Vadnagar, lead tablets with Indus Script hypertext

deciphered. Sarasvati civilization mintwork continuum.

Vadnagar is a mint city. Vadnagar’s wall of fame, 6th cent. BCE
Bauddham as a Hindu dharma continuum from 2nd millennium Sarasvati Civilization (e.g. sites
of Lothal, Dholavira which may have been linked through the waterway of Nal Sarovar) is
evidenced from the archaeological finds of Vadnagar.
Note: the low lying terrain of Nal Sarovar expands with water during monsoons, links up Gulf of
Khambat and Gulf of Kutch, transforms Saurashtra and Kutch into two linked islands.
Evidences of metalwork in Vadnagar

A significant find is a pratimā of Gaṇe a in

schist stone. The remarkable iconogrpahic features are: a belt of round stones and a tablet (with
some writing) between the legs. The divinity holds a tusk like a writing stylus on his right hand. I
suggest that these are hieroglyphs attesting to the significance of Gaṇe a as the leader of
the ा phaḍā 'metals manufactory'. गो [ gōṭī ] 'round pebbles, stones' rebus: गो [ gōṭī ] 'A
lump of silver' danta 'tooth' rebus:dhatu 'mineral'.paṭa 'throne, tablet' rebus: , phaḍa 'arsenal,
metalwork artisan guild in charge of manufactory'. Metals Workshop: Ta. paṭṭaṭai,
paṭṭaṟai anvil, smithy, forge. Ka. paṭṭaḍe, paṭṭaḍi anvil, workshop. Te. paṭṭika,
paṭṭeḍa anvil; paṭṭaḍa workshop. Cf. 86 Ta. aṭai (DEDR 3865) ib 'stylus, needle'
rebus; ib 'iron' karibha, ibha 'elephant' rebus: karba, ib 'iron' ibbo 'merchant'

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Tablets with Brāhmī syllabic script have been discovered with legends "Rudradevasya",
"I varvarmana" and a few others with other inscriptions (possibly names).
An artefact depicting the Buddha accepting honey from
a monkey, which is a story in the Jataka tales. kuṭhāru
= a monkey (Sanskrit) Rebus: kuṭhāru 'armourer or
weapons-maker' PLUS Honey hieroglyph: mākṣiká
pertaining to a bee MārkP., n. honey Su r. 2.
*mākṣa -- . [mákṣā -- ] 1. WPah.bhad. māċhī bee ,
kha . mākhī; -- Pk. makkhia -- , macchia -- n. honey ś
Ash. mači, mačík sweet, good , mačianá honey ś
Wg. mác ̣i, mäc ̣ honey , Kt. mac ̣ī˜, Pr. maṭék,
Shum. mac ̣hī, Gaw. māc ̣hī, Kal.rumb. Kho. mac ̣hí,
Bshk. mec̃ ̣h, Phal. mn/ac ̣hī, mḗc ̣hī, Sh. măc ̣hīˊ f., S.
L. mākhī f., WPah.bhiḍ. māċhī n., H. mākhī f. 2.
K. mãch, dat. °chas m. honey , WPah.bhal. māch n. --
For form and meaning of Paš. māš, mōṣ honey see
NTS ii 265, IIFL iii 3, 126.*mākṣakulika -- ,
*mākṣikakara -- , *mākṣikamadhu -- .(CDIAL 9989)
Rebus: माषिक n. a kind of honey-like mineral
substance or pyrites MBh. I suggest that the hypertext is
a signifier of armourers working with pyrite mineral
ores.

The site evidences a transition from Indus Script Hypertext tradition into syllabic writing system
of Brāhmī.

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Consistent with the metalwork evidence of Indus Script hypertexts, tablets with Brāhmī writing
may also relate to mintwork, corroboratedd by the discovery of a hoard of lead coins is
momentous.

A hoard of lead coins.

Two lead tablets have been discovered with Indus Script hypertext. A hoard of lead coins has
been discovered.
Indus Script writing system evidenced in Vadnagar site are related to metalwork documentation.

