Pandu Rajar Dhibi - A Forgotten Past of Bengal

Pandu Rajar Dhibi – a forgotten past of Bengal
The history of Bengal goes long back archaeologically, wherein tools from the
Stone Age era dating back to almost 20,000 years have been found from various
sites. Mahabharata talks of this area as divided into different kingdoms: Magadha,
Banga, Pundra, Anga, and Suhma. Each part was ruled by different tribes, and the
languages they spoke belonged to the non-Aryan group of languages (Nishadas or
the Austro-Asiatic, Alpine-Dinaric, etc) still extant among some of the tribal
communities, such as Kol, Khasi, Santhal, Bhil, and Shabara. The other adjoining
janapadas of Bengal at that time were Kalinga (modern Odisha), Videha (now
Nepal), and Assam which the Mahabharata mentions as Pragyajyotisha. Bengal
also finds mention in the book Indica, written by Megasthenes, who referred to it
as Gangaridai.
Some archaeological excavations in the 1960s-70s in the core area of Raarbhumi

(Birbhum and Bardhaman) in West Bengal brought about revolutionary changes in
the study of Bengal history. Among these the most important site is known as the
“Pandu Rajar Dhibi,” in the valley of the river Ajay, near Bolpur, dist. Bardhaman.
The Raarbhumi is fed by the seasonal Ajoy, Mayurakhhi, Kopai, Bakreshwar,
Kunnur, and Damodar rivers, while the rivers Subornorekha and Kangsaboti feed
the adjoining districts of Medinipur, Bankura, and Purulia. This entire area is the
purabhumi or the original fertile tract of prehistoric and ancient Bengal, where
settlements from the Stone Age era grew up beside the banks of these roaring
monsoon-water-fed rivers, and agriculture started.
Near the Pandu Rajar dhibi is the village Bonkoti where, excavations had revealed
innumerable microlithic tools made of wood and crystal. Another village beside
the Damodar river had produced similar archaeological artefacts of microlithic
tools made of crystals and other crushed stones, and from other found site
evidences it was clear the place was most likely a factory for producing such tools.
While such artifacts of Neolithic and Chalcolithic era are commonly seen across
the Raarbhumi and the adjoining three districts, the excavations at the Pandu Rajar
Dhibi changed the course of studies into the pre-proto historic and ancient Bengal.
The ASI reports of the excavations at Pandu Rajar Dhibi during 1962-65 have
revealed that the Bengal during the latter half of the 2 nd millennium BCE had in
place a well developed urban culture, with towns having well planned streets and
pavements. The residents lived in citadels, and houses that were made of unfired
clay reinforced with reeds, while the floors and walls were of plastered beaten
laterite. The houses were rectangular to square or round, framed with thick wooden
or bamboos posts, the roofs sometimes showed terracotta tiles, floors had lateritic
pellets or rammed moorum or terracotta nodules, and the walls had reeds plastered
with mud from both sides. Use of copper was known, domesticated animals and
livestock were kept, while agriculture (rice, sugarcane, and other crops) and
commerce formed to be the backbone of their economy. Daily diet of the
inhabitants seems to have been of rice, meat, and fish. Their potteries consisted of
various kinds of bowls, basins, vases, storage jars, dishes, etc. The dead were
buried in east-west orientation, while the worship of matrika figures (fertility
figurines- mother goddesses) seemed to be popular.
The most interesting aspect of Pandu Rajar Dhibi however was the fact that the
town seemed to be a trading settlement. Various artifacts proved that the people
here carried on trade not only with other parts of India (Chalcolithic central India
and Rajasthan), but also with foreign countries. A sea-faring group of people they
would travel in ships built by themselves, and various discoveries at the Dhibi (of
2000 BCE) showed that they had close trade relations with Crete and other
Mediterranean nations. The chief trading items with foreign countries were spices,
cotton fabrics (likely fine cotton or muslin), silver, gold, ivory, copper, and also
probably sugar (always a prominent commercial item in ancient Bengal trade). A
seal and clay label with inscribed signs of Cretan A symbols found at the site
shows the commercial links between the two places. Besides the Dhibi, other sites
such as Tamluk, Midnapur, Harinarayanpur, and Chandraketugarh in West Bengal
have also yielded vases of Egyptian and Cretan types, along with sealings and
potteries showing distinct Egyptian and Cretan traits.
The 1962-65 ASI excavations at the Pandu Rajar Dhibi revealed four layers of
varying periods, of which Period III belongs to around 1000 BCE; Period II is said
to belong to the 1012+-120 timeline; while Period I belongs to the earlier times of
around 2000 BCE (if not earlier). In the 1964 excavation various artefacts showed
that the people living there knew the use of iron, and probably smelted at the site.
A Seal and engraving revealed that a writing pattern of sharp linear pattern once
existed in the 2nd millennium BCE in the area around the Ajay valley.
From the ASI reports of the 1962-65, and a later report on the site by M.K.
Dhavalikar (1973) shows the importance of the Pandu Rajar site in the studies of
proto historic era Bengal. Yet, it is quite unfortunate that the artefacts from the site
were not taken up for further advanced studies and scientific analyses. Owing to a
complete lack of attention and apathy, the site discoveries got removed from
limelight and were soon relegated to the background by the late 70s. Today not
many people (including those that live in the nearby districts) know the name of
the site; leave aside being aware of its historical importance. Casting a veil over
proto-historic and ancient Bengal had started from the late 70s, and has been so
successful that today many Bengalis have either forgotten or are not even aware of
their rich heritage that once ran parallel to the late Harappan era.

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Pandu Rajar Dhibi – a forgotten past of Bengal

Some archaeological excavations in the 1960s-70s in the core area of Raarbhumi

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