Baghpat: 4000-year-old Chalcolithic age objects unearthed during archaeological excavation in Tilwara Sakin
In an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-led excavation in Tilwara Sakin village of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, several Chalcolithic age objects, including pottery, copper, royal coffins, bricks and beads have been discovered. The first phase of this excavation began on December 10, 2024, on a mound in Tilwara Sakin located at a distance of 10 km from Sinauli. The ASI team has installed more than a dozen trenches at the site for carrying out the excavation work.
Director of the Shahjahan Rai Institute, Dr Amit Roy, said that the objects, said to be around 4000 years old, are similar to those discovered during the Sinauli excavation. The discovery of a coffin-like shape and a chariot in a trench with a brick platform underneath is being viewed as a significant achievement by the experts. Among the objects discovered are rectangular plates, daggers, beads, and copper pots. Geometric shapes have been engraved on a large square piece of copper at the excavation site. The objects found at Tilwara Sakin and Sinauli have striking similarity. The structure, carving and shape of the soil, and copper vessels found from both sites are the same.
According to the ASI Superintendent in Meerut, Vinod Kumar Rawat, many intriguing pieces of evidence have been found in the last phase of excavation in Tilwara Sakin. He said that a 4000-year-old chamber system was found, which may date back to 2000 BC. In addition to that, a large matte copper design estimated to be 1000 years old, is also found. Rawat added that many things have been found which appear to belong to the Late Harappa culture. Pottery has also been found which is thousands of years old.
The objects excavated at Tilwara will reportedly be brought to the Meerut Circle office, where a report of the findings will be prepared.
Excavations at Sinauli
The excavations in Sinauli were conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 2005-06 and in mid-2018, which is still an ongoing process. The site at Sinauli is famous for its Bronze Age “chariots”, the first ones to be discovered in an archaeological excavation in South Asia. ASI joint director S K Manjul, who led the excavations at Sanauli, said that three chariots found at the site have a fixed axle linked by a long pole to the small yoke and were run by a pair of animals. The size and shape of the chariots indicate they were pulled by horses.
A burial site with 126 burials was also excavated at Sinauli. The burial site, dated to be at least 3,800 years old, is said to be the largest known ancient burial site. The Joint Director said that the carbon dating has confirmed that the burials date back to 1900 BC. The burials bear similarity to Vedic rituals, as the impressions of cloth found on bodies suggest purification of bodies similar to what is practised in the Hindu religion.
News