Purana Qila: ASI reopens trenches excavated earlier to find ‘first occupants’

On Tuesday, a team of conservationists and other workers fanned across the site and uncovered trenches, preparing the historic monument for the excavations.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has started reopening trenches in Purana Qila that were excavated during the previous two excavation projects over the last decade, said officials aware of the efforts, which aim to identify the “first occupants” of the site.

Excavation in progress at Purana Quila on Tuesday. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

On Tuesday, a team of conservationists and other workers fanned across the site and uncovered trenches, preparing the historic monument for the excavations.

After the exercise is wound up, ASI also plans to install a shade over the excavated spots and open them up for visitors.

The ASI team has been working at the 16th-century fort complex since last week after wrapping up a survey at the site.

During such excavation exercises, spots are identified to be dug up, layers of earth and material uncovered and assessed to check for cultural material.

The findings and artefacts unearthed in previous excavations included painted grey ware from 900 BC, an earthen pottery sequence from the Maurya to Shunga, Kushana, Gupta, Rajput, Sultanates, and Mughal periods.

Excavated artefacts such as sickles, parers, terracotta toys, kiln-burnt bricks, beads, terracotta figurines, seals and dealings that were excavated earlier are on display at the museum inside the fort complex.

Vasant Swarnkar, ASI’s director of conservation and spokesperson, who led the previous two excavations, is also leading the latest exercise.

“We were not able to touch the lowest levels during the previous round. We recovered cultural material during every round of digging. We did not touch the natural soil during the last round of excavations,” said Swarankar.

“We want to study the lowest levels and understand who the first occupants of the site were. To achieve this, we will dig deeper to arrive at earlier cultural levels,” he added.

According to ASI officials, Purana Qila is the only site in Delhi that was continuously occupied over a 2,500-year span, starting from the Maurya to Shunga, Kushana, Gupta, Rajput, Sultanate, and Mughal periods.

“Visitors coming to Purana Qila only get to see the Mughal layer, the uppermost layer right now. We plan to put in place a shade at the site so that visitors can see the different cultural layers of Delhi’s history,” said Swarnkar.

A member of the team working at the site on Tuesday said that while they had reached the pre -Mauryan level during the earlier round of excavations, further digging could not be carried out since the excavation was on the verge of closure. “As part of the latest round of excavations, the trenches are being opened and will be properly preserved for visitors to see,” said the member.