Banawali is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

belonging to the

Indus Valley Civilization The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form from 2600 BCE ...

period in Fatehabad district, Haryana, India and is located about 120 km northeast of

Kalibangan Kalibangān is a town located at on the left or southern banks of the Ghaggar (Ghaggar-Hakra River) in Tehsil Pilibangān, between Suratgarh and Hanumangarh in Hanumangarh District, Rajasthan, India 205 km from Bikaner. It is also ident ...

and 16 km from Fatehabad. Banawali, which is earlier called Vanavali, is on the left banks of dried up

Sarasvati River The Sarasvati River () is a Apotheosis, deified myth, mythological Rigvedic rivers, river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedas, Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Historical Vedic religion, Vedic religio ...

. Comparing to Kalibangan, which was a town established in lower middle valley of dried up Sarasvathi River, Banawali was built over upper middle valley of Sarasvati River.fatehabad.nic.in

Excavation

This site was excavated by R.S. Bisht (ASI) in 1974. The excavations revealed the following sequence of cultures: * Period I: Pre-Harappan (Kalibangan)(c.2500-2300 BCE) ** Period IA: Pre-defence Phase ** Period IB: Defence Phase ** Period IC: Transitional Phase (Proto-Harappan) * Period II: Mature Harappan (c.2300-1700 BCE) * Period III: Post-Harappan (Banawali-Bara)(c.1700-1500/1450 BCE)

Period I (c. 2500-2300 BCE)

Well-planned houses constructed out of kiln burnt and molded bricks. Pottery consisting of vase and jar is divided into two groups, based on the general design. Pottery assemblage is very similar to those of the Kalibangan I period.

Period II (c. 2300-1700BCE)

Defence wall of more than 105 m length, 4.5 m height, 6 m width was found at this site. Well planned Harappan style chess-board pattern fortified town, measuring 200m x 500m was established during this period. This fortified area consisted of two adjacent areas, one thought to be for ruling class and other one for common people. In the area meant for common people, house blocks with north-south thoroughfares cutting at right angles, which further connected by east-west lanes, reflecting urban nature of streets. Houses, which were constructed on both sides of lanes, were having rammed earth floor, mud plastered walls, rooms, kitchen, toilet. Houses were having storage facilities, similar to strong rooms found at Kuntasi

Period III (c.1700-1500/1450BCE)

This period is represented by Bara culture, which may be termed as post-Harappan or late contemporary Harappa.

Architecture

Archaeological Survey of India has done excavation in this place revealed well constructed fort town of Harappan period overlaying an extensive proto-urban settlement of pre Harappan Period.S.R.Rao, (1991) Dawn and Devolution of Indus Civilisation, Aditya Prakashan, New Delhi A defence wall was also found with a height of 4.5 m and thickness of 6 m which was traced up to a distance of 105 m. Houses, with rammed earthen floors, were well planned with rooms and toilets and houses were constructed on either sides of streets and lanes. Near South-eastern area of fortification, flight of steps is found rising from 'Lower town' to Acropolis and ASI considers this as important formation. The staircase of 'lower town' is near a bastion looking construction.

Houses

In a multi roomed house having kitchen and toilet, several seals, weights were found, indicating that the owner of the house may possibly have been a merchant. A bigger house revealed a large number of gold beads, lapis lazuli, carnelian, tiny weights and a 'touch stone'-like stone with streaks of gold, indicating that the house belonged to a jeweler or ornament maker. Several houses in Banawali show evidence of fire altars, which were also associated with apsidal structures indicating ritualistic purposes.

Artefacts recovered

S-shaped jars, cooking vessels, ovens, tandoors, painted earthen pots etc. Painted motifs include, peacocks, pipal leaves, tree, deer, star, fish, flowers, intersecting circles, checker board patterns, honey comb patterns. Harappan seals carrying pictures of Rhinoceros, wild goat, ibex, unicorn, composite animal with tiger body. Gold, copper, bronze pieces, gold beads, copper, lapis lazuli, bangles of shells etc. The pottery found, is comparable with Harappan pottery in fineness and pottery assemblage is very similar to assemblage of

Importance

Among two most important finds during 1987-88 areIndian Archaeology - A Review, 1987-88, page 21-27
/ref> # one is a burnished greyware decorated with two bucranian motifs in appliqué, which closely resembles more or less, similar bovine heads occurring in painting on Pre-Harappan pots from Kot-Diji, Kalibangan etc. #The other one is an unbaked clay figure of an which has deep cut criss-cross incisions on the back as well on one side of the neck, thereby imparting it an appearance of a horse, as the former may suggest the saddle and the latter the mane. Other finds include ivory comb, a terracotta cake with an engraved ass, human figures - both male and female, a tortoise shell etc. Many items of gold, silver etc. have also been found.

Decline

The decline of urban life at Banawali and Kalibangan appears to be all of a sudden.

Other observations

The earlier bricks in Banawali had the Kalibangan ratio of 3:2:1, but later bricks had the ratio 4:2:1. One weight was found that weigh 87.855 grams, about 100 times 0.857 gram (a more common weight in Harappa). The wall surrounding this site was probably to face floods of Sarasvati River, and the wall collapsed due to water damage. Marine shells were found at Banawali as well as at

Harappa Harappa () is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about west of Sahiwal, that takes its name from a modern village near the former course of the Ravi River, which now runs to the north. Harappa is the type site of the Bronze Age Indus ...

, Kalibangan, which are far away from sea shore and such findings indicate internal trade between the regions during early Indus period. Seals were only found in lower town and not in citadel;several small stone weights and terracotta plough model was also found. Large number of female figurines are found at this site as well as at Mohenjadaro, Harappa. A touchstone bearing gold streaks was found, which was probably used for testing the purity of gold (a technique that is still being used in this area). As is the practice, most of the finds have been reburied. However, a well of the Harappan era has been well preserved and stands as a testimony to the antiquity of the village.

, an IVC town and fort with several phases starting from Early harappan phase *** Rakhigarhi, one of the largest IVC city with 4 phases of IVC with earliest dated to 8th-7th millennium BCE *** Kunal, cultural ancestor of Rehman Dheri ** List of inventions and discoveries of the Indus Valley Civilization *** Hydraulic engineering of the Indus Valley Civilization *** Sanitation of the Indus Valley Civilisation ** Periodisation of the Indus Valley Civilisation ** Pottery in the Indian subcontinent *** Bara culture, subtype of Late-Harappan Phase *** Cemetery H culture (2000-1400 BC), early Indo-Aryan pottery at IVC sites later evolved into

Painted Grey Ware culture The Painted Grey Ware culture (PGW) is an Iron Age in India, Iron Age Indo-Aryan people, Indo-Aryan Archaeological culture, culture of the western Gangetic plain and the Ghaggar-Hakra River, Ghaggar-Hakra valley in the Indian subcontinent, conve ...

Vedic period The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, between the e ...

***

Black and red ware Black and red ware (BRW) is a South Asian earthenware, associated with the Neolithic phase, Harappa, Bronze Age India, Iron Age India, the Megalithic and the early historical period. Although it is sometimes called an archaeological culture, ...

, belonging to

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

and Early-Harappan phases *** Sothi-Siswal culture, subtype of Early-Harappan Phase ** Rakhigarhi Indus Valley Civilisation Museum * History of Haryana ** List of Monuments of National Importance in Haryana ** List of State Protected Monuments in Haryana

References

External links

Excavation website
{{Haryana Indus Valley Civilisation sites Former populated places in India Archaeological sites in Haryana Fatehabad district Bara culture Sarasvati River Pre-Indus Valley civilisation sites