scriptures about the geographical location of Dwaraka but contradicts what the archaeologists and modern historians say about the present Dwarka which they claim is in Jamnagar district of Gujarat.
Though the study was done by the ISRO four years back it was confined to abstract papers on a dusty shelf.
Satellite images can pinpoint things that are not visible to the naked eye. For example, it can indicate the presence of ruins of a city which has been long buried under the soil.[Lord Krishna’s Dwarka not in Jamnagar but in Junagadh: ISRO]

But then what about the city which S R Rao discovered?

However, Mr Thakker claims this unknown feature of a city discovered by Dr Rao could be any other city settled after he said that the study of the satellite data perfectly matches with the description given in Tri Shasthi Shlaka Purush Charta (history of 63 outstanding personalities) written by Hemchandrachary, a distinguished Jain muni of the 11th century who has given a geographical description of Lord Krishna’s Dwarka built by kuber at Lord Indra’s behest.
Mr Thakker said the presence of Navda village in the vicinity (which means boat) and milollite limestone found in the vicinity of Girnar in Junagadh suggested the presence of a sea in this area.
Thus it seems that Lord Vasudev’s dwarka which was submerged in the sea as well and the Dwarka of Lord Krishna were located in Junagadh district near Prabhash Kshetra. Excavation and further study is required to get more scientific information on Dwarka, he added.[Lord Krishna’s Dwarka not in Jamnagar but in Junagadh: ISRO]

Here is the connection from the two stories. The sea shell sites excavated in Bet Dwaraka are 3800 years taking it back to around 1800 B.C which was the declining phase of the Harappan Civilization. According to Dr. Takker, Lord Vasudeva’s Dwaraka submerged in the Arabian Sea about 3500 years back, i.e 1500 B.C. Interesting times in Gujarat, it must have been.

The tsunami that hit South India revealed many historical artifacts. This includes some new rock carvings, deep sea structures and a granite lion which was seen briefly in 1980. The rock temple at Mahabalipuram survived the tsunami, but post-tsunami archaeology suggests that there were more temples in the region. A new temple has been excavated north of Mahabalipuram, and is suspected to be built between second century B.C and first century A.D.

The archaeologists are trying to determine the date of the tsunami that may have destroyed the temple from sand and seashells found at the brick structure, dedicated to Lord Muruga, a Hindu god, Satyamurthy told The Associated Press.
He said there was more damage on the side of the temple facing the sea, and that the sand and shells were not normally found so far inland.
The temple was found one layer below a granite temple excavated by the same team in July, leading archaeologists to theorize that the Pallava kings, who ruled the region between 580 A.D and 728 A.D., built the latter temple atop the remains of the older one.
The team also found stucco figurines, terra-cotta lamps, beads and roofing tiles. Similar articles and large bricks were typically used around the beginning of the first millennium, he said.
The ruins of the temple north of Mahabalipuram that Satyamurthy discussed Wednesday were not uncovered by the recent tsunami, and excavation did not begin until after the waves struck.
But the finding of that temple and the structures uncovered by last year’s tsunami has revived a debate over whether references in ancient literature to cities and towns being submerged by violent waves referred to a tsunami.
“We could never study an ancient tsunami without having some man-made materials surviving from that time,” Satyamurthy said. “This temple is our link to that.”
He said archaeologists have discovered similar deposits of sand and shells at excavations in the town of Poompuhar, another ancient port south of where the latest temple was found.[Indian Ruins Show Signs of Ancient Tsunami]

Picture 1 shows how close the site is to the sea and Picture 2 shows workers cleaning the site.

The Archaeological Survey of India is busy with various thing – conducting archaeology, preserving monuments, enlightening people, all while messing up things. Also it is cash strapped for doing archaeology. So maybe we all can follow the steps of an Italian computer programmer, use Google Earth and help the ASI

Using satellite images from Google Maps and Google Earth, an Italian computer programmer has stumbled upon the remains of an ancient villa. Luca Mori was studying maps of the region around his town of Sorbolo, near Parma, when he noticed a prominent, oval, shaded form more than 500 metres long. It was the meander of an ancient river, visible because former watercourses absorb different amounts of moisture from the air than their surroundings do.
His eye was caught by unusual ‘rectangular shadows’ nearby. Curious, he analysed the image further, and concluded that the lines must represent a buried structure of human origin. Eventually, he traced out what looked like the inner courtyards of a villa.
Mori, who describes the finding on his blog, Quellí Della Bassa, contacted archaeologists, including experts at the National Archaeological Museum of Parma. They confirmed the find. At first it was thought to be a Bronze Age village, but an inspection of the site turned up ceramic pieces that indicated it was a Roman villa. [Enthusiast uses Google to reveal Roman ruins]

The Archaeological Survey of India is doing something unbelievable. It has embarked on a project to make normal junta aware of the history of religious places and explain the various inscriptions on temple walls

In Uthamallingeswarar temple, the inscriptions reveal that temples were used as a social centre such as bank, theatre and as Ian agricultural centre. But most of these inscriptions have been damaged.
Most of the stone inscriptions give the devotees an insight into the social structure during that period, especially, the agrarian and trade sectors.
“This temple was constructed during 12th century. Here we find large number of inscriptions in and around this temple revealing details of the ancient history, particularly in the field of agriculture and trade. We are maintaining this temple for the past three generation,” said Periyasamy, Trustee of the temple.
“I had been to many temples all over the country. During my visit to these temples I used to read all the stone inscriptions on the walls of the temples. From this Uthamallingeswarar temple, I found few inscriptions that give some details about the agricultural administration of the king in those days,” says Subramaniam, a devotee.
Most of the inscriptions found in South India particularly from Tamil Nadu are in Brahmi scripts, are also known as Tamil Brahmi. [Temples’ inscriptions a rich source of history]

If these inscriptions have to be read, the historic structures have to be well preserved. Considering the shoddy work the ASI is doing in that area, we may even lose what we have.