Indus Script hypertext on lead tablet: three arches, a river, a trident and dots in a line.
Indus Script decipherment:
kunta spear RebusŚ kuṇṭha munda (loha) 'hard iron (native metal)'
गो [ gōṭī ] 'round pebbles, stones' rebus: गो [ gōṭī ] 'A lump of silver'
kāṇḍa 'water' rebus: kāṇḍā 'implements'
dhanga 'mountain range' Rebus: dhangar 'blacksmith'

Hieroglyph: kunta1 spear . 2. *kōnta -- . [Perh. ← Gk. konto/s spear EWA i 229]1.
Pk. kuṁta -- m. spear ś S. kundu m. spike of a top , °dī f. spike at the bottom of a stick

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 , °diṛī, °dirī f. spike of a spear or stick ś Si. kutu lance .
2. Pa. konta -- m. standard ś Pk. koṁta -- m. spear ś H. kõt m. (f.?) spear, dart ś -- Si. kota
spear, spire, standard perh. ← Pa.(CDIAL 3289)
Rebus: kuṇṭha munda (loha) 'hard iron (native metal)'
गो [ gōṭī ] f (Dim. of गो ा) A roundish stone or pebble. गो ा [ gōdā ] m A circular brand or
mark made by actual cautery (Marathi)गो ा [ gōṭā ] m A roundish stone or pebble. 2 A marble
(of stone, lac, wood &c.) 2 A marble. 3 A large lifting stone. Used in trials of strength among the
Athletæ. 4 A stone in temples described at length underउचला 5 fig. A term for a round, fleshy,
well-filled body. गो ळा or गो ोळा [ gōṭuḷā or gōṭōḷā ] a (गो ा) Spherical or spheroidal, pebble-
form. (Marathi)
Rebus: RebusŚ krvṛi f. ‘granary (WPah.)ś kuṛī, kuṛo house, building’(Ku.)(CDIAL 3232) को [
kōṭhī ] f (कोट S) A granary, garner, storehouse, warehouse, treasury, factory, bank. (Marathi)
Rebus: गो [ gōṭī ] A lump of silver: as obtained by melting down lace or fringe.
को The grain and provisions (as of an army); the commissariatsupplies. Ex. ल क ाच को
चालल -उ ल - आल -ल ल . कोया [ kōṭhyā ] को ा [ kōṭhā ] m (कोट S) A large granary, store-
room, warehouse, water-reservoir &c. 2 The stomach. 3 The chamber of a gun, of water-pipes
&c. 4 A bird's nest. 5 A cattle-shed. 6 The chamber or cell of a hunḍí in which is set down in
figures the amount. को ा ं [ kōṭhārēṃ ] n A storehouse gen (Marathi)

Indus Script hypertext on lead tablet: eagle,

wings.
pajhar 'eagle' rebus: pasra 'smithy, forge'
eruvai 'eagle' rebus: eruvai 'copper' eraka 'moltencast, copper'
kambha 'wings' rebus: kammaṭa 'mint, coiner, coinage' (This evidence of mintwork is validated
by the Buddha head with triratna hypertext)

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Triratna hypertext is seen on a terracotta head.

ayo 'fish' rebus:" aya 'metal, iron' PLUS khambhaṛā 'fin' rebus: kamma ayo 'fish' rebus:" aya
'metal, iron' PLUS khambhaṛā 'fin' rebus: kammaTa 'mint'; hence, ayo kammaṭa 'iron
mint' Ta. kampaṭṭam coinage, coin. Ma.
kammaṭṭam, kammiṭṭam coinage, mint. Ka. kammaṭa id.ś kammaṭi a coiner. (DEDR
1236). Confirmation for this decipherment is provided by Mahaavams'a, XXV, 28, which uses an
expression: ayo-kammata-dvAra, translated as "iron studded gate" (of a city), but more
accurately should translate as: iron mint gate.

Buddha's head with a circle of hair between the eyebrows has been discovered. ऊ्ाा (p. 62)
ūrṇā f S Woolś hair of sheep, deer, camels &c. 2 Woollen cloth. 3 A circle of hair between the
eyebrows.

उण uṣṇīṣḥ ् ṣam उण ् [उण हि ति ई ् क Tv.] 1 Any- thing wound round the

head. तोण ा ति Rām. 6.8.6. उण ध् ा लला ो र ट ध खा. -2 Hence, a turban,
diadem, crownet; लाका ाड ोण ् Mk.5.19. ि ा क ोण हिह य य ा ् Bm.1.678.
उण हच ा यिा त ार ा iva. B.21.29. and 22.8. ˚ ट K.16; Ratn.1.4. -3 A
distinguishing mark. -4 A characteristic mark (of hair) on the head of a Buddha which indicates
his future sanctity उण फ ए धह ह िाय े तिध ो Nāg.1.17. -5 The top of a
building.उण ह ् uṣṇīṣin उण ह ् a. [उण -इह ] Wearing a diadem; - उण ह हगर च ा
Vāj.16.22. K.229. -m. 1 N. of iva. -2 A type of round building. (Apte) mn. (उण ् ई
हि ति, कव्-ााह [Va1rtt. on Pa1n2. 6-1 , 94] -ू ् T. ) anything wound round the head ,
turban , fillet AV. xv , 2 , Br.. A1s3vS3r. Ka1tyS3r. MBh. &c;
a diadem , crown L. (Monier-Williams)

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Updated: September 28, 2017 12:22 IST

The ASI team from Vadodara which was involved in the excavation at Vadnagar. Abhijit Suresh
Ambekar, Director of the excavation, is the one with the hat on his knee.

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At the ASI's excavation site at Vadnagar, said to be the only town in India that has been in
existence continuously for 2,500 years, in Gujarat. The picture shows the depth of the
fortification wall built by various dynasties in different periods.

A view of structures showing the various phases of construction in locality A of the area under
excavation. Photo: ASI

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The fortification wall of kiln-fired bricks first built possibly in the 3rd century BCE. It also
shows the structural phases of the wall when it was strengthened by various dynasties.

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Excavation in progress in locality B.

Terracotta head of the Buddha with the 'Ushnisha', or flame of knowledge, and the 'Urna' mark
on the forehead, between the eyebrows.

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Terracotta head of the Buddha with the 'Ushnisha', or flame of knowledge, and the 'Urna' mark
on the forehead, between the eyebrows.

Terracotta head of the Buddha, as pendant, with the tri-ratna symbol on the top.

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Terracotta head of the Buddha, as pendant, with the tri-ratna symbol on the top.

A classic human face made from grey schist stone.

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A Buddha head with the 'Ushnisha' but without the smile.

Coin of lead. This one shows three arches, a river, a trident and dots in a line.

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Coin of lead depicting a Garuda with outstretched wings.

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Terracotta sealing deciphered as Rudradevasya.

A sealing. Most had Brahmi inscriptions on them.

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Terracotta sealing of Ishwarvarmana.

erracotta sealing.

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A terracotta sealing with scripts.

A terracotta sealing.

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A bullae, or round tablet, of the 5th century, engraved with a human head of striking charm.

On the reverse of the bullae is an inscription that is faded and not decipherable.

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A hoard of lead coins found in one of the trenches.

Small sculpture hewn out of schist stone, of Ganesha, of the medieval period.

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Small sculture hewn out of schist stone, of Mahishasuramardini, of the medieval period.

The excavation at locality B, at a depth of 14

metres, shows a massive wall built of 113 rows
of bricks in the ancient residential quarters.
Digging had to be stopped after this depth
because of water intrusion.

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Remains of the Buddhist monastery dating back to the Mauryan period (4th century BCE to 3rd
century BCE). Vadnagar is said to have had at least 10 Buddhist monasteries and about 100
monks were staying in them. Photo: Y.S. RAWAT

Remains of the circular Buddhist stupa excavated by the State archaeology department between
2005 and 2012. Photo: Y.S. RAWAT

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Excavation to the south of the Buddhist monastery at Ghaskol locality. At left in the picture are
two cells for monks.

A water tank adjacent to the wall built in the Solanki period (12th century).

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anesha, of the medieval period.
ARCHAEOLOGY
The wall of Vadnagar
Vadnagar in Gujarat is the only town in India that has been in existence continuously from the
6th century BCE, and this was probably made possible by a fortification wall that
archaeological evidence suggests was first built during the Mauryan period. Text by T.S.
Subramanian and Photographs by GANESH JAWARIKAR of ASI

Show Caption
Vadnagar in Gujarat is the only town in India that has been in existence continuously from
the 6th century BCE, and this was probably made possible by a fortification wall that
archaeological evidence suggests was first built during the Mauryan period. Text by T.S.
Subramanian and Photographs by GANESH JAWARIKAR of ASI
Vadnagar is a fortified town with a population of about 25,000 people in Mehsana district of
Gujarat, about 85 kilometres from Ahmedabad. Within its fortification, signs of prosperity are
plenty, but outside it poverty is everywhere. Uniquely, the town has been in existence
continuously from the 6th century BCE, but its more recent claim to fame is that it is the
birthplace of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The town’s antiquity has been established in
excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), from 2014 to 2017, and the
Gujarat State Archaeology Department between 2005 and 2012.
According to archaeologists who took part in the excavation, the town witnessed structural
activity continuously from the 6th century BCE and grew within a fortification that was first

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built perhaps during the Mauryan period (4th century BCE to 3rd century BCE) as an earthen
rampart. Later dynasties built and rebuilt a massive fortification wall made of kiln-fired bricks
until the period of the Gaikwads of the 19th and 20th centuries. It is generally assumed that the
Mauryans, the Indo-Greeks (2nd century BCE to 1st century BCE), the Saka-Kshatrapas (1st to
4th century C.E.), the Guptas (4th to 5th century), and the Solankis (10th to 13th century) ruled
the region one after another. The Maitrak dynasty ruled it from 470 C.E. to 788 C.E.
Importantly, the excavations have brought to light that Vadnagar was a Buddhist centre, with
monasteries/viharas, a stupa and cells that housed monks. Artefacts in terracotta from the
excavations depict scenes from the Jataka tales, which are episodes from the Buddha’s lifeś
Buddha heads; sealings, mostly with Brahmi inscriptions, datable from the 1st century BCE to
the 4th century C.E.; and bullae. The digs also yielded a hoard of coins and stone images.
Vadnagar was a big manufacturing centre, too, noted for its bangles and columnella from conch
shells. Shell bangles of remarkable artistic beauty were made especially during the rule of the
Solankis. Ceramics unearthed from the trenches establish that Vadnagar’s prosperity began in the
2nd or 3rd century C.E. and continued until the 19th century. The discovery of fine pottery
during every phase of Vadnagar’s cultural history, archaeologists say, revealed its foreign
contacts and its internal trade, which was extant for centuries without interruption.
Although it was done in a limited area, it was “a good excavation, with excellent results”, said
Jitendra Nath, Director (Excavations), ASI. “Our excavation in what we call locality C revealed
the various stages of the town’s cultural history. They include its pre-rampart stagewhen
Vadnagar was still a village, said Abhijit Suresh Ambekar, Deputy Superintending
Archaeologist, ASI’s Excavation Branch-V, Vadodara. “An earthen rampart was built in the
second century BCE as protection for the village. The Kshatrapas, whose rule began in the 1st
century C.E., built a fortification wall on the earthen rampart.” The wall grew in size with
successive dynasties building over it and strengthening it. There are as many as 140 courses (a
row of bricks is called a course) of baked bricks on the wall, as revealed in the excavations.
Ambekar, who was the director of excavation in the 2016-17 field season, saidŚ “Most
importantly, the prosperity of Vadnagar never degenerated. It faced no economic problems. Our
excavation has thrown up evidence that during both the post-Kshatrapa period and the Solanki
rule Vadnagar had extensive trade contacts with other countries.”
In one of the trenches, at a depth of 525 cm, pertaining to the post-Kshatrapa period, a hoard of
270 coins was found. The motifs seen on the obverse of these coins are a trident, three arches, a
river and dotted lines. There is an engraving of Garuda on the reverse. “At this juncture, these
coins can be placed in the period of 5th to 6th century C.E.,” he said.
The excavations in locality C also yielded two stone balls, identified as catapult balls. They
belonged to the Kshatrapa period and weighed 5.84 kg and 3.12 kg each. A wooden mechanism
was used to propel these stone balls from the fortification wall to target enemy positions. There
is evidence in Jaina texts that Ajatashatru, a Magadha king, used these stone balls against the
Lichchavis, Ambekar said.
Excavation in locality C, one of the three main areas where excavations were carried out,
brought to light a section ofthe fortification wall that had 140 courses of bricks. Here, the wall
rested directly on the earthen rampart, which was in the shape of an inverted vase, and extended
further northwards. So the ASI team dug to a depth of 12 metres in order to expose the earthen

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rampart fully and study its pre-earthen rampart phase. Ambekar saidŚ “Here, we could expose the
different stages of the cultural history of Vadnagar. The findings reveal that there was a pre-
rampart stage, prior to the 2nd century BCE.”
Buddhist past
On the basis of archaeological remains, the earliest date for the establishment of the settlement
could be around the 6th century BCE, says Y.S. Rawat, who led the excavation between 2005
and 2012 as Director of the Gujarat State Archaeology Department. The main aim of the
excavations in this period was to find out the Buddhist remains of Vadnagar. “We firmly
established that the site had many Buddhist remains,” he told Frontline. The excavations, a major
part of which was in the locality called Ghaskol, revealed a Buddhist monastery, a stupa and
artefacts relating to episodes from the Buddha’s life. “So many Buddhist remains in the form of
minor antiquities were found. We established the sequence of the growth of the town during the
rule of successive dynasties and its various structural phases, how the town came into existence,
how it prospered and so on,” Rawat said. In the ancient days, Vadnagar was known by several
names—Arkasthali, Anantapur, Anandapura, Chamatkarpura, Nagra, Nagaraka, Skandapura and
Vrddhanagara. The first reference to the town in a historical document is found in a rock-cut
inscription at Junagadh, belonging to Mahakshtrapa Rudradaman. The inscription, datable to 150
C.E., records Vadnagar’s name as Anarat.
The famous Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang visited Vadnagar around 640 C.E. and referred to it
as Anandpur. “He recorded the existence of ten Buddhist sanghas (monasteries/viharas) there
and said about a hundred Buddhist monks were staying in those monasteries,” said Rawat.
The late S.R. Rao of the ASI (who discovered the Harappan settlement of Lothal in Gujarat)
reported in the 1960s the presence of Early Historical period at Vadnagar. The Maharaja
Sayajirao University of Baroda conducted an excavation here later. Ambekar said the
university’s excavation identified Vadnagar’s three cultural phasesŚ the phase prior to the
Christian era; the red-polished ware culture from the 1st century to the 4th century; and post red-
polished ware period.
The ASI’s Excavation Branch-V, Vadodara, first took up excavation in different areas of the
town in 2014-15. “The Union Ministry of Culture and the ASI were keen to bring out the hidden
features of the Buddhist history and its development in Gujarat,” said M. Nambirajan, Regional
Director (West), ASI. Union Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma, along with Gujarat
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, inaugurated the excavation for the third field season, in 2016-17.
Nambirajan saidŚ “This excavation brought to light parts of the Buddhist monastery adjacent to
the site excavated earlier by the Gujarat State Archaeology Department. In another locality, we
exposed brick structures. Another interesting find was the fortification wall built in different
phases and the mud rampart which is its earliest remains.”
Excavation is a challenge in this small and thickly populated town. “We are laying trenches
wherever open spaces are available and the residents are cooperating with us. Since only limited
space is available for excavation, we are using modern technology such as ground penetrating
radars [to find out where the remains are],” Nambirajan said.
Radar survey

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Scientists from the National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIMR), Kolar/Bengaluru, visited the
site in May 2017 along with ASI officials and a scientist from the Indian Institute of Technology
Bombay. They identified a site (a school complex) near the Vadnagar overhead water tank for
using geophysical methods to explore archaeological remains of old settlements below the
present-day built-up town. The NIMR planned to carry out a ground-penetrating radar
tomography survey with three 30-metre-deep boreholes, Nambirajan said.
Three objectives decided the areas of excavation in 2016-17. First, Buddhist monasteries in
major sites were always found to have been built in a single complex. “So we decided to
excavate close to the monastery that had been excavated in Ghaskol locality, and we named it
locality A”, said Ambekar. Secondly, to expose the plan of the residential houses, the ASI
decided to excavate about 70 metres to the east of the Ghaskol monastery and named the area
locality B. Thirdly, to study the complete cultural sequence of Vadnagar from its pre-rampart era
and the defence arrangement for the town, the ASI laid trenches across the fortification wall in
an area about 60 metres to the west of the monastery at Ghaskol, which it called locality C.
In addition to these three localities, the ASI excavated an area south of the monastery. Ambekar
saidŚ “This became crucial to prove our hypothesis that Buddhist monasteries were built as a
single complex. The trenches turned out to be promising. The remains we got from this area
show that they were a part of a Buddhist vihara. We exposed two cells that could be part of the
vihara. A vihara has four sides—east, west, south and north. In the middle is an open court-
yard/hall. We found the two cells on the southern side. We exposed them within the available
area.” The vihara’s structural remains showed that it had been built in the 2nd century C.E. A
copper coin belonging to the 1st century C.E. found below the remains confirmed the date when
the vihara was built.
It was tough excavating in locality A because it was packed with residential structures and there
were hardly any open spaces. The ASI archaeologists found an open area north of Ghaskol
measuring 20 metres by 20 metres where Rabari families had erected a cattle shed in which they
were dumping manure. Of the 11 quadrants they laid there, six revealed four cell-like structures
built of bricks, with two square cells and two rectangular cells. Locality A revealed structures of
a residential nature. “We could identify here three structural phases belonging to the Kshatrapa
period. Besides, we could get evidence of structural activity from the 1st century C.E. to the
Solanki period [10th century to 13th century]. Most importantly, we could collect 61 terracotta
sealings here,” said Ambekar.
The earliest of the terracotta sealings, found at a depth of 1,160 cm to 1,175 cm, show
a swastika with Nandipadaattached to its arms in the centre. It has Brahmi letters that can be
paleographically dated to the 1st century C.E. Since the sealing is broken, the script cannot be
read fully. In the sealings recovered from deposits at the lower level and dated to the 4th century,
archaeologists found the names Ishwarsenasya and Ishwarvarmana inscribedin Brahmi script; the
language is Sanskrit. Those found in the upper deposit, of the 2nd century to the 3rd century, had
the name Rudradevasya inscribed on them in Brahmi script. The language is Sanskrit. The
Epigraphy Division of the ASI in Mysuru studied the sealings and found that one of them had the
legend “Anandpur Rajo” written in Brahmi script. This confirmed that Vadnagar was called
“Anandpur” in the 2nd century.
“A noteworthy finding here is that the sealings with the name Ishwarvarman are found in all the
three structural phases of the Kshatrapa period, suggesting that the same issuing authority

26
continued through the three phases,” said Ambekar. “There is an inscription in cave number 10
at Nashik which mentions an Abhira king called Ishwarsena. Whether Ishwaradatta,
Ishwarvarma, Ishwarsena and Ishwarsenasya are the names of the same king, we do not know
yet,” he added. There were four rulers in the Kardamaka family of the Kshatrapa dynasty who
had similar names: Rudrasen I (regnal years 199 to 200), Rudrasen (regnal years 255 to 277),
Swami Rudrasen III (333 to 348) and Swami Rudrasena IV. It was difficult to hazard a guess to
whom the sealings belonged.
A metal piece with Brahmi letters was found at a depth of more than four metres. The Brahmi
script could be read as “Sri Drashil” and it could be dated on paleographic grounds to the 4th
century. A few terracotta sealings with the Brahmi script datable to the 5th century were found as
well. The script on one sealing can be read as “Sharbalasya”.
Bangle-making centre
A striking discovery made in all levels of locality A was shell bangles, heaps of them, both
decorative and plain. The decorative pieces of shell bangles had floral, creeper and perforation
motifs carved on them, and these bangles could be be dated from the 5th century onwards. Other
patterns on the shell bangles included zig zags, incised linear lines and “badi chudi”. Some
bangles had leaves, fish and human couples carved on them. An interesting find was a fragment
of a shell bangle with the carving of a peacock.
Equally arresting was the unearthing of large quantities of columnella, which are artefacts made
out of debitage of conch shells after bangles are made from them. Each columnella weighed
between 250 grams and 1 kg. Dice made of ivory were also found. “The discovery of shell
bangles and columnella in large quantities shows that Vadnagar was an important manufacturing
centre of shell bangles. The artisans at Vadnagar could have sourced the shells from Kutch. The
shell bangle industry flourished up to the Solanki period when bangles of great artistic quality
were made,” said Ambekar.
Terracotta heads
Locality A also yielded two beautiful terracotta pendants, each carved with a human face. They
are noteworthy because their facial outline and hairstyle have a close resemblance to that of the
Buddha, and an urna is visible between the eyebrows. (An urna is a mark made on the forehead
between the eyebrows on Buddha sculptures and is considered an auspicious sign.)
A head, made of terracotta, closely resembled the face of the Buddha. The head features
an ushnisha (in Buddhist iconography, ushnisha signifies flame of knowledge). The head has
elongated earlobes reaching up to the jaw. The eyebrows merge with the sharp ridge of the
pointed nose. The eyebrows are carved in elongated round curves which is a common feature in
Buddha images, Ambekar said.
A notable artefact that has echoes of Buddhism is a terracotta pendant engraved with a human
face with a tri-ratna motif carved on the hair knot. (In Buddhism, the tri-ratna motif indicates that
a person depicted with it is a super human being.) The face has round eyes and fully closed
eyebrows that merge at the top of a broad nose. The ends of the lips are turned up slightly to
produce a pleasant mirth. The cheeks are fleshy and the ears are delicately carved in such a way
that the face has a pleasant mirth about it. Another terracotta pendant depicting a human face has
a tri-ratna motif on the hair knot.

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An artefact that stands out for its craftmanship is a bullae made of terracotta. Basically, a bullae
is a small, circular tablet carved with geometric, floral or animal designs. A bullae is moulded in
clay and has a hook or perforation for a thread to pass through. Bullaes are light in weight and
are regarded as pendants if they have human motifs. Some bullaes do not have holes. This bullae
too does not have a hole for a thread to pass through. On the obverse of this bullae is carved the
bust of a king. He has a sharp nose and his flowing hair is knotted at the neck. He looks serene.
On the reverse of the bullae is a faded inscription. The artefact could be dated to the 5th century,
said the deputy superintending archaeologist.
Another interesting artefact is a human face made of terracotta, carved with precision and
artistically made. “This form of human face is artistically different from other human faces found
in the excavation and this face indicates Gandhar art influence,” said Ambekar, who was so
mesmerised by this face that he called it “the face of Vadnagar”.
The quest for the complete cultural sequence led the archaeologists to excavate to a depth of
more than 19 metres in two quadrants from the top of the mound in locality B. A wall with 113
courses of bricks of a residential structure came into view, and a closer observation revealed that
three different kinds of masonry had been used in building this wall with bricks of different
sizes. However, the team could not reach the natural soil because water gushed out, and the last
four courses of the wall were found to be below the water table. The team tried to retrieve the
cultural deposits from the waterlogged trench, but had to stop when the deposits started
collapsing.
Ambekar saidŚ “The wall with 113 brick courses belonged to the different phases of the cultural
history of Vadnagar. Here we found a lead coin that belonged to the period of the king Bhumaka.
This find is important because it reveals that the brick fortification wall was built over the
earthen rampart during the Bhumaka period, datable to early 2nd century C.E. Bhumaka was the
second ruler of the Kshatrapa family. He ruled around 125 C.E. The coin has a depiction of a
thunderbolt on the obverse and the engraving of a lion and a wheel with what looks like a
circular Brahmi script inscription on the reverse.” It was in these quadrants that shell bangles and
a large quantity of columnella were found. The building of the wall continued until the Solanki
period of the 11th century, he added.
prosperous town
Today, Vadnagar is a prosperous town where several communities live. Their occupations are
cattle-keeping, running dairies, agriculture, business and making handicrafts. The town has an
arts and science college, a polytechnic and an Industrial Training Institute. A medical college has
just been set up and it is slated for inauguration on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti. The town is ringed
by scores of ponds and lakes. In a few places, the ancient fortification wall is still intact to a
height of about eight metres. Five gates of the fortification wall can still be seen. There are
historically important places such as a stepped well, a big tank, a keerti toran and so on, which
were all built during the Solanki period. There are 25 old houses,
called havelis, besides architecturally attractive houses that are about 150 years old.
Comments:
The article says: "He recorded the existence of ten Buddhist sanghas.....a hundred Buddhist
monks were staying in.....". But as per Book-'Records of Western Countries' Vol I.11, Translated
by Samuel Beal, Page 268-"There are some ten Sangharamas with less then 1000 priest". I hope

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it was unintentionally quote by the comment person or a mistake by the writer.Because there is a
not only the difference between the numbers; 1000 suppose to be shows the importance of the
cultural-religious-economic bonding with two different communities in that particular time.
from: Mr. Prithwi Sengupta
Posted on: Sep 29, 2017 at 17:11 IST
An excellent archeological report. The site evidences Indus Script on lead and transition to
Brahmi script on terracotta tablets. Indicationse of metalworking (lead seal with script
hieroglyphs) provides the link with the Bronze Age mintwork. A pathbreaking contribution,
indeed, to fill the so-called dark period after 1900 BCE, and to link with sites such as Lothal and
Dholavira to narrate the continuity in ancient historical traditions. Did Nal Sarovar link Lothal
and Dholavira to provide for a navigable waterway? Thanks to TS Subramanian for the
insightful narrative.
Kalyan

http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/the-wall-of-vadnagar/article9874982.ece
http://www.frontline.in/arts-and-culture/heritage/vadnagars-wall-of-fame/article9873957.ece

